“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” (Jud 1:24-1 NIV)
How do unbelieving, skeptics and pagans make it in this world? What do they trust? Of course, when one considers their structure of unbelief — no God; no heaven or hell; no afterlife; no need of redemption. Is it any wonder that they have no hope? Since they don’t believe in God, I would like for them to stop using his name so profanely. I suspect, however, that their profane use of his Holy Name will be a witness against their claims of unbelief on the day of judgment.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). Now, for those of us who do believe, He has provided a reward. Unlike the recent Olympic games, his reward comes in gold only. And we are not competing against one another. Rather, every believer is a winner of the gold!
Here’s how it works. God provided a burnt offering for us, placed his hand on our burnt offering, and accepted it as an atonement for our sin (Lev. 1:4, John 3:16). For we know that perishable things like gold and silver did not redeem us from our sinful way of life. Rather, we are redeemed by the “precious blood of Christ,” our perfect lamb of sacrifice (1 Peter 1:18-19).
It was Christ and no other who bore our sin on Calvary. His sacrifice enabled us to die to sins and be resurrected in righteousness. In addition, his wounds produced healing and deliverance for us (1 Peter 2:24). And through his sacrifice, He has freely given us his grace and made us acceptable to God (Eph. 1:6).
So with the great Apostle to the Gentiles, “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom. 12:1-2 NIV).
Dear Father, thank you for Christ our redeemer whose sacrifice activated your grace both to protect us from falling and to present us faultless into your presence. Empower us to glorify your name. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today in the power of Christ’s redemption,