Committed murder: Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." Matthew 5:21-22
Committed adultery: Jesus says, "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:28
Lied: "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Matthew 5:33-37
So far, I'm not doing so well by God's standards. The Bible states that, “..all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 Wow, well if I'm such a sinner, is there any hope for me? Doesn't the Bible state that, "..God is love" (1 John 4:8)? Then why would God allow me to be born into a sinful nature then judge me by His unattainable Holiness?
Mishpat is the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament which means both judgment and justice. God's judgment is not separate from His justice. The Holiness of God requires a righteousness which we cannot attain. Yet because God is love He sacrificed His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so that we could be reconciled back to Him. Jesus is the atonement for our sins. He is our righteousness. God's judgment means that the requirements of the law must be satisfied, which is justice. His justice translates into mercy and grace for us. Mercy, means that we are not punished or treated according to what we deserve. Grace means God's unmerited favour and forgiveness.
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." Romans 3:21-23
I no longer have to live a life subject to sin but can live a life in the Spirit. We will talk more about that next week. We long to hear from you. Please click on the comments link to share your thoughts and insights.
1 comment:
Thank you for this post ... As I was walking today, I was thinking about the fact that all are guilty before God... some people of a little, some people of a lot ... but all are guilty ... YET through Jesus Christ, and simple faith in Him, we can have ALL our sins covered, and so much more!
And as forgiven believers we then have to allow the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, to help us become the masterpiece he wants us to be ... bearing the image of Christ in our thoughts, speech and actions. What wonderful changes are molded into our lives as we surrender to what He wants to do...
There is one person whom I greatly admire in the Lord, and whom others do as well ... I am encouraged to know that what I see is the result of this person's surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit ... therefore the qualities I so admire can be mine as well as I surrender to the work that He wants to do in me. We can all be that masterpiece in God's hands as He has His way. We just need to surrender, and to be patient in the process.
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