The Heaton File

This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. (2 John 6)

Walking In The Commandments

Love is an emotion that bonds the child of God to the Father. The sinner finds grace from God to save him from condemnation and rejoices that God’s love is so great to redeem him. Grace is the measure of God’s love to save someone unworthy. Jesus died for those who blasphemed Him as He endured the cross, seeking the grace of His Father to forgive them for what they were doing. The love of Christ was incredible. Saving mankind was the eternal plan of God. The unmerited favor of the Creator to redeem His creation is the story of God’s love. As a sign of one’s faith, the redeemed show their love for God by walking according to the commandments of the Lord.

One of the great challenges of the religious world is accepting salvation by commandment-keeping. Many reject the idea of salvation through the works of following laws, instructions, and commands. Jesus told His disciples that if they loved Him, they would keep His commandments. Following the Lord’s guidelines or commandments has always been the key to the relationship between God and man. Adam and Eve enjoyed the blessings of God’s love, but they were given commandments to keep. When they did not follow those laws, God punished them. It was not that God did not love His creation, but through His love, He demanded obedience to His word. Throughout Biblical history, God’s grace was showered upon those who accepted God’s grace and love. That same love punished those who disobeyed the commandments of the Lord. The Jews were given a law through Moses that was instructive on how to please God. Grace and love are found in the Law, but when Israel rejected God’s commandments, they were rejected by God.

Jesus Christ gave His life to show the love and grace of God. He affirmed there were commandments to keep in order to be pleasing to the Lord. In the commissions given to the apostles, Jesus emphasized the necessity of keeping the Father’s will. Anyone who believed and was baptized was saved because that was the commandment of God. Jesus told the eleven to go into all the world, making disciples of every nation. They were to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to teach them to observe all the things He commanded them. Observing all things is commandment-keeping. God’s grace is found when He washes sins away in baptism, but then commands the born-again to live according to the covenant of grace. Love is keeping God’s commandments.

Walking in the commandments of the Lord is an active part of the life of the Christian. Obedience is not found in accepting Christ and refusing to follow His commandments. Love for God is walking in accordance with God’s commandments. There is an expectation of obedience to the instructions of the Father. If a person refuses to follow God’s commandments, they do not love God. The Holy Spirit is very clear about defining love when He shows that walking in the commandments of God is necessary. Love is found in obedience. God has never placed upon man commandments he cannot follow. The commandments of God are not burdensome, but they are required. Love demonstrates the willing heart seeking the word of God to know how to walk and then establishing a pattern of walking that follows those commands. Do you love God? Walk according to His commandments.

Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! (Mark 13:35-37)

Watch. Be On The Alert

The temple was the centerpiece of Jerusalem. Solomon built the first temple, which was destroyed in 586 B.C. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem in 536 B.C., work on rebuilding the temple began. It would take twenty years to complete the temple, which would stand for nearly five hundred years. Under the Roman king Herod the Great, the temple was razed and rebuilt larger than Solomon’s temple. The disciples of Jesus marveled at the beauty of the temple. Jesus shocked His disciples when He told them not one stone of the temple would be left standing. Later, as they sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, some of the disciples asked Jesus what He meant about the destruction of the temple. Jesus warned them not to be deceived by false prophets who would come in His name. The disciples were unaware of what the next forty years would bring. In 70 A. D., the Romans would destroy the temple and the city of Jerusalem.

Jesus warns the disciples to be ready for the coming day of judgment. They could not imagine the great events that would transpire in the coming decades. The lesson Jesus is teaching His disciples is the principle of preparing for the day of the Lord, which no man knows. Jesus illustrates the coming of the Lord as a man going to a far country, who left his house in the charge of his servants, commanding them to keep watch. The master would return without warning. He might come in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning. There will be no announcement of his coming. The warning is that he will return, and he must not find anyone sleeping or not watching. Those who are unprepared will be punished. Only those who are on the alert will be saved.

