Ephesians 2:13
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
We who are not born into God's elect people, have now been made God's people by the actions of Jesus Christ when He was publicly humiliated: He was stripped of His garments, beaten, tortured, nailed to the cross. And why, being God's Son, would He allow them to do that to Him? Because of His great love for all people.
In Romans Paul describes our becoming God's people as being grafted into the olive tree. In John 15:1-4, John describes it as becoming one with The Vine. In John 17, Jesus prayed for the people who had not yet believed in Him that they would believe and become one in Him, as He is in God. John 10:16 calls us "sheep from another flock who needed to be brought in to the original flock". It is a unique and wonderful love that God would want us to exist in Him, not just near Him.
It is by our faith in Christ Jesus that we are saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8). How does a person go about obtaining such faith? "Faith comes by hearing, hearing by The Word of God." ( ) We have to hear The Word of God being spoken to us, whether by someone else or reading it aloud on our own. We need to believe that The Word we are speaking IS The Word of God before The Holy Spirit can apply it to our hearts. Memorization is wonderful, but memorizing Bible verses won't save us: only the blood of Christ applied to our sinful hearts can do that.
It is the blood of God's Lamb that atones for our sins. It is the blood of The Only Begotten Son of God that removes our sins (Romans 3:25): "God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand."
It is wonderful, cleansing blood, flowing from the throne of grace. We see a cross. We see two beams plus three nails which equals forgiveness. God's mathematics are greater than ours. While it may seem impossible that God would have His only begotten Son go through such torture and death for sinners such as we, it is to fulfill His plan of salvation for all of mankind, from the beginning of time until such time as the plan is complete. We're almost there.
It is wonderful to have this beautiful relationship in Christ. It is like no other relationship we will ever have. This one saves our souls AND changes our lives. It is because of God's all-encompassing love that we are able to have this faith-based lovestyle at all. Many people have memorized John 3:16, but have not believed it. I believe it. Jesus died for me and took my punishment. God laid my sins upon His shoulders and He became sin for me. Being my sin, He was judged for it and died for it Being The Word of God, He took back the keys of death, hell and the grave and rose from the grave, raising up in a new body. For us.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish but have everlasting life."
Romans 4:16 "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all."
THE BLOOD OF JESUS SPEAKS FOR ME - Travis Cottrell
