Sunday 19 April 2015

By Christ's Righteousness Alone

" The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.
 So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. 
And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins " . 
Romans 8 : 3. NLT

God gave His people through Moses instructions and laws regarding the acceptable ceremonial sacrifices for their repentance, proper cleansing, sanctification and for their purification.
 Rejection of God and the rejection and disobedience of His laws is SIN.
The law of God states that " The soul that sinneth, it shall die ..." Ezekiel 18: 20.
 In order to pacify God, the sinners had to make atonement  for their sins through the shedding of blood which was mandatory for the purging and forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:22 
Every time they sinned, people had to come to the temple to do ceremonial rituals of cleansing and forgiveness which they were told would make them qualified to become  righteousness before God. 
These rituals had to be performed each and every time by the priests on behalf of sinners as atonement for every sin.They entailed offerings of blood sacrifices for sins through the shedding of the blood of "clean and spotless" animals.
 Leviticus 14:19-20.
Apart from individuals offering sin offerings , the ceremonial laws stated that occasionally , the High Priest  must present blood sacrifices at the altar as national sin offerings on behalf of all the people, in order to take away their collective sin as a nation. Leviticus 4 : 13-21.
These rituals of ending blood sacrifices for sin were burdensome ; and they were not fit for the purpose of permanent remission of sin. 
This was the situation before Christ came to the earth .
Then a more excellent way for the remission of sins was presented to mankind through God's salvation plan  .
God's Salvation Plan was completed and perfected through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God ,whose blood was shed on the cross as the perfect sacrifice once and for all , for the redemption of mankind.
1" But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)  
12.he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption". 
Hebrew 9 : 11- 12.
God's Salvation plan was born out of God's mercy ,His  love  and grace.
God knew that all man's sacrifices and continuous efforts to make amends for sin could not save man neither could these bestow  mankind with His righteousness.
 Man needed a saviour to stand as the Mediator between sinful man and the wrath of God.
The Mediator who would qualify to do that had  to be sinless and had to be acceptable  to God as a perfect sacrifice for the remission of sins .
Who else qualified for such a huge task than the Jesus Christ the son of God , the spotless lamb of God chosen from the foundation of the world ? 1 Peter 1: 18 -21.
Jesus , came to the earth in human form but He was born without the Adamic seed of sin .John 1:13,14.
But He was made sin for our sakes.  
" For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 
2 Corinthians 5 : 21.
 Therefore Jesus Christ , no man else , qualified  to bear the sins of the world as the sacrificial lamb slain for sinners' sake. , Hebrew 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21
 God saw the sacrifice of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross and God was satisfied and His wrath towards the sinner was pacified. Isaiah 53:10, 11.
God accepted Christ's sacrifice as the perfect offering for the sins of the world.  

"It is finished!" 
After those words were uttered by Christ ,He died on the cross, accomplishing His redemptive mission to the world.  
Christ's sacrifice, once and for all, brought to an end the necessity for all man's efforts and endless works through which no man could achieve God's righteousness and holiness.
  Christ's sacrifice tells us that because "It is finished !", all human reliance on works of outward public shows of penance by putting on ashes and sackcloth , by performing ceremonies of unending animal blood sacrifices , alms giving and all sorts of " holy offerings"are unnecessary.
 Ali works which were supposed to buy God's forgiveness and acceptance, have been rendered  "not fit  for purpose"!, because "It is finished!"
Jesus has paid the price for all sin, for all infirmities, curses, afflictions and oppressions.
Our salvation was perfected  by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
All that is required from all humans for us to accept God's love and obey Him by believing that Jesus died and resurrected for us that we might live eternally.
" Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; " Hebrew 5:8-9.
Belief in salvation through Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved ; there is no other way to please God.
"Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. 
No one can come to the Father except through me ".
John 14:6.(NLT )
  God's salvation is offered to you full and free.
Today, now ,is your day of salvation.
Please, make a definite confession of faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour  . 
Do not delay  to accept God's love  and mercy ; the alternative  to rejecting Jesus Christ  is to choose to qualify  for the wrath of God .
"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36.
Maybe you have accepted Jesus some time in the past , but  since then you have gone back to trying to please God by your own methods of  attaining " righteousness ". 
Now is the time  to abandon doing it your own way and to believe in God's own perfect way through Jesus Christ. 
There is no alternative , no other way to become righteous before God , no other way to Heaven except through Jesus Christ the son of God.
God bless you as you obey His Word . Amen .
" But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed ". Romans 10: 8 -12.









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