I may not see in front of me, But I can see for miles around when I look over my shoulder, and Lord, it`s clear. You`ve brought me here, So faithful every step of the way. What can I do but follow you, For You are the Way, the Truth, the Life, And You`ve promised never to leave me, My Savior, my friend, From beginning to end.
I Am Found In You
by
Steven Curtis Chapman
Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. Luke 11:40 - 41 NKJV
The Pharisees thought they could make themselves clean. It was a system they had learned over years of practice. Under the law system, sins were “paid for” (temporarily) by the sacrifice of a near-perfect animal. The more sins a person had, the greater the need for sacrifice. Once the sacrifice had been given, the person was declared “righteous”, but only released to the trap of sin again. It was an endless cycle, but it left the burden of work upon the one seeking the forgiveness of sin.
Jesus brought a new covenant. It was really a completion of the old covenant. God never intended for people to pay for their sins permanently. The system was just a stop-gap until Jesus could come. Jesus’ death on the cross provided God with a perfect substitution for the penalty He had imposed upon sin (death). People could clean up the “outside” by an animal sacrifice, but the heart of man remained imperfect. The blood of Jesus gave mankind the opportunity for perfection again; obtained by faith in the person of Jesus Christ.
Do you have the mistaken idea that you can somehow do something to be made right with God; that somehow by your works you can satisfy the righteous requirements of a Holy God? Dear friend, please, learn from the mistakes of the Pharisees. Jesus called them “Foolish Ones!” Let their foolishness produce wisdom for you. Receive, believe, and accept fully the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ alone!
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