On the road to Syria–on his way to kill and exterminate Christians–with the world at his command….Paul was radically changed and became part of the greatest “religious” movement of all time……..

 

Romans 3  21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

 

What Paul wrote to Jews back then is exactly what we could write to Christians today….and God’s word is like that…..

 

It transcends time and was as applicable to people then as it is to us today.

 

You see….

  • The Jews thought that they were better than the gentiles, much like some Christians today.
  • The Jews thought that they could make themselves right with God, much like some Christians today.
  • The Jews thought that they could make themselves feel better by judging the sins of others, much like some Christians today.

 

But our reality is simple.  Without Jesus, we are rotten to the core—full of sin, detestable, and the enemy of God.

 

That is a hard pill to swallow…but it is the reality of life.  As Paul writes:  “ALL have sinned and fall short….”  Not some.  ALL.

 

And the prophet Isaiah wrote this back then to be the very truth that we need to hear today:

  1. Our good works are like menstrual rags to the Lord (Isaiah 64:6).  I was shocked that the Bible would say something like this—yet it does.  When I first read it I wondered—how could He be so brash in such a holy book?  But the point is made—I CAN NOT make myself clean before God by DOING EVEN GOOD THINGS!
  2. “We all like sheep have gone astray.  Each of us has turned to His own way.  And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquities of us all.”  (Isaiah 53:6)  Again—not SOME of us astray—all of us astray—yet the Lord has made a way for us through Jesus.

 

And so we choose.

 

We choose separation OR we choose to walk in covenant with God.

 

We choose to do it our own way or we choose to follow Jesus.

 

We choose death and darkness or we choose life and freedom.

 

I have heard it said that insanity is doing it the same way over and over again and expecting a different result…..and I have stubbornly tried that to no accord.

 

I choose Jesus.

He is my only hope and the hope of the nations.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J