The parable of Jesus is a lesson when God sends His Son to destroy the world and redeem the saved. Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor Jesus Himself. It has been 2,000 years since Jesus spoke these words to the disciples, and the warning is as vivid now as then. A foundation of Jesus’ teaching was always to be on the alert and ready for the coming of the Lord. There is coming a day when God will send His Son in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and against those who refuse to obey the gospel of Christ. The day of judgment comes without warning and will come suddenly and unexpectedly. There will be no time to prepare. It will be an instantaneous moment when time is destroyed, and man faces his eternal Creator.

The early church taught the need to watch, standing firm in the faith with all perseverance and prayer for the coming of Christ. God is the only one who knows when He decides to end the world and bring His saints home. His word is firm and true. The day of the Lord is yet to come, but it will come. For every child of God, the need to watch and be on the alert is the joy of knowing Jesus is coming to take them home to the Father. Death can come suddenly. Often, there is no time to prepare. While the Christian does not know when he will face the Lord, either in death or His return, he lives each day with the expectation that it is his last. This does not bring sorrow but joy, knowing he will be clothed with immortality.

Watching can become wearisome. With each passing day, week, month, and year, the spirit grows lax in watchfulness and dulls the senses, leaving the soul unprepared to meet the Lord. Faith enriches the eyes to keep looking for the coming of the Lord. Prayer is an expression of the soul of man longing for the Lord’s return. Watching and waiting is the joy of the Christian’s life, expecting any moment for the sound of the trumpet and the voice of the archangel. Faith responds by living each day on alert, watching and praying – Lord, come quickly. Are you ready? He is coming.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. (Romans 1:16-19)

The Righteousness And Wrath Of God

From the beginning, God’s word is a measure of righteousness and His wrath. God told Adam and Eve that they were forbidden to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The penalty for disobedience was death. They could eat from every tree in the garden, but not the forbidden fruit. When they disobeyed the word of the Lord, they were punished. Noah preached righteousness to the fallen world of his day. Only eight souls were saved as the wrath of God destroyed everything with the breath of life. Moses gave the Hebrews the law, which contained the blessings and curses of the word of the Lord. He gave them the choice of life or death. If the people obeyed the word of the Lord, He would bless them immeasurably. He warned them that if they refused to obey Him, He would destroy them. The latter became their history.

Jesus died on the cross to establish a covenant between God and man. This covenant was based on the blood of Jesus. As the Prince of peace, the Son of God came to bring salvation to a lost and dying world. The teachings of Jesus highlighted the righteousness of God and the warnings of His wrath. Jesus taught more on eternal damnation than anyone. He taught on grace and love. When the early church began to teach the gospel of Christ, they also taught the righteousness and wrath of God. Paul declared that the gospel is about the righteousness and wrath of God.

The gospel is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes. Through Christ, all men, Jew and Gentile, can find salvation through the blood of Jesus. In the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Paul wrote about the joy of salvation and that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. John tells his readers that he writes to them to let them know they have eternal life. The righteousness of God is found in the grace of God, His eternal mercy, and His unending love. From beginning to end, the scriptures extol the joy of knowing God is a loving and compassionate God who does not desire for anyone to perish.

The gospel reveals the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Contained within the gospel is the wrath of God. The language is plain. Jesus taught that a man will be condemned by his words. When Nicodemus came to Jesus, the Lord told him that those who do not believe in Him will be lost. He gave a commission to the eleven that those who did not believe in Him would be condemned. Paul wrote that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who engage in fornication, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, sodomy, thievery, coveting, drunkenness, reviling, and extortion will be condemned. The gospel presents the wrath of God against unrighteousness. Not everyone will be saved. Most people will be lost. That is the wrath of God. The righteousness of God is found in those who obey the gospel. In obedience, the wrath of God is removed.

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:35-37)

Criticizing Jesus

Jesus proved He was the Son of God through the many miracles He performed by the power of the Holy Spirit. There was no disease Jesus could not heal. Lepers were cleansed, sight was restored to the blind, the lame could walk again, and the possessed were free from their demons. Jesus walked on water, turned water into wine, calmed the sea, and fed more than 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Through His miracles, Jesus proved He was the Son of God.

Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany and a dear friend of Jesus. The Lord received news that Lazarus was very sick and near death. When He received the news, Jesus remained where He was for two days. Instead of going to Lazarus immediately, Jesus chose to wait a few days. When Martha heard Jesus was coming, she ran out to greet Him, saying, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” What Martha said was correct. Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus of his disease. He delayed His arrival to show the glory of the resurrection.

When Mary came to where Jesus was, she also complained that if He had arrived sooner, Lazarus would not have died. It grieved Jesus deeply to see Martha and Mary weeping, accompanied by the Jews who had come to comfort the family. Jesus asked where they had buried Lazarus, and when they showed Him, Jesus wept. The Jews saw how much He loved Jesus, but complained that He was able to open the eyes of the blind but could not keep Lazarus from dying. What they failed to understand was that Jesus had demonstrated His power to raise the dead when He raised the daughter of Jairus and the widow of Nain’s son. The Jews believed Jesus had the power to give sight to the blind. They acknowledged His power to perform miracles. Why would it be impossible for someone who can perform all the signs, wonders, and miracles that Jesus did and not have the power to raise the dead?

In a critical time to show the power of God, the Jews complain. Martha and Mary also complained to Jesus, criticizing His delay to come at once. Jesus could have healed Lazarus if He had left when He heard the news. Delaying two days had a greater purpose. Jesus healed many of sicknesses, but to show His power over death, He tarried and allowed Lazarus to die. When Jesus approached the cave with the stone rolled against it, He told the people to take away the stone. Horrified, Martha reminded Jesus that Lazarus had been dead for four days and the body had begun to decay outwardly. The stench of death would have been overwhelming. When Jesus raised the widow of Nain’s son, it was the same day he died. Jairus’ daughter was healed the same day she died. Lazarus had been dead for four days.

Jesus delayed His arrival to show the power of God that even when a body has begun the decaying process, God can raise it from the dead. This would foreshadow the resurrection of the dead after Jesus’ resurrection, when many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, went into Jerusalem, and appeared to many. The people criticized Jesus for not healing Lazarus. What Jesus showed them was a greater power than healing. He proclaimed His power over death and the promise of eternal resurrection.

And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Luke 7:21-23)

What The World Refused To See

Shortly after Jesus began His public ministry, He and the disciples were invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also at the wedding. In an embarrassing moment for the wedding party and the master of the feast, the caterers ran out of wine. Mary goes to Jesus, telling him the terrible predicament the family has run into, and seeks His help. Jesus tells the servants to fill six stone waterpots with water (containing twenty or thirty gallons each). After filling the pots to the brim, Jesus tells the servants to draw from the waterpots and give to the master of the feast. To the shock of the master, the taste of the wine was the best. This beginning of the signs Jesus did to manifest His glory.

It is impossible to know how many miracles Jesus performed in His short ministry. The miracles, signs, and wonders done through Jesus attested to His power and declared Him to be the Son of God. Nicodemus, the Pharisee ruler who came to Jesus by night, admitted that no one could perform the signs Jesus performed if God were not with Him. There was nothing that Jesus could not do. He cured many of the infirmities. Whatever disease the people had, Jesus cured them instantly. His healing did not require rehabilitation or a series of medicines to recover from the disease. Every disease was dealt with in the same manner; it was gone.

Sin brought about many afflictions of the body. From the beginning of time, remedies were given to ease the suffering of those things that afflicted the body. Jesus healed everyone instantly. He removed all pain and suffering. During the ministry of Jesus, God allowed demons to possess people. The purpose of allowing demon possession was not to highlight the demons but to show that Jesus had power over Satan and the demon world. Every demon Jesus demanded to be cast out obeyed. Anyone with an evil spirit was completely healed if they came to Jesus. The man of the region of the Gadarenes was a madman possessed with great power to break chains and shackles. Jesus cured the man completely. Jesus gave the blind sight, the lame to walk again, and cured lepers of the most dreaded disease. The deaf were made to hear, and Jesus raised the dead.

