Let us ask the question of questions for which the answer will determine if the religion of Jesus Christ is true: does He have the power to save people who are addicts? If not, there is no use pretending that He is a Savior from (not in) sin; hoping that He can save us after we die is futile if He cannot save us from addictions while we are alive. The power to resurrect from the dead must surely be greater than the power needed to deliver from a drug, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, gluttony, or whatever, addiction!
Well, Scripture seems clear, and we dare not try to contradict what it says: "He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost [perfectly, completely, Greek] those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:24, 25). And Jesus says, "The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37).
Let's grasp what is here in those words: (1) As our High Priest, Jesus lives today as He lived 2000 years ago--His business is saving people from sin and addictions; that's His specialty; Peter says that He has no competitor in that "business," nobody else can do it, nobody else even wants to do it or presses that Good News upon you (see Acts 4:12).
(2) Jesus Christ as Savior is more real than any human being you have ever set eyes upon. Any one of us can cease to be at any moment; Jesus Christ? No, never. Therefore He is the only genuine Reality in the universe. Choose therefore to link your existence to Him.
(3) He is "able" in that He has infinite power to "save." The only missing link in this chain is your "coming" to God, and your coming depends on your choice.
(4) But there is only one way to "come" to God and that is "through Him," the text says clearly. You don't come to God through Mohammed, or Confucius, or through New Age, or even through a Pope or any earthly priest: you come "through Christ."
(5) But what does that mean? You realize, you grasp, you believe, that in your place with the identical temptations you have, He had the precise struggle you have, felt the strength of the temptation fully as much (even more!) than you do, and overcame, "condemned sin in the flesh [that is, yours]," precisely so that you might trample upon sin and temptation, "condemn" it in your flesh, and walk away free from its slavery (see Rom. 8:3, 4).
Yes, the religion of Jesus is true, not as magic or folklore or old wives' fables, but as logical, common-sense, "reasonable" truth (Isa. 1:18; Rom. 12:1). "There is no other name under heaven." Believe it!
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 22, 2000.
Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them tosubscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" Web site resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
To subscribe send an e-mail message with "subscribe" in the body of the message to: dailybread@1888message.org
To un-subscribe click on this link: Unsubscribe me from this contact list
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
