Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
An Exegetical Study of Mark Ch 2 V 23 - 28
An Exegetical Study of Mark Ch 2 V 23 - 28
Jesus Christ and the Sabbath - Introduction
It is necessary to consider the Revelation given to the Apostle Paul by Jesus Christ in order to fully grasp the meaning of many parables in the Gospels .The Gospel writers record frequent confrontations between the Pharisees and Jesus Christ , and Paul the Apostle was a Pharisee .We see an ongoing theme of Grace , being represented in Jesus Christ , and Law , being represented by the Pharisees , quite often in the parables . This Sabbath parable also contains these Grace versus Law themes , and can best be seen in the light of the Pauline revelation .
The intention of Jesus Christ in this parable recorded in Mark Ch 2 V 23 - 28 was not to place himself above the Law in his statement that ' the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath ' in V 28 - Amplified Version . Rather it was to show that he was the fullfilment of the Law .
The purpose of Jesus Christ in this Parable
The Sabbath parable in the Gospel of Mark also illustrates the purpose of Jesus Christ in fullfiling the requirements of the Law . This paper shows that although the Pharisees were trying to bring Jesus Christ into a dispute over the Sabbath , the actual intentions of Jesus Christ as revealed in the story are more far-reaching . What is the purpose of Jesus Christ in this parable ? Once we understand that Jesus had a pre-ordained purpose for this parable it becomes to us much more than a Sabbath dispute with the Pharisees .
The controversial field
In Mark 2 V 23 Jesus and his disciples were walking besides a field of grain . His disciples began to pick some of the grain to eat it . This type of grain picking was not in violation of the Law , as an allowance was made in Deuteronomy Ch 23 v 25 for this activity in the kind of circumstances in which the disciples found themselves . This is why the Pharisees did not dispute the picking of grain as an issue , but rather that it was done on the Sabbath . The Pharisees began to accuse Jesus because his disciples were picking grain on the Sabbath , and in this way their intention was to keep the focus of Jesus on the Sabbath issue . On the other hand the intention of Jesus was to keep the arguments of the Pharisees revolving around his mission .
In his defence of the accusations by the Pharisees , Jesus refers to King David . In V 26 Jesus declares that King David and his men went into the House of God , and ate the sacred bread on display , which eating was not permitted under the Law , and this occured on the Sabbath day . We should therefore ask ourselves , why did Jesus use King David as his example ?
By using King David in this way in His response , Jesus was leading the Pharisees to make a choice between two opposing options . This choice was designed to get the Pharisees attention off the Sabbath and onto Himself . Jesus was not providing an excuse for King David as a Law breaker , or suggesting that King David was above the Law . This choice then amounted to a confounding dilemna for the Pharisees , on the one hand if they choose their own traditions they then pronounced guilt on King David . On the other , if they decide for David they are then exonerating the disciples of Jesus . King David becomes a representation of the choice that Jesus is presenting to the Pharisees between Himself and the Law .
In Verse 27 Jesus states that ' the Sabbath was made for Man , and not Man for the Sabbath ' . It is important to realise at this point that Jesus is not trying to make the Sabbath the central issue , we have to read this in the context of the Pharisees being the audience . By this statement Jesus is laying the foundation for V 28 where He is revealing His authority . He is clarifying by these statements that He made the Sabbath , and created the Sabbath rules , and presides over the Sabbath . The audacity of this proclomation would have greatly shocked the Pharisees , especially since they are trying to fault with Jesus over a technical point of the Law , and now He is explaining to them the purpose of the Sabbath , and His Lordship over the Sabbath , in a manner which suggests that the Pharisees have entirely the wrong idea .
