APART FROM JESUS

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” -Romans 3:24 -25
 

There is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ. He is the revelation of God’s love, holiness and justice and power. Apart from Jesus, we will never come to know God and what He is like (1 Timothy 2:5). Without Jesus, we will be forever lost to God’s salvation. We may believe in God, generally, and believe that He is great and holy, but without Jesus and His salvation, we will perish.

Many years ago, I read a story of a German statesman who was approaching death. Sad to say, this man had been an agnostic throughout his long life. There was also a Christian minister living in the same town and the diplomat both knew and respected him. The diplomat, knowing that death was closing in, invited the preacher to come to his home and talk about God.

There was one stipulation to the invitation, however: the preacher must not mention the name of Jesus Christ a single time in the discussion. While he welcomed general teaching about God, he did not want it to include Jesus of Nazareth.

Strangely, the minister agreed and in the first session he discussed at great length the love of God. Since God has manifested His love in so many ways, this was not difficult to do without referring to Jesus Christ.

After an hour or so he closed the discussion, still without mentioning the name of Christ, and left. On his second visit, the minister talked about God’s power and wisdom, still discreetly refraining from a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.
On his third visit, the minister discussed the holiness of God, His hatred of sin, and the absolute necessity of righteous judgment being poured out upon every sin. The clergyman called attention to the fact that God could not condone sin in any form and remain holy Himself.

At the conclusion of that discussion the statesman turned to the preacher and noted that he had said strong things. He added, “Isn’t there a solution? Can’t anything be done to escape the judgment of God against sin?”

The Holy Spirit had been working on the dying man, and on the next visit the diplomat greeted the minister by insisting, “You must tell me the whole story. In these past few days, you have talked about God’s love, about His wisdom, about His holiness and judgment. Is there no solution? Is this all there is to God’s message?”

The preacher stood by his bed and looked directly at him, replying, “No, I have not told you the whole story, but it is all I can tell you under the circumstances. You have forbidden me to mention the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and apart from Him there is no solution.” Immediately the statesman responded, “Sir, I apologize. Please tell me how my sins can be forgiven; tell me about this One who can forgive my iniquity and release me from the judgment of wrath which hangs over my head. I do want to know God’s truth.”

Naturally, the man of God opened the Word of God and explained the redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ to the dying sinner. The diplomat believed and called upon the Lord Jesus to save him. That preacher was right: apart from the Lord Jesus there is no message. Apart from the Lord Jesus, we have absolutely nothing specific to say about Redemption.
Apart from the Lord Jesus, we cannot know the fullness of God. Apart from the Lord Jesus, we cannot tell the good news of what God has done for us.

Jesus is our good news.

Jesus is our gospel.

And that’s the Gospel Truth!


-preacher D. G. Miles McKee

http://milesmckee.com/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us, ...
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s...
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi...
Read more