Have you made your choice?
I was thinking about the Ark of the Covenant which was the symbol of God’s holy Presence. The overshadowing Cherubim (Exodus 25:10) represented God’s holiness. I was caught by the specific arrangement. The mercy seat was the top, the lid, the cover of the Ark. Think about this – inside the Ark was the Law and the mercy seat was over the Law and yet enclosed the Law. There was a tremendous revelation of God’s power when (Exodus 19:18) Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai and that Law was binding on the Israelites. Obedience to the Law would bring prosperity and peace. Disobedience would bring want, disaster and captivity. But what about this? Abraham was credited with righteousness (Romans 4:9-10) before the Law was given. How could that be possible? Travel with me from there through time. Come to where (John 4:9-10) God displayed His love by sending His only begotten Son into the world to be the Propitiation, the Mercy Seat, the atoning sacrifice to do what the Law could not do (Galatians 2:16, Romans 8:3) the Law can make nothing holy. Since we can’t keep the Law, why was it given? It was intended to make us (Romans 3:20) realize sin and lead us to repentance. The Law says do not steal, but that Law cannot transform me from being a thief, it can only make me aware that stealing is wrong.
A sign on a lawn could read, “Keep off the Grass”. That sign in itself could not automatically make everyone who read the sign, persons who could never walk on the grass but it could make them aware that it was wrong to walk on the grass. Never by (Galatians 2:20-21) the Law. Is the Law then to be set aside, discarded? Not at all, in no way. Jesus did not come to destroy or do away with the Law (Matthew 5:17) but to fulfill and complete it. All the righteous demands of the Law (Galatians 5:4-6) have been fully met in the human life of Jesus (Romans 10:4) and we who are in Christ have this accomplishment credited to us. The righteous requirements of the Law have been fully (Romans 4:24-25) met in us who are in Christ. If you depend on observance of the Law and/or your own good works you will come to nothing, your very best good deeds are (Isaiah 64:6) filthy rags before God. If we look again at the Ark, we see that the mercy seat is above, higher than the Law. The Law (Romans 7:9, Psalms 73:22) allows no excuse for our ignorance or inability. The essential requirements of the Law (Isaiah 59:21) are written on our hearts. The Law is good and holy but sin uses the Law (Romans 7:12-13) as a weapon.
Salvation is God’s free gift but we earn the wages of sin. The law of sin is death. If there had been no sin, there would be no death but death is the wages (Romans 6:23) which sin faithfully pays. If we live in the flesh (Galatians 5:17-21) we will serve the law of sin.
Jesus the Propitiation, the Mercy Seat, brings to us a new and higher Law, the Law of Grace, the miracle of amazing Grace whereby God can have mercy on all repentant sinners who will put their faith in Jesus. Then He frees us completely from (Romans 8:2) the law of sin and death.
The perfect life Jesus lived was so worthy. The perfect Atonement Jesus accomplished and provided was so perfect, complete, worthy, that He was the only One in the entire universe, including the place of all those now dead, Who was worthy, supremely worthy, (Revelation 5:2-5) to break the seals and open the scroll to release God’s judgment on the world. At the Cross of Calvary each one of us makes the personal eternal decision as to whether we will receive Jesus (Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31, John 1:29) as our Saviour or meet Him (James 5:8-9) as our Judge. Jesus made it plain (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) that He is the only Way of salvation, the only Name by which we can be saved. If you choose to call Him a liar and stupidly think that you can gain heaven in your own way, there is a place reserved especially for you personally in the eternal Lake of Fire – BECAUSE - - (Hebrews 9:22) without the shedding of Blood there is no forgiveness of sin. By your own choice you are unforgiven and still retain your sin. Heaven is filled with holiness of forgiven sinners and no sin is ever permitted to enter.
By the works of the Law, good works, (Galatians 2:16) no one will be justified. In God’s sight (Psalms 143:2) no person living is, in himself, righteous or justified.
Salvation was purchased for us (1 Peter 1:19) by the precious Blood of Christ Jesus. God makes heart-peace available to believing individuals and for all things to be reconciled to Himself only through (Colossians 1:20) the precious outpoured Blood of Christ.
God has fixed a day (Acts 17:31) when He will judge the world. He will reveal and judge (Romans 2:16) hidden, concealed, secret thoughts. There will be nothing but (Hebrews 10:27) awful burning judgment and furious wrath for those who are in opposition to God. He is ready to (1 Peter 4:5) pass sentence on the living and the dead.
Have you made your choice? Are you still deluded by your so-called good works –
OR – delivered by the Lamb of God? Rejected and refused by the only Judge –
OR – rescued and received and welcomed by the only Justifier, Redeemer, Saviour?
There is a way (Proverbs 14:12) which seems right to a man and straight before him but the end of it is the way of death.