This is exemplified in V 28 where Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man who is Lord of the Sabbath . The Pharisees knew by this statement that the issue was no longer whether the disciples were breaking the Sabbath , but whether the Pharisees were going to choose Jesus Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath . Some writers have presumed from this Verse that Jesus was placing himself above the requirements of the Sabbath , and could therefore decide whether He wanted to keep the Sabbath or not . Perhaps in comparison to a middle ages European King who might decide to ignore some of the rules of law from his own Kingdom if it suited his purpose . If Jesus only wanted to show the Parisees that He was above the Law , then why lead the Pharisees into a place of choosing King David over their traditions ? Jesus was trying to get the Pharisees to realise that by choosing Him they were meeting the demands of their traditions , and this is the reason why He was the ' Lord of the Sabbath ' . The Pharisees were being made aware that He was presenting Himself to them as their Messiah . This point the Pharisees understood and is the reason why they wanted Him crucified . This is represented in choosing the requirements of the Law over choosing King David , and thereby accusing King David of guilt .
Jesus Christ and the Sabbath - Introduction
It is necessary to consider the Revelation given to the Apostle Paul by Jesus Christ in order to fully grasp the meaning of many parables in the Gospels .The Gospel writers record frequent confrontations between the Pharisees and Jesus Christ , and Paul the Apostle was a Pharisee .We see an ongoing theme of Grace , being represented in Jesus Christ , and Law , being represented by the Pharisees , quite often in the parables . This Sabbath parable also contains these Grace versus Law themes , and can best be seen in the light of the Pauline revelation .
The intention of Jesus Christ in this parable recorded in Mark Ch 2 V 23 - 28 was not to place himself above the Law in his statement that ' the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath ' in V 28 - Amplified Version . Rather it was to show that he was the fullfilment of the Law .
The purpose of Jesus Christ in this Parable
The Sabbath parable in the Gospel of Mark also illustrates the purpose of Jesus Christ in fullfiling the requirements of the Law . This paper shows that although the Pharisees were trying to bring Jesus Christ into a dispute over the Sabbath , the actual intentions of Jesus Christ as revealed in the story are more far-reaching . What is the purpose of Jesus Christ in this parable ? Once we understand that Jesus had a pre-ordained purpose for this parable it becomes to us much more than a Sabbath dispute with the Pharisees .
The controversial field
In Mark 2 V 23 Jesus and his disciples were walking besides a field of grain . His disciples began to pick some of the grain to eat it . This type of grain picking was not in violation of the Law , as an allowance was made in Deuteronomy Ch 23 v 25 for this activity in the kind of circumstances in which the disciples found themselves . This is why the Pharisees did not dispute the picking of grain as an issue , but rather that it was done on the Sabbath . The Pharisees began to accuse Jesus because his disciples were picking grain on the Sabbath , and in this way their intention was to keep the focus of Jesus on the Sabbath issue . On the other hand the intention of Jesus was to keep the arguments of the Pharisees revolving around his mission .
In his defence of the accusations by the Pharisees , Jesus refers to King David . In V 26 Jesus declares that King David and his men went into the House of God , and ate the sacred bread on display , which eating was not permitted under the Law , and this occured on the Sabbath day . We should therefore ask ourselves , why did Jesus use King David as his example ?
By using King David in this way in His response , Jesus was leading the Pharisees to make a choice between two opposing options . This choice was designed to get the Pharisees attention off the Sabbath and onto Himself . Jesus was not providing an excuse for King David as a Law breaker , or suggesting that King David was above the Law . This choice then amounted to a confounding dilemna for the Pharisees , on the one hand if they choose their own traditions they then pronounced guilt on King David . On the other , if they decide for David they are then exonerating the disciples of Jesus . King David becomes a representation of the choice that Jesus is presenting to the Pharisees between Himself and the Law .
In Verse 27 Jesus states that ' the Sabbath was made for Man , and not Man for the Sabbath ' . It is important to realise at this point that Jesus is not trying to make the Sabbath the central issue , we have to read this in the context of the Pharisees being the audience . By this statement Jesus is laying the foundation for V 28 where He is revealing His authority . He is clarifying by these statements that He made the Sabbath , and created the Sabbath rules , and presides over the Sabbath . The audacity of this proclomation would have greatly shocked the Pharisees , especially since they are trying to fault with Jesus over a technical point of the Law , and now He is explaining to them the purpose of the Sabbath , and His Lordship over the Sabbath , in a manner which suggests that the Pharisees have entirely the wrong idea .
