Security! The common denominator of all the aspirations
of the human heart. Mankind has longed for it since time
began. We have built walled cities, made treaties, sought
after power and wealth. Indeed we have tried by every means
possible to be secure in freedom, provisions and in relationships
- especially in our relationship to God.
But according to the Bible, God's word, there is only one
way to true security: Jesus Christ. In the Gospel
of John we read, "I am the way, the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but by Me (John 14:6)."
He can satisfy every need for security because He provides membership
in God's family for now and eternity: "As many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of
God, even to those who trusted in His name (John 1:12)."
Why is Jesus the only way to true security? The Bible
provides the answer. We cannot find security on our own
because we stand condemned before God for sin. The Apostle
Paul's statement in Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and do
fall short of the glory of God." lets us know that every
person in the world is a sinner. What's more this refers
not only to so-called "bad sins" such as murder but
to anything which falls short of God's perfection and excellence.
This sinfulness of mankind means that we lack the righteousness
God requires and, indeed, can never achieve it. Concerning
this requirement, Jesus said, "Unless your righteousness
exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter
the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:20)." Paul puts it
bluntly: "There is none righteous, no not one (Romans
3:10)." Again, that includes everyone. Absolutely
nothing a person can do on his own can ever earn or merit anything
from God, as the prophet Isaiah notes: "All our righteous
works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6)." To Christians
Paul said, "He did not save us on the basis of works which
we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy (Titus
3:5)." The consequence for mankind of this sinfulness
and lack of righteousness is spiritual death - separation from
God: "The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a)."
How then is it possible to have that righteousness necessary
for acceptance by God? The answer is surprising and wonderful:
Christ has provided it for us! The Bible points this out
in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "He [God] made Him [Christ]
who knew no sin to be sin in our place in order that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him." Jesus, who
was perfectly righteous and therefore, did not deserve to die,
took the penalty which we deserved (death, the wages of sin)
upon Himself. Romans 5:8 says, "God proves His love
for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us." Peter proclaims, "[Christ] Himself offered
up our sins in His body on the cross" (1 Peter 2:24), and,
"Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous in place
of the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God (1
Peter 3:18a)." Then Christ was resurrected from the
dead to guarantee resurrection for the righteous (1 Corinthians
15:20-23). In this way God was able both to punish sin
- thereby remaining consistently holy - and to forgive the sinner
- thereby remaining consistently gracious. As Paul puts
it in Romans 3:26: "[He did this] in order that He
might be righteous and pronounce righteous the one who has faith
in Jesus." God gives salvation as a gift: "The
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23)."
There is, however, a condition. That is, salvation is
not automatic, for when the Philippian jailor asked Paul and
Silas, "What must I do to be saved?," the reply was,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved
(Acts 16:30-31)." Paul says it this way in Romans
4:5, "To the one who does not work, but believes in Him
who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is reckoned as
righteousness." The Greek work translated "believe"
indicates that the facts about Jesus must be accepted (that He
was God in the flesh, etc.) and means that He must be depended
on for salvation. In other words, there are two aspects
to the meaning of the word—belief in facts and trust in a person.
Therefore, if you think that your sins are not bad enough
to condemn you or that you can save yourself by church membership,
baptism, etc., you must change your mind about those incorrect
beliefs, believe what the Bible says about your sinful and separated
condition and trust Christ to save you personally. Then,
and only then, will you be saved and secure - when you take God's
route to security.
For those who reject God's remedy for sin, the condemnation
for sinfulness stands and results in permanent separation from
God and punishment in the lake of fire: "The one who believes
in the Son has eternal life, but the one who does not obey the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him
(John 3:36);" "and if anyone was not found written
in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation
20:15)." This is the scriptural destiny for all those
who reject Christ.
Well, what about you my friend? Will you try to find
security your own way and regret it for eternity or will you
accept God's free gift of eternal life and have real security
- now and forever? It is my prayer that you will place
your trust in Christ as your Savior right now, wherever you are
- and live forever secure in God's family.