Salvation's Cry

Post date: Mar 17, 2018 4:04:15 PM

Today while scrolling through my Facebook messages it occurred to me that our 24/7 accessibility to information through the internet was a factor which had been contributing to the uncertainty that my friends were feeling regarding the world’s future. After discussing the fragile economy, weather phenomena and recent world news my friends began to wonder if the volume and frequency of these events were signaling a warning from God. At creation God equipped mankind with free will. In every generation since there have been both skeptics and believers. Humanity’s freedom to choose, however, does not absolve God of His obligation to one day judge them. The Apostle Paul writes: “…He has appointed a day, on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” (Acts 17: 31-32)

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3: 23)

What is the glory of God? The Unger’s Bible Dictionary describes the “glory of God” as the manifestation of divine attributes and perfections.

One of God’s divine attributes is holiness. The first man ADAM was created in the image of God. When ADAM sinned his image changed from holiness to corruption, ADAM through procreation passed his corrupted image on to the rest of mankind. In other words; “we have all sinned and come short of the divine attributes and perfections of God.” The Apostle Paul confirms this when he writes: “therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and thus  death spread to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)  

John 10: 1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”

A few days ago I was watching some neighborhood boys playing street hockey when I overheard the goalie say, while disputing a goal; “my net my rules”. At first, I laughed, then another similar phrase shot through my mind; “My house, my rules”, referring to the kingdom of God. I thought to myself, this is what God has been saying to mankind through his Word. The Apostle Paul wrote; “…will the thing formed say to him that formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another to dishonor? (Romans 9: 20-22) The Israelites throughout biblical history struggled with the concept of godly submission, desiring to attain God’s acceptance by their own religious accomplishments and good works. The Apostle Paul writes; “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained righteousness even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were by the works of the law…” (Romans 9: 30-32)

Romans 5: 6-8 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Christ resulted in, as it were, a gift from God to the world. The scripture says; “For I do not desire, brethren that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11: 25) Israel’s spiritual blindness gave the world its opportunity to appropriate the promises of God through faith which prior to the cross were inaccessible to them. One of these promises is the forgiveness of sins. The scripture says; “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. (Romans 10: 9-10) The Apostle Paul was given the heavenly assignment of declaring the riches of Christ’s covenant to the Gentiles. He declared “…the just shall live by faith”. (Romans 1: 17) This means that you and I through the sacrificial death of Christ have become “the JUST who shall live by faith”.

We now can trust God’s promises as the scripture says; “much more then, being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5: 9)