The Just Shall Live By Faith

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, it is the 4th of December, 2022, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

Romans 7:19 & 24, I am reading two verses. Paul says: 

“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” 

 “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” 

Now, this is a statement spoken by one of Jesus’ true saints, St Paul, the Apostle. We hear this statement and we think, “Well then, what hope is there for a sinner like me if Paul cannot get it right?” 

Remember what we always say, “Good people don’t go to Heaven, believers go to Heaven.” Martin Luther, the great reformer from Germany, tried in vain to bring his body into subjection with the word of God, but he failed miserably. He used to fast, he used to beat himself. They would wear shirts made of horse hair. Can you imagine the intense aggravation to try and bring the flesh into submission? But he failed.  

Then one day he found that little scripture verse in Romans 1:17. 

"The just shall live by faith."

So how do we handle it then? Well, when we make a mistake we repent immediately. We say sorry to the Lord Jesus and then we keep on keeping on. One of my favourite scriptures as a new Christian, was 1 John 1:9 which says if we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Of course, that does not give us a license to carry on sinning purposely. No! John Newton, I have spoken about him many times before, wrote the beautiful hymn, Amazing Grace. He was the captain of a slave ship. I cannot think of anything worse. He repented. God forgave him. On his death bed, he was whispering some words, and the man standing next to him put his ear right next to John Newton’s mouth and he heard him say, “What a great sinner I am but what a great saviour Jesus is.”

God bless you and goodbye.