Jesus has made me dead to sin and alive to God
Truly born-again Christians (Romans 5:1) are justified through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Years ago, in Sunday School, we were taught that justification means – just as if I’d never sinned. I no longer believe that is the full meaning. To me being justified means that, although I deserve nothing, I am eligible for everything because the highest court in the universe has declared me JUSTIFIED. To be justified I need to be redeemed and therefore (Romans 5:8-10) Jesus is my Redeemer. He died for me and paid the full price to deliver me from the dominion of sin and reconcile me to God. But I can’t live in a vacuum of just freedom from sin’s control. I need renewal, a totally new life and by receiving His victorious resurrection Life in me (Romans 6:11) Jesus has made me dead to sin and alive to God, and living in unbroken fellowship with Him. All this for me because on the Cross Jesus said (John 19:30) “It is finished”. What the Lord did for me personally is a miniature of what He will do in the universe. Right now (Romans 8:19-22) all creation groans while waiting for redemption and renewal. We know that a time is coming when we will be there to hear God say (Revelation 21:5-6) “It is done, behold I make all things new”.
The Bible is filled with amazing assurance that nothing can ever hinder, diminish or cancel God’s plans and purposes. Satan has used many individuals, beginning with Adam, to thwart God’s purposes. We can trace the record right up to Solomon and beyond. God so lavishly blessed Solomon that he was the richest and wisest man who ever lived. It is shocking to know that he became a fool. In his later years (1 Kings 11:3-8) his heathen wives turned his heart away from the Lord and he worshiped their false evil gods. The kingdom was divided because of the folly of his son, Rehoboam, and most of the kings of Israel and Judah were wicked men right up to Ahab (1 Kings 16:33) the worst of all. These records of evil are actually proofs that the sin of any individual, including you and me, of any government or nation can hinder or prevent (Isaiah 46:10) the fulfillment of God’s spoken history -- it cannot be altered. As we go on to (1 Kings 1:21) we see the vivid reality of grace that is greater than all our sin.
God’s purpose for Israel (Isaiah 49:6) was that they should be a light to the heathen Gentile nations but Israel’s sins were greater than those of the wicked nations around them. So did that put an end to God’s purpose? Not a chance! It picked up again with Paul being chosen (Acts 9:15) to preach to the Gentiles and continues with Peter (Acts 10:21-22) being sent to take the Gospel to Cornelius. During the Great Tribulation there will be (Revelation 7:4) 144,000 Jews who will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to the whole world. Nothing and nobody can thwart the certain history of the Words God speaks, whatever and whenever He speaks. He arranges the time, specific individuals and world conditions so that His intentions become reality at exactly the right time and down to the very moment.
God did not want the Israelites to sin but He allowed them to sin and then He used their sin to temporarily cut them off (Romans 11) and graft in the Gentiles. Ah, the depth of the riches (Romans 11:33) of God’s wisdom. When all our to-morrows have become yesterdays, we will be more and more filled with the wonder of our all-glorious God. He is unchanging in perfect love, infinite in Sovereign control. The basis for our faith (Dr. Stanley) is fully believing these truths about God. If we do not believe them, we will not trust Him in the worst times. If even one thing ever was or is out of God’s control, we could not trust Him. We can go from (Matthew 10:29) common sparrows all the way to (John 19:11) the crucifixion of God’s Son and not find a split second where He was not completely in Sovereign control.
If you find yourself in circumstances which make it difficult for you to trust God, read (2 Chronicles 20) and learn from King Jehoshaphat. When he heard that a great multitude was coming to battle against Judah, of course he was afraid. The Lord gave me a new insight regarding the true value of initial fear. It is God’s RED LIGHT – STOP! Don’t look around to see what you can come up with, don’t consult other people. Do as Jehoshaphat did, seek the Lord and (2 Chronicles 20:12) keep your eyes on Him because (2 Chronicles 20:15) it is the Lord’s battle. Jehoshaphat didn’t send his best soldiers with the best weapons, he sent - - the choir! All that was left of the enemy was (2 Chronicles 20:24) their dead bodies. God’s marvellous victory for Jehoshaphat and Judah is even more thrilling because we know that He is just the same to-day. Our God never changes and He shows Himself strong (2 Chronicles 16:9) on behalf of those whose heart is blameless before Him.
When I pray, I go into the innermost part of the secret place of God’s Presence in the Holy of Holies. Although I am always in God’s Presence, there is something awesome about being, by faith, in the Throne Room. Entrance is only possible (Hebrews 10:19) through the Blood of Jesus and only permitted to those who are cleansed by His Blood. I go through the Blood, past the veil but I pause at the torn veil to remember that it represents the torn body of my Saviour, Who paid a horrific price to give us access into the very Presence of the eternal Sovereign God. Then I continue into the high and holy place (Isaiah 57:15) where God dwells in eternity. So I leave the world and time restraints behind and enter the eternal NOW of the Sovereign Majesty of Him Who reigns on the Throne of Grace. In that NOW I can be confident that my prayers, which can never be too early or too late because of my ignorance of the situation, will be received and my requests granted at exactly the right time in the appropriate NOW of my Transcendent God.
This is too wonderful and beyond my comprehension but not for my confident believing and humble wonder-filled gratitude. By the shedding of His precious Blood, Jesus opened to us not only the Holy of Holies but also eternal heaven. God has told us (1 Thessalonians 5:17) to pray without ceasing, to be (Romans 12:12) constant in prayer but when I pray my Omniscient God doesn’t hear anything new or anything He didn’t know long before I did. I believe the deepest reason for prayer is to bring me more and more into such oneness with God that prayer is a heart-to-heart exchange of love and confidence and unwavering trust. The high and holy privilege of a prayer relationship with the Sovereign Transcendent God is unspeakable riches and wealth beyond describing. Unceasing prayer is not constant asking but precious unbroken communion with our loving Triune God as He fills us (Ephesians 3:19, Colossians 2:10) with all the fullness of the Godhead by His incarnate Deity within us, all the time and everywhere.
We all (James 3:2) stumble and fall. We will not be fully and completely perfected until (1 John 3:2) we see Jesus but if we (Jeremiah 29:13) seek the Lord our desires will be (Psalms 37:4) God-given desires and our motives and desires will be pure and holy. Then we can have a heart (1 Kings 15:14) perfect and blameless before the Lord. Each day the Lord makes a daily withdrawal of one day from my lifespan bank account. So, every day I’m closer Home than I was yesterday.