This is exemplified in V 28 where Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man who is Lord of the Sabbath . The Pharisees knew by this statement that the issue was no longer whether the disciples were breaking the Sabbath , but whether the Pharisees were going to choose Jesus Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath . Some writers have presumed from this Verse that Jesus was placing himself above the requirements of the Sabbath , and could therefore decide whether He wanted to keep the Sabbath or not . Perhaps in comparison to a middle ages European King who might decide to ignore some of the rules of law from his own Kingdom if it suited his purpose . If Jesus only wanted to show the Parisees that He was above the Law , then why lead the Pharisees into a place of choosing King David over their traditions ? Jesus was trying to get the Pharisees to realise that by choosing Him they were meeting the demands of their traditions , and this is the reason why He was the ' Lord of the Sabbath ' . The Pharisees were being made aware that He was presenting Himself to them as their Messiah . This point the Pharisees understood and is the reason why they wanted Him crucified . This is represented in choosing the requirements of the Law over choosing King David , and thereby accusing King David of guilt .
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Monday, 14 March 2011
How to be Right with God - Receive the Gift - Part 3
How to be Right with God - Receive the Gift - Part 3
without any sense of Guilt or Condemnation ,
would you be fearless ?
Today we have continual controversy over our Human Rights
as Citizens of the Country in which we live .
Some Countries are characterised as violating
basic Human Rights for Freedom and Liberty .
In Pakistan the Human Rights of Christians are virtually non-existant .
This divergence between countries
is because our Human Rights are based
on the written Laws and Decrees of the Nation in which we live .
The Man made Decrees are subject to constant change ,
so our Human Rights can be violated .
The Divine Decrees of the New Covenant are not subject to change ,
and therefore cannot be violated by Man .
which have been made by Royal Heavenly Decree ?
of the Apostle Paul's Letter to the Romans .
Romans Ch 1 V 17 , Good News Version ,
" For the Gospel reveals how God
puts people Right with Himself " .
Notice that it did not say ,
' The Gospel reveals How man
put himself Right with God ' .
So in order to be Right with God ,
we must discover How
" God puts people Right with Himself " .
We shall make this discovery
as we continue down the ' Roman Road ' .
Romans Ch 1 V 32 , Good News Version ,
" They know that God's Law says that people
who live in this way deserve death ."
This is making reference to Paul's avid description
of Man's willful disobedience to God in the previous verses .
It is important to see here how Paul discusses God's Law ,
as it is the indispensable Legal Decree of Heaven .
Romans Ch 2 V 11 ,
" For God Judges everyone by the same standard ."
by the Royal Decree of the Throne of Grace ,
to be the Righteousness of God in Christ .
This Divine Decree cannot be annulled or repealed
by our Negative feelings or emotions .
Just because we don't feel like that we have received
the Gift of Right Standing with God ,
does not delete the Gift from our lives .
You have Received the Gift of Right Standing
in your Salvation in Christ .
Law Vs Gift
Romans Ch 3 v 20
" For no one is put Right in God's sight
by doing what the Law requires " .
Here the Apostle Paul explains with great clarity
that doing the Old Covenant Law or Decree
will not put you Right with God .
Following Rules and Regulations
won't rid you of Guilt ,
if you have not acknowledged the Gift .
Many are still operating under the Old Decree
without realising it .
Omega ; Earlie , what emotion are you struggling with at present ?
Earlie ; Well I have this continual sense of Guilt
because of my past mistakes .
I wake up in the morning with a feeling of regret ,
so I say to God that I will try harder next time .
But I keep going back to the booze and the pills ,
I've lost count of the number of Altar Calls
I've been down , I am so depressed .
It's got to the place where I feel like giving up .
Omega ; Why do you feel Guilty ?
Earlie ; I ask myself that all the time ,
and I often plead with God
to take the Guilty feelings away from me .
I guess it's because I keep failing to
live up to my own standards .
I set myself these strict Rules ,
and then later break them .
I suppose that I'm just a weak sinner ,
like everyone else .
I've really got the Blues today .
Omega ; Have you tried Believing in the Gift you've received ?
Earlie ; What Gift ?
Omega ; The Free Gift of Righteousness in Christ we receive
by Believing in Him .
