Seize the Moments - Vol 1  Day 7  Jesus Plus Nothing Equals Everything

The conscious experience is salvation. The man's life then is completely and utterly willing to receive Jesus as the only means of access to God and restoration in salvation.  Any other way is not acceptable.  No other way will work as cited in Acts 4:12, “There is no other name, under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.”  Jesus took on Himself the punishment for relationship crimes (sin) so that we could be free of condemnation and punishment.  By virtue of His substitutionary penalty serving, we are returned as it were back to the Garden of creation as innocents.  

The essence of this justification (“just as if I had not sinned”) can be likened to the expression of the motorcyclists, “pay it forward,” as it relates to any human kindness.  God did not forgive our sin, in the most common understanding of forgiveness.  God cannot leave any wickedness unpunished.  But in Christ, our wickedness had been served the due penalty.  It was “paid forward” by God to His innocent Son.  Every man, woman, and child on the globe faces the option of again, walking away from God, walking in disobedience and living apart from God and living in an independent state paying their own penalty for relationship crimes or to choose to agree with God that Jesus His Son is innocent and thereby qualified to serve their just sentence (separation from God) and to agree to let Jesus serve their penalty. 

The keynote and the Lodestar is Jesus Christ.  God introduced himself into the human plane as a man, the man, Jesus Christ. Jesus walked on the earth, tempted just like we are, did not succumb to the temptation as all of us have, but rather overcame it.  By maintaining His innocence of relationship crimes, He became qualified to die on the cross to pay the punishment that we all deserve for our civil disobedience.  The penalty of justice will be paid, but only Jesus Christ is qualified to serve any other’s penalty.  Don't look for any other way to heaven.  Don't look for your good deeds to outweigh your bad deeds.  Don't look for your righteousness, your church going, your religion, or any acts of service to give you access to God’s heaven.  These will do nothing of the sort!  Only faith that Jesus is God, innocent of all sin and that He took your punishment upon Himself on the cross which satisfies the vengeance of God meted out against your crimes.  

This is justice at its finest!  This is forgiveness at its finest!  This is grace in its highest form!

      -- JB    ref.    Act 4:12;   Romans 10:9-10;   Luke 23:34