(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
“The time has come! The day draws near. Don’t let the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is on all its multitude. For the seller won’t return to that which is sold, although they are still alive; for the vision concerns the whole multitude of it. None will return. None will strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life. They have blown the trumpet, and have made all ready; but no one goes to the battle, for my wrath is on all its multitude.”
(Ezekiel 7:12-14)
“yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law. But if while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a law-breaker. For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. I don’t reject the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!””
(Galatians 2:16-21)
God is pointing out to the people what they did. First He tells them of the judgment that is coming and then He delineates the things they have done that had brought the judgment to them. They would all see what they had done. They would all hear about it. This would not be shocking to them. They would know. The last half of verse thirteen reads differently in the Complete Jewish Bible: “Each kept living his own wicked life; they weren’t strong enough [to repent].” He was giving them the same opportunities that He had been giving them for decades upon decades. They were ALLOWED to repent. He was CALLING them to repent. He was offering them the same strength drawn from Himself He always had. But they were choosing not to rely on Him so that they could make the choice. They were continuing in their practices and they were refusing to choose to rely on Him and what was in His outstretched hands.
Salvation is a journey. It takes a lifetime. It’s not a one and done. But it does start with a choice. A choice to rely on the Lord. The truth is that we cannot get saved in our own efforts. We cannot follow the Law perfectly enough to be righteous. We cannot gain it on our own. It’s like speeding. No matter how close to the speed limit we drive, if we go over by a single digit – even for a moment – we’ve broken the law and violated our covenant with the government. No matter how good we are as human beings. No matter how generous, kind, unselfish, and pure; there will always be times when we choose ourselves. When we do something wrong from God’s point of view. That’s why we need Jesus. That’s why we need what He did for us. We have to choose it. He’ll give us the strength to walk it out. He’ll be there guiding, correcting, leading, and teaching. He’ll never leave us. Never abandon us. Never stop speaking to us. But we have to choose to rely on Him. We have to choose to accept it from Him. His strength is there for us to utilize. We have to receive it and engage it.
Summary
The walk of a disciple of Jesus isn’t about rules. It’s about love and trust. Loving God enough to listen to Him. Trusting Him enough to obey. It’s that simple. But it is impossible if we are trying to do it with our own strength. We need to see and recognize that Jesus sacrificed for us. That HE did the heavy lifting. We need to rely on Him and what He did. We need to engage what He gives us. When we are focused on Him, relying on Him, listening to Him, and obeying Him it is an easy walk. Whenever we turn away, even a little, dial down His voice, and do things based on our opinions and our thinking; it is a difficult, impossible walk. We need to choose Jesus every day. We need to rely on Him. It is not US who does it. It is JESUS who did it. Keep Him front and centre. Love Him. Listen to Him. Obey Him. Keep it simple. Keep it in and on Jesus.
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