January 17, 2015

“Behold, the Lamb of G*d, who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29ff

“…to be justified by works means to obtain forgiveness of sins and to be righteous or accepted before G*d by reason of our own virtues or deeds. On the other hand, to be justified by faith in Christ means to obtain remission of sins, to be counted as righteous, that is, accepted by G*d, not because of our own virtues but for the sake of…the Son of G*d. Thus when (Paul) says that we are justified by faith, he wants you…to understand that your sins are forgiven you because you are considered or pronounced just…accepted, for the sake of His own Son, who was the Sacrifice.” Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560) “For All The Saints”, volume III

If you want to make a sports team, you work harder. If you want a better grade in school, you work harder. If you want to get a promotion, you work harder. If you want to find the best deal, you look harder. If you want to be made right with G*d – no, you don’t work harder. Working harder is not going to make you look better before G*d; will not make you more lovable to G*d; and will not bridge the gap between G*d and us.

As hard as it is to believe, there is nothing we can do to make G*d love us. On the surface that sounds nice – but intellectually it confuses us. We are taught, from the earliest age we can remember, that we only get what we earn – that nothing worthwhile is ever “given” to us – that there is no “free lunch”. Age and experience teach us that this is ultimately true. So when the Reformers, reflecting on the writing of Paul, realized a truth of scripture that had gone missed, that we are “Justified by Faith and not by Works”, it challenged many of their day – and continues to challenge us. But, I am here to remind you that G*d has acted first – through Jesus Christ. G*d loves us because G*d created us – Jesus makes us right because there is nothing we can do to make ourselves right before G*d. What we need to do is accept this free gift and then make the gift a reality. Jesus is the “Lamb of G*d, who takes away the sin of the world”. Let that reality change your day – and change your life.

Pastor Dave