The Curse of Sin

Martin Luther taught that Christ died for the curse of our sin. "He voluntarily fulfilled all righteousness, living under the law without spot or blemish, bore our sins, became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ."

The word curse means to be cut off, that is cut off from the blessing of God and marked for destruction. God's covenant of law promised blessings to those who obey and curses to those who disobey (Deuteronomy 28:15-24). The curse of sin cuts us off from the blessings of God.

Mankind living in sin is controlled by a spirit of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-3). He is under the dominion of sin and the curse of the law. His only hope of salvation is in the sacrifice of Christ alone.  As Luther said, Christ "became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world."

The curse of sin is removed by faith in Christ as our sacrifice! Luther taught that Christ in the atonement "became a curse for us" at the cross (Gal. 3:13). He wrote, "This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ." That means by grace through faith in the atonement of Christ, we are free from the curse! 

The Gospel In Power

John Owen wrote, "Take away the Spirit from the gospel, and you render it a 'dead letter' of no more use to Christians than the Old Testament is to the Jews." He understood that the gospel is effective through the Holy Spirit. And, without the power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel changes no one.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is our salvation. The apostle Paul defined the gospel in these words, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16). That is the gospel of Christ for everyone to hear, but saving only those who believe. They experience the power of God through the gospel changing their lives.

Christians are to spread the gospel for all to hear. The preacher proclaims the gospel to one and all without exception. That's our responsibility to the command of Christ (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15). Having obeyed the command of Christ, we leave the results to God. The gospel is the power of God, through the Holy Spirit convicting and drawing people to Christ (John 16:8-11). 

It is not our methods nor our schemes that makes the gospel effective. Without the power of the Holy Spirit effectively drawing people to Christ, all is vain. That is no excuse to disobey the command to spread the gospel. It is however to make us constantly aware that only God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7). The Spirit of God makes the gospel effective!

Come Holy Spirit

Look at the second chapter of Acts. See something that is often overlooked. Whenever Jesus is honored and exalted, the Holy Spirit comes. Contrary to what some people assume, the important thing here was not that the Holy Spirit had come. More importantly, the Holy Spirit came to confirm the message of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thousands were saved through the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit exalted the risen Christ. The great outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the work of the living Christ. Pentecost declared Jesus is risen indeed!  The Holy Spirit always works to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. Come Holy Spirit to save people through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus promised those early disciples that He would empower them with the Holy Spirit to witness for Him (Acts 1:8). That's exactly what happened on the Day of Pentecost. They witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit drawing people to Christ from many different nations.

The Holy Spirit came to exalt Jesus on the Day of Pentecost through preaching. The apostle Peter preached a sermon about Christ from the Old Testament Scripture and declared the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The Holy Spirit was the witness to the truth of Jesus Christ. On the Day of Pentecost, Jesus Christ was exalted in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit, as we declare Jesus is Lord.

The Secret of Great Faith

Would you like to have great faith? Probably, most Christians would. The only problem is that most of us look for great faith in all the wrong places. There is a secret to having great faith. What is great faith? It's a secret revealed in your Bible.

Understand that faith never comes alone. You will never find faith where you do not likewise find hope and love. These triplets are never separated. If you have one, the other two must be there also. "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). Please note that faith is not the greatest. Love is always the greatest, because "God is love" (1 John 4:8).

Therefore, the secret to great faith is always great love. Faith always follows love. God's love will always give you the faith and hope you need for every trial and test. You need not ask to be filled with great faith. No! Never! Ask God to fill you with His love. Faith will come with love every time.

To have great faith, you need God's love. Those who want strong hope only need to yield to more of God's love. Ask God to fill you with His love. That's the Spirit-filled life, "to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Love is the secret of great faith.