“Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Romans 4:23-25

Why was it written in the Bible that “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3; Gen. 15:6)? Not just for Abraham but for us also, for those of us who believe the Gospel promises of God and trust in Him who raised up Jesus from the dead to forgive our sins and accept us as His own dear children through faith in Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross.

What has Jesus accomplished for us by His innocent sufferings and death and by His glorious resurrection? That is shown to us by the words which the Holy Spirit moved St. Paul to write to the believers in Rome.

“Jesus our Lord … was delivered up because of our offenses.” Jesus was delivered up unto death on the cross on account of our sins — yours and mine. Jesus was holy and just. We are unjust sinners. We justly deserve God’s eternal wrath and punishment for our disobedience and sin, but Jesus was delivered up for our sins. He bore our punishment.

It is as St. Peter wrote in his first epistle: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit …” (1 Peter 3:18; cf. Isaiah 53:6).

Jesus “was raised because of our justification.” Jesus’ bodily resurrection on the third day proves that God the Father accepted the sacrifice of His Son as full payment for our sins and the sins of the whole world. “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2).

If His sacrifice were not sufficient, Jesus would not have been raised from the dead and we would still be dead in our sins. But He has been raised — He lives — and we have forgiveness through faith in His name! (Cf. 1 Cor. 15:12-20.)

And Jesus died for our sins and rose again in triumph that we might look to Him in faith and be justified and made acceptable in God’s eyes. When we believe that “Jesus our Lord … was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification,” we receive God’s pardon and are justified by faith. We then possess peace with God — the peace won for us by the holy and precious blood of Christ shed for us on the cross. It is as the apostle writes in the very next verse: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ …” (Rom. 5:1).

Instead of being enemies of God, through faith in Christ, we are reconciled to God (Rom. 4:10-11). The sin which separated us from God has been taken out of the way, being nailed to Christ’s cross (Col. 2:13-14; cf. 2 Cor. 5:18-21).

And we need not doubt our salvation. It is as sure as Christ’s death for our sins and His glorious resurrection on the third day. Since Jesus bore our sins and died in our stead, and since God the Father raised Jesus up on the third day, we have peace with God through faith in Christ Jesus, our Savior!

We thank You, dear Lord Jesus, for bearing upon the cross the just punishment for our sins and for rising again in triumph that forgiveness and life eternal might be ours through faith in Your name. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:14-18

Why is it that some will be saved and have everlasting life in heaven while others will be condemned to everlasting torment in hell? Those who are saved have forgiveness for their sins and everlasting life entirely because of God’s love and mercy in Christ Jesus. Those who are condemned are so entirely by their own fault for rejecting God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). And, as Jesus said, God’s only begotten Son was “lifted up” for us on the cross and paid in full the punishment for the sins of the whole world (cf. John 3:14-15; cf. 1 John 2:1-2).

Therefore, as Jesus said, whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

And it is as John writes: “He who believes in Him [Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, who died for our sins and rose again] is not condemned.” The one who, by the grace and mercy of God, hears God’s Word and believes and trusts that in Jesus atonement has been made and his sins are paid for in full — is not condemned but is forgiven and has everlasting life. But, the one who does not believe and place his trust and confidence in the atoning sacrifice of God the Son “is condemned already”! And why? Not because his sins are worse than those of others and not because Christ Jesus did not pay in full for his sins when He suffered and died on the cross for the sins of the world; rather, it is “because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Jesus is the only source of salvation — when God sent His only-begotten Son into the world to fulfill all righteousness for us and then pay the just penalty for our transgressions, He was and is the only way provided for lost sinners to be saved (cf. Acts 4:12; John 14:6). Those who do not look in faith to Jesus and His cross will not be saved!

It is just that simple. God, in love, “gave his only-begotten Son” as a true man, born of the Virgin Mary, to suffer and die for the sins of all. Those who, by the grace of God, look to Jesus and rely on Him for forgiveness are not condemned but have everlasting life! Those who do not look to Jesus and trust in His atoning sacrifice for their forgiveness are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s only-begotten Son, the only Savior of lost sinners!

In his first epistle, John says it this way: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12).

So, if by the grace of God, you look to Jesus for forgiveness and trust that He has paid in full for all your sins, you are not condemned but have everlasting life.

If, on the other hand, you do not look to Jesus and His blood shed on the cross for the forgiveness of all your sins, you are condemned already, not because your sins are too great or because Christ did not pay in full the just punishment for your sins, but because you have not believed and placed your trust in the only-begotten Son of God, the only Savior of the world!

