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Thursday, 5. November 2009

Today's Photos

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Another brilliant sunset again this evening.







We glorify God by working out our own salvation

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“We glorify God by working out our own salvation. God has twisted together his glory and our good. What an encouragement is this to the service of God, to think, while I am hearing and praying, I am glorifying God; while I am furthering my own glory in heaven, I am increasing God’s glory.

Would it not be an encouragement to a subject, to hear his prince say to him, You will honour and please me very much, if you will go to yonder mine of gold, and dig as much gold for yourself as you can carry away? So, for God to say, Go to the ordinances, get as much grace as you can, dig out as much salvation as you can; and the more happiness you have, the more I shall count myself glorified.”

—Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1997), 13-14

Reflection on Hebrews 9:23-28

Scripture

We die only once and then we are judged.

Observation

All of the temples, sacrifices, tabernacles and so one, al of the paraphernalia of the Jewish religious system are just copies of what is in heaven. They are a picture, a physical representation of the heavenly, spiritual realm

So although the physical copy is cleansed through regular sacrifices in the temple, the real work of reconciliation takes place in heaven through the one true sacrifice of Christ the perfect Son of God.

The sacrifice of Christ can happen only once because He is perfect and because He can only die once.

We die once and then are judged. He died once to save us through the judgement.

Application

Christ's death is the end of religion- it is anti-religion. Sacrifices, vows, striving to please an unknown God, are all done away with. The copy is no longer needed because God's own perfect sacrifice is here.

All of our attempts to please God are exposed as feeble and ineffective. The perfect sacrifice does away with it all.

Jesus will not save us from judgement but He does save us through judgement. He is our advocate, the one who guarantees that we will be found innocent.

We die just once- there is only one life to be lived on this planet. There is no endless cycle of karma and reincarnation- just the one judgement and the offer of the free grace of God. In that sense Jesus saves us from reincarnation and from the iron law of karma. God's grace triumphs over all religion.

Prayer

Lord Jesus you have paid the price for my sin. I thank you for setting me free through your perfect sacrifice. Amen.

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