Bobservations
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz
A Bible Teacher taught
his congregation one time that the gift of salvation was, in some ways, like a
VISA Gold Gift Card. He meant that when we stand before the Father on Judgment
Day, Jesus intervenes on our behalf and says to His Father, “This one’s sins
are all paid for because he believed in me while he was on Earth. I have
already paid his debt while I was on the cross.”
It seems simplistic, yet it is entirely
true. Our Lord’s death on the cross paid for all sin, for all time, for those
that will believe on the name of Jesus. We are saved by grace through faith
according to Ephesians 2:8. Faith is a gift of God to us, and we are forever
grateful for it. His gift to us has been bought and paid for by His death on
the cross, and new life ensues because of the Resurrection.
If you have ever had a credit card stolen,
or just the account number, how did that make you feel when you found out that
someone else was taking advantage of you? In the past, I myself was angry about
just such an event. I felt violated, like my privacy had been invaded. “My good
name” and credit rating were under attack. It was like a thief went directly
into my wallet and stole from me. Though the bank caught all the fraudulent
charges in time, I still felt angry and violated at such boldness by another
person.
If you have had it happen to you, how did
you first feel when you learned of it? There in a nutshell is the human heart.
(Jeremiah 17:9)
If our salvation then, is sort of like a
VISA Gold Gift Card from God to us, then God is like the bank that is going to
cover all the charges, and prosecute the thief. But our first instincts are not
pretty. We are angry, insulted, hurt, and asking God, “Why me, Lord?” How then
does God feel about it all?
Regardless of the reason why God lets bad
things happen to good people, it is still the response of the human heart that
needs to be dealt with. It is therefore, no wonder that mankind needed a Savior
to intervene with the Father, on our behalf. Our “heart condition” means that
Jesus needs to heal us and by-pass all the natural, human responses of the
heart.
“All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and
the LORD hath laid on (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.” - Isaiah 53:6
