Completed Work

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Col 2:13-15 (NKJV)

I know a young man that was raised in the Church, who was convinced by a group of religious people that his faith was somehow incomplete. Over a period of about a year they convinced him that Christ alone was inadequate--that he needed to embrace the traditions and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. As he began to walk according to the laws of the Old Covenant I made a couple of observations: Firstly, he was filled with pride, because he was convinced that by observing the ceremonial laws his faith was superior to those who cleave to salvation by grace. Secondly, it seemed that he picked and chose only the parts of the Old Covenant that were somehow convenient.

There is a big philosophical fly in his ointment. If a person is saved through the keeping of the Law, they must keep all of the Law; and if they fail in one point of the Law, even one time, then they are guilty of violating the entire Law and cannot be saved by their own effort. This is the reason that Jesus' atoning work was necessary. Jesus had to do for us through grace what we could never do for ourselves through works. If the grace of God is sufficient for the work of Salvation, what possible value is it to make a half-hearted attempt to keep only the Laws that are convenient? Seems that all the effort is a waste of time.

The Apostle Paul made it abundantly clear: In Christ we find the completed work where all of our trespasses have been forgiven--where all the handwriting of requirements have been removed--and all that stood between us having a relationship with God the Father was nailed to the cross! Jesus paid the complete price for our sin. Jesus sacrifice is wholly sufficient for our salvation. Jesus Himself declared: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father, but by Me."

Prayer: "Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of amazing grace. I rely on Your grace to do for me what I cannot possibly do for myself--to cleanse me from my sins--to release me from the failures of my past--and to set my feet on the straight road that leads to eternal life in You. Lord, I pray that You would give me the ability to discern between right and wrong and that I would bring forth the kind of fruit that would bring You glory. Please be the Lord of my life. Amen"