Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Luke 7:3-6 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof."
Ephesians 6:11, 16 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ... take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
THE SHIELD OF FAITH
When the elders of the synagogue in Capernaum came to Jesus on behalf of their friend, the centurion, they urged Jesus to respond to his request because of the good works of the legionnaire.
This kind of thinking is still the most common of religious ideas, but the fact is, it is one advanced and promoted by the father of lies. Satan keeps up a constant barrage of such flaming arrows of work-righteousness. And they are deadly missiles indeed! For once a person depends on his/her own works for acceptance with God, the final verdict will ever and always be: "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:11).
Not only will sinners seeking to be justified by their own goodness always come up short of God's holy law, that "way" to God also rejects Jesus and His redeeming sacrifice on our behalf.
The Centurion at Capernaum did not put his confidence in his own works or goodness but in that of Jesus. May we ever do the same. Satan will never stop aiming his "good-works-lies" at us, but our shield against these fiery arrows of death is the Gospel of our Lord Christ. Our eternal safety lies in keeping a tight grip on the saving truth that we are acceptable to God only on the basis of Jesus' living and dying in our place.
