Cain And Able
Jesus didn’t come to save righteous people and condemn the world. Jesus came to save sinners and also, save the world.
The world is often confused about who God’s people are. Christians talk about sin and God’s punishment for it but Christians still sin. Some of us come from terrible backgrounds and committed sins much worse than some unbelievers. The world sees us seeking moral perfection while we are far from perfect and view Christians as hypocrites and often, Christians are hypocrites. Especially, if we give in to the pressure to be perfect and give up on our personal struggle with sin and resort to hiding it and carrying pretense. When we hide who we were when, Jesus found us and hide the sins we still struggle with, we have returned to living in darkness and the church becomes ineffectual. Christians aren’t perfect. Christians are sinners saved by the grace of God by faith in, Jesus Christ. The only difference between Christians and other people is faith in, Jesus. Christians are involved in a personal relationship with God that includes an ongoing process of being perfected in Christ but no Christian in this life will ever be free from sinning.
It sometimes seems unfair that God would choose to save a heroin addict while someone who lives what is viewed as an average, good life may receive eternal punishment. It makes no sense to many people that God would choose to use murders and thieves to do His work and not choose a seemingly, righteous person. However,the Bible teaches that there are none that are righteous and though someone may appear righteous to us, God sees their heart and knows their secret thoughts and actions. None of us by our own volition, seek after God and want to do His will rather than our own. We all want to do it our way. The only truly, righteous man is, Jesus who always sought to do the Will of His Father. Jesus came to save sinners and by saving sinners, He is also, working to save the world from sin which has doomed God’s entire Creation to die.
Death is the punishment for sin and when sin is eliminated, there is no longer a need for death. Jesus came to die and conquer death by taking His life back again and offering eternal life to all sinners. Righteous persons have no need for Salvation. Only those who sin and bring death upon themselves and the creation need to be saved from death. All blasphemers, murders, thieves, adulterers, prostitutes, drug addicts, alcoholics, liars, and the sexually perverse are the people who, Jesus seeks to save. Anyone who believes in, Jesus and accepts Him as their personal Savior from sin and death, receives eternal life. These are the people of God, those He has chosen to bring Him glory.
God’s people aren’t perfect. If they were they wouldn’t need Salvation. A person who truly, believes in, Jesus won’t be happy living a sinful life and they will still struggle with sin because in their spirit they want what God wants but their flesh is weak. Also, God doesn’t offer the gift of perfect morality in, Jesus. He is offering the gift of eternal life that changes the heart of a sinner toward sin and makes it unpleasant. A serious Christian wants to please God and those things which gave them pleasure before, Jesus came into their life will only make them miserable after the Holy Spirit has made His home in them. God gives believers the power to overcome their sins and believers learn obedience in the struggle. God’s people aren’t those who seek to make themselves holy through their own effort. Human beings can’t lift themselves to the position held by God, no matter what religion they embrace or what kind of life they live. God reached down to human beings through, Jesus to redeem them from sin and death and conform them to the image of Christ. In Jesus, unrighteous human beings become righteousness. Those who were not a people become God’s people by faith in Christ. Those who were once only dishonorable, now bring God glory and honor.
One thing I know for certain, if God can save me, He can save anyone. I was a mess and my life a shambles when, Jesus made Himself known to me. I had most certainly, broken every one of His Ten Commandments, at least once. Because of, Jesus, I am a vessel of God’s mercy and an adopted child of God. After thirty-five years of knowing and walking with, Jesus, I still struggle with my sin. I’m not perfect but He continues to work toward perfecting Himself in me and I know one day, I will wake up and be just like, Jesus. My struggle with sin will be over and I will live with God in eternity. I live because God didn’t want me to die in my sin and be eternally separate from Him. God doesn’t want anyone to die in their sin and suffer eternal punishment, eternal death. God doesn’t want you to die and remain eternally separate from Him either. He isn’t waiting for you to become perfect or achieve impeccable morality before you come to Him. He waits only for you to believe in, Jesus and accept the gift of eternal life that is freely offered to all. No matter what you’ve done, or how long you’ve been doing it, you too can become a child of God and your life can be used to give God glory. Simply fix your spiritual eyes upon, Jesus and believe.