Earlie ; That sounds great , I haven't heard that before ,
if only it could be that simple ?
I wonder why the Rev Ryte never mentioned it ?
I feel better just hearing about the Gift ,
tell me more .
How God puts us Right with Him
The issue with Earlie is that he didn't previously know
that he had been given
the Gift of Right Standing with God .
stories of hard work producing Righteousness ,
than receiving Righteousness as a Gift by Grace .
The un-renewed Ego loves Self-Righteousness ,
and Fights for the Human Right
to remain Guilty .
The un-renewed Ego loves following Rules And Regulations
to produce Righteousness .
The un-renewed Ego declares ,
' I have been Praying 3 times per day ,
fasting regularly ,
obstaining from Alcohol ,
only reading one exclusive version of the Bible ,
refusing to laugh or even look happy ,
have turned the idiot Box TV off permanently ,
disdain Politics ,
ignoring my family ,
looking down on those who dance ,
been critical of other Ministries ,
attacked others for falling short ,
turned my nose up at junk food ,
and finally
condemned myself
for not living up to my own standards .'
Ego Vs Gift
Romans Ch 3 V 21 GNV
" But now God's way of putting people Right with Himself
has been revealed "
to Justify Self-Righteousness .
We all have an intense need to feel that we are Right ,
and this need has been given to us by God .
It is ratified by your conscience .
Romans Ch 3 V 22
" God puts people Right
through their Faith in Jesus Christ .
God does this to all who Believe in Christ "
Let us now Interview the Very Reverand Ryte ,
to hear his ' expert ' opinion .
Omega ; Reverand Ryte ,
do you feel that all who Believe in Christ
are made Right with God ?
Rev Ryte : I wouldn't go so far as to say that .
We have to remember that we are all just
Sinners in God's sight .
After all , if accepting Jesus Christ
was all that was required to be Right ,
what would I have left to do ?
No , that is cheap Grace ,
and would give people an excuse to Sin ,
you know , we Preach 80% Law and 20% Grace .
Omega ; But isn't Sin rampant in your Congregation anyway ,
the same people coming down for Altar Calls
every second week ?
Rev Ryte : Maybe I should be Preaching 90% Law ?
Declaration of Righteousness
I am the Righteousness of God in Christ
I have received the Gift of Right Standing with God in Christ .
I can now stand before the Throne of Grace
without any condemnation or Guilt .
I am now Free from the power of Sin .
I can do anything that God requires me to do
with Great Success !
Copyright - Omega Ministries - Craig Holme - 2011
- If you knew that you had the Divine Legal Right
without any sense of Guilt or Condemnation ,
would you be fearless ?
- What are our Divine Legal Rights before The Throne of Grace ?
Today we have continual controversy over our Human Rights
as Citizens of the Country in which we live .
Some Countries are characterised as violating
basic Human Rights for Freedom and Liberty .
- What Rights do we have as Citizens of the Kingdom of God ?
- What Rights have been bought and paid for by Jesus Christ ?
In Pakistan the Human Rights of Christians are virtually non-existant .
This divergence between countries
is because our Human Rights are based
on the written Laws and Decrees of the Nation in which we live .
- What is the difference between Divine Rights and Human Rights ?
The Man made Decrees are subject to constant change ,
so our Human Rights can be violated .
The Divine Decrees of the New Covenant are not subject to change ,
and therefore cannot be violated by Man .
- Why do we Fight for our Human Rights ,
which have been made by Royal Heavenly Decree ?
- Is the New Testament a Declaration of our New Covenant Rights ?
of the Apostle Paul's Letter to the Romans .
- What is the Purpose of the Gospel as explained in Romans ?
Romans Ch 1 V 17 , Good News Version ,
" For the Gospel reveals how God
puts people Right with Himself " .
Notice that it did not say ,
' The Gospel reveals How man
put himself Right with God ' .
So in order to be Right with God ,
we must discover How
" God puts people Right with Himself " .
We shall make this discovery
as we continue down the ' Roman Road ' .
Romans Ch 1 V 32 , Good News Version ,
" They know that God's Law says that people
who live in this way deserve death ."
