The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Mark 7:14-15, 20-23,
“Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him “unclean” by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him “unclean.”’… He went on: ‘What comes out of a man is what makes him “unclean.” For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man “unclean.”’
This “clean” / “unclean” issue had to do with ceremonial cleansings the Jews employed to make themselves acceptable to God, so they thought. Jesus pointed out to them that it wasn’t about to help at all. Mankind is “unclean” from the deepest root within him. His heart is desperately wicked and makes him unacceptable to God.
Yet God loves all mankind and has made provision for each of us to become acceptable or holy to him. In Hebrews 10:10 we read, “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” In speaking of those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, the writer of Hebrews goes on to say a few verses later, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Through Jesus Christ, because of his sin-payment he made on our behalf as he hung on that cross, we are now holy! Because of Jesus Christ and the pain and death he endured on our behalf we who have embraced him in faith have been made holy, acceptable to God. We may sin and disappoint God and ourselves but through the atonement of Jesus Christ we remain acceptable to God, holy and are able to come into his presence with confidence!
How wonderful is that?!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!
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