When we present ourselves in our own works of righteousness to God, as though He should be impressed, and then expect that as a result we should earn heaven, aren’t we really asking God to pay for us being good?
God is not going to pay us to love Him. That’s what goes on in harlotry! The Children of Israel played this spiritual game of harlotry with God in the past. The Bible talks about them playing the harlot in numerous places. (Jer. 2:20; Jer. 3:1; Ezek. 16:15…; Hosea 4:15…, etc.)
No, God is NEVER unfaithful. He will not enter into a spiritual game of harlotry with us. His way is the COVENANT way. “I Am,” says God. Everything we need to be in heaven with our covenant-maker (God), has already been provided for. We have already been placed in the privileged position of “heir of salvation,” (or as spouse in the spiritual sense). As such, we have access to ALL POWER in the NAME. This is legitimately ours. God didn’t bribe or pay us to enter into covenant relationship with Him; we fell in love with Him, longed for Him and not only agreed (but rejoiced!) to be in a covenant relationship with Him.
“For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13.
To call on the NAME of the Lord is to enter into covenant relationship with Him. Just as a woman, when she takes her beloved’s name in wedding vows, is brought under his love, care and protection for life, it is equally true that when we take the NAME OF THE LORD, we are brought under His love, care and protection for LIFE—life now and throughout eternity.
Do you think a husband would be offended if his wife turned in a bill for her services at the end of the week? What for? Everything he has is already hers! Is it an offence to God when we hold out our own efforts of right-doing as “helping” us get to heaven? God emptied heaven, gave His dear Son, His most precious gift, HIS ALL, to open heaven’s doors to us. Now we think God should reward us for our nothing efforts to obtain what He already has given us! Should we really expect God to pay twice?
“I will put My law in their inward parts (Mind), and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
Jeremiah 31:33 (last half of verse)
God writes His law in our minds, we use our minds to make choices. He also writes it upon our emotions, our hearts, because He wants to be our God. He knows that we cannot keep the law unless He performs this miracle in our lives. On Mount Sinai God wrote on tables of stone, but now He writes on each person’s heart and mind.
Awesome, truly awesome!
Repentance is a gift from God just as much as faith is. We see God’s goodness and this motivates us to repent of who we are. Self would never be seen from a true perspective except that God shows Himself to us through Jesus. (Romans 2:4)
The beauty of holiness is seen in the cut, bruised and bloody face of Jesus as He hung on a crude cut cross with nails in His hands and feet. Yet His concern was that the people doing these awful things to Him be forgiven. In fact, He hung there so that all the awful things of every person can be forgiven. We want to turn our eyes away from His passion and pain, yet it is by seeing it that we are changed. Oh matchless love, oh horrific sacrifice, oh broken body, but oh the holy person Jesus Christ to love us this much. Only perfect holiness can cover sin, guilt and shame. Pride would rise up and say, “No” but Jesus said, “Yes!”