Over the past few weeks, I had in the series Glory to Glory presented to you the magnificent beauty which is seen in the face of Christ; a beauty to be greatly desired. I have presented to you that Christ is the only way to have a relationship with God; because He is the one who bore the wrath of an Almighty, All powerful, Just God who could not look upon man’s unrighteousness. Indeed in our unrighteous state unless we accept Christ as our Savior and receive His cloak of righteousness to cover us we cannot look upon the full Glory of God without being burned by it’s flames. Exodus 24: "17 And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount" The magnificence of God’s Glory is so great that we cannot on this earth ever fully see it; but we can see glimpses of it which draw us ever nearer. Exodus 33: "18 And he (Moses) said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.19 And He (God) said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20 And He (God) said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." Christ came in human flesh so that we might gaze upon His face, His love, and His willingness to die in our place. He had set aside the heavenly Glory which He knew so as to suffer and die in our place. John 17: "O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
Some would try to say that there are many ways to Heaven and that my insistence in Christ being the only way is intolerant. Others would insist that they have lived a "good life" and therefore deserve heaven. Some would insist that it is Christ plus works that leads to heaven and that though salvation is somehow procured through Christ it is maintained by our own strength to perform afterwards. These statements I wish to address below.
To the first, let me say that Christ Himself has declared, John 14: "6 I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Mankind’s condemnation had already been in place. The mere fact that God has not yet completely destroyed the entire human race is an act of mercy and grace. The law had been given; but the law could not save mankind–it merely proved what a regenerate bunch we are. That was why the sacrificial system was needed even in the old testament, pointing toward the Messiah who would pay the penalty for our sins once as the final sacrifice. Therefore, Christ came not to condemn; but to set the sinner free from the chains which bound him and to be the only propitiation for sin. John 3: "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" There could be no other way to God but the way that He provided at a grave cost to Himself. We can never appreciate the magnitude of Christ’s Sacrifice unless we comprehend the magnitude of God’s wrath against sin–it is like a consuming fire. Christ bore the fullness of that wrath in my place. There is no other means of salvation given to mankind. Indeed, how much greater could God’s wrath burn than the rejection of His ultimate sacrifice?
Hebrews 10: "29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." It is His mercy that allows each sinner to live one more day, to have one more chance to accept His gift of salvation.
And to those who believe their own works will get them into the presence of God? Romans 3: "10 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." The very thought of using our own "righteousness" is demonstrative of how self-exalting we really are, thinking ourselves to be glorious on the same level as our Creator. How foolish we are if we have not seen the darkness which fills our own heart.
For those who think it is Christ plus works, are you so proud as to believe without His indwelling power that you could ever of your own will perform anything worthy of praise? Every act of kindness, every moment of grace demonstrated must come from Him. Did He not say upon the cross "It is finished."? What can I add to His completed work? My only hope to ever demonstrate or live out His likeness is to moment by moment die to my own self and look, steadily gazing upon His face of love. I have no righteousness, but that given to me by Him.
Yet, if your only reason to seek salvation is to avoid God’s wrath and you do not see Him as Gloriously Beautiful; then, I fear you do not know Him. So, what are the steps of salvation?
1. I must recognize that God is Holy and I am a sinner undeserving of Grace.
2. I must see God as Gloriously Beautiful, the greatest treasure which I seek with all my heart, mind and soul. He being so worthy of my praise, that even if He never gave me anything, even if heaven and hell were not on the line–I would still praise Him for Who He Is, the Great I am.
3. I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, part of the triune God who came to live on earth in perfect righteousness, take upon Himself the full wrath that I deserved, die on the cross, and is now sitting on His throne at the right Hand of the Father making intercession for all who come to Him believing.
4. I must then ask Him into my heart.
Below I have included this youtube video I found with an excerpt of an incredible sermon Jonathan Edwards wrote in the 1700’s read by Max Mclean. You can purchase the sermon in it’s entirety at http://www.listenersbible.com/products/audio-cds/jonathan-edwards-sinners-in-the-hands-of-angry-god?cPath=3 or at the i-tunes store like I did. The sermon is titled "Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God"