Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

At our worship meeting, my brother in Christ, (Mike) shared the scripture where Peter cut off the ear of the relative of the High Priest, and what he said about it was very interesting. This was something to think about.

The question is, why wasn’t Peter arrested for doing this? That Jesus healed the man, made it impossible to prove this ever happen. How can you prove something when there is no evidence?

In like manner, when God removed our sin, and like the Bible says, He removed them as far as the east is from the west, and says he remembers them no more, we will stand before the judge without being found guilty. If the Judge says He will not hold them against us, it can assure us it will acquit us from the guilt of all our sins.

I will take this thought a little farther by saying that we will not even stand in front of the Judge. Christians do not stand at the White Throng Judgment, but we will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This will not be for the judgement of our sins, but for the receiving of rewards for our service to the King.

The thoughts of being judged for our sins have led astray many Christians when Christ already dealt with that issue at the cross of Calvary. In fact, I would say that if a person thinks this way, they are not a Christian at all. If you don’t believe that Christ paid the penalty for your sin when he hung on the cross, then they are not trusting in the finish work of Christ.

There are many people in the world today that believe that Christ died for they sin, but that is not enough, that still have to do their part. When asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Someone gave them the answer. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou will be saved.” No more, no less.

For over forty years, religion taught me I had to earn my way to heaven, but this is a lie. No one can earn their way because the ticket was already paid for over two thousand years ago when Christ paid the debt.

We sing:

He paid a debt He did not owe

I owed a debt I could not pay

I needed someone to wash my sins away

And now I sing a brand new song

Amazing Grace

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay

My debt He paid upon the cross

He cleansed my soul from all its dross

I tho’t that no one could all my sins erase

But now I sing a brand new song

Amazing Grace

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay

O such great pain my Lord endured

When He my sinful soul secured

I should have died there but Jesus took my place

So now I sing a brand new song

Amazing Grace

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay

He didn’t give to me a loan

He gave Himself now He’s my own

He’s gone to Heaven to make for me a place

And now I sing a brand new song

Amazing Grace

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

Ellis J. Crum wrote this beautiful song.

If you sing this song and do not believe that Christ did it all, and you have to add something to earn your salvation, then you are singing a lie. Someone once said, “Christians don’t tell lies, they sing them.” But I say in this case, “They are not Christians at all.”

Getting back to how religions are teaching you have to earn your way to heaven, which is a lie, and the only reason they tell you this is to keep you in their grips. They tell you things, like you have to keep all the sacrament, or the law, (the ten commands). Everyone that is reading this has already broken God’s Law, and there is no way this will get anyone to heaven.

This brings up the question, why was the law given? The answer is to point us to Christ. It was to show us we were sinners and needed a savior. We are all sinners by birth. We read:

as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;

no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

“Their throat is an open grave;

they use their tongues to deceive.”

“The venom of asps is under their lips.”

“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their paths are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not known.”

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:10-18.

This is God’s take on fallen sinful man, and we are all guilty before God in our lost state. Christ is the only answer to our problem for our condition. Christ became man and bore our sin in his body on the tree. As it is written, “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Christ became a curse for us so we could become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

I will close with the apostle Paul’s words found in Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

by Irv Risch