All in Christ

We had a wonderful time of fellowship this morning at Ripley Elim Church. The songs and the testimonies all told of God’s faithfulness and that we should proclaim what He has done for us. Pastor Philip is doing a series on Romans and last week and this week the message was from Romans 7. This week he spoke about there being nothing good in us, how then can we be good? Philip has emphasised from Romans over the past few weeks that we cannot in any way receive salvation by any means of our own. We do not deserve it and we cannot earn it. 

Man loves their rules and regulations but Paul makes it clear that the law cannot save, it shows us how sinful we are and points to our need. Even Christians fall into the trap of making up rules for themselves, like thinking they must read the Bible for an hour everyday, and they must pray for two hours everyday, etc. etc. but how condemned we feel when something happens and we haven’t read for an hour or prayed for two hours, God doesn’t want us to make these rituals and duties, He wants us to respond to His love, to desire to speak with Him, to desire to read His word. The law is spiritual, the law is faithful because God is faithful, it is we who are unfaithful. Surely there must be some good in us, no, the scripture makes it perfectly clear that God passes the death sentence on our flesh. God is not in the business of patching up our old nature because it is beyond repair, we have been crucified with Christ.

All who repent of their sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are made new creatures in Him. Whilst ever we are in this mortal body we will have a problem with our flesh, there is a war on and the battle is between the new nature and the old nature. We cannot live the Christian life under our own steam we must let Christ live and work through us. It is a love relationship, we love God because he first loved us, He showed how much He loved us by sacrificing His Son, Jesus Christ who took the punishment for our sin on the cross.

Reading through Romans 7 Paul sounds in despair when he is talking about how there is no good in him, and how he does the things he doesn’t want to but he gives the answer in Romans 8:1-3  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

We are an overcomer only through the person of Jesus Christ and not by any rule keeping. Philip said so much more but the crux of the message was that salvation comes from God alone through Christ alone. So proclaim the wonderful work that God has done in your life and give Him the glory. We ended our meeting with the song

How deep the Father's love for us

If you have never experienced this deep love of God the Bible says that all who seek Him He will not turn away, repent of your sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that you may receive new life in Christ and eternal life.

Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.