GOSPEL LIGHT #736

 Pax Romana and Pax Christi

Pilate (any governor appointed by Rome for that matter) was responsible for two things: a) Maintain order at all cost b) Keep the taxes flowing.

Pilate saw that refusing the crowd would spark a riot. So he delivered the Lord Jesus to be crucified.. Peace at the cost of Christ. Pax Romana.

It's the same with us. In order to have peace with God, it came at the cost of the Lord Jesus Christ. Once order is established between God and man through the cross, God's blessings flows to man. Pax Christi.

GOSPEL LIGHT #735

Personal Relationship with Jesus Misconception 

It has become common nowadays to encourage people to have "a personal relationship with Jesus." When I was in my 20s what they usually and commonly mean by this is that one now has to start doing the following:|

Pray to Him directly, not just recite formal prayers. Read the Bible as His Word to them and not just a mere literature. Submission to His authority not as a mere obligation. Viewing Him as living  and present and not just as a historical figure.  

Practically, to them, one becomes a Christian when one starts to sincerely live the Christian life. This is essentially salvation by works dressed up in personal-relationship-with-Jesus language! How is this different in principle to just obey and live the Ten Commandments to become a Christian? 

We all have a relationship with God whether we like it or not. Either one is an enemy of God or one who is reconciled to Him. We all start out as enemies of God. And the only way to be reconciled and have peace with Him is through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins. The moment we put our trust in what He did on the cross is the very moment when have a blessed relationship with Him.

 RO 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

RO 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

RO 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 

RO 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 

RO 5:11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

GOSPEL LIGHT #784

Theresa Made It Easy and So Did God

I was once at a birthday celebration when something caught my attention. It made me "write home" so to speak. It gave me a gospel light to write about. 

In the middle of the party, the family decided to play a voice recognition game. The birthday celebrant was made to turn away from the crowd. One by one, people approached her from behind and greeted her. Her task was to correctly identify each person just by their voice.

Some people deliberately changed their voices, just to make the game a bit more difficult. Then came Theresa. Unlike the others, she spoke plainly and naturally, her voice distinct and unmistakable. The celebrant caught her voice and the prize was hers!

This is a beautiful illustration of how God made salvation accessible, uncomplicated and straightforward for us. He made faith in Christ as the condition of salvation! In His goodness and kindness to us, He made the condition of salvation very, very, very simple. 

Just like the celebrant didn’t have to struggle to recognize Theresa’s voice, we don’t have to figure out complicated requirements to receive salvation. Simply trust in Christ and what He did on the cross for you and you will be saved!