Thought for Today - February 12, 2024
Pay For the Salvation of Others
By: Robert A. Searles
“Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they
might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God,
but not according to knowledge. 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. For Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
Romans 10: 1-4
Paul's heart's desire and concern for his fellow
countrymen, Israel, was that they might be saved, and come to the
knowledge of the truth of the way of salvation.
They knew about God,
and had heard about God, and they talked about God. They feared the
wrath of God, and had a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
They were trying to establish their own righteousness by their good
works and trying to appease God and give God a reason for saving them,
not realizing that the righteousness of God is so great and far above
anything they could ever imagine and achieve, that no one but God
himself could measure up to it. They could not see that Jesus, the
Christ, was the only person who could and did fulfill all the
requirements of the law of works, and was willing to impute his
righteousness to them if they would only believe, and confess him as
their Lord.
Our heart's desire for all our relatives, friends,
and loved ones is that they might be saved. Many of our friends,
relatives, and loved ones will tell you that they have heard about God,
they know about God, and may believe that God exists and fear the wrath
of God; consequently, they are going about trying as hard as they might
to establish a record of righteousness with God by their own good works
that will please God, and earn them a place in God's heaven.
If
we want our friends, relatives, and loved ones to be truly saved and
enjoy the blessings of eternal life in heaven with God, somehow we must
reach them with the true message of salvation. God will not be
satisfied with anyone's good works or good deeds and will not be
influenced by them, because none of our good works and deeds can measure
up to his righteousness which is in Christ. Christ alone could measure
up to the righteousness of God, and is willing to impute his
righteousness to all who will believe for their salvation. He paid the
debt that is owed to God for our sins, and none of us can, by any amount
of good works or good deeds, pay for our sins, for we are all sinners,
both Jew and Gentile alike.
The only way that anyone can be
saved is given to us in verse nine of Romans chapter 10. “That if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Psalm 26:
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