"Freely Given, Freely Received"
"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting, and when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables, and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not My Father's house an house of merchandise" (John 2:13-16).
One reason the Lord Jesus Christ drove the moneychangers from the temple involved the distortion their merchandising portrayed regarding God's provision and our receiving.
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (I Corinthians 2:12).
We buy nothing in our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. We play a vital role of receiving by faith the things He gives. Never, however, must we exchange our own merit or achievements for the ongoing provision our Heavenly Father administers by His involved presence in our lives. "Freely ye have received" declared the Lord Jesus to His disciples before His death, resurrection, and ascension (Matthew 10:8). How much more do the New Testament epistles declare such gracious supply after our Savior returned to Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all who trust in Christ?
"His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (II Peter 1:3).
God gave to the Lord Jesus what we deserve on the cross of Calvary so that He might give to us what Christ deserves as His perfectly faithful Son. Our Lord purchased for us the "all things" of "life and godliness" that empower a life of faith and faithfulness through the enabling of the Holy Spirit. We never earn God's supply. We rather look to the Christ who earned it for us, and who eternally vouchsafes the promises and provisions of our Father by serving as our mediator, intercessor, and holy basis of all God does for us. "Nothing in my hands I bring" rightly exulted the hymn writer regarding our approach to the throne of Heaven. We rather bring Christ in our hearts, whereby we are "accepted in the Beloved" and provided for by gifts for which we pay nothing, but which cost the Lord Jesus infinitely more than we will ever know (Ephesians 1:6). Indeed, no barter exists in the temple of God, but rather eternally ongoing wonders of grace freely given, and freely received.
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."
(Isaiah 55:1)
"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
(Romans 8:32)
Weekly Memory Verse
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life."
(I John 5:13)
6164
No comments:
Post a Comment