JC Blog

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” ( Hebrews 9:27-28 )

There are certain things in life we are assured of, just as we were born, we will also die. It was Ben Franklin who joked “in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes". I would suggest, however, that there are a few other things we can also be certain of. Just as mankind is appointed to die and to be brought before God in judgment, so also Jesus was destined to come and bear the burden of sins of the world once for all ( I Peter 3:18, I John 2:2 ). This is amazing news for us. Because this work was finished and complete, He is also appointed to return, not to bear sin again but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting and expecting Him.

This is Christ’s legacy. He dealt with the issue of sin once for all so all that is left to do is to come and gather His people to Himself. As believers we have been redeemed, we have been purchased and we have been given a new born again spirit but we are still waiting for the redemption of our physical bodies. When Jesus Christ returns He will be coming to bring final salvation. This is one of the things in life we can be assured of, Christ is coming back and when He comes, He will bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him!

This is an exciting thing; there is no fear in anticipating that day. Paul told the church at Thessalonica, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” ( I Thessalonians 5:9-11 ). The only question that will matter is; What did you do with Jesus? For those who believe in Him, we will not suffer wrath but we will receive our salvation.

The Apostle John also comforts us with these words, “In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us” ( I John 4:17-19 ). In other words, when we stand before God in judgment we will be wearing the righteousness of Jesus. John said “as He is so are we in the world,” meaning that there is no accusation of sin against us, because Jesus dealt with the issue of sin and we have accepted His payment for it. Through Jesus we have the righteousness we need, to stand before God free from accusation or condemnation. We also have His perfect love to reassure us in this truth.

Jesus told us that anyone who accepts His message of grace and forgiveness will have this salvation without condemnation. “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” ( John 5:24 ). The word for condemned is the same word for judgment. Christ came to first to bear sins so that He could come back again to bring salvation for all those who eagerly, constantly and patiently wait and expect Him! It is as certain as death and taxes and it is something to anticipate with great joy!

“We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first” ( Hebrews 3:14 )

In Christ we are built on a firm foundation. This foundation built the heavens, the earth and everything we see around us. He is the sole expression of God’s glory and holds the eternal position as Savior seated in the heavenly realm at the right hand of God the Father. As believers, we too have come to partake in Christ and all that He has for us if we hold firm until the end, the confidence we had at first.

Paul said in Colossians, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him” ( Colossians 2:6 ). The only way to receive Christ is by faith. Faith placed in what He did to restore and redeem you. Faith is the action of our convictions. When we heard the gospel message, our hearts responded in faith toward this message of grace. The book of Romans demonstrates this key principal, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” ( Romans 10:8-9 ). What you are confessing is your faith in Jesus, this is a demonstration of the belief of your heart. Salvation is a combination of God’s grace and your faith placed in that gift of grace. Ephesians makes this very clear, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” ( Ephesians 2:8-9 ).

Since we received Christ by faith, we are to continue in the Him in the very same way. We start with faith and we will finish in faith. We are called to share in Christ holding confidently to the exact same faith that saved us. As believers, our life is a faith journey. Our faith grows and changes but the foundation remains the same and everything is built upon it. Christ is that foundation. We have come to partake in Christ, to share in everything that He has for us; but to do this we must hold in faith to the very end. Why because faith is the key that unlocks everything God has for us. This is why Hebrews says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and the he rewards those who earnestly seek him” ( Hebrews 11:6 ). To receive you must believe and believing takes faith.

What an amazing truth to know in this life all we need to do is focus on Jesus. If we look toward him and continue in Him the exact same way we started we will be successful. We will be rooted and established on a foundation that is firm, unshakeable and able to present us before God pure and holy. The writer of Hebrews reminds us time and time again to focus our thoughts and attention on Jesus. Even the book of Hebrews wraps up with this reminder, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” ( Hebrews 12:1-3 ).

Tomorrow we will look at Hebrews 3:15-19; Unbelief Shut Them Out of the Promise Land

This book is about grace, how Christ has made us right with God. Believing in Him and accepting this wonderful gift is the only thing it takes on our part. This is the amazing truth that Christ came to this earth to share. The gospel is God's message of love, mercy and grace in the person of Jesus Christ. It is the good news that was hidden in the ages past and unknown until Jesus came to earth, as a man, to show us the love of the Father.

Through this word and through the person of Jesus Christ, we can know and understand God in an intimate way. Paul started this letter by declaring that the gospel was the "power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" ( Romans 1:16 ). So it is only fitting that as he closes this final chapter, he is reminding us that this proclamation of Christ was manifest so that "all nations might believe and obey him". The gospel truly is the power of God that can unwrite, all the wrong, ever done in this life. All we need to do is believe in Jesus and this unlocks the power of God for our eternal salvation.

I can imagine how the Apostle Paul felt as he finished up this amazing letter to the church in Rome. Knowing what it contained must have given him incredible pleasure. These wonderful truths had been recorded and plans were made to send it to the ends of the earth. He must have felt relief and joy knowing that the course of people's lives would be changed by reading these words and understanding the revelation of grace that he held onto. I wonder if he had a glimpse of the magnitude of impact this letter would have on the many people who have since read it. Did he know how many lives beyond his time and influence would be touched as he closed this letter with a wonderful exhortation to the only wise God and the glory of Jesus.

I can relate in a very small way to what Paul must have felt, as I have spent the past year of my life studying this incredible book. I have recounted the revelation which the Lord has given me in this blog.  I've received comments, emails and personal testimonies from my readers and have been blessed and encouraged by each one, knowing that these words, written by Paul, continue to bring freedom to everyone who reads and understands them.

