Amazing Grace

To the broken and contrite only…

Affirmation 4

In the most Amazing act of Grace, God provided one and only one way for us to be saved from the judgment we deserve.

 

Receive the gift of grace, repenting of your sin.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

--Romans 6:23

Once we understand that we are indeed sinners and the wages of sin is death. Then we can understand and receive God’s provision for us–on His gracious and just terms. Jesus Christ paid the sin debt of those who will receive it.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

--1 Peter 2:24

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

--1 John 4:10

propitiation

that by which God is rendered propitious, i.e., by which it becomes consistent with his character and government to pardon and bless the sinner. The propitiation does not procure his love or make him loving; it only renders it consistent for him to exercise his love towards sinners. In Rom. 3:25 and Heb.9:5 (A.V., “mercy-seat”) the Greek word hilasterion is used. It is the word employed by the LXX. translators in Ex. 25:17 and elsewhere as the equivalent for the Hebrew kapporeth, which means “covering,” and is used of the lid of the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:21; 30:6). This Greek word hilasterion came to denote not only the mercy-seat or lid of the ark, but also propitation or reconciliation by blood. On the great day of atonement the high priest carried the blood of the sacrifice he offered for all the people within the veil and sprinkled with it the “mercy-seat,” and so made propitiation. In 1 John 2:2; 4:10, Christ is called the “propitiation for our sins.” Here a different Greek word is used hilasmos. Christ is “the propitiation,” because by his becoming our substitute and assuming our obligations he expiated our guilt, covered it, by the vicarious punishment which he endured. (Comp. Heb. 2:17, where the expression “make reconciliation” of the A.V. is more correctly in the R.V.”make propitiation.”)

Source: Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary [as found at www.dictionary.com]

emphasis and Greek/Hebrew added.

Repent? –Who uses that word anymore?

Repentance is “to turn, it is a radical change to the core of a person’s being, one that a person is incapable of making by his/her own power. Would God command people to do what they are unable to do? Be careful of judging God by human standards; not only does God do this, he does it often.

 

Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place." ¹³ But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people."

--Luke 9:12-13

However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself."

--Matthew 17:27

 

When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out."

--John 11:43

Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."

--Mark 5:41

Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place." ¹³ But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people."

--Luke 9:12-13

However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself."

--Matthew 17:27

And there are many many more. The problem is that some of those are things we think we can do on our own.

You may say, “but then Jesus made it happen” –exactly!

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

--Colossians 2:13-14

Though you cannot give yourself spiritual life, though you cannot “arise” or “come out” of the grave (spiritually dead in sin), Jesus is commanding you to do it (Acts 17:30). Do you want to see a miracle? Obey Jesus’ command like Lazarus or the little girl and come to him in repentance and faith.

Those truly repentant are not just sorry they got caught in their sin, but sorry that they have sinned and offended God. A perfect example of a repentant heart is given by David in Psalm 51 (listen).I will not give you a prayer to repeat in order to save yourself–it is not the words, especially if they are not your own. When you do find yourself broken before God and at a loss for words, know that a miracle has happened and may a wonderfully articulate prayer like that of the tax collector in the same circumstance roll from your newborn lips:

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

--Luke 18:13-14