God justifies the ungodly

Believers, Grace, in the person of our Saviour Jesus Christ, saves from sin. See Matthew 1:21- "And she will have a Son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

God hates sin because it destroys the world that He so loved, so He sent His Son to save us from our sins. The world thinks that sinners love to wallow in their sins but most are looking for the Way out of sin. Grace stops sin!

Just imagine what would have happened to the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob if Jesus had yelled His disgust at her because of her sins. She had had five husbands and the guy she was shacking up with at the time was not her husband. The norm in many places of worship today would be to tell her to go and split up with her man-friend and do "deliverance" before Jesus can even give her an audience:) But Jesus never condemned her. No finger-wagging. No accusations as this is the job of the devil the Accuser. Jesus is Saviour. He saves from sin. He does not accuse. He is an Advocate. He defends; took our guilt. He saved the woman and she became an evangelist telling her people about Jesus! This is Grace- undeserved, unmerited favour. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance.

Many, even pastors and leaders, think that grace will make people go on sinning sprees so they try to "help God" to make people stop sinning by preaching what they call a "balanced message"- levying the flock with the Ten Commandments and to-do lists for "getting right with God" but this will only make sin multiply, "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14. Sin has dominion over those who are trying to obey the law in order to get right with God.

Believers, are you held captive by some sins, sick, depressed, distressed, discontent, in debt, oppressed, lazy, addicted to bad stuff....less than perfect? Do people judge you for these things not knowing of the turmoil in your heart? Of ourselves, we all are less than perfect. Our righteousness is found only in Christ.

Believers, the fact that you are struggling to get out of these pits of sins and addictions show that you are born-again; like a butterfly that falls in the mud, this is not your natural habitat so you desperately want out. A pig on the other hand loves to wallow in the mud and doesn't want to leave. These ones are yet to experience the love of Christ. Christ is the Way out. Let go and let Him save you. He will save you from your sins. Matt. 1:21.

The One who worked His salvation into you will work it out for you. According to Philippians 2:13 "...it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Ask Him now.

To those who like to point out the sins of others without pointing them to Christ as the One who saves from sins, don't make the mistake of thinking that your own sins are not that bad. James 2:10 says "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."

When we no longer cover ourselves with our own righteousnesses (our own law-keeping and righteous works geared at getting into God's good graces) which Isaiah 64:6 says are like "a menstrual rag" and believe/depend fully on Christ's righteousness and His strength, we get to do His will; we get to live in triumph over sin and death through Christ as it is written in Romans 5:17:

"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."

We get to give because He makes cheerful givers of His children, like the church in Macedonia. 2 Cor. 8:5 says of this church: "They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do." Not a grudging "give to get" kind of giving but out of their own free will (v.3)

We get to love because we see how much He loves us! "We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19.

Nothing to do with our efforts at being good; all to do with His Spirit transforming to the image of the glory of the Lord, from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18)

And on the last day, we will ask our Lord Jesus Christ when we did all the things He will say we did because we won't remember; we won't remember because it is our nature to do His will. We won't remember because He is our righteousness and strength and we have no power of our own. Christ does it all.

Believers, let's not be found among those who call Jesus "Lord, Lord" and will remember casting out demons in Jesus' name, etc expecting to be given the kingdom of God because of their good works. Such will be turned away by Jesus because the Lord was neither their righteousness nor their strength. He never knew them (Matt. 7:21-23.) They are under what Paul referred to as "the ministry of death" and "the ministry of condemnation." Their own power to cast out demons is from their 40 days fasting and not "Freely you have received," according to Christ's word in Matthew 10:8- "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

They are operating under law where one has to obey ALL of God's commandments and decrees, or else the curse (Deut. 28:15) where "There is none righteous..." (Romans 3:10) and where there is the curse (Galatians 3:10.)

