Rom, 4:6-8

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, ⁷Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ⁸Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Bible Study 10 AM. Video sermon by Pastor Bill Parker

Today's Speaker: Brother Randy Wages will conduct the 11:00 am service today. Pray for him as he delivers God's word.

Radio Broadcast: Sunday morning at 9:30am on 98.7 FM -WISK

GOD MUST DEAL WITH OUR SIN

It is a fact that God who is holy and just and righteous MUST punish our sins. He will by no means clear the guilty (Ex. 34:7), and the soul that sins must surely die (Ezek. 18:4,20) because death is the just wages of sin (Rom. 6:23). If God were to fail to punish even one sin, He would as soon cease to be God. Yet, the psalmist wrote, "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:10). Notice this verse does not say, "God hath not dealt with our sins." It says, "God hath not dealt WITH US after our sins." Children of God, God most certainly has dealt with our sins. He dealt with our sins in strict justice when He dealt with them as they were imputed (charged, accounted, credited) to Christ and as He punished His beloved Son for all our sins at one time on Calvary. God must deal with sin either in the sinner or in the one and only substitute and surety for sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ had to die for the sins of His people. Sinner, without Christ God will have to deal with you after your sins, and that means eternal damnation. But thank God that He has a people whom He sent His Son to redeem with the price of His blood. Therefore in our salvation, God is just to justify us and bring us to glory; for He has dealt with our sins in Christ.

-Pastor Bill Parker

NO SALVATION WITHOUT THE GREAT WORK OF CHRIST

The reasons why we could not be saved without the great work of Christ, are, because God is just and holy, evermore: for if He were not just and holy He must be unjust and unholy, and then He would cease to be God, as He would then be under the dominion of injustice and corruption. Then as God is just and holy, His people could not be saved without Christ dying for them, and for the same reason, namely, that He is just and holy, not one of those whose names are not in the Book of Life can be saved. They are without hope and God in the world. Now, as it is impossible for those to be saved for whom Christ did not die, so it is impossible for those to be lost for whom He did die; and as it is impossible to be saved without the death of Christ, so it is impossible to go to perdition with the vicarious sacrifice of Christ. Because the Lord is just and holy, His people could not be taken to heaven without the blood and righteousness of Christ. Justice and holiness stood against them in their fallen state in the first Adam, but in Christ, not justice and holiness only, but mercy, grace, goodness, yea ALL the perfections of God are on their side, so that they have boldness to call God their Father, that is, when the Holy Spirit is pleased to enable them to do so.

-James Wells (1839)

"What about Obedience?"

For nearly 2 years I have consistently written articles dealing with the essential truth of the Gospel, i.e., justification of all God's elect at Calvary based exclusively on Christ's accomplished death, HIS IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS ALONE-"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."(Rom.5:1) A more literal translation of this verse is: "Having been justified (based on Christ's accomplished death), by faith we have peace with God." Faith isn't the cause of our justification, but the evidence of our having been justified by Christ at Calvary. This ONE ESSENTIAL TRUTH forever excludes any sinner's faith or obedience as a cause of salvation-"Not by works of righteousness (including faith, obedience, and morality) which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour."(Tit.3:5,6) That being said I know that unregenerate sons and daughters of Adam will always come up with the same questions: If salvation is based solely on Christ's death and our obedience makes up no part of saving us, keeping us saved, or recommending us to God, why even bother? We can just live like hell, can't we? Isn't it amazing that men haven't changed? Paul faced the same question in his day-"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?"(Rom.5:20-6:1) What's the answer to this seeming paradox? What about obedience?

God's true children should be the most obedient, moral, dedicated people on this planet. We should set examples of humility, faithfulness, love, and devotion to our God and our fellow man. Aren't believers encouraged, even commanded, to pray? "Pray without ceasing."(I Thess.5:17; also see Lk.18:1) Aren't believers encouraged, even commanded, to be faithful to attend the fellowship of God's elect? "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."(Heb.10:25) Shouldn't believers seek to love God with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength, as well as seek to love their neighbors (INCLUDING THEIR WORST ENEMY) as themselves? Surely they should! You might be thinking: "Well I'm doing all these things and I've done them all my life." Here is the difference, dear friend: The self-righteous religionist has for his or her goal what every justified sinner has for his or her starting place. The self-righteous religionist's goal is to attain or maintain righteousness by their obedience. Every saint Christ justified by His imputed righteousness at Calvary starts from a position of perfect righteousness by imputation (II Cor.5:21) and out of grace and gratitude to Him who loved them and gave Himself for them, they DO LOVE HIM-"WE LOVE HIM, because He first loved us."(I Jn.4:19) The difference is you'll NEVER find a child of God who is satisfied with or dependant on their obedience or morality as making up any part of their hope of eternal life. I hope and pray your obedience is motivated by an assurance of eternal life based solely on Christ's accomplished death as your Representative and Substitute. If not, I encourage you to flee to Him and rest in His imputed righteousness alone.