Mark Vestal Proud of nothing of myself. Freed by Christ who did it all!

You only have to give up on yourself being righteous enough, or otherwise, for God. You will find peace when you realize what it means to have a savior in Jesus Christ. Paul guides saved members on how to live for God. Not for salvation or to maintain salvation, as we cannot lose it after receiving it (Ephesians 4:30), but for the purpose of living a life of peace, edification, and spiritual growth.

The confusion comes form those who believe and teach that the entire Bible was written to them, failing to understand that they are not a part of God's covenant program with Israel. The only gospel in the Bible that we find our good news today is in the thirteen writings of the apostle Paul (Romans through Philemon).

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah" (Jer 31:31, Heb 8:8). Note that the new covenant is for the house of Israel, and the house of Judah, not you or I.

Israel's new covenant will be established when Christ returns for His millennial reign on Earth (Rev 20:4-6). We today live under God's "dispensation of grace" (Eph 3:2), not covenant. Many confuse the bible's "New Testament" as being the new covenant, but God's new covenant remains prophetic as it has not yet been established or even meant for believers today, who are members of the church, the body of Christ (Col 1:24, Eph 5:23), who will be "caught away" prior to the wrath of God arriving (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

We have something much greater than a covenant as we are not under law, but grace (Rom 6:14). Our salvation simply requires faith in what Jesus Christ completed on the cross on our behalf (Rom 3:28, 1 Cor 1:23). Christ paid for all of our sins (Rom 3:28, 1 Cor 15:3, Gal 2:20, Col 2:13, 2 Cor 5:19), and was buried, but rose again for our justification (2 Cor 1:9, Rom 4:25). It is the free gift of God made possible by His grace (Rom 5:18), and our belief is acceptance of His free gift (Eph 2:8. Eph 1:13).

"Rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15), the gospel of our salvation (Eph 1:13), is to separate the gospel given to Paul from the gospels given to Messianic Hebrews when studying the bible. Jesus' message while living and that of the 12 apostles was to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, not us (Mat 10:5-6, Mat 15:24). Our doctrine is found in Paul's epistles (Rom 3:21).

What does it mean to have faith alone in Christ alone for salvation?

Let's say we're back in school and are presented with one final exam required for graduation. It is a most difficult exam, and a score of 100% is required in order to pass. The teacher is VERY gracious however, and states that we can take the test on our own, or we can accept the grade of someone else in the classroom of our choosing. I decide to accept the results of someone in the classroom whom I believe is smarter than me. I have faith that he will pass the exam on my behalf. I submit that I am not capable of passing the test on my own. I fully understand that if he fails, I will not pass, because there is nothing I can do that will assist him with his performance on the test. There's no going back once I have chosen him as my test taker, because the teacher states that any attempt made by me to assist him will cause an automatic failure. It is his perfect performance that matters now and nothing of myself.

Just as the teacher is in the above analogy, God is so gracious to us by offering His free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross on our behalf. There is nothing throughout our entire lives that we can do or could have done that would add to Christ's finished work for us. Belief in His death for the forgiveness of our sins, burial, and resurrection for our justification makes us the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)!

December 20 2022 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report