CHRIST THE SAVIOUR

TUESDAY 06 SEPTEMBER 2022

Most true to human nature is sin because of Adam. Nonetheless, when all men were still wallowing in the luxury of sin, in due time, God sent Christ to die for the ungodly. Jesus came to earth, lived on the earth in a body of human flesh, and gave us Himself as an ultimate proof of self-sacrificing love on the cross. However, His atoning sacrifice requires every man's response.

Reference: John 8:24 New International Version (NIV) "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am He, you will indeed die in your sins."

The only remedy for the lost souls is for them to believe that Christ died for them and then declare and accept Him as their Saviour and Lord. Otherwise, they will die in their sins. God's wrath against sinful humanity is inevitable because the Bible says, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness" (Romans 1:18 NIV). In other words, God's disapproval from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness is severe.

Due to man's stubbornness and unrepentant heart, they continually store up God's anger against themselves for the main day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. Moreover, mercifully, we are still in the dispensation of grace which Christ brought to mankind through His sacrificial death and resurrection (see Ephesians 3:2 NKJV). This is the reason apostle Paul emphasized on sin and justification using two men, Adam and Christ who played two different roles, which serve as important significances in the history of mankind - according to Romans chapter 5.

Through Adam, sin entered into the world and was imputed to all men, thereby bringing death. Romans 5:12 (KJV) reads, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Got it? But through Christ Jesus, righteousness came into the world, bringing justification unto righteousness and life, to all who believe (see Romans 5:15-17 NIV). In his differentiation, Paul expounded a powerful notion about Adam's sin being 'imputed' to all men and then, considers justification as acting in superiority to sin. Notably, the force of justification is applied through faith alone, not by human effort or self-righteous works.

Beloved the ultimate truth that will remedy a sinner is found in Romans 10:9 which says, 'If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved' (NIV). When you declare Christ as Lord, with your eyes fixed on what He did for mankind on the cross, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, it means that you have died a spiritual death and rose to a new spiritual life. Your faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross will save you. The "old man" in you, which is the rebellious, self-seeking and sinful feature in human nature, is slain with the crucified Christ on the cross, and it is instantly substituted with a new life characterised by inextricable union with Christ.

Romans 5:19 reads, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous" (KJV). The ungodly who believes in Christ and receives Him is made righteous through the efficacy of His death and resurrection on the cross. He becomes a born again Christian by denouncing the nature of sin and confessing Christ as Lord. So the Christian died and rose with Christ and it is by grace and entirely apart from the law. This is because, apart from believing and without man's contribution, God rose Christ Himself from death, and the Christian was raised together with Christ who now dwells in his spirit. The Christian was once the ungodly, but is animated by an intense faith in the Saviour, which means that his spirit is fully made alive to God as a new creation. As a matter of paramount importance, if you are not yet born again, please do not waste any more time to declare the guided prayer below, and receive your salvation in Christ. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - John 1:12; Romans 5:1-9; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16-17.

Guided Prayer: I acknowledge today that God demonstrated His unconditional love for me in this: While living without Christ, He sent Him ahead of time to die for me. Therefore I renounce the nature of sin and I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I believe and confess with all my heart that Jesus is the Son of the true living God, who died for me and was raised from the dead on the third day by God. I believe that Jesus is risen and He's alive forever. I accept Him into my heart and I declare His Lordship over my life forever. I'm now born again as a new creation. I have eternal life: my present-moment reality. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me and taking full charge of my life, as my Lord. GLORY TO GOD!