"Life If Only They Obey"

“You warned them to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands. They did not follow your regulations, by which people will find life if only they obey. They stubbornly turned their backs on you and refused to listen. [Nehemiah 9.29]

Old Testament, right? Of course.

Jesus paid the price for our redemption, right? Of course He did. What is the benefit of that? Ultimately, it is eternal life, right? Of course. But what other benefit is provided by Jesus' sacrificial death on our behalf? We don't have to offer sacrifices and offerings of bulls, goats, grains, and liquids. right? Of course.

But here is my question: do we still have to repent? If Jesus "paid it all" is repentance still required? Of course it is. The ministries of both John the Baptist and Jesus can be summed up in this phrase: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

We are not relieved of the responsibility to live holy lives. We are not relieved of the responsibility to obey God. We are not relieved of the responsibility to the obedience of faith. Jesus, by shedding His own blood, indeed relieved us of the responsibility to offer the blood of animals. However, Jesus never intended for us to ignore our responsibility to obey God in every way. AND, Jesus never even suggested that we no longer need to repent.

We have some dangerous ideas in Christendom today that have nothing to do with the truth of God's Word. These dangerous ideas have led men to believe "accepting Christ" as a one-time ritual is a free pass to heaven regardless of the life they live. Nothing in the Bible should be construed to mean that - because it doesn't.

Obedience remains a mandate for all and repentance remains a mandate when obedience falls short. Jesus is the reason we don't have to offer the blood of animals, but He is not a reason not to repent for our disobedience.

How can we be sure we need to repent because of disobedience? Because curses still reveal sin and disobedience. Where a curse is seen, obedience has been broken and repentance is necessary. Part of the dangerous idea mentioned above is that curses are no longer a sign of disobedience. Along with the erroneous idea that Jesus somehow relieved us of the need to repent, it was necessary (to maintain the folly) to adopt the anti-Biblical idea that curses 'just happen.' Even more blasphemous is the popular suggestion that God randomly applies curses today for any other reason than to signal man's need to repent!

I don't care how "good" a person may be seen or think he is, if a curse manifests, then the only response is repentance in Jesus' name. Repentance is the heart attitude and Jesus is the sacrifice. Forgiveness is the result. I know this does not fit the popular irresponsible and proud religious ideologies of today, but the Bible is clear. 

It is time that God's true believers look and act like true believers. Doing so, will likely get us 'crucified' like our Lord Jesus - after all, He did say we are to take up our cross and follow Him... And, it will be the popular religious organization that opposes us just like it was the popular religious organization that opposed and crucified Jesus!

What part of Matthew 7.13-14 have we misunderstood (or worse, ignored)?

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. [Matthew 7.13-14]

God help us to have a broken and contrite spirit! We need to repent and get good at repentance. Then, and only then, will we find unhindered faith to both give and receive the forgiveness that breaks the curses on our lives and the lives of those we encounter.

For all the "faith teaching" out there, it is sad that few, if any, build that faith teaching on the foundation of thorough repentance. How we compare our obviously faithless lives to Jesus and think we are okay is beyond me.

Father, forgive me for holding back when it comes to repentance. Forgive me for all the times I have excused myself as innocent instead of repenting when the circumstances of my life clearly meet the criteria of curses described in Your Word (Deuteronomy 28). As I come boldly to Your throne in Jesus' name, let my boldness be seen in the audacity of declaring Jesus' name in my repentance before You. As repentance completely tears down and destroys the man I am, let the life of Christ resurrect Himself through me so that He is increased and I am decreased!