Let's not be found believing that our strength is in some 21 days' fast done to receive power to fight the enemy that Christ has already disarmed and made a public spectacle of for us (Colossians 2:15) or our abstinence from food in order to be closer to God who gives us all things freely with Christ (Romans 8:32). See our Saviour's words in Matthew 10:8- "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

But some want you to believe that receiving and giving in Christ is not "freely." These same people condemn others from the pulpit, put fear in your heart and make you feel that YOU (not Christ in you) have to fight your battles by doing certain things like bringing your photos and sand from your office for "deliverance" in order to be free from judgment and to make it to heaven; but look at the story of the salvation of all who came to Jesus in the gospels- the prodigal son, Zacchaeus the thieving tax collector, the woman caught in adultery, Peter who denied our Saviour three times, all - none of them had to go and fast first or do anything at all before receiving from Him, even the woman caught in adultery who deserved to die according to the law was saved without terms and conditions!

Jesus Christ "the same yesterday, today and forever" did not come to condemn the world; He came to save the world (John 3:17) and without ANY terms and conditions like fasting before you can receive from Him. See His utterly gracious attitude towards the despised sinners and tax collectors in gospels. He healed, delivered and saved all who came to Him without first asking whether they had sinned or if they had obeyed the Ten Commandments and fasted. Only believe. The battle is the Lord's.

By all means fast if you want, but not to accomplish a work that Christ pronounced "Finished" when He hung on the cross for you and I and definitely not to get God to bless you. See Romans 8:32-

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

Our Abba Father gives us ALL things FREELY with Christ and not because we fasted or "played our part." Without Christ, we can do nothing. Imagine a child skipping breakfast to get his mom who would do anything for him to buy him something that he really needs. If he needs to skip meals for whatever reason, his mother will arrange it. With Christ, we don't GIVE to GET; we GET to GIVE.

By Grace, watch what you are hearing in your local church. Is Christ at the centre? Is the message about what you must do in order to get right with God or what Christ has done? Are you being rightly taught that we are made righteous by Christ's obedience (Romans 5:19) and not our own obedience? Is Christ rightly portrayed as the One who FREELY heals and saves all who come to Him from sins (Matt. 1:21,) condemnation (Romans 8:1) and judgment (Romans 5:9) or is God portrayed as a hard Taskmaster Who will tell you to first save yourself from your sins and then go and fast or else He will let the devil have a go at you, a believer in Christ?

The love of God and sacrifice of Christ to make us righteous is seldom revealed in many sermons - but this is our salvation and the crux of the gospel! Rather, the power of the devil to catch you because of sin is magnified!

Believers, let's not remain under the only weapon that the enemy can use against us and which Christ has disarmed him of - the Law. See Colossians 2:15. You can never do enough! You will still fall short of God's glory if you do as these people say. There will always be something for you to keep doing or bringing - your son's picture today, sand from your office tomorrow, relocating from your apartment because it is haunted, endless deliverance services when all you need to do to be saved once and for all is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ! Free indeed. He will help you!

Our works can never justify us in God's sight (Romans 3:20.) He gave up His Son to make us righteous. In Christ, we get to start from the finish line. We don't work our way up to perfection. We are complete in Him. His Spirit transforms us to the image of His glory, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18.)

Believer, all have sinned. Stand before God as one who has even just a tiny bit of righteousness from obeying the law and He will be to you the Righteous Judge that will by no means clear the guilty, and the wages of sin is death. But stand before Him as a sinner through and through and without an iota of righteousness of your own but leaning wholly on Christ for your righteousness and He will be your Justifier. See Romans 4:5-

"But to the one who does not work [that is, the one who does not try to earn his salvation by doing good], but believes and completely trusts in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God)."

God the Righteous justifies the ungodly who believe and completely trust in Him. Let's not follow after the example of Eve who thought she could be godly (be like God) by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (a picture of the law.) Just like the tree, the letter kills.

Jesus Christ "The Lord our Righteousness" is the Tree of Life. With Him as our righteousness, we get to live right and live forever.