Saturday, July 21, 2007
Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.
JUSTIFICATION IN CHRIST: THE COST OF OUR SALVATION
What is the cost of a certain thing? There are costs associated with so many of the things we need to survive and prosper according to the ways of this life. Food, shelter, medical care -- these things all have costs associated with them in this life.
The matters of eternal salvation and the next life are no different. There is a cost associated with these things. So what is the cost of a person's salvation? Well, simply put, it is everything and it is nothing -- depending on who's paying.
The price of eternal life for all people has been paid by our God who gave everything to accomplish this. Our Lord Jesus gave His whole life and His complete death to accomplish forgiveness of sins and salvation for all people. As a result, we are offered justification by faith in Jesus, free of cost. Christ paid everything, so we pay nothing.
As the Apostle Paul says, let us never set this grace of God aside. Let us never give up the teaching of justification by faith in Jesus alone for something altogether inferior and something altogether dangerous to our spiritual well-being. Once a person goes away from the important teaching of justification by faith in Christ alone, he has left the sure and solid ground of Christ, who never fails, for the shifting and crumbling ground of man's works, which are sure to fail.
Also, by setting aside the grace of God that can only be found in the teaching of justification by faith in Christ alone, we are cheapening the cost which God the Father and which our Savior Jesus paid upon the cross. If we say that we must add our own works and efforts to the price which Jesus paid upon the cross, we are really saying that Jesus did not do everything necessary to achieve our salvation. We are really saying the Jesus did not finish the job. And if Jesus did not finish the job, than we have to finish it. If this is the case, it is really up to us to earn our own salvation, and as the Apostle Paul says, then Christ really died in vain.
Praise God that this is not the case! Praise Him that the full price for our salvation has been paid by Christ. Now may God give us His Holy Spirit to believe this and to keep on believing this, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ.
