Now
to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to
present you faultless before the presence of
His glory with exceeding joy.
Jude 24
Jude 24
This verse makes me smile. Jesus
is going to present me faultless before God and the Lord knows
that I have many faults. It’s been said, “to err is human”, but
I guess I am more human than most. That doesn’t really matter, because some way and some how Christ will conform me to His image
(Romans 8:29).
Salvation is complicated. It
isn’t a matter of simply issuing a “Get out of Hell Free” card
to someone once they say a sinner’s prayer. A sinner is not just
saved from the punishment of sin; he’s saved from sin itself. The
Savior starts transforming him into a new creation; old things are
passed away and everything becomes new (2 Corinthians 5:17). A
soul’s human nature gets washed, sanctified, and justified (1
Corinthians 6:11). Believers are chosen by God to be adopted into
His family and accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:4-6). The
job isn’t easy, but in the end, Christ is able to present them
faultless before the throne of grace.
This title applies to the Lord
in His role as Intercessor as He pleads for and purifies the
saints: “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those
who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make
intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
“Being confident of this very
thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it
until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians
1:6).
“That He might present her to
Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such
thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians
5:27).
The Lord Jesus has been working
in my life for over fifty years and has polished out a lot of rough
edges. I know I’m not Christ-like yet, but I’m getting there.
Please have patience with me, because I’m being re-created by Him
who is able to present me faultless before the presence of His
glory with exceeding joy.
No comments:
Post a Comment