This is making reference to Paul's avid description
of Man's willful disobedience to God in the previous verses .
It is important to see here how Paul discusses God's Law ,
as it is the indispensable Legal Decree of Heaven .
Romans Ch 2 V 11 ,
" For God Judges everyone by the same standard ."
- Would you like to overcome your feelings of Guilt
- Would you like to stop regretting your past failures ?
- What is the purpose of your current painful situation ?
- Would you like to rid yourself of your sense of condemnation ?
- What would your life be like without your inferiority complex ?
- Would you like to have no fear in meeting people ?
- Why can you not shake off the consciousness of sin ?
by the Royal Decree of the Throne of Grace ,
to be the Righteousness of God in Christ .
This Divine Decree cannot be annulled or repealed
by our Negative feelings or emotions .
Just because we don't feel like that we have received
the Gift of Right Standing with God ,
does not delete the Gift from our lives .
You have Received the Gift of Right Standing
in your Salvation in Christ .
Law Vs Gift
Romans Ch 3 v 20
" For no one is put Right in God's sight
by doing what the Law requires " .
Here the Apostle Paul explains with great clarity
that doing the Old Covenant Law or Decree
will not put you Right with God .
Following Rules and Regulations
won't rid you of Guilt ,
if you have not acknowledged the Gift .
Many are still operating under the Old Decree
without realising it .
Omega ; Earlie , what emotion are you struggling with at present ?
Earlie ; Well I have this continual sense of Guilt
because of my past mistakes .
I wake up in the morning with a feeling of regret ,
so I say to God that I will try harder next time .
But I keep going back to the booze and the pills ,
I've lost count of the number of Altar Calls
I've been down , I am so depressed .
It's got to the place where I feel like giving up .
Omega ; Why do you feel Guilty ?
Earlie ; I ask myself that all the time ,
and I often plead with God
to take the Guilty feelings away from me .
I guess it's because I keep failing to
live up to my own standards .
I set myself these strict Rules ,
and then later break them .
I suppose that I'm just a weak sinner ,
like everyone else .
I've really got the Blues today .
Omega ; Have you tried Believing in the Gift you've received ?
Earlie ; What Gift ?
Omega ; The Free Gift of Righteousness in Christ we receive
by Believing in Him .
Earlie ; That sounds great , I haven't heard that before ,
if only it could be that simple ?
I wonder why the Rev Ryte never mentioned it ?
I feel better just hearing about the Gift ,
tell me more .
How God puts us Right with Him
The issue with Earlie is that he didn't previously know
that he had been given
the Gift of Right Standing with God .
- Why is the Gift under recognised ?
stories of hard work producing Righteousness ,
than receiving Righteousness as a Gift by Grace .
The un-renewed Ego loves Self-Righteousness ,
and Fights for the Human Right
to remain Guilty .
The un-renewed Ego loves following Rules And Regulations
to produce Righteousness .
The un-renewed Ego declares ,
' I have been Praying 3 times per day ,
fasting regularly ,
obstaining from Alcohol ,
only reading one exclusive version of the Bible ,
refusing to laugh or even look happy ,
have turned the idiot Box TV off permanently ,
disdain Politics ,
ignoring my family ,
looking down on those who dance ,
been critical of other Ministries ,
attacked others for falling short ,
turned my nose up at junk food ,
and finally
condemned myself
for not living up to my own standards .'
Ego Vs Gift
Romans Ch 3 V 21 GNV
" But now God's way of putting people Right with Himself
has been revealed "
- Why do our Ego's Fight the Revelation of the Gift ?
to Justify Self-Righteousness .
We all have an intense need to feel that we are Right ,
and this need has been given to us by God .
It is ratified by your conscience .
Romans Ch 3 V 22
" God puts people Right
through their Faith in Jesus Christ .
God does this to all who Believe in Christ "
Let us now Interview the Very Reverand Ryte ,
to hear his ' expert ' opinion .
Omega ; Reverand Ryte ,
do you feel that all who Believe in Christ
are made Right with God ?
Rev Ryte : I wouldn't go so far as to say that .
We have to remember that we are all just
Sinners in God's sight .
