In Matt 28:20, we read 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Many years ago, during times of great trial I would come to this verse to no avail for I could not find any reason why I could claim this promise. You see I look at myself, I see my sin, my failures to live up to God's standards and coming to this verse with all of those staring back at me only made my heart sink in despair.
Only lately have I found confidence in the promise found in that verse and the one in Heb 13:5
for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.How can I claim such a promise? Dear friend it is not because of anything inside you, but simply because Jesus bled and died for you. That is the reason why we can have confidence that Christ will be with us always, unto the very end of the world. It is because Jesus died for you.
At the cross God forsook Christ so that today God does not have to forsake you.
Another fact related to the dying and bleeding of Jesus is our baptism. According to God's Word, in Romans 6, we have been united with Christ at his death, burial and resurrection when we got baptised. God united us with Christ in our baptism.
No matter how it looks in the end, God will lead us back to the evidence for the reason Christ will never leave us nor forsake us, the proof we can rely on this promise is the Cross.
So I tell myself and you, next time you feel God has left you alone, look at the Cross, you will be convinced what you have taught about God is so wrong.
3 comments:
Is this like eternal security? Not that I have a problem with that.
Thanks for a great question.
I am not sure about the category of eternal security, seems Calvinists talk more about this than Lutherans. I definitely know that as Lutherans, we have assurance rather than security. It seems to me that security only happens when we are in heaven, when faith turns to sight. Security can imply you have something unconditionally - even if you become faithless in the end.
What we are about is to look always at the cross. This looking at the cross is faith. So this constant looking at the cross where Jesus died for us is the basis for the "yes" and "amen" to all the promises of God - ie because Jesus died for me, I can trust that the promises of God is true, 2Cor 1:20. I think this is a safe place to be if you mean by that it is security, then ok.
If you look at the promises of God without the cross, you will have no basis for standing at those promises, why would God oblige those promises to you? - you are sinner (we are sinners). But the cross is outside you, extra nos, so when we come to God claiming the promises, we come because he gave the gift - the cross. and that is where all the blessings flow.
Blessings,
LPC
I know I'm a bit late here, but thanks for the response.
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