GOSPEL NUGGET #636

Mt 9:2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."

His condition was that he had a physical defect --- he was paralyzed. He was helpless in doing anything about it. He needed a miracle. 

His course of action was that he came to the right person. He had faith in Him as the promised Messiah of Israel who will come for them and heal them. 

The Lord Jesus did not ask him if he did good works, if he did community service, if he went to church regularly or if he read his Bible consistently. All these have their proper place but they are not the basis and the cause of his eventual healing. What did the Lord see in him that He healed and forgive him? He saw faith in Him in his heart.

His cure was by mercy through faith alone in Christ alone and not of works.

The physical miracles of the Lord were a demonstration and an illustration of what He could do for us in the spiritual realm. Just as it required a miracle for the paralyzed man to be healed so it requires a miracle for a sinner to be saved. 

And when a sinner is saved, he is "saved by grace through faith...not of works." (Eph. 2:8,9).