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God and Son of man, grant that I repent of my sinful ways and trust in You alone for the forgiveness of all my sins and for life everlasting, and so be saved. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“…Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God … unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:3,5; Read John 3:1-8

When Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night, Jesus told him that, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). And so also today, unless one is born again, he isn’t able to see or understand what the kingdom of God really is.

When Nicodemus questioned Jesus about how a grown man could be born again, Jesus told him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5,6).

It wasn’t enough to be a descendant of Abraham or to be a part of a strict religious sect of the Jews; a spiritual rebirth was needed. Nor is it enough today to be born into a religious family or to be a member of a church denomination or organization; one must be born of God!

In John 1:10-13, we read of Jesus, the eternal Word made flesh: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

As the Greek text of John 3:5 makes clear, this rebirth of which Jesus speaks is “of water and the Spirit” (EX UDATOS KAI PNEUMATOS); it is “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5) and “the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:26). It is the gracious working of God’s Spirit through God’s Word and the waters of baptism to offer and guarantee to the penitent sinner who looks in faith to Christ Jesus and His cross the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation which Jesus purchased with His blood, shed upon the cross (cf. Acts 2:37-39; 22:16).

The Pharisees had rejected the counsel of God and did not repent and receive the baptism of John the Baptist for the remission of their sins (cf. Mark 1:4; Luke 7:30). Nicodemus, a Pharisee, needed to acknowledge his own utter sinfulness before God and be baptized into the name of Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins, and God’s Spirit would work in him a new spiritual life and make him a part of God’s eternal kingdom through faith in Christ.

And, of course, nothing has changed today. Jesus’ Word is still true. Unless you acknowledge your utter sinfulness before God and turn to Him and receive the forgiveness of sins that Christ won for you on the cross and which God offers and gives through the word of the Gospel and Christian Baptism, you, too, cannot enter into God’s eternal kingdom.

It is as Peter testified on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38-39): “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” It is as the Apostle Paul was told by Ananias (Acts 22:16): “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

Only through faith in Jesus can one receive the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting! Repent and be baptized in His name!

Dearest Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and have not lived according to your holy and perfect will for me. I have broken your commandments and deserve everlasting punishment in hell for my sins. Graciously forgive me and wash away my sins for the sake of your holy and precious blood, shed on the cross for me. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” John 2:23-25

Many, at the Passover feast in Jerusalem, believed that Jesus was the Messiah when they saw the signs and miracles which He worked among them. But though they had come to believe that He was the Messiah, Jesus did not entrust Himself to them because He knew what was in their hearts.

These few verses contain an important truth for us to consider. It is not enough to just know and believe the facts about Jesus. We, too, have heard and read of His mighty miracles. We have heard and read of His sufferings and death and of His resurrection on the third day. And we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah and Savior. But do we know Him and trust in Him as our own Savior? Have we entrusted our very hearts and souls to His keeping?

Jesus searches and knows our hearts! This can be a frightening thought since, as the Scriptures testify, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:9-10). Yes, the Lord Jesus Himself searches our hearts and tests our minds. He knows our every thought and desire. And, certainly, not a single one of us deserves that the Lord Jesus should commit and entrust Himself to us.

Yet, through His Word and the enlightening work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus does reveal and entrust Himself to those who look to Him in faith. He first reveals our utter sinfulness and unworthiness before God, bringing us to confess and agree with God’s judgment that we are sinners deserving of His eternal wrath and punishment. But then, Jesus, through His Word, also reveals to us His great love and mercy. He so loved us that He went to the cross to suffer and die in our stead and take our punishment. He rose from the dead in victory, and He gives to us His mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance when we trust in Him for life and salvation.

Many people in Jesus’ day believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah because of His mighty works, but they did not know Jesus as their Savior and trust in Him for pardon, forgiveness, and life eternal! And so also today, many believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah, but they do not know and have not partaken of Jesus and His love and mercy for them through faith. Instead, their hearts remain closed, and they continue on in their old evil ways, not seeing their lost and sinful condition or knowing and receiving in faith the mercy and forgiveness God offers and extends to them in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Though Jesus’ many mighty works and signs confirm His identity and authority, He has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind through His Word. Thus, those seeking only signs and wonders and spectacular works are likely never to know Him. But to the ones who sit humbly at His feet, hearing, reading, and studying His Word, Jesus reveals Himself as their merciful and loving Savior!

