Meditations
Can God's Law be Voided
16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” Galatians 2:16 (NLT)
Should we nullify the law now that we are made right with God through faith in Jesus?
Going back to The Law...
And now what?
Even before Matthew 5:17, the Psalm 19:7-14 (NLT), God tells us how important The Law is, as you can see it the verses below:
And in Psalm 103:18, God the Father also tells us that; “His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!”
It is only by God’s grace that we are able to say no to idolatry, no to adultery, no to fornication, no to all types of evil…
Prayer:
14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) Romans 4:14-15 (NLT)
Should the law be made void since it only brings punishment to those who try to obey it?
By simply reading the above verses, one might think that the law is no longer required if we want to be made right with God.
And there, is where we find ourselves stuck. We cannot read the Bible just in isolated verses; it must be read in context.
There are many Scriptures in the Bible that talk about “faith vs. grace vs. work” which, if read out of context, it may suggest that the law is no longer needed. But that is not always the case. We must be open minded and have a teachable spirit in order to understand God’s word. And most of all, we must have a humble heart.
God will never contradict Himself. It is us who need to understand what God is telling us before we jump into conclusions and cause others to go astray.
So, the next time you find yourself in a situation where whatever Bible passage you are reading on contradicts your level of understanding; do yourself a favor; ask God to clarify it for you and He will be sure to do so.
And How does God clarify our doubts?
He will either send someone with more knowledge than us to teach us how it should be or as feelings through promptings and impressions in our heart.
But again, God is unpredictable; He has infinite ways - so be alert. Pray for a discerning heart so you may be able to tell the difference between your conscience, the devil's voice and God's voice.
Paul tells us that The Law was given to us so we can see how sinners we are, and how our lives should be guided.
The Law, though Holy, it only reveals God’s standards - it tells us how we should live – but it does not provide the spiritual power for humanity to live up to those standards, whereas faith in Jesus, it leads us to salvation by grace.
And how do we receive grace?
First of all, we must acknowledge that He (God) is the only God worthy of worship and praise; Secondly, we must believe in His Son - our Lord Jesus Christ as the Father Himself commands in 1 John 3:23 which read;
“And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us.”
And here's the secret; believing in Jesus as the Father commands, is obeying His Law first, before we can receive His grace.
So you see, we cannot separate the law from grace, they are together. That’s why many scholars say; “Salvation is by grace, but grace only comes to those who obey God’s Law.”
Can we then void The Law?
Can we then live sinful life because we are not saved by The Law, but by grace instead?
By no means!
Jesus did not come into this world to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets, but rather, to accomplish their purpose. “Matthew 5:17"
7 The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul.
The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.
9 Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever.
The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair.
10 They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.
11 They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
As you can see, the commandments mentioned in the New Testament are just a continuation of the ones given to Moses then, and we are to obey them as well.
In conclusion:
Lord Jesus - God made flesh.
By obeying your Father to come into this world, you have opened the way to heaven for us.
Now, we thank you Lord for your word and for choosing to die on the cross for our sins - for without it, no one would have eternal life. In your Name we Pray, Amen.
Once Saved, Always Saved
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." John 3:16-18 (ESV)
The above scriptures are just some of the Bible passages that many peeople or even some Pastors use to justify their sinful way of life. But what they don't realize is that those very same passages, without a deep understanding of it, can easely misleading anyone, causing them to take a way that is not pleasing to God.
What then, should we keep sinning because of God's mercy?
Prayer:
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NASB)
Most people even argue that “once saved, we are always saved” -- that we can be saved once and for all, only by repentance and saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
They go on to say that once a person has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, he/she is forever saved and nothing else is required. To them, it doesn't matter how many more sins a person keeps committing, there is still salvation as long they repent every time they commit it.
But unfortunately, it's not so. We are being deceived by the devil in thinking that way.
Don't you realize that sinning with the intention of asking forgiveness drains sincerity out of our repentence?
Are we to use that "FREE GIFT", that "GRACE", to live any way we want and therefore grieve our God's Holy Spirit?
So again, I ask you:
What if, by maintaining your self-centered life, by living selfishly in sin, you are surprised with death and you do not have enough time to repent. Are you still saved?
