“As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
Where does Paul get his quote? Of Course he gets it from Scripture. “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one! (Psalm 14:1-3 NLT)
Why Does Paul quote from Psalms? Because it’s true! It is so true that when the Psalms were written it is repeated twice! Check it out! Psalm 14:1-3 and Psalm 53:1-3 are the same focus and the same emphasis.
Did anyone ever play the board game Monopoly? Outside of having houses on Park Place and Boardwalk, the most prized possession was the “Get out of jail free” card. When we have that card we can do many things. It is freedom in a time of capture. It is something we can bargain with to gain advantage in making a deal with someone else. That card is like cash in the bank. And we are most willing to use it when it is necessary.
Some people believe that good works are like a "get out of hell free" card. What they do not realize is that an individual isn't separated from God because of the things they do. A person is separated from God because of what they are—a person with a spirit that thinks they are better than God and do not need God in order to survive. We choose to sin because it is our nature to do so.
Our sinful human desires lead us to decide for impurity over purity, selfishness over service or lust over agape love.
To find proof that mankind does not naturally obey, all one has to do is observe any two-year-old child. Why does a toddler tug on the lamp cord after his mom says, "Don't touch!"? His impulse to do what he wants is greater than his desire to please Mother.
Obeying authority is a choice that we learn to make. In the meantime, we may not even realize it, but we rebel against God. Not one single person is good enough or wise enough on their own to remain sinless and pleasing before the Lord. Therefore, we have all sinned and are under a death sentence.
The Word of God says that until the moment of salvation, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. This means that although the body has not yet undergone physical death, the spirit is lifeless apart from the Lord. We are helpless to save ourselves.
We are a people in need of rescue. That rescue happened at the Cross. It happened once and does not need to be repeated. It promises eternal life to those who accept Jesus Christ as Savior. The heart of the Savior was transplanted into each and every believer to replace an old, weak, and sinful heart.
The instant we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, our spirit is brought to life and our heart undergoes transformation. In the moment that God saves us, He makes us into a new person—His plan becomes our plan. His heart becomes our heart.
We all can claim victory over sin. There are no works we do that can do this. Only God and His love for us can do this. Only Jesus dying on the cross can do this. Only the resurrected Savior can do this.
There is abundant grace and mercy for all. Obey, believe, trust, have faith, follow, tell. We can only replace ourselves with God’s wonderful amazing grace. Through Jesus we are now children of God.
“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” (1 John 3:2 NLT)
Our “Boardwalk” and our “Park Place” will be in heaven because we have been saved from eternal hell by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And Jesus did it freely for everyone.
Praise His most Holy name.
Hello Again!!
7 years ago