As I close this chapter and finish this wonderful blog on the book of Romans I am forever changed by the grace I have been given through Jesus. I am so thankful that the Lord has chosen me to write this commentary. And now I commend you to this gospel of grace, that you may be rooted and established in it. May God's grace and mercy carry you through this life and equip you for the next. To God be the glory both now and forever, amen!

In American, July 4th marks a special day. This is the day when we celebrate our Independence. This day marked the beginning of a new life, new hope and new direction for our country so many years ago. Independence Day is an important day to remember and celebrate because it changed the course of our countries history.

In the same way, what Christ did for us in reconciling us unto God, changed the course of history for mankind. But this revolution only comes to those who accept and believe it. How then does that happen?

Do you see that faith is the deciding factor in how one is reconciled to God? The promise came to Abraham before he was circumcised so that the promise could be offered to everyone who believed. The promise foretold that all nations would be blessed by Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." ( Genesis 12:3 ). The Scriptures foretold that God would justify the Gentiles by faith ( Galatians 3:8-9 ). So it only is reasonable that the Jews, or those of the circumcision should have the same faith as the Gentiles in order to be justified.

Paul clarifies this in later on the book of Romans, when he explains who the true child of Abraham are. "It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring." ( Romans 9:6-7 ) So the true descendants of the promise are heirs by faith alone, not by law or by natural descent.

This is important to understand because association, heritage or bloodline does not make you righteous before God. The only thing required of you is faith. "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." ( Genesis 15:6 ). In the same way, when we believe upon, trust in and rely solely upon what Jesus did for us in fulfillment of the promise, then we obtain the like, precious faith of Abraham.

Know that you are not saved because your parents are Christians. You are not saved because you belong to a church. You are not saved by anything you do. You are saved by faith in the promise of God's grace alone. When you put your entire hope in Him, and trust in him as your Savior, then you are heir of the promise that was given to Abraham. He is your father in the sight of God, and you are fully justified by Jesus. This experience is truly an Independence Day, and one to put into remembrance always!

Occasionally while I am driving I will see the old bumper sticker, "No Jesus, No Peace; Know Jesus, Know peace" and it makes me smile. In the midst of this tumultuous time, many people are looking and longing for peace. However, just like the truth written on the bumper sticker, unless you know Jesus, as your Savior, peace is an elusive thing.

Previously through our study in chapter four, we see that through faith we can obtain the righteousness that God ascribes to by believing in Jesus and putting our total faith in him. Through his death and resurrection on the cross he has offered us total redemption and justification through his blood shed for us. Being justified before him, brings us to a state before God, whereby it is as if we had never sinned. This is great news because Romans 6:23 say, "for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord" Our sin brought with it, death and separation from God, however Jesus' redemptive work on the cross paid for sin once for all as he stood in the gap for us. ( Colossians 2:13-15, Hebrews 9:28, II Corinthians 5:21 ) If our sins are paid for then it is as if we had never sinned, so being justified before God brings us peace.

The amazing thing about this verse in Romans 5:1, is that it show how incredible God grace is and how much he loves us. While we were still sinners and enemies of God because of our sin, he sent Jesus to die for us and extended the offering of peace to us. Many Christian do no understand that we are at complete peace before God. He is not angry with us, he is not mad at us, our sin is not an issue with him... the truth is, he loved us so much he did everything possible to restore us unto himself, he stopped at nothing.

Many people go through life trying to fill the void, emptiness and longing for peace with everything else but what can truly satisfy. Jesus told his disciples in the book of John, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) It was imperative that they knew how to have peace, because all around them was trouble. Jesus is called the prince of peace. So even in a world where we lack peace and trouble surrounds us at every turn, by knowing Jesus we have peace, not only heart peace, but we have peace with God because we have been justified by him.

The only way to access this peace, is by faith in Jesus. Today I pray that as you read this, you make Jesus your Lord and savior and experience true peace before him. Knowing that you are at harmony with God will also bring heart peace into your life to enjoy always. Amen!

These words of Paul are so simple yet so profound. As Christians we are to love one another and be devoted to each other as members of the same family. We should consider each other over our own interests and give precedence and honor to our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. There should be no quarreling or factions between us, and we should consider how to build and encourage each other continually in the Lord. This image of God's family is what we are to portray to the world; united, loving, caring and devoted to one another.

Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us" ( I Thessalonians 2:8 ). The Gospel is what brought them together and gave them a common bond. What grew from that foundation was a great friendship with Christ as the center. He rejoiced that he was able to share in their lives also because these people were so dear to him. This bond transcends time and distance because it is based on the groundwork of Christ.

This is why it is so important to surround yourselves with other brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, who are willing to share their lives. Proverbs says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" ( Proverbs 27:17 ). Being in the company of other believers will encourage you in your relationship with the Lord. It is impossible to be around another person who is excited about God and not have that rub off on you. We are called to love each other and to be devoted to one another as a close knit family.

We now belong to one another. We have been adopted into the family of God and our lives now reflect His life. No longer do we ‘go it alone', instead we are called into fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ. The writer of Hebrews said, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching" ( Hebrews 10:24-25 ). We are to share our lives, encourage each other in the word and spur each other toward love and good deeds. This is a wonderful thing about God's family, having other brothers and sister to encourage us and help us grow.

There are a few precious people in my life that have impacted me greatly. I am who I am today because of their friendship and mentoring in the Lord. As early as a teenager, I had wonderful friends who gave up their time to teach me God's word. Today, I have friends who continually encourage me in the word and strengthen me by their devotion and love for God. I have friends who go the miles with me tackling every issue that life throws in the way. These people are so dear to me because of our mutual bond in Christ Jesus. This bond transcends all things because it is not based on anything this world has to offer, but it is based on Christ and belonging to his family.

Today, I encourage you to find other brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Be devoted to them and learn how to share your life with them. You will bless the body of Christ in the process, amen!