Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Pastor J. Vernon McGee passed away on December 1, 1988, but left behind a broadcast ministry “Thru the Bible” that continue to be aired and teaches the Word of God in context for millions of people around the world. In his monthly newsletter, he writes that living the born-again Christian life can sometimes feel like you are fighting a losing battle against yourself singlehandedly with the struggle happening in you heart.
He states that the purpose of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to lift our shackles of sin so that all might come to the place of salvation, and also to give power to those who want to live for God. Romans chapter 8 is one of the great chapters of the Bible. It opens with “no condemnation”, closes with “no separation from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”, and in between “all things work together for good to those who love God”. You cannot have it any better than that.
Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
Salvation means to be in Christ. It doesn’t mean you have to join a church or say a sinner’s prayer or do anything to earn it. When you are saved from your sins, you are in Christ. But, we need to understand “justification by [saving] faith”. Pastor McGee says, first there is a negative aspect. You and I were once doomed, hell-bound sinners because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). You may be better than someone else, but you have nothing that is acceptable to God. Every one of us stands before Him as a lost sinner. Therefore, when we come to God, we don’t come offering Him anything. Salvation is not by works of righteousness. We come to God empty-handed, as lost sinners, repenting of our sins and we trust Christ as our Savior. His atoning sacrifice on the Cross was in our place.
Philippians 3:8b-9 “I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”
Now here is the positive aspect of justification. God not only subtracts our sin, not only paid the penalty for our sins, but He outs us in Christ. God looks at us in Christ. Pastor McGee proclaims that you are completely saved in Christ or completely lost out of Christ. You are in Him 100% or out of Him 100%. If you are in Christ, God see you in Him, and you have as much right in Heaven as Christ – or you have no right there at all, because we have no right to be there in and of ourselves. But in Christ, we are accepted the moment we trust in Him. You see, there is no judgment for sin to those who are in Christ. Christ’s righteousness is your righteousness. Go all in.
In Christ, Brian
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