All the severest critics of Jesus never denied the existence of miracles. Jesus would perform miracles in front of those who accused Him, but they never denied what they saw was real. It was not Jesus’ purpose to remove disease and affliction from the world. He came to preach the gospel of salvation through His blood. The world saw incredible miracles performed by the Finger of God, but they could not see Jesus as the Son of God. What condemns the world is that it refuses to see what is clearly seen in the testimony of Jesus Christ. The poor have the gospel preached to them, and the world looks the other way.

Miracles have ceased, and there is no demon possession, but the word of the Lord remains as powerful as when Jesus spoke the words of His Father. The Bible is the fully revealed word of God, and the world views it as a book of myths. No testimony in the world testifies as the Bible does. Human wisdom has created theologies that hinge upon the philosophies of failed religions. There is no rival to the story of Jesus Christ. The Bible is a book of miracles, signs, and wonders to prove that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. Refusing to believe does not change the heavenly message of Christ. To refuse is to damn the soul to an eternal place of torment. Except one believes that Jesus is the Christ, he will die in their sins. Sadly, all the evidence is clearly defined in the word of God. Believe in the power of God. See the miracles that Jesus did to see that He alone is the Son of God.

Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (Luke 7:48-50)

The Thief Was Not The First

Jesus was crucified between two thieves to fulfill the prophecy He was numbered with the transgressors. As the grueling hours of suffering began for Jesus, the two thieves reviled Him, blasphemed Him, and like the crowd, ridiculed the great teacher who was now a curse on a tree. One of the criminals who was hanged blasphemed Jesus, saying if He were the Christ, to save himself and the two thieves. Having a change of heart, the other thief rebuked his fellow robber, declaring that Jesus had done no wrong. The unnamed thief turns to Jesus, seeking mercy that he might be found in the kingdom of Christ. Jesus knew the heart of the condemned thief and granted him the hope of eternal life. The promise of Paradise was given to this single thief through the word of Jesus Christ.

Much attention has been drawn to the story of the thief on the cross. Generations have used him as an example of God’s grace and mercy. There is no more powerful story of grace than the moment Jesus gives eternal hope to a man undeserving of mercy. Nothing is said about the man’s background, but God knew, and Jesus had the authority to accept the man’s heart as changed by repentance. This promise was not made to the other unrepentant thief. Everything Luke records in the story is the story provided by the Holy Spirit.

The thief on the cross is used to prove baptism is not necessary for salvation. The claim is that the thief was not required to be baptized for the remission of sins. This follows the mistaken idea that the thief lived and died under the covenant of Christ when Jesus made His promise. At the time, Jesus promised the thief Paradise; both were living under the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was binding when Jesus made the promise. Further, the story of the thief is not the only instance in which Jesus forgave the sins of someone under the Law of Moses.

Mark tells the story of four friends who brought a paralytic man to Jesus to be healed. They uncovered the roof and let their friend down to Jesus. Before Jesus healed the man, He told him his sins were forgiven. Jesus proved He had the authority to forgive sins by immediately healing the man, who took up his bed and walked out the door. Jesus did not demand that this man to be baptized. Jesus attended a dinner with a Pharisee named Simon when a woman in the city who was a sinner came and anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears and fragrant oil. Simon thought to himself that if Jesus knew how sinful the woman was, He would be horrified. Jesus rebukes Simon for his hypocrisy and lack of love for others. The Lord then tells the woman her sins were forgiven. He did not demand she be baptized.

Jesus had the authority to forgive the sins of anyone He chose. The Law of Moses was binding until the resurrection of Jesus, when God changed the covenant of grace for all men. Peter, a devout Jew brought up under the Law of Moses, told the thousands of devout Jews gathered at Pentecost to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Every story of conversion in the New Testament church includes repentance and baptism. There is never a time when anyone said that salvation comes by faith only or by accepting Christ as a personal Savior. The thief on the cross was saved by the grace of God according to the will of God. No one can be saved like the thief because the law has changed. Jesus said so.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)

Are There Extraterrestrials On Other Planets?

