05/15/2019
As Christians we talk a great deal about our sanctification, holiness, works, and other spiritual endeavors; all of these are good subjects to discuss, but never lose sight of the fact that you were redeemed, justified, and made pure and acceptable to God by the grace which flows through His Son Jesus Christ. That grace is the forgiveness of our sins, and we have its full measure the instant we believed.
“Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”
Acts 13:38-39 ESV
When I was a young fellow I went to see the group Chicago play at the Wolf Trap Theater in Vienna, Virginia, and they were amazing. They played non-stop without leaving the stage for three hours. I didn’t have much money so I bought the cheapest tickets offered. The theater was indoors, and they played in the round. So what I want to convey to you here is that although I didn’t have one of the seats right in front of the stage I was amazed by their performance, heard every note, and saw them clearly as they performed. there was not a bad seat in the house. Salvation is a bit like that... we have tickets to the performance the minute we profess our faith, and then for the rest of our lives we seek to do the will of God, and grow closer to Him as we live out our days. When all is said and done, we will hear every note in heaven, see all there is to see, and be just as joyously saved as the martyrs and Moses... we will attend the same event... we will be with Jesus in paradise.
“And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."”
Luke 23:42-43 ESV
These were the words Jesus spoke to the thief that hung on the cross next to a His. There were disciples who had followed him from town to town, loved Him, served Him, and fretted over how they could possibly feed the multitudes, and yet this man, this thief, by the last moment profession of his belief in who Jesus was, would be in heaven just as they would be. You see... there isn’t a bad seat in the house of God.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV
Grace... forgiveness... mercy... how are they measured? Is there a measure? We talk about these things, and how we don’t deserve them, and yet when they are actually applied to us we feel that they should be given in proportion to our works. Righteousness, sanctification, doing God’s will, is there a scale on which we are placed and get more or less of them? Are they administered by degree? How many Pastors who have served God all their lives will be amazed to find that at the table of God there will be a thief, who at the last moment professed his faith, on their one side, and a bishop of the Church on their other... all at the same table, and none more privileged than the other.
“And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.'
Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?”
Matthew 20:8, 10-13 ESV
When we pray “Lord, forgive me of my sins” and other words such as “my God, my Savior, my Redeemer”, are those not the same words whether you have said them a thousand times... or just once? Is the grace given each of us from the thief to the saint not the same? Somehow, even though we say that grace is undeserved, and not according to our works, we fall right back into judging our own righteousness and salvation by comparing it to another’s. Friends, knowing that grace is undeserved and not offered by measure, is an easy lesson, but its application is hard. Reading the Word is easy, but living it is hard... this comes as a result of our transformation from a selfish worldly person to a saint.
So whether you are a sinner who has led a terrible life for years upon years, or a young person who has been moral for his few days, redemption, and these other spiritual things are not doled out to you according to your fair share, but are either given... or not. We believe, or we do not. We are redeemed, or we are not. We are righteous, or we are not, and we are holy... or we are not. When we read these words...
“And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"”
Mark 9:23-24 ESV
It should be clear to us that this man was not asking to believe more...but to simply believe without doubt. How do you believe? How do you view your salvation? By what measure do you think such things will be given you? There is a big difference between being given earthly treasure, and heavenly treasure isn’t there? We like to quote scripture such as this...
“"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,”
Matthew 6:19 ESV
Which we use to justify degrees, or quantities based on what we have earned, but it is followed immediately by these verses...
“"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”
Matthew 6:22-23 ESV
In this way the idea of degree is dispelled.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son Jesus Christ through whose blood I am forgiven, and through whom your grace flows. Thank you Holy Father for washing me clean in an instant whether my filth has accumulated over the course of a lifetime, or a day. Thank you Merciful Father for not treating me according to the degree of my past sins, nor by the degree of my current works, but solely on the merits of Jesus. Help me Father to serve you more, and to do your will, not to gain a reward you have already given me in full, but out of my love for you. Teach me Father, that your love for me is the same love that you have for Jesus, and that you abide in me just as you do my Savior. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who sees each person through the lense of Christ. Praised be your name LORD for the gift of salvation, the lesson of righteousness, and the other spiritual gifts you lavish upon me. Help me in my own belief, and may all glory be yours through your love and grace eternally.
Rich Forbes