After all , if accepting Jesus Christ
was all that was required to be Right ,
what would I have left to do ?
No , that is cheap Grace ,
and would give people an excuse to Sin ,
you know , we Preach 80% Law and 20% Grace .
Omega ; But isn't Sin rampant in your Congregation anyway ,
the same people coming down for Altar Calls
every second week ?
Rev Ryte : Maybe I should be Preaching 90% Law ?
Declaration of Righteousness
I am the Righteousness of God in Christ
I have received the Gift of Right Standing with God in Christ .
I can now stand before the Throne of Grace
without any condemnation or Guilt .
I am now Free from the power of Sin .
I can do anything that God requires me to do
with Great Success !
Copyright - Omega Ministries - Craig Holme - 2011
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Friday, 11 March 2011
How to Be Right with God - The Revelation - Part 2
How to Be Right with God - The Revelation - Part 2
Apostle Paul's Letter to the Romans .
From the Good News Version - Romans Ch 1 V 16 - 17 ,
" V - 16 - I have complete confidence in the Gospel ;
It is God's Power to Save all who Believe ,
first the Jews , and also the Gentiles .
V 17 - For the Gospel reveals how God
puts people Right with Himself "
Here we begin to see the Apostle Paul's
introduction of the Gift concept .
It is God who puts people Right with Himself ,
with no room for our Ego's demands ,
when clearly ' God puts people Right ',
but How ? , through his wonderful Gift .
The Text continues ,
" It is through Faith from beginning to end .
As the Scripture says ,
' The person who is put Right with God
through Faith shall live . '
We can see from this How the Apostle Paul describes the Gospel
as a Revelation of How God puts people Right with Himself .
Firstly ,
this therefore means that it is actually the highest priority
of God to put people Right with Himself .
Secondly ,
this is in fact the purpose of Gospel Preaching .
So let us ask some fictional character Christians
if they feel they are right with God , starting with Earle ,
Omega - Hi Earlie , do you feel you are Right with God ?
Earlie - Well I wouldn't want to say I'm right with God ,
that sounds a bit too proud ,
I've been a Christian for a while and sometimes
I don't even feel Saved ,
especially when I'm watching MTV .
You know , we all fall short of the Glory Of God .
Omega - But haven't you been given the Gift of Righteousness
through Jesus Christ ?
Earlie - Yeah , but I don't feel like it ,
I've had the Blues lately ,
so I figure I must be paying for some stuff from my past ,
when I was doing drugs I messed up a lot of people
and I've been feeling bad about it .
This interview reflects the
very common complete misunderstanding
of the Gift of Right Standing with God .
Earlie thinks his mistakes from his past
prevent him from acknowledging and Believing in
the legally Rightful Gift he has received by Grace .
Omega - Many people are focusing on
their Weaknesses and Mistakes and Failures ,
instead of on the Gift of Right Standing
they have received freely .
How about you Doryse ,
do you feel that you are Right with God ?
Doryse - I can't say
that I'm in Right Standing with God through Christ ,
because my Theology Professor told us
that we were just all ' old sinners saved by Grace ' ,
and that my nature in God's sight was exceedingly sinful .
He pointed to the Sermon
' sinners in the hands of an angry God ' .
So the last thing that I would want to do is make God angry
by saying that I receive His free Gift of Righteousness ,
although it has been depressing me lately to think
that God is frowning on my sins all day long .
At this point it may help us to draw an illustration
from President of the USA .
Consider the following situation ,
in which the President of the USA
had decided to confer a Gift upon you .
You had done nothing special to warrant ,
deserve or justify the Gift .
Out of the President's Grace he was going to
Confer upon you
the Gift of Right standing with the President of the USA ,
confirmed in writing and by legal decree .
However , there was only one legal condition ,
that in order to enjoy all the Benefits of this Right Standing
all you had to do was to Believe that the Gift was yours ,
and had been bestowed
by the President's abounding Grace upon you.
Right Standing with God
means the ability to Stand before
the Throne of Grace
without any sense of Condemnation or Guilt ,
or feelings of unworthiness ,
or any other negative , falling short emotion .