The heavens filled with planets and stars have always fascinated the imagination of man. Understanding the vast universe intrigued the minds of ancient philosophers, astronomers, and wise men. Early Greek thinkers such as Democritus, Epicurus, and Anaxagoras suggested the possibility of life in the heavens. In contrast, philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato rejected the idea of inhabited worlds beyond earth. With modern advancements, the question of life on other planets comes to the forefront of possibilities. Alien “sightings” have been reported for many years. Fears about the truth behind Area-51 ignite theorists and conspiracists who believe the government is hiding evidence of life beyond the stars.

For the Christian, the Bible is more than a book of stories; it is an answer to the meaning of life on planet earth. Sometimes questions about aliens challenge students’ understanding of God’s will. Is there an answer about whether there are aliens on other planets, and is there life in the universe waiting to be discovered? Jesus answered the question two thousand years ago when He left Heaven and came to the third rock from the Sun – Earth. Moses records in Genesis 1 that God created the lights in the firmament of the heavens. Two great lights were made to rule the day and the night. He made the stars also. God created Adam and Eve and placed them on the Earth in a place called the Garden of Eden.

The history of man begins after the fall of man. God cast Adam and Eve out of the garden, and children were born. The world is filled with people. There are no other creatures inhabiting the Earth but humans. Heavenly beings appear to humans periodically throughout history to fulfill the Lord’s work. They always appear as men (without wings). There are no alien creatures that appear. Each time a heavenly being speaks to a human, he speaks in their language. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her she will bear a son. She does not think he is an alien. Gabriel tells her about the birth of Jesus, and she recognizes Gabriel as the servant of the Lord.

Jesus was born to Mary through the miracle of the virgin birth. The Son of God grows in the manner of all men. In His teachings, Jesus answers the question of whether there is life on other planets. A Jewish ruler named Nicodemus comes to Jesus, seeking to learn from the great Teacher. They are not discussing aliens, but one of Jesus’s statements clarifies the question. Jesus tells Nicodemus that the only begotten Son of God came to earth to die for all men. God so loved the world (earth) that He gave His Son to die for those living on earth. Everyone (on planet earth) who believes Jesus is the Son of God and obeys the will of the Father will be saved. God sent His Son into the world (earth) that, through Jesus, all men might be saved.

There is no life on other planets. God did not create other creatures to live on other planets. Jesus came to earth to save humanity. The Bible is the mind of God revealed to those dwelling on earth, so they may know and understand His will. There will come a day when the earth will be destroyed. The heavens and the earth are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. This judgment does not include aliens. Jesus came to save the creation He shared in creating when, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He created man in their image. Man was created in the image of God, eliminating the possibility that any other species could have been created.

Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. (Exodus 9:15-17)

God Uses Evil Men For His Purpose

The Hebrews had been in Egypt for more than four hundred years. They had grown into a nation within a nation that brought fear to the leadership of the most powerful nation on earth. A Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph, nor did he care about the plight of the Hebrews. He did worry they might become so mighty they would join a rebellion against Egypt. Pharaoh appointed taskmasters over the Hebrews to afflict them with extensive building campaigns, harsh bondage, and all manner of service in the field. The persecution was so hard that the people cried to the Lord for deliverance.

Moses was born a Hebrew but raised in the house of Pharaoh. At the age of forty, Moses killed a man and fled to Midian, where he remained for forty years. God called Moses to return to Egypt to demand that Pharaoh let His people go. Moses warned Pharaoh that God would bring severe destruction to the land if he refused. The heart of Pharaoh grew hard, refusing to listen to Moses. God began to bring terrible plagues upon the people of Egypt. First, the water was turned to blood, killing all the fish. Then frogs covered the land of Egypt. Moses struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. Thick swarms of flies filled every corner where the Egyptians lived. The Hebrews were not plagued. God struck the livestock of the Egyptians. He caused boils to cover man and beasts of the Egyptians. Then the Lord brought the pestilence of heavy hail and fire mingled with the hail.

