Today in church our pastor was talking about knowing who Jesus really is. That got me to thinking about how many religions there are and how many folks never open the Bible or study the word. Now I know that many will give their argument of who their church says He is and some will just call Him a great teacher. Some may even call Jesus horrible names. Pastor David reminded us that the Bible never said we were saved by a great teacher, nor by a friend or religion. We are also not saved by someone else’s works for us or by our own works. We are saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God. He bled on a cross so we could believe that He saves us from our sins. He redeems us by the grace of God.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”
Ephesians 2:8 NASB
Most of us in the contemporary world have heard this verse or some version of it. It may have been watered down or altered. Some believe we are saved by works while, still others believe we are saved by being “good” people. The Bible is a tool, inspired by God, so that man might know His Creator and how creation came into being. It is a collection of books that tell the story of man and how Our sovereign God has overseen our history while allowing each individual their free will. He has been both visible and silent, but Omnipresent nonetheless. God is present whether we acknowledge Him or not. The Bible is clear in how we are saved. It is by faith and faith only. God tells His people He will give them a new heart and they will be His People and He will be their God. It includes me, a Gentile, because God is impartial! It’s amazing love, amazing forgiveness, amazing grace.
“I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.”
Jeremiah 24:7 NASB
Faith includes giving God our whole heart. Through faith in what Jesus did on that cross we are forgiven of our sins. It’s called the propitiation. Jesus shed His blood to cover our sins (when we believe) to satisfy Gods wrath. There needed to be a sacrifice. You see, God is Holy, holy, holy and to sin is to be against Him. We can’t do it ourselves so Jesus came to do it for us. It’s a love beyond human love. When you get to know how holy God is then you know how unworthy we humans really are. Hopefully you repent! Hopefully you seek God through Jesus Christ. Hopefully you get the sunrise/sunset glimpses of that incredible love. Sunrise glimpses? Yes! Because a sunrise or a sunset can take your breath away, or, at least give you pause. To learn more about our Holy Lord and His great gift of Jesus (salvation), begin by reading His word. I use the NASB (New American Standard Bible). Happy reading! In His love.
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NASB
Ocean Sunrise
Sunflower Sunrise
Anyone for some night skiing?
Sunset in Minot, North Dakota
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