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How
Can I
Live Forever?
Chapter 5
A Complete Saviour
As
we come to the contemplation of this
chapter, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus' sacrifice
was `enough', that the demands of the law have been
`fully satisfied', and that an entire planet has been
reconciled to God through the death of His Son.
There
are many implications attached to these glorious thoughts, but
there is one conclusion that we must draw from what we
have thus far considered, and that is the fact that Jesus is a complete
Saviour.
Then,
if this is the case, we must also conclude that there is nothing that we can do
to complement the salvation that God has provided for
the entire human race. Yes, we can reject it, but we
cannot contribute to it or add to it.
`Under
the mighty impulse of His love, He took our place in the
universe, and invited the Ruler of all things to treat
Him as a representative of the human family. He
identified Himself with our interests, bared His breast
for the stroke of death, took man's guilt and its
penalty, and offered in man's behalf a complete
sacrifice to God. By virtue of this atonement, He has
power to offer to man perfect righteousness and full
salvation.' (7BC924)
If
the death of Jesus represents a complete sacrifice, and if He is a
complete Saviour, what, we must ask, can we do to add to our
salvation?
`All
that man can possibly do toward his own salvation is to
accept the invitation, "Whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely.'' ' (6BC1071)
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`Our salvation is complete, because it is founded on the accomplishment of a plan laid before the foundation of the world.' (RH07-25-99.14) |
Many
have a great struggle with the concept that Jesus is a
complete Saviour, . . . somehow the human heart insists on
believing that we must add something to what Jesus has
already done. Somehow we feel that we must append
something to the Sacrifice that heaven has declared to
be `enough.' Somehow, we feel that we must work hard at
being good Christians in order to reconcile ourselves to
God. Yet Scripture makes it abundantly clear that . . .
`No
one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what
the law commands.' (Romans 3:20 LB)
Let
us not be mistaken in this matter, however, our doing of
what the law commands is God's sweetest dream for every
one of His children, but the great and humbling fact of
life is that our obedience, or works of righteousness, cannot
make amends for our past mistakes and, as such, they cannot
possibly reconcile us to God. This is why God was forced
to institute a plan whereby . . .
`We
were reconciled to Him by the death of His Son.' (Romans
5:10)
In
other words, our obedience cannot narrow the
gulf that sin has set between a perfect God and His
fallen children. Nor can our works of righteousness earn our pardon or contribute towards our
salvation in the least degree. The fact of the matter is
that, . . .
`The
law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to
the law; but he is incapable of rendering it.' (1SM367)
In simple terms, therefore, human righteousness, that
is, all human righteousness, has no redemptive value
whatsoever. In fact . . .
`If
you would gather together everything that is good and
holy and noble and lovely in man and then present the
subject to the angels of God as acting a part [even a
minor part] in the
salvation of the human soul or in merit, the proposition
would be rejected as treason . . . any
works that man can render to God will be far less than
nothingness.' (FW24)
We
conclude, therefore, that we cannot even claim that our works
are without value for, in truth,
our works of righteousness are actually worth less
than nothing. This is why any proposition to the
effect that our works have merit for salvation would
have to be considered by God as a
form of treason or, in other words, as rebellion against
His government.
Hence
the warning, . . .
`Let no-one take the limited, narrow position that
any
of the works of man can help in the least possible way
to liquidate the debt of his transgression. This is a
fatal deception.' (6BC1071)
And
this is why God had to provide a complete Saviour and a
complete substitute. And this is why Jesus had to provide
all the works that were necessary to satisfy all the demands of the law -
and this He had to do on behalf of all people for
all time.
As much as God desires
that works of love should adorn our characters,
therefore, He
nevertheless wants us to realize that our . . .
`Works
will not buy for us an entrance into heaven.' (1SM388)
Until such time as we accept this humbling fact, we
cannot experience the wonderful peace and extreme joy
that come from knowing that . . .
`The
one great offering that is made is ample for all who
will believe.' (1SM388)
And
so God is offering to every one of us a rest that is
sweet, and a hope that is absolute - a rest and a hope
that can only ever grow out of the knowledge
that . . .
`Our
salvation is complete, because it is founded on the
accomplishment of a plan laid before the foundation of
the world.' (RH07-25-99.14)
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