Sin,
Grace, Faith and the Gift of God!
"When
He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed
Jesus. And behold a leper came and worshiped Him, saying,
'Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.' Then Jesus
put out His hand and touched him saying, 'I am willing; be
cleansed.' Immediately his leprosy was cleansed"
Matthew 8:1-3.
Of all
diseases, leprosy is one of the most dreaded. Its incurable
and contagious character and its horrible effect on its victims
filled the bravest with fear. It was looked upon by the Jewish
community as a symbol of sin. By ritual law, the leper was
pronounced unclean and was shut out from the habitations of
men. Whatever he touched was unclean.
One who
was suspected of having the disease must present himself to
the priests, who were to examine and decide his case. If pronounced
a leper, he was isolated from his family, cut off from society
and was doomed to associate with only those who were similarly
afflicted. The law was inflexible in its requirement.
Away
from family and friends, the leper must bear the curse of
his disease. He was obliged to publish his own calamity and
sound the warning to flee from his contaminating presence,
"Unclean! unclean!" a signal heard with fear and
abhorrence.
"The
work of Christ in cleansing the leper from his terrible disease
is an illustration of His work in cleansing the soul from
sin. The man who came to Jesus was "full of leprosy."
Its deadly poison permeated his whole body. The disciples
sought to prevent their Master from touching him; for he who
touched a leper became himself unclean. But in laying His
hand on the leper, Jesus received no defilement. His touch
imparted life-giving power. The leprosy was cleansed. Thus
it is with the leprosy of sin,--deep-rooted, deadly, and impossible
to be cleansed by human power. 'The hole head is sick, and
the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to
the head, there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises,
and putrefying sores' Isaiah 1:5, 6. But Jesus, coming to
dwell in humanity, receives no pollution.
"His
presence has healing virtue for the sinner. Whoever will fall
at His feet, saying in faith, 'Lord, if You will, You can
make me clean,' shall hear the answer, 'I will; be cleansed'
Matthew 8:2, 3." Desire of Ages, p. 266.
The consequences
of sin, like leprosy, kills. "The wages of sin is death,"
but the sentence does not end there, "but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!" Romans
6:23. Jesus gave His life to save sinners (John 3:16, 17).
"For God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"
2 Corinthians 5:21.
To obtain
that righteousness, we must yield ourselves to God. "But
to all who received Him, to those who have yielded Him their
allegiance, He gave the right to become children of God, not
born of any human stock, or by the fleshly desire of a human
father, but the offspring of God Himself" John 1:12,
13 NEB.
How do
we yield ourselves to Him? Christ Jesus Himself tells us,
"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be
zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in
to him and dine with him, and he with Me" Revelation
3:19, 20.
We are
not isolated or alone on this sin cursed earth. "For
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"…
"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law
is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ,
to all and on all who believe… for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as the propitiation by His blood, through
faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance
God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that
He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith
in Jesus" Romans 3:23; 21-26. See also Romans 3:27-31;
4:7, 8; and Psalm 32:1, 2.
Praise
be to God for His amazing gifts to the children of men…
"For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not
under law but under grace" Paul the Apostle, Romans 6:14.
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