by Dr. Ralph Keiper Evangelical Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A FEATURED JANUARY RAD IO MESSAGE
why John the Baptist declared under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth so that He might not only do something for us, but also that He might do something to us. His divine purpose is to make us new creatures in Him that we might fulfill the right eousness which we, in the flesh, could not fulfill according to the law. The Lord Jesus Christ condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit! This forgiveness of sins He accom plished through His death. Because of His imputed righteousness and through His resurrected life, we partake of the risen life of our Lord Jesus. In this man ner we are able to do that which is pleasing in God’s sight. The law, good as it was, had one great limitation. It did not have the enabling power to cause us to do what it advised. When the Lord Jesus Christ came, however, He provided, in our salvation, the pow er to live for Him and to exist day by day in a way pleasing to God. The law demands that we live a perfect life from the cradle to the grave. No one except Christ, of course, has ever done that. Therefore we are under God’s curse. When the Saviour died on (co n tin u ed on n e x t page) 7
H ave you ever felt like crying out with Job, “How can a man be right with God?” Many have experi enced the sheer frustration of endeav oring to merit God’s favor of their own. This can never be accomplished. Look at Scripture for the authentication, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God send ing His Son in the likeness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:3, 4). Why can’t men fulfill the law? Is it because the law is bad that we need to be delivered from it? No, immediate ly we point out that the law is ex cellent and perfect. God gave the law at Sinai to demonstrate His supreme and divine holiness. Herein He sets forth His requirements for a holy peo ple. God, of course knew 'that He had given a perfect law to an imperfect people. That is why, at Sinai, He also provided Israel with the sacrifices and atonements for sin, as prescribed in the book of Leviticus. The priests minis tered daily in the tabernacle, and later in the temple. They carried on the services of God in mediation on behalf of the people. Every Jew brought a sacrifice for himself and for hi? family after his own means. Every Jewish heart knew that these sacrifices could not take away sin. It was done in type looking toward the Messiah. That is
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