You see, according to some scholars; "Counting on God to forgive deliberate sin offends God's grace and insults the price our Lord Jesus Christ paid on the cross for our sins."
So the fact here is not just accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, but we must as well live His commands.
We must be less self-centered and embrace self-denial. We must understand that not everything that we like is good for us. Otherwise John 15:4 and Romans 8:8 would make no sense.
In John 15:4, the Lord tells us to “remain in Him and He will remain in us.
Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can we bear fruit unless we remain in Him.”
In the book of Romans 8: 8-9 (NASB) scripture says,
“8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
In conclusion, we must be prepared at all times, because "no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.." Matthew 24:36
Father God in heaven, in Proverbs 3:5-6 and Psalm 32:8; You said:
[5] Trust in Me with all your heart, and depend not on your own understanding.
[6] Seek My Will in everything you do, and I will show you which path to take.
[8] I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
O Lord - Father of Love and Mercy, with humble heart I thank You for guiding me as I trust in You with all my heart. I also thank You for being with me in all that I do. And according to your promise, keep me from evil, in Jesus Name. Amen.
Are we Saved by Grace Alone
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)
After reading the above Scripture, it’s natural to think that good works are no longer required in our society, and as a result, we tend to get confused about how good works are related to salvation.
People of Nineveh Spared from Death!
In conclusion, while no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation before God - especially if it is done in a boastful manner, thinking that it was done through our own efforts; nevertheless, our willingness to serve others with a spirit of humility, can help us to shine before the world for the Glory and Praise of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Matthew 5:16
Prayer:
But even in those situations, where our level of interpretation of the Scripture is limited, we shouldn’t just rely on our own understanding, but rather, we should seek help from the Holy Ghost to reveal the true meaning of the message God is sending to us.
So my understanding of the above message is that, God through Paul is telling us that there is nothing we can do to be completely holy before Him (The Father) and no work from us would be good enough to grant salvation to the humanity; therefore, it is clear that we are saved by His Grace and Mercy through our faith in Jesus Christ.
But this doesn’t mean that our good works are not required or are meaningless in God's plan for the salvation of mankind - otherwise He wouldn’t be promoting love among people; neither would He be sending you into the world to spread the gospel.
What He (God) wants is for us to understand that our good works are counted to Him only if what we do is done in humility, and not in a boastful manner; acknowledging Him as the source of all good works in our lives, realizing that without Him we can do nothing good.
He wants us to always remember that whatever knowledge we have acquired, or whatever possessions we have achieved in life, it was thanks to God’s grace and mercy; and therefore, whatever good works we do, is done for the Glory and Praise of God and not ours.
As you continue reading, Ephesians 2:10 (NABRE), Paul tells us;
10 ”For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.”
Another Bible Scripture that tells us that faith without works is dead, can be found in the book of James 2:21-24 (NLT) which reads;
21 "Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.
23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone."
Remember how our Merciful Father saved the people of Nineveh from death, when they humbled themselves in fasting before God and He decided to spare their lives? Jonah 4:9-11 (NABRE)
Tobit Healed from Blindness!
Also, do you remember how our Merciful Father healed Tobit from his blindness because of his good works?
Tobit 12: 11-15 (NABRE)
11 "I shall now tell you the whole truth and conceal nothing at all from you. I have already said to you, A king’s secret should be kept secret, but one must declare the works of God with due honor.
12 Now when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed, it was I who presented the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord; and likewise whenever you used to bury the dead.
13 When you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner in order to go and bury that dead man,
[14-15] I was sent to put you to the test. At the same time, however, God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand and serve before the Glory of the Lord.”
Father in heaven, who alone is God before all gods, the Preserver of all things, the Father of Mercies, we come before you now to give you thanks and praise for sending Your One and only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ into the world, to redeem us from sin and misery, and to obtain for us everlasting life.
Accept, O gracious God, our praises and thanksgivings for your infinite mercies toward us and for sending your Holy Ghost to reveal the thruth of your Scripture to us.
Teach us, O Lord, to love you more and serve you better, through Christ our Lord. Amen.