Jesus or Religion

I have been inspired to look into Hebrews again.  I so love this book/letter.  It is the illumination of God for why the Old Testament can be brought to a true light, making sense of what God was doing throughout all the generations from Adam.

God prepared the way for His Son to come to earth.  God wrote His own story (what we call “history”) with all the people we read about on the “stage of life.”

And God did pen His story in His Book we call the Bible.  This story truly is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ and what God was going to do AND surely accomplished through Him.  And His story is not finished yet.  For we’ve not yet seen the end of the ages and entered into God’s demonstration of His eternal grace and riches of Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7).

If we know the Bible (OT) even a little, we understand there was a “system” erected by God, in order that sins could be covered, year after year.  There were priests and high priests appointed by God to administer His system.

These priests ALL had sins of their own as well as weaknesses.  So nothing could ever take away sin – only atone for temporarily, until the next time.

YET “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  Behold the One whose blood is the reason we/I have eternal peace with God, His Son’s righteousness imputed, sonship, grace upon grace!

This morning I reread the passage Hebrews 7:15-28.  Verse 27 is the absolute reason of why we can have such intimacy with God and with His Son, Jesus Christ.  “He offered up Himself.”

How could we not possibly love Someone who gave Himself for us in death?  How could we not possibly love Someone who bore 39 stripes, had nails driven through His Hands and the blood that flowed from His wounded side is the only reason you and I are children of God, made right with God, born again NEW in spirit/heart – AND have God as our Father now and forever?

It’s pretty gushy/mushy if you ask me, for God and Jesus to love us so.  I love this part:  “The law made NOTHING perfect, on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God.”  Verse 19 (The only way to draw near to God).

Then He says this:  “JESUS has been made a SURETY of a better covenant…He continues FOREVER…has an unchangeable priesthood…LIVES to make intercession for us…AND is able to save us to the uttermost.”  (Verse 22-25)

Oh that’s winning on every hand!  Nothing/no one saves but Jesus HIMSELF, lover of our soul.  And nothing/no one brings forth fruit, etc. in us and our walks EXCEPT Jesus Himself.  We must learn Christ as Paul pens in Colossians 2.  We don’t need to know how we’re going to pull it off in life, but how HE is going to.  If the focus is always on Jesus and His life in us, we can give and find true encouragement.

So we do sincerely conclude that we/I continue to WALK in Him and His Life.  We have continual fellowship with Him and the Father.

This is what Paul, God’s apostle of our Lord has reiterated over and over again.  Galatians 2:20 is God’s smashing point to us:

“I am crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live (the “I” that was the dead me because of sin, death and fallen flesh brought in through Adam’s transgression), BUT CHRIST LIVES in me (the new spirit/heart me born of God):  and the life I NOW live (walk in, enjoy, praise God over, jump up and down exceedingly, because Christ lives in my spirit and have reason for a great love relationship with God and Jesus) I live by faith in/of the Son of God WHO loved me, loves me forever and ever and ever, and GAVE HIMSELF for me!”  Galatians 2:20

We do have a choice.  We must pick one or the other, not both.  Here are the two choices:

Law, system for being right with God, a system for bearing fruit for God which is nothing but self-improvement, flesh striving, etc. OR

Choosing Jesus Christ Himself in us, His Life, His finished work, His Spirit, His Person, His all doing the work in and through by God’s grace through faith.

God does not call us to both.  He only calls us to His Son (nothing else) and to the unfathomable GRACE found only in Him!

“Choosy Christians Choose Christ!”

Sue Gaither