It was before the seventy plague that Moses warned Pharaoh why the Egyptians were being afflicted. More plagues were to come, and the worst was reserved for the final plague. In all the plagues wrought upon the nation of Egypt, Pharaoh hardened his heart. He relented at first, but when the plague was gone, he refused to let God’s people go. Moses warned Pharaoh that the plagues would grow more destructive and would reach the heart of Pharaoh and the people. God could have destroyed the Egyptians with one plague, but He chose to use Pharaoh as an example of God’s power.

The nation of Egypt was one of the most powerful in world history. God raised up Pharaoh to show the power of the Divine, that the name of the Lord may be declared in all the earth. Four more plagues afflicted the Egyptians with boils, locusts, darkness, and the death of all the firstborn of man and beast of the Egyptians. In all of this, the Hebrews were spared the destruction of the Lord. God delivered His people with a mighty hand and showed the world who is greater than all the gods of man. Pharaoh exalted himself against the people of God by refusing to bow to the will of God. The Lord destroyed Pharaoh and his nation.

Pharaoh was an evil man who led his nation with cruelty, murder, and ungodliness. He exalted himself as a god, inflicting his people with great burdens. What he failed to understand was that he would die and face the one, true God. There are evil and wicked leaders in the world, and often God uses them to show His glory, power, and might. Despots revolt against the will of the Lord, and God brings them low with His mighty hand. History is filled with the blackened bones of those who exalted themselves above the people with cruelty and hatred; only to face the one true God in death. God used the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and the great Roman Empire to show His power. Jesus was born during the Pax Romana of Rome and conquered the world with the gospel of peace.

The kingdom of Christ has reigned upon the earth for two thousand years and has never been destroyed. Religious despots created the apostate church that became the harlot of all her illegitimate children that abound in the world today in the name of Jesus. They will all become of no avail to the glory of God. Evil men will never prosper. God will use them to show His glory; and He still does.

Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs; he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever. (Psalm 146:3-6)

Man Or God?

The integrity of man is, at best, limited. If a man tries to be honest, he will only succeed a portion of the time. There is a tendency to stretch the truth without full disclosure. He will make promises that sometimes cannot be kept. There may be circumstances beyond his control that limit his ability to fulfill the promises. He does the best he can, but the best will not always be possible. Man is a fallen creature. Even if a man can make promises that he can keep, the reality is that men die and all their plans perish. Death ends the hopes and promises of life. Trusting in human wisdom is a fragile promise.

God is always faithful. It is impossible for God to lie. All of the promises the Divine Creator makes come to pass (whether good or bad). His word is truth because there is no variation in what He promises. The word of God is everlasting and unchanging, reserved in Heaven. Everything God has said is true without exception. It is difficult to grasp the completeness of God’s perfected word, but from time beginning, He has never failed to keep His promises. By His word, the universe was created. God promised to destroy the world in the days of Noah, and He did. He also promised to save Noah and his family, and He did. Abraham was told he would have a son in his old age, and Isaac was born when the great patriarch turned one hundred years old.

In the Garden of Eden, the Lord God promised to send a Seed to save the world. Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of that promise. Everything Jesus said was true because He was the Word. The Jews tried to trap Jesus in His teachings and failed every time. As the New Testament church developed, so did the completed word of God. A final canon of truth emerged when God gave the world the Bible. Every truth in the word of God shows the power of God’s promises that will never fail. The Bible is the full revelation of God’s will for men to know how to save themselves from the wrath of God. Forgiveness of sins is the central theme through the blood of Jesus Christ. God said He would forgive. He does.

