Analogous
We are all criminals, living on deathrow. We are all inflicted with a dread disease.
As prisoners on deathrow, the Judge has offered us a conditional pardon. You see, another person has already paid the price for our heinous crimes. In order to claim the pardon, we first have to admit we are guilty and accept that there is no other hope of release. If we go on thinking that we can "beat the rap" on our own, we will never see the reason to accept the pardon. If we remain blind to our guilt, we will cling to a hope that the verdict will be rescinded. If we accept the pardon, then we realize that we owe our lives to the one who paid the price. The best way that we could honor that sacrifice is by attempting to live our lives the way He would want us to.
Further, there is a time limit on accepting this pardon. At some point in time, a point that we do not know, that offer of a pardon will be closed. For each of us, that time may be different. But it is inevitable. Accepting the pardon means that many of our fellow inmates will mock us. Some will face far more and be beaten and even killed for accepting the pardon.
This is where the analogy breaks down. The execution is the only true death. Only those who refuse, or fail to accept, the pardon will face the true death of the execution. We have all the way up until our physical death in this world to accept the pardon. A student asked a wise Rabbi, "When should I seek atonement?" The wise Rabbi replied, "The day before you die." He paused for effect before continuing, "Since we do not know if we will die tomorrow or not, then today is the day we should seek atonement." What the student and the wise Rabbi failed to understand was that there is only one way to be forgiven... that is to accept the pardon offered by the sacrifice of the death of Messiah Jesus on the cross at Calvary.
The doctor came into the room, after analyzing the results of the test. "I have very grave news", he said as he sat down. "You have a disease, that is 100% fatal." The doctor paused as the words sank into reality, the mind of the patient whirls as it attempts to understand the implications. The doctor finally breaks the silence, "There is one cure..."
What do you think the patient does at this point? Well, if he is like some of us, he gets mad at the doctor. "What do you mean there is only one cure! That's narrow-minded and bigoted!" When we should be, "Well what are we waiting for, give me the cure!"
The cure to our fatal disease is the same as the pardon for our crimes. Our crimes and our disease is sin. Sin is missing the mark of perfectly following God's Law and Will. The penalty and natural result of sin is death. We are all guilty, we are all infected.
The cure is Jesus Christ. He paid the price so that we might not have to do so. And He arose from the grave to prove that He has the power to give eternal life. The power to pardon us and cure us. Declare Him Lord in your life. Ask Him to give you faith, true saving faith. There are many who have taken the "sinner's prayer" inoculation. The "sinner's prayer" is worthless unless you have true life-changing faith. If you spoke the sinner's prayer in a bout of emotionalism, but your life has not changed, then you need to seek God still. Cry out to Him, He is faithful.
Tag(s): Gospel
As prisoners on deathrow, the Judge has offered us a conditional pardon. You see, another person has already paid the price for our heinous crimes. In order to claim the pardon, we first have to admit we are guilty and accept that there is no other hope of release. If we go on thinking that we can "beat the rap" on our own, we will never see the reason to accept the pardon. If we remain blind to our guilt, we will cling to a hope that the verdict will be rescinded. If we accept the pardon, then we realize that we owe our lives to the one who paid the price. The best way that we could honor that sacrifice is by attempting to live our lives the way He would want us to.
Further, there is a time limit on accepting this pardon. At some point in time, a point that we do not know, that offer of a pardon will be closed. For each of us, that time may be different. But it is inevitable. Accepting the pardon means that many of our fellow inmates will mock us. Some will face far more and be beaten and even killed for accepting the pardon.
This is where the analogy breaks down. The execution is the only true death. Only those who refuse, or fail to accept, the pardon will face the true death of the execution. We have all the way up until our physical death in this world to accept the pardon. A student asked a wise Rabbi, "When should I seek atonement?" The wise Rabbi replied, "The day before you die." He paused for effect before continuing, "Since we do not know if we will die tomorrow or not, then today is the day we should seek atonement." What the student and the wise Rabbi failed to understand was that there is only one way to be forgiven... that is to accept the pardon offered by the sacrifice of the death of Messiah Jesus on the cross at Calvary.
The doctor came into the room, after analyzing the results of the test. "I have very grave news", he said as he sat down. "You have a disease, that is 100% fatal." The doctor paused as the words sank into reality, the mind of the patient whirls as it attempts to understand the implications. The doctor finally breaks the silence, "There is one cure..."
What do you think the patient does at this point? Well, if he is like some of us, he gets mad at the doctor. "What do you mean there is only one cure! That's narrow-minded and bigoted!" When we should be, "Well what are we waiting for, give me the cure!"
The cure to our fatal disease is the same as the pardon for our crimes. Our crimes and our disease is sin. Sin is missing the mark of perfectly following God's Law and Will. The penalty and natural result of sin is death. We are all guilty, we are all infected.
The cure is Jesus Christ. He paid the price so that we might not have to do so. And He arose from the grave to prove that He has the power to give eternal life. The power to pardon us and cure us. Declare Him Lord in your life. Ask Him to give you faith, true saving faith. There are many who have taken the "sinner's prayer" inoculation. The "sinner's prayer" is worthless unless you have true life-changing faith. If you spoke the sinner's prayer in a bout of emotionalism, but your life has not changed, then you need to seek God still. Cry out to Him, He is faithful.
Tag(s): Gospel
posted by Bryan at 5:44 AM
2 Comments:
Booyah.
Nice word.
We are dead men walking outside of the Grace of God!
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
Post a Comment
<< Home