Daily Encouragement

April 12, 2009 - All Of Us Are Under Sin

Meditation on Romans 3

In God's eye, though the Jews had the advantage of the law, they are under the condemnation of the law because they have broken the law. The gentiles are also under sin. For the Scriptures has said long ago that "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God." (v. 10 NASB) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (v. 23)

The only way for all man to be justified is through receiving the gift by the grace of God who has redeemed us through His son Jesus Christ. (v. 24) Jesus' sacrifice on the cross in shedding His blood has satisfied the righteous demand of God on our behalf. He has fulfilled the demand of the law by dying on the cross for us. So those who accept God's gift of salvation through faith in Christ will be saved.

Therefore we can be justified not by keeping the law but by faith only because Jesus has fulfilled the law for us. This, the Bible says is the law of faith. (v. 27) In conclusion, all are under sin and all are saved by the grace of God through faith.

Are you relying on your good behavior to be saved or relying on faith in Jesus today? Pray to God in Jesus' name and accept His free gift of salvation now.

April 13, 2009 - Written For Our Sake Also

Meditation on Romans 4

When God told Abraham that the one who would come forth from his own body should be his heir and that his descendants shall be as numerous as the stars, Abraham believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:4-6) The word of God in Romans 4:23-25 referred to that statement and said, "Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believes in Him who raised Jesus our Lord form the dead, He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification." (NASB)

Therefore, the promise of justification by faith was written for you and I also.

The reason the apostle Paul gave for the above point was that Abraham was credited for righteousness even before he was circumcised, "so that he might be the father of all who believes without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them." (v. 10-11)

Paul inspired by the Spirit gave us another example of our justification by faith and not by circumcision nor by work. He quoted King David from Psalm 32:1-2, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD will not take into account." (v. 7-8)

Now we should also pay attention to what kind of faith that Abraham had. Stuart Briscoe in his commentary of Romans gives these four factors of faith:

1. Abraham was confident in a person, God. (v. 17)

2. He was conversant with the problems. He did not ignore the practical realities and the facts of life that both he and his wife were too old to bear a child. But he still believed. (v. 19)

3. He was consistent in its progress. Verse twenty says, "yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God."

4. Abraham was convinced of the promises. For the Word says, "and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform." (v. 21)

May we today have that kind of faith in Jesus, the Son of God who was raised form the dead for our justification. (v. 25) For God's promise to Abraham was written for us too.

April 14, 2009 - Where Sin Abounded, Grace Abounded Much More

Meditation on Romans 5

When I became a U. S. citizen, I distinctly remember the judge said to all of us during the ceremony something like this, "You are not a second class citizen. You all now enjoy the same privilege as any citizens of the United States." There were great joy and celebration for all who had just made the pledge to be loyal to the U. S.

When we became a Christian by putting our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, the word of God says in verses 1-5 that we have been justified by faith and we have peace with God. And we have obtained a standing of grace before God. We can rejoice in the fact that we have all the privilege and protection from God. From then on, in all our lives we will have God's favor and blessings upon us in whatever circumstances. And the love of God will pour into our hearts like a great flood.

The reason we can enjoy such standing of grace is because Christ has died for us while we were yet sinners. (v. 8)

Since we have accepted this grace of God through Christ, we are under Him and not under Adam any more. Therefore the law and the abundant sins under the law cannot reign over us. Grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Christ.

Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. (v. 21, 20)

Praise the Lord for His abounding grace.

April 15, 2009 - How To Deal With Sin Nature

Meditation on Romans 6

As a result of the discussion in Romans 5 yesterday, Paul asked, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" (v. 1 NIV) "By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (v. 2)

When did we die to sin? The word of God through Paul tells us that it was when Christ died on the cross. "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no loner be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." (v. 6-7)

Therefore knowing the above fact is the first step to deal with our tendency to sin. Through this knowledge, we should then count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (v. 11) A dead person is not capable of sinning because he or she is dead.

However we can be alive under the control of Christ to present ourselves to God and our members as slaves of righteousness to God. (v. 13)

The death of Christ has not only granted us forgiveness and righteousness but also freed us from the power of sin. So we can be under grace and present ourselves as slaves for righteousness.

As we are enslaved to God, we reap the benefit of sanctification. (v. 22 NASB) Hallelujah to the cross!

April 16, 2009 - The Battle Within

Meditation on Romans 7

The objective fact that Christ has died for our sin and destroyed the power of sin must be recognized by the believers. But still Paul found it hard to live without the influence of sin nature. He said, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." (v. 19 NKJV) He saw that within him, there were two laws that were warring with each other; the law of the old nature opposing the law of the new nature in Christ.

So he cried desperately, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (v. 24)

Paul's dreadful experience was the same experience of all the believers in Christ. Many years ago, a new Indian believer who told the missionary that there were two dogs fighting within him. One was grey wanting to do bad things. The other one was white wanting to do the right thing. Paul gave the solution, "I thank God- through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (v. 25)

In Romans 8, we shall find the expansion of that answer.

April 17, 2009 - More Than Conquerors

Meditation on Romans 8

We have discovered so far that through Christ's death, He has set us free from the law of sin and death. (v. 2-3) How then can we appropriate this objective truth into the reality of our lives? The answer is the Spirit of Christ.

The Holy Spirit can give us life and peace. (v. 6) Each Christian should already have the Spirit of Christ lives in his or her heart when he or she receives Christ as personal Savior. (v. 15-16) We are able to set our mind on the things of the Spirit rather than those of the flesh. (v. 5) It means that we intentionally live our lives according to the guidance of the Spirit and not according to the want of the flesh. (v. 4, 11) And we must, through the Spirit, also put to death the deeds of the body. (v. 13)

That means that we need to follow the teaching of the Holy Spirit through the word of God constantly and obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit by saying no to the temptation and fleshly desires. Yes, through the power of the Spirit, we can overcome the law of sin and death that is within us.

Moreover, the Holy Spirit also helps our weakness. He intercedes for us. (v. 26) And God's Word has promised that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. (v. 35-39)

Therefore, we are more than conquerors through Christ.

April 18, 2009 - The Potter And The Clay

Meditation on Romans 9

Paul illustrates the sovereignty of God over human lives with the image of the potter who has the power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor. (v. 21) Base on that fact, He has decided to show mercy only to those who come to Him by faith to have righteousness and not to those who seek righteousness by the work of the law. (v. 30-32)

The Scriptures also has this to say, "What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory." (v. 22-23 NKJV)

Does it mean that God has predestined some to destruction? I think not. The verb in the sentence "for the vessel of wrath prepared for destruction" in verse 22 is in passive voice in the Greek. It does not necessary mean that God is the one who prepared. It could mean that it was prepared by themselves. But later, on the vessel of mercy it is clearly indicated God had prepared beforehand for glory.

There are other Scriptures which support the premise that God has not designated some for destruction. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord.... is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." According to the word of God here, it is God's desire that everyone should be saved. Then in 1 John 2:2, specifically tells us that Christ has provided His sin offering not only for us but also for the sins of the whole world. "God so loved the world" should naturally mean that He has given His only begotten Son to everyone in the world. So we can conclude that God wants everyone to be saved through Christ.

It is human clay then to take the responsibility to accept God's mercy or not. For Revelation 22:17b says, "Come! And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."