You are the Righteousness of God in Christ !
Do you Believe in the Gift of Right Standing
presented to you by God through our Lord Jesus Christ ?
Let us look again at Romans 1 -V17 Good News Version
" For the Gospel reveals
how God puts people Right with Himself ,
it is through Faith from beginning to end ."
We will continue with this Series on Right Standing in Part 3 .
Copyright - Omega Ministries - Craig Holme - 2011
- Do you feel that you are in Right Standing with God ?
Apostle Paul's Letter to the Romans .
From the Good News Version - Romans Ch 1 V 16 - 17 ,
" V - 16 - I have complete confidence in the Gospel ;
It is God's Power to Save all who Believe ,
first the Jews , and also the Gentiles .
V 17 - For the Gospel reveals how God
puts people Right with Himself "
Here we begin to see the Apostle Paul's
introduction of the Gift concept .
It is God who puts people Right with Himself ,
with no room for our Ego's demands ,
when clearly ' God puts people Right ',
but How ? , through his wonderful Gift .
The Text continues ,
" It is through Faith from beginning to end .
As the Scripture says ,
' The person who is put Right with God
through Faith shall live . '
We can see from this How the Apostle Paul describes the Gospel
as a Revelation of How God puts people Right with Himself .
Firstly ,
this therefore means that it is actually the highest priority
of God to put people Right with Himself .
Secondly ,
this is in fact the purpose of Gospel Preaching .
So let us ask some fictional character Christians
if they feel they are right with God , starting with Earle ,
Omega - Hi Earlie , do you feel you are Right with God ?
Earlie - Well I wouldn't want to say I'm right with God ,
that sounds a bit too proud ,
I've been a Christian for a while and sometimes
I don't even feel Saved ,
especially when I'm watching MTV .
You know , we all fall short of the Glory Of God .
Omega - But haven't you been given the Gift of Righteousness
through Jesus Christ ?
Earlie - Yeah , but I don't feel like it ,
I've had the Blues lately ,
so I figure I must be paying for some stuff from my past ,
when I was doing drugs I messed up a lot of people
and I've been feeling bad about it .
This interview reflects the
very common complete misunderstanding
of the Gift of Right Standing with God .
Earlie thinks his mistakes from his past
prevent him from acknowledging and Believing in
the legally Rightful Gift he has received by Grace .
Omega - Many people are focusing on
their Weaknesses and Mistakes and Failures ,
instead of on the Gift of Right Standing
they have received freely .
How about you Doryse ,
do you feel that you are Right with God ?
Doryse - I can't say
that I'm in Right Standing with God through Christ ,
because my Theology Professor told us
that we were just all ' old sinners saved by Grace ' ,
and that my nature in God's sight was exceedingly sinful .
He pointed to the Sermon
' sinners in the hands of an angry God ' .
So the last thing that I would want to do is make God angry
by saying that I receive His free Gift of Righteousness ,
although it has been depressing me lately to think
that God is frowning on my sins all day long .
At this point it may help us to draw an illustration
from President of the USA .
Consider the following situation ,
in which the President of the USA
had decided to confer a Gift upon you .
You had done nothing special to warrant ,
deserve or justify the Gift .
Out of the President's Grace he was going to
Confer upon you
the Gift of Right standing with the President of the USA ,
confirmed in writing and by legal decree .
However , there was only one legal condition ,
that in order to enjoy all the Benefits of this Right Standing
all you had to do was to Believe that the Gift was yours ,
and had been bestowed
by the President's abounding Grace upon you.
Right Standing with God
means the ability to Stand before
the Throne of Grace
without any sense of Condemnation or Guilt ,
or feelings of unworthiness ,
or any other negative , falling short emotion .
You are the Righteousness of God in Christ !
Do you Believe in the Gift of Right Standing
presented to you by God through our Lord Jesus Christ ?
Let us look again at Romans 1 -V17 Good News Version
" For the Gospel reveals
how God puts people Right with Himself ,
it is through Faith from beginning to end ."
We will continue with this Series on Right Standing in Part 3 .
Copyright - Omega Ministries - Craig Holme - 2011
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