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Grace to Sinners

appeared today in the Twin Falls Times News

Christ calls the sinner. “Sinner, come.”

Though you have nothing or no one to recommend you; for Christ’s sake, come.

There are many people around you. Look at them. Are you part of a local fellowship of believers? Look at them again. Many, if not most of them, have found light. Not because of their own doing of future abilities to make Christ look good. Look at them again. You’ll notice something about them… they are covered with something that is not theirs. It is a covering of grace that cannot purchase from their bankrupt spiritual bank account. It is a grace that cannot be imitated. It is not a burden to them to be covered in this grace. It is a joy.

Sure, if one could peel back this grace you would see a sickness no one could recover from and no one would want to see.

Oh soul, look unto Christ! stop denying this ability of Christ. Can you hear the very Spirit of God speaking to your inner man to arise and go to the Father? Is there such a voice speaking to your inner man? Do not muzzle this kindness of God. Obey the Spirit immediately. Arise and go to your Heavenly Father before the day dawns.

Permit me to speak straightforward with you. My speaking is not harsh, my tone is not condemning, my disposition is not stiff. The promises that cheered your soul before, will they not comfort you today? Do not delay for a more convenient or more peaceful day. Every season and every day that passes increases the sorrow your inner man is in while you wait for a more convenient day or more peaceful moment.

You have been the victim of doubt before, the doubt will cause you deeper doubts today.
Christ is true! why delay your trusting?
Christ is trustworthy! why drift with doubt?
Christ can be believed! why look for another?

Arise! Arise now and be clothed in these beautiful garments of grace. Every hour you sit on the dunghill of despair the doubts grow more like iron chains. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “Your eye is growing dimmer, your hand more palsied; and the poison in your veins is raging more furiously.” Lift up your head! Look to Calvary’s Savior; there is grace in His blood for you.

The mercy gate swings open on its hinge to every soul downcast and burdened that will throw itself upon this Savior. Why wait? Delaying will not clear the air.

The only injury you can cause here is the reputation of Christ’s grace. It is yours! You’ve been given it! Live with joy in it. It is no advantage to Christ to reject any sinner. There is no glory for God to destroy the seeker He calls.

If others have such peace, why not you? Why hold back? You are called of God to come, come!

Paul Thompson
www.PaulThompsonBlog.com
Eastside Baptist Church, Twin Falls, Idaho

the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ

Here are a series of questions with answers from the Bible with regard to the soul of all men and our greatest need.


Why do I need to be rescued from the wrath of God?

Because of the Holiness of God.

“[God’s] eyes are too pure to approve evil, and [He] can not look on wickedness with favor.” (Habakkuk 1:13 NASB)

“But [my] iniquities have made a separation between [me] and God, And [my] sins have hidden His face from [me] so that He does not hear. (Isaiah 59:2 NASB)


Why do I need to be rescued from the wrath of God?
Because of the Justice of God.

“For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.” (Psalms 11:7 NASB)

“God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.” (Psalms 7:11-12 NASB)


Why do I need to be rescued from the wrath of God?
Because of my own depravity.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 NASB)

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.” (Isaiah 64:6 NASB)

“… for it is written, ‘cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” (Galatians 3:10 NASB)


Because of God’s Holiness, God’s justice, and my depravity there is a great problem.

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.” (Proverbs 17:15 NASB)

“Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Genesis 18:25 NASB)


Because there is a great problem between man and God, there is need for a greater solution. While God maintains His holiness and justice, the Bible affirms that in God’s love He has responded to the plight of man.

“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10 NASB)


If God was motivated by love to rescue me, how did He demonstrate that love?

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26 NASB)


What was my response to this demonstration of love?

Repentance!

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.” (Psalms 51:3-4 NASB)


This work of rescuing me from the wrath of God was the work of Christ.
“…worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3 NASB)


“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB)


 

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“Your Comment Contains Profanity”

GE

The childhood fear of having my mouth washed out with soap haunted me this evening as I was responding to some push back from my column this morning in the Times-News.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to write a regular column for the Times News. They are kind to publish my 500-700 word column in a rotation with 5 others in the Magic Valley. Today’s post generated a small amount of discussion via www.magicvalley.com (the online version of the Times-News).

In my attempt to dialog with some of those commenting, my original reply was rejected with this statement: “Your comment cannot be accepted due to the presence of profanity, please remove any objectionable content from your comment and try again”.

At first I thought, ‘wait! what?’ I looked at my comment again and again and could not figure it out. I thought the word “sin” or “sinner” was the problem so I substituted the phrase “offend” or “offend God”. It still got rejected. Then I began to fear that my mom might see this and the taste of soap in my mouth washed over me.

This is my original attempt, can you find the profanity?

[Reader], my column today was to the church at large. The reality of it all is that all have sinned and have fallen short of perfection. That reality leaves me humbled and thankful for a Redeemer. I’m happy to tell all who want to hear what it takes to redeem a sinner like me. You are not forced to listen or agree. I’ll hope you’ll look at that work of the cross again. See your sin? I saw mine. I owned it and its cost was death. Cry out to God for forgiveness. Rise up a new creature in Christ as you turn from your sin.

“O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.”
~ Fanny Crosby – circa 1872

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