The comparison between trusting in man and in God can be seen only in the contrast between the frailty of human wisdom and the grandeur of divine revelation. Trusting in “princesses,” or “a son of man,” is useless, empty, vain, and without help. They die. His plans perish. The hopes and promises made expire. There is no value in human wisdom. Happy is the man who trusts in the word of God for his help because those promises never die. God is eternal and without end. He has given the world a complete message of hope through the written revelation. His truth lasts forever. Help comes from the Lord. Hope comes from the Lord. Trusting in the Lord is where man finds his happiness. His truth is forever.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)

Sin, Grace, And Faith

God has promised eternal life, and since He cannot lie, there is no doubt about eternal life. Jesus died to remove the wrath of God against all unrighteousness for those who believe He is the Son of God. The Holy Spirit manifested the will of God through the words of the gospel, which were preached and preserved for the world to read and understand. Sinful man approaches the word of God with trepidation, doubt, fear, and the nagging belief that God cannot keep His promises. Jesus told the eleven that those who believe and are baptized will be saved. This is not an idle promise. When one obeys the gospel of Christ, they will be saved. Jesus tells the saints in Ephesus that if they are faithful until death, they will receive a crown of life. Paul spoke of a crown awaiting him in death. He believed he was saved.

Christian’s can struggle with the knowledge of God’s grace. Sin can cloud the heart of the hope God has promised. Questions linger if one is pure enough to deserve the mercy of God. The battle of sin weakens the resolve to believe in a God who is so great and good to save a miserable creature like man. Fears dominate the soul to understand how powerful grace can be to remove sin. When a man examines his life, he sees nothing but the misery of rebellion and chaos as he strives to serve Jesus Christ. The Son of God lived a perfect life. How can anyone measure up to that standard? Often, the spirit of the Christian is desperate to cling to a sliver of hope that God will save them. Life is not filled with joy. Fear haunts the recesses of the mind, doubting and fearing the wrath of God.

All men sin – that is, without exception. Everyone falls short of the glory of God. Man was created for God’s glory, but he fails miserably. What value is there in saving such a pitiful creature? Before time began, the grace of God enacted a plan to raise up man from the putridity of sin. Adam and Eve had not been created, but God knew how He would save man. The first example of grace found in the revealed word of God is when Eve took the forbidden fruit. Adam also ate. The eyes of both of them were opened, and shame filled their hearts. They were terrified. There was no place to hide. God knew what they had done.

Grace was divinely demonstrated when God did not destroy Adam and Eve on the spot. His wrath could have wiped them from the face of the earth. God did not destroy them. Grace was divinely demonstrated because God did not leave humanity to its own devices. God could have ignored man and allowed him to destroy himself. God did not leave man alone. Grace was demonstrated when the Lord told the serpent a Seed would bruise his head. Many generations later, Jesus was born of a woman, and salvation came to sinful man. A cross would be a sign of foolishness to the world, but for those who believed in the grace of God, it was eternal power.

When men struggle with the grace of God, they must remember they are sinners but not brag about it. In the same message telling the Romans they were sinners, Paul reminds them that they are justified freely by the grace of God found in the blood of Jesus Christ. Someone could argue all day about how sinful and undeserving they are for God’s grace, but for what purpose? Being justified is being saved. It is the gift of God. Jesus died to redeem man through His blood. Ananias did not lie to Saul when he told him God would wash away his sins. It was not a sprinkling. Washing sins away was a complete removal. Grace makes that possible. Salvation by grace is the love of God to sinful man that God knows is sinful, but He will save them anyway because they have repented and washed their sins away in the burial waters of baptism.

Sin, grace, and faith are the story of God’s redemptive love for – sinful man. John told his readers that they can know they have eternal life. Paul was not a perfect man, but he believed he was saved. There is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Grace lifts the doubts of man above the failed philosophies of defeatist belief, where men live in fear of the wrath of God. Those in Christ are saved. For the one washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, the blood cleanses the soul from ALL sin. Walking in the light enlightens the soul to the glorious promise that a loving God wants His children to know they HAVE a home with Him. Praise God. He does not lie, and He has promised eternal life to those who do His will.