Dear Lord Jesus, Son of God and Son of man, open my heart to hear Your life-giving Word, to acknowledge and confess my utter sinfulness, and to trust in You and Your cross for my salvation. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24 (Read v. 19-24)

Psalm 95 directs us to worship the LORD: “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms” (Psalm 95:1-2). But how are we to worship? What kind of worship does God desire? Should it be with liturgy and organ or with contemporary song and guitar? Should it be in a beautiful church or cathedral or in a steel building or barn?

These questions are really not much different than the question posed by the woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria when she perceived Jesus was a prophet because of His knowledge of her life and relationships: “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship” (John 4:20).

And she raised a valid question because the Samaritans, who accepted only the first five books of Moses and had altered parts of them, claimed they were to worship on Mt. Gerizim and had worshiped there for centuries and continued to worship there even after the Jewish ruler Hyrcanus destroyed their temple around 125 B.C. The Jews, on the other hand, said that Jerusalem was the only place where people should worship (Deut. 12:5ff.; 16:5-6; 1 Kings 8:12ff.; 12:25ff.). And Jesus’ answer to this woman’s question certainly has application to our own time.

Jesus pointed out to this woman the time was coming when God’s people would neither worship in Mt. Gerizim nor at Jerusalem. As He said elsewhere, the temple would soon be destroyed (cf. Matt. 24:1-2, Luke 19:41-44; 21:5-6) and God’s people would be scattered all over the world, preaching the Gospel and joining together for worship with fellow believers in various places (cf. Mark 16:15-16).

But sadly, though the Samaritans sought to worship, they did not know the true God because of their admixture of error and false teaching (2 Kings 17:24ff., especially v. 32-35). They rejected most of the Old Testament Scriptures, including the many promises of a Messiah and Savior who would bear the sins of the people and redeem them from sin and eternal death (cf. Isaiah 53; Psalm 130). The Jews, on the other hand, had the Scriptures and the promises of the Messiah and Savior.

Jesus went on to say (John 4:23-24): “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

He pointed out to this woman that true worshipers would worship “in spirit and in truth,” meaning that true worship is not constituted by certain places or outward forms and observances but comes from the regenerated (or born again) spirit of man and truly glorifies and praises God, not being mere lip service.

And so, what constitutes worshiping in spirit and in truth? First and foremost, true worship flows from faith in Jesus Christ as God the Son and the Messiah and Savior of the world. Jesus, Himself, said that He is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that no one can come to Father apart from Him (John 14:6). He also said that we can do nothing pleasing to God in regard to good works and service toward God apart from faith in Him (John 15:4-5).

Jesus said “that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:23; cf. 1 John 2:23). And, indeed, it is only through the atoning sacrifice of the Son that we can approach the throne of God with our prayers, praises and petitions (cf. Heb. 10:19-25; 1 John 5:11-15).

True worship, then, can only come from a heart that has been regenerated by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit. And, it is as Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (cf. John 15:1ff.; 3:3,5-6).

True worship, of course, must not be idolatry (cf. Ex. 20:1ff.; Deut. 6:13-15). It brings no glory to God if we do not worship the Triune God who has revealed Himself in the Bible. (Cf. Deut. 6:4ff.; Matt. 28:19; 1 Pet. 1:1-5.) “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matt. 4:10).

Instead of compromising the truth for the sake of outward unity or for the sake of being contemporary, true worship holds fast to the Scriptural doctrine (1 Tim. 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 3:12-17; John 8:31-32; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:42). God abhors false doctrine and adulterating His Word. Therefore, worship which contradicts the teaching of Scripture is not true and pleasing worship (cf. Isaiah 8:20; Deut. 4:2; 13:1ff.; Matt. 7:21ff.; Jer. 23:28).

And, finally, true worship is exactly that: true worship. It is not merely going through the outward motions or using certain forms. It is not vain repetitions of which Jesus speaks in His Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matt. 6:7). It is worship that comes from the heart and is genuine and sincere. It gives glory to God and thanks and praises Him for His goodness and mercy toward us in Christ Jesus.

Again, true worship is not bound to places, musical instruments, or to liturgical forms. It is sincere praise and thanksgiving and works which come from the regenerated heart and soul of one who trusts in Christ Jesus as his Savior.

It is as David writes in Psalm 103:1: “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”

O Lord, grant that we worship You in spirit and in truth – that we, from our hearts, glorify Your holy name for the gift of the Son and His atoning sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]