In the last devotional, we looked at whether God looks at the distance we are from perfection, or what direction in which we are heading. In this daily devotional, we look at there is no distinction in God’s laws.
Nuggets
- All have sinned and are in need of a Savior.
- God uses the laws and commandments to show that we cannot be saved by anything we do, but that we need Jesus as our Savior.
In the last devotion, we started looking at Everard’s sermon entitled The Right Platform.
The statement that got the gears spinning was when Everard wrote, “You must take your right position if you wish to journey in a right direction.”
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We are looking to see if the proximity to the end of the journey more important or if it is the journey itself.
Let's Put It into Context #1
“The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction” (Rom. 3: 22 CSB)
The verse that this originated from is Romans 3: 22. We were looking at it in our pursuit for a redo for godliness.
Godliness, equated with the Old Testament term fear of the Lord, is an attitude of reverence that is promoted by walking in His Spirit and obeying God’s laws and commandments and produces a moral likeness of God.
Let's Put It into Context #2
Here are the nuggets from the last devotion.
- We have to make sure we have a position on the Sanctification Road and determine where that position is.
- God wants us to continually choose Him, even when we are feeling guilty for sinning against Him.
- God wants us to have our noses pointed in His direction, not at someone else.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Sin Doesn’t Show Favoritism
But in spite of these differences ‘there is no distinction.’ There is not one who has kept the law. ‘All have fallen short of the glory of God’” (Everard, The Right Platform)
All have sinned and are in need of a Savior.
There are many similarities among mankind. There is also a diversity.
We like to think that others have an easier time at navigating the Sanctification Road. But they really don’t.
- Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration, gradually changes our nature through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal requickening in us that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
- Spiritual death is the spiritual separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
- The perfected state indicates the combination of the spiritual graces which, when all are present, form spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
We know that everyone needs reconciliation with God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3: 23 CSB). As disciples continue to sin, this verse still applies.
But it is more than that. Maclaren wrote, “The Gospel starts with the assertion that there is no difference in the fact of sin.” Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
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We like to think that murderers are worse sinners than liars. That isn’t the case. “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (Jas. 2: 10 ESV).
It does not say that we are as guilty as if we broke other laws. It says we are guilty of breaking them.
Sin is sin. It is disobedience to God, whatever sin we commit and whoever we commit it against.
Even though all have sinned to some degree, Maclaren reminded us that the difference between one who would be considered the best man and one who would be considered the worst is slim.
The defining mark between best and worst should be their motives. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he …” (Prov. 23: 7 KJV).
Notice what Solomon didn’t say. He didn’t say it is based on our actions. It is based on our character. It is based on who we are.
Maclaren brought up a good point. He said that we have a tendency to gloss over or exonerate our sins. We may say they are a character fault, but we use it in a way to mean that we can’t do anything about it. We diminish it by saying it is a weakness, or we make it sound like more of an accident when we call it a slip.
Still, we do — in a way — acknowledge we have done something wrong when we try to diminish its importance. Maclaren contended that, if we know that this imperfection only has to be presented to God for forgiveness, it puts all sins on a level field.
Sins are forgiven with the same process. There isn’t a different way to forgive a man than a woman, an adult than a child — and on and on. All are forgiven through believing in Jesus as our Savior.
We have to admit that mankind was separated from God after the original sin, making us sinners; believe Jesus paid the penalty for those sins to become our Savior and Redeemer; confess God as Sovereign God; and demonstrate that commitment by submitting to living our lives following His laws and commandments.
We know that Jesus is the only way to salvation. God is adamant that we have to come to salvation His way.
- “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Ac. 4: 12 NIV).
- “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below” (Ex. 20: 3-4 NIV).
- “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (Jn. 14: 6 NIV).
Adeney made a good observation. He said that we are more likely to try to change our character after we have been forgiven. But because of that, God has to give the pardon to induce us to ask for forgiveness. He wrote, “He [God] must see that in forgiving the sinner He is taking the best step towards destroying the sin.”
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God does not like any and all sin. He wants us to be working toward perfection.
Laws and Commandments Do not Save Us
“In the matter before us perfect holiness is the end of God’s law. But who has reached it? No doubt some may come nearer than others, but where is one who has never failed?” (Everard, The Right Platform).
God uses the laws and commandments to show that we cannot be saved by anything we do, but that we need Jesus as our Savior.
We have to realize the law cannot save us. That means we can’t do all the do’s and not do all the don’ts and earn salvation. We would still have the sinful nature even if we were doing and don’ting.
Only Jesus can cleanse us of our sin without us doing or obeying. All required is ABCDing.
Griffiths noted that Abel, Enoch, and Abraham found righteousness. They didn’t have Jesus or the law.
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The purpose of the law was to show us our need for salvation. It is to show us that we can’t do it on our own.
Edgar brought up a good point. In the Old Testament, the Israelites broke God’s laws and commandments time and time again. They were punished, defeated, and exiled — in several combinations thereof.
But yet, there were times when it seemed God overlooked their sins. He did not instantaneously punish them.
There are times that it looks like God overlooks our sins, too. Why doesn’t he punish us instantaneously?
If God immediately punished us for our sins, what would we have to expect in Heaven? If God didn’t punish us here in this life, wouldn’t we think He approved of the way we live our lives?
Edgar claimed “… that the ‘passing by’ of sin, just as well as the pardon of sin, has its justification in the atonement of Christ.” So, it isn’t that God is just picking and choosing which battles He would fight — like I did with Adam.
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There were specific reasons why God chose to ‘pass by’ those sins and not others. I would say the why for those reasonings are above our pay grade.
Our goal is to have journeyed the complete distance on our Sanctification Road. We can use the laws and commandments to show where we are falling short. We use grace to show we are moving in the correct direction, even if we are falling short.
Making the Connections
Adeney contended that the greatest sin within us is moral corruption. Still, God can forgive us of those sins and change us to be like Him.
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Haldane reminded us that the only way we are reconciled with God is through Jesus’ righteousness. Yes, it is Jesus’ righteousness, not our own.
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How Do We Apply This?
- Look for similarities with others rather than focusing on our diversity, as our need for reconciliation with God is universal.
- All have sinned, so all need restoration.
- Faith determines our direction.
- We can’t acquire righteousness on our own.
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God very much wants us to put our faith and trust in Him. He wants to give us forgiveness and salvation when we ask.
The Sanctification Road will be hard to navigate. God knows that. He wants us to keep looking to and moving toward Him.
Father God. We praise Your name for Your gift of salvation. Help us to work out our salvation on the Sanctification Road. May we ever be moving toward You. Amen.
What do you think?
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