THE REFUGE
“For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle,” 1 Corinthians 15:9 NASBS
All of Christianity hinges upon this one point: that Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of God, fulfilled the righteous demands of the law, was crucified, placed in a tomb, raised from the dead on the third day, and then received into heaven. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth concerning this, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”
He further adds, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christwhom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
Paul recognizes that all of humanity needs a savior including himself by saying, “I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
The apostle understood that no matter how moral he tried to be in keeping the law, that there was a bend towards wickedness in his heart that must be dealt with. He states in his letter to the church in Rome, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
Among human beings, it is undeniable that there is a desire to carry out good deeds and to bring justice to those who have been hurt. But what I’m seeking to prove is that there is a principal evil that man must contend with from his birth.
The definition of evil is that which is contrary to the perfect law of God, in which that perfect law is also attributed to God’s perfect character. Considering that, there lies the problem, for there is no one born of the seed of man who is perfect.
I believe we all agree that there are no individuals who have not lied or have not told all the truth about a particular situation, which is merely a lie in itself. There are no individuals in the world who haven’t been angry with someone for the wrong reasons or even wished the worst for them. We’ve all at some point coveted someone else’s possessions, proving discontent with the very things that we have. The truth is, jealousy, vengeance, rage, adultery, immorality, hatred, and violence are all active sins in the hearts of all human beings. Without question, there are countless other sins that could be included on this list.
The focus should not be on external acts of things committed, but rather on the internal workings of sin in the heart that motivate people to commit inward corruptions that have been exacerbated. The scriptures tell us, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.” Now based on this understanding, we can see where we all need a Savior. That is, one who is, “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”
My friend, that person is Jesus Christ. He is the conqueror of sin, hell, and death. He wears the glory of His wounds in heaven, where He has become the advocate for all who come to Him in faith and repentance.
He “upholds all things by the word of His power,” and He has made purification of sins. He is seated at the right side of the majesty on high, where ten thousand times ten thousand angels serve Him. His years are without end and He is this promised savior from the foundations of the world.
Therefore cast your hope upon this eternal king, Jesus Christ, Who came from heaven and clothed Himself in the frailty of flesh for a time. After His work was completed, fulfilling the righteous demands of God’s law, He ascended back to heaven where He reigns forevermore.
And one day He will come back for His spotless bride who has been washed in His own blood.
Come to Jesus today and be saved; may God give you the strength to do so.