September 6, 2010
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Labor Day: Do you know the blessedness of not working? (Romans 4:1-8)
Romans 4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”ARE FORGIVEN.
ARE COVERED.
WILL NOT COUNT.
Do you know that blessedness?
Do you know the blessedness of not working?
Here's a clip from the movie "The Mission." To set the scene... After he makes a profession of faith, former slave trader Rodrigo Mendoza (played by Robert DeNiro) insists on carrying a very large and heavy bag of armor/weapons as penance for his former sins (including that of killing his own brother). The bag has become quite burdensome to him as he and Father Gabriel, a Jesuit priest (Jeremy Irons), continue to travel through the jungles and mountainous terrain of Brazil along with other members of the order to establish a mission among the native peoples.
The salvation that comes through faith in Jesus Christ has no need to do any penance. Ever! Jesus Christ has taken the full punishment and paid the full penalty for all our sin once for all.
Hebrews 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”17 then he adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Hebrews 9:24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Our engaging in penance is anathema to the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
We look at that video and we may think: How ridiculous!
Yet consider how many of you are still carrying around a heavy bag because you've not fully trusted in God to forgive and cover your sins and not count your sins against you and credit you with Christ's righteousness by faith?
I remember watching that movie a few years ago. I was saved but I knew I was still carrying around that bag. We're not intended to carry that bag. We can't ever atone for our own sins. We can't ever earn forgiveness by our works.
What does it say to the Lord when we insist on carrying around our bags like that?
If we're not trusting in God's provision in Jesus Christ, then we're working to provide our own salvation.
If we're not trusting in God's provision in Jesus Christ, then we're saying His provision isn't sufficient.
If we're not trusting in God to justify us by grace through faith in Christ's work on the cross, then we're trusting in our own works.
If we're not trusting in God, then we're robbing God of His glory.
If we're not trusting in God, then we're robbing ourselves of the blessing God wants to give us.
Many people are familiar with Jesus' words at the end of Matthew 11...
Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Yes, I know we can use these verses in many situations, but the first and primary rest God wants to give our souls is a rest from our own vain works done in an attempt to justify ourselves and to atone for our own sins.
Ask yourself . . .
Are you still laboring to be justified?
Are you still laboring to counted as righteous?
What kind of penance are you engaged in?
How many works can you do to be justified?
How many works can you do to be counted as righteous?
How much penance must you do to be justified?
How much penance must you do to be counted as righteous?
Romans 4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
Will you cease from your works and receive the sublime blessedness that comes only through trusting in God?
May God grant you sufficient grace to do so.
Related:
"What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" (Labor Day)
Labor Day: Co-Laborers Together for Christ: "You Can't Do Kingdom Work Alone, without the Kingdom"
who are we to say . . . (Christ's atonement and assurance)
"Either we accept the atonement of Christ or we repeat it."
Jack Bauer & the Atonement
Luther's Commentary on Galatians
Reformation Day: Martin Luther on "How One is Justified before God, and of Good Works"
Instead of legalism . . . Christ!
My posts on Past Sins and Guilt
"Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness" (Letter 75 on assurance & fighting for joy)Please note: the man justified by faith DOES work, but his works never justify him. Our works are the fruit of our salvation, never the root. James 2.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Comments (13)
happy laber day i try o help one of myoter fiendou he lost one of his friend lat nite his friend comet sudie he up set about it
@dmcx -
How sad. I will be praying for strength for you to show your friend God's love and comfort to him, so he might know Jesus as His best Friend and the comfort He alone can give. II Corinthians 2. Psalm 23.
@naphtali_deer - thank you i told him i a pray for him i tel him that youare t
@naphtali_deer - shadow0413 sade thank you for pray for him he as me to thank you for him
@naphtali_deer - That is a great clip! All of it...penance, forgiveness, seeing the futility of trying to pay for sin, grace - most of all.
Good post, and a good movie too!
Good Morning Karen, I am try to grasp the big pictures in my Bible reading. Your post reminded me of Colossians 2:6--15. There the complete and total work of Christ on the cross from us is listed. I am in awe of the total, complete salvation we have in Christ. Working or helping Christ out to assure our salvation is one of the biggest waste of times in a Believers life.
I am not sure Karen, but I think the majority of Believers are dealing with us due to a little different approach. I have met many Christians who are afraid they are not saved, or have lost their salvation, which is impossible. I think what happens is as they live their lives and see sins and mistakes persisting, the question their salvation. I had that problem until I almost died in the hospital 5 times. It was quite an experience.
I don't think these people are doing penitence or working to be saved. They are looking at their sins and wondering if they are saved. They need assurance of their salvation, without neglecting their need for more of the Spirit's power to live the Christian life.
I am very proud of my spiritual success this morning, Karen. With my built in impatience and disdain for detail, I read your entire post word for word and all of the movie clip. Now I have assurance of my salvation. lol
blessings
frank
@quest4god@revelife - I loved that part of the movie. It was so graphic, so perfect. I've wanted to blog on it for a while now, but the clip hasn't been available on YouTube until relatively recently.
@CitizenDon - Thanks, Don. I definitely want to see the movie again.
@ANVRSADDAY - Yes, Colossians 2. That's a wonderful passage.
Lack of assurance shows itself in a constant working/trying to do penance or that uncertainty/fear about our standing in Christ. It's all really the same root: not really believing God's promise that Christ's sacrifice is wholly sufficient to save. Assurance is a real blessing to the believer. You can be saved without it, but when you have it, it really makes a huge difference, as you've found out. I've written a lot about assurance but I really want to write more about the benefits of assurance, e.g.- boldness in witnessing, boldness in prayer, boldness in time of trial
I am very proud of my spiritual success this morning, Karen. With my built in impatience and disdain for detail, I read your entire post word for word and all of the movie clip. Now I have assurance of my salvation. lol
Grrr!
(Well, this wasn't THAT long of a post compared to some of my posts. 
)
@naphtali_deer - I don't know how you find such things as that clip - for that matter, how you 'embed' them or whatever.
@quest4god@revelife - I like to gather information and pass it along. I've said before I'm like Mrs. Beaver. I would be insisting on bringing along the sewing machine.
Yes, I loved @ANVRSADDAY's comment. It was a perfect illustration!
@naphtali_deer - Hmmm! A combination beaver and deer...would that be a deaver or a beer?
@quest4god@revelife - Hmm... Perhaps we should consult the oracle, I mean the llama.
@naphtali_deer - Yes please do!