I Have a Question

Is Anyone Worthy of Redemption?

 

“Are Jews better off than Gentiles? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews & all Gentiles are under the control of sin & subject to its power. As it forever remains written, “There is none that meets God’s standard, not even one. There are none who understand; none who seek after God. All mankind has turned aside, & become useless; there is none who does good, no, not one. There is no fear of God & His awesome power by man. 

Now we know that whatever the Law of Moses says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that the excuses of every mouth may be silenced from protesting & that all the world may be held accountable to God & subject to His judgment. For no person will be freed of guilt & declared righteous in His sight by trying to do the works of the Law. For through the Law we become conscious of sin knowing this directs us toward repentance, but provides no remedy for sin.”

The above verses from Romans 3 reveal that NO ONE lives by God’s moral & ethical standards laid out in scripture. No one seeks the Almighty One on their own. It also highlights that the Law doesn’t provide a solution for man’s sin problem. An offering of blood, pure from a spotless “lamb” is the only offering that cleanses a man of their sin. That “lamb” mentioned is symbolic of Jesus, who in scripture is referred to as the “Lamb of God” [John 1:29; John 1:36; 1 Peter 1:19 NLT].

Back in Jesus day the religious leaders definitely felt superior to all non-jews; however, God didn’t provide salvation for Jews alone, but for their supposed “inferior” neighbors, the Gentiles. This didn’t sit well with the Jewish religious leaders. They rebelled, but their rebellion wasn’t toward Jesus & His teachings alone. Jesus ministry challenged the 1000’s of restrictive extra oral traditions that they added to the Mosaic Law. Jesus was causing questions to be raised that threatened the hold the leaders had on their people.

When grace is understood it far surpasses anything the Law provides as far as redemption is concerned. The forgiveness Christ provides in the Age of Grace removes one’s sin once for all time, not a yearly sacrifice to cover one’s sins.  No, no one is worthy of redemption by themselves, but if they are willing to surrender themselves to a God whose love surpasses anything known to man then redemption is freely available and attainable. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries