Bible Ballistics: Vol. 9 No.21 What Price Is Right???

 

We hear and see a lot about ‘money’ and ‘pricing’ today, but are we allowing the world to dictate our “price”? Have we sold our souls and our consciences for the world’s ‘gold ring’, the world’s ‘price’? What price are we willing to settle for? When we are born again, we become the children of God; children bought with a price—and that price is the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.

“…..the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” 1 John 1:7b

“But as many as received him,

to them gave he power to become

the sons of God,

even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man,

but of God.” John 1:12-13

When we are born again, by the blood of Jesus, we are made the ‘sons of God’—sons and daughters of God. While we are all the special creation of God, we are not all the ‘sons of God’, the children of God, until we are born again. We who were “dead in trespasses and sin” have received “life’ in Jesus, we have been “quickened” (made alive from the deadness of sin, See Ephesians 2:1-10). We are made alive by the grace of God, and empowered to walk in His life, light, and holiness, all by the power of HIS Holy Spirit.

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4

Jesus gives us new life, eternal life, as well as His indwelling Holy Spirit; His Spirit, which births us, so to speak, into the kingdom of God. It is His light that we can walk in from that time on—not the darkness of the world, though it continually tempts us to walk in the darkness.

“Giving thanks unto the Father,

which hath made us meet to be partakers

of the inheritance

of the saints

in light:

13 Who hath delivered us

from the power of darkness,

and hath translated us

into the kingdom

of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption

through his blood,

even the forgiveness of sins:”    Colossians 1:12-14

Through His sacrifice, God delivers us “from the power of darkness” and has “translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”! It is in Him that we find life, and also in Him we can live every day of our lives in His light. The price has been paid—the only price! Jesus’ substitutionary (He died in my place), atoning (He paid A debt HE didn’t owe, because I owed a debt I couldn’t pay!), sacrifice (The propitiation—payment in full—for sin.) paid for our sin.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Sin is a debt we all owe, because ALL have sinned! But Jesus paid the price for our sin, and once we accept His payment for our sin, in repentance and faith, we have the power through His Holy Spirit, to live victoriously over sin. He imparts the power to live a holy life of victory when we will walk in HIS Spirit and power.

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live by the faith

of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”    Galatians 2:20

Walking in the Spirit is essential to a successful Christian life, which we are called to pursue. Galatians 5, paints a most amazing contrast of the life lived in the flesh, with a life lived walking in The Spirit.

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,

and the Spirit against the flesh:

and these are contrary the one to the other:

so that ye cannot do the things

that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit,

ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;

Adultery,

fornication,

uncleanness,

lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry,

witchcraft,

hatred,

variance,

emulations,

wrath,

strife,

seditions,

heresies,

21 Envyings,

murders,

drunkenness,

revellings,

and such like:

of the which I tell you before,

as I have also told you in time past,

that they which do such things

shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

I would encourage each of us to spend some time going over this list of the “works of the flesh” and examine our own hearts to see how our life lines up—are we living in these ‘works of the flesh’ or are we walking “in the Spirit” as Jesus empowers His children to do? Here is the contrast!

“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is

love,

joy,

peace,

longsuffering,

gentleness,

goodness, faith,

23 Meekness,

temperance:

against such there is no law.

       24 And they that are Christ’s

have crucified the flesh

with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory,

provoking one another,

envying one another.” Galatians 5:16-26

You will notice that Paul calls these qualities the “fruit of the Spirit”—not the “fruits” of The Spirit. When The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, His work will be evident in the expression of these qualities in our daily walk—they are all His work, not just one! God’s children are made alive by HIS Spirit, and as His children we are to “live” in The Spirit, walking (referring to our lifestyle) “in the Spirit”! We can only do that by the power that God imparts to His own through the indwelling Holy Spirit, when we are born again.

When we are saved/born again, we become part of the body of Jesus Christ, and our lives ought to reflect His presence in our heart and in our living. Paul tells us more about this in 1 Corinthians 6:

“Know ye not

that your bodies are the members of Christ?

shall I then take the members of Christ,

and make them the members

of an harlot?

God forbid.

16 What?

know ye not that he which is joined

to an harlot

is one body?

for two, saith he,

shall be one flesh.

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord

is one spirit.

18 Flee fornication.

Every sin that a man doeth

is without the body;

but he that committeth fornication

sinneth against his own body.

19 What?

know ye not that your body

is the temple of the Holy Ghost

which is in you,

which ye have of God,

and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price:

therefore glorify God

in your body,

and in your spirit,

which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:15-20

What price tag do we recognize? Are we living our lives in recognition of the price that Jesus paid for us? Do we understand what Paul is reminding us of, that we “are not (y)our own”, and that we “are bought with a price”! And that price is not to be forgotten or belittled; yet in our culture both seem to be the prevailing attitude.

We often make the cross familiar rather than holy. We have made the cross a decoration, a piece of jewelry, a bobble to hang from a rearview mirror. We paint it, tattoo it, and place it in the yard or on the wall. The cross has been changed from an instrument of death, sacrifice and salvation to a cutesy bobble that people use with no regard for the One who died on “The Cross” to save all who will believe in Him and receive the Gospel of His redeeming blood!

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel

which I preached unto you,

which also ye have received,

and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved,

if ye keep in memory

what I preached unto you,

unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all

that which I also received,

how that Christ died for our sins

according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried,

and that he rose again the third day

according to the scriptures:

5 And that he was seen of Cephas,

then of the twelve:” 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

Christ died for “our sins according to the scriptures” because we needed a Savior, a redeemer—one who would pay our sin debt and deliver us from sin, death and hell! That is what the cross is all about—the price was high, yet God was willing to pay it, not by constraint but because He loves us. (See Ro. 5) What value do you put on the price that Jesus paid? It breaks my heart that we have removed so much of the truth of the cross from the preaching and teaching of our day. We have chosen to spread a gospel of convenience and ease to a world desperately in need of the Gospel of The Cross, for truly “The Old Rugged Cross Made The Difference”! Without the cross there will be no difference made in the hearts and lives of the lost and dying. There is no hope of eternal life apart from the sacrifice that our Lord Jesus made at Calvary. And praise God; He went there for me! God chose to send Jesus for our salvation!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings

in heavenly places

in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us

in him

before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy

and without blame

before him

in love:

5 Having predestinated us

unto the adoption of children

by Jesus Christ to himself,

according to the good pleasure

of his will,

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace,

wherein he hath made us accepted

in the beloved.

7 In whom we have redemption

through his blood,

the forgiveness of sins,

according to the riches

of his grace;” Ephesians 1:3-7

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins”—the work of the cross, all because God loves us. Before the foundation of the world, God chose to send His Redeemer, His Son, who would come to die for us! And that, my friends, is the good news of the Gospel, yet it cost God His only Son—His life for ours, the only price that ever was or ever shall be “Right”! Only One right ‘price’; what have you done with that ONE? We all must choose, and we do choose, and not choosing, IS choosing.

“For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world

to condemn the world;

but that the world

through him

might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him

is not condemned:

but he that believeth not

is condemned already,

because he hath not believed

in the name

of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation,

that light is come into the world,

and men loved darkness

rather than light,

because their deeds were evil.”   John 3:16-19

Have you trusted the One who paid the ‘price’ for your salvation? Or are you living in the dark of condemnation? Only you can answer that question.

“And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18 Forasmuch as ye know

that ye were not redeemed

with corruptible things,

as silver and gold,

from your vain conversation

received by tradition

from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ,

as of a lamb without blemish

and without spot:

20 Who verily was foreordained

before the foundation of the world,

but was manifest in these last times

for you,” 1 Peter 1:17-20

He paid the “price” for YOU, because HE loves YOU!!!