LEARNING DAILY

 

Romans 3:22-24, We are made right in God’s sight – not by obeying the law but by the way promised in Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. We all can be saved in this way, no matter what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of od’s glorious standard. Yet now God in His glorious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.

 

People work so hard to be successful. Athletes and coaches work hard to win a game(s) because those watching judge their performance by the score of the games played. People in business strive to “move up” in their chosen profession because others judge their work ethic by the position they hold. People are taught at a young age that the harder they work in school, the better college they will get to attend or the better job they will be able to get. Do you get the idea? Hard work equals success.

 

I wonder if this concept of working hard to achieve success is applied to having to do something in order to earn our salvation. I wonder how many people have tried to live their lives as really good people thinking this is what is required to get into heaven. If that is the case, how many have been disappointed. Once again, I am sure I am writing to the “choir” because you know that all our hard work doing all the right and expected things a Christian is to do, does not meet the standard to get into heaven.

 

The standard for entering heaven is found in the verses above, “We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins.” It is a free gift received by our faith when we believe what Jesus Christ did for us on a cross and our heart responds in trust. It is a response not because we have done anything but simply because we respond to what Jesus did. He took all the sins away of everyone who believes. There is work involved by the Believer; but the work occurs because of our salvation and is done with joy and devotion to our Lord and Savior.

 

Faith includes repentance and obedience. Saving faith is true sorrow for the sinful life of disobedience lived before placing our faith in Him. Obedience to Him is inspired by faith, our gratitude for what He has done for us, and through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us to cleanse us of all the “yuck” in our lives. That cleaning is a continuing process until we enter eternity in God’s kingdom. Faith and obedience go together; saving faith without a commitment to sanctification (life long cleansing) is impossible.

 

“Faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is both the act of a single moment and a continuing attitude that must be strengthened. Because we have faith in a specific person who died for us, our faith should become greater. Trust and obedience develop into loyalty and devotion; loyalty and devotion develop into intense feeling of impersonal attachment and love for Jesus Christ. This love brings us into a new relationship with God and exempts us from His wrath; through the new relationship we become dead to sin and indwelt by the Holy Spirit” (LSSB).

 

God sent His Son to die in our place for our sins. We can never earn that; we can accept it as God’s free gift to us. What a wonderful gift it is!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible