Human failure and divine faithfulness
This is a divine Story, carried forward by God’s grace and power. God’s
very great promises (Genesis 12:1-3) find their ultimate fulfilment in
the coming of God’s eternal Kingdom (Revelation 21:10). We have not
reached our heavenly destination. We are still caught in the tension
between obedience (Genesis 12:4) and disobedience (Genesis 12:11-13). We
are conscious of our human failure, yet we rejoice in the divine
faithfulness. We read of Abraham’s sin (Genesis 12:10-20), yet we look
beyond this to God's salvation. This is not simply the story of Abraham.
It is the Story of Abraham's God. This becomes clear in the change of
name. Abram (‘exalted father’) draws attention to the man. Abraham
(‘Father of Many’) points to God’s purpose (Genesis 17:5). Like Abraham,
we are to worship God (Genesis 12:7-8). We are to say, ‘He is exalted’.
We are to say, ‘Christ must increase, and I must decrease’ (John 3:30).
Our help comes from the Lord. He will keep us from evil.
‘Deliver
me, O Lord, from lying lips’ (Psalm 120:2). God calls us to ‘believe
the truth’, ‘love the truth’ and ‘follow the truth’. We are to be people
who ‘do what is true’ (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11; 3 John 3-4; John 3:21).
How can we be such people? We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is
‘the Truth’ (Hebrews 12:2; John 14:6). When we are tempted to turn away
from the pathway of truth, we must remember this: ‘My help comes from
the Lord’. We must remember God’s promise: ‘The Lord is your
Keeper...The Lord will keep you from all evil’. God’s promise is not
only for ‘this time’. It’s ‘for evermore’ (Psalm 121:2, 5, 7-8). This
gives us glorious hope as we keep on looking to Christ, ‘eagerly
awaiting’ His Return (Hebrews 9:28).
In ourselves, there is no salvation. Our salvation is in Jesus Christ.
Salvation
is not a ‘reward’ to be ‘earned’. It is God’s ‘gift’ (Romans 4:4-5).
Salvation comes from the Lord. ‘God so loved the world that He gave His
only Son’ (John 3:16): Without the love of God, the gift of God, the Son
of God, there can be no salvation. The way of salvation does not begin
with the word ‘I’. Jesus Christ is the Way. He is the Saviour. Salvation
is in Him (John 14:6; Matthew 1:21; Acts 4:12). Looking to ‘Jesus our
Lord’, crucified and raised for our salvation, we are saved and we give
‘glory to God’ (Romans 4:20-25). We rejoice in ‘God our Saviour’ - ‘He
saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in
virtue of His own mercy...’ (Titus 3:4-7). Looking away from ourselves
to Christ, we learn the truth of God’s Word: ‘it is on the basis of
faith that it may rest on grace’ (Romans 4:16). This is Good News!
God so loved the world. Christ died for us. This is Good News for sinners.
We
say, ‘I’ll turn over a new leaf’. Christ says, ‘You must be born again’
(John 3:3, 7). Our way of thinking begins with ‘I’. Christ’s way of
salvation begins with ‘God’: ‘God so loved the world...’ (John 3:16).
Begin with ‘I’ and you have sin, guilt and condemnation (Romans
3:10-11). Begin with God and you have Good News for sinners: ‘God shows
His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us’
(Romans 5:8). Through faith in Christ, we are ‘born of the Spirit’ (John
3:6-8; 1:12). The Spirit of God is the Spirit of holiness, love and
truth. Those who are ‘born of the Spirit’ are to live a life of
holiness, love and truth (1 John 4:2-3, 6-7, 12-13; 5:2-3). ‘Come to the
light’. ‘Do what is true’. ‘Obey the Son’. Let Christ increase. This is
the work of the Spirit in us (John 3:20-21, 36, 29, 34).
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