DIFFERENT SOULS, SAME SAVIOUR

A woman once went to the house of a Pharisee. A dinner was ongoing but she had not come for the delicacies. Her goal was clear– she headed straight for the main guest, stooped low to His feet, face bowed and crying uncontrollably. Her hair was all over his feet, drying the tears as they flowed freely on them. She finally lavished an expensive perfume on His feet which were already very dusty from several journeys. What inspired her actions with such depth of emotions? She had come to the Saviour seeking pardon for her sins, for they were many; and she was forgiven all of them all (Luke 7:36-50). 

The same Saviour met a woman with a terrible past; her present was not good as well – having had five husbands and presently with a man who was not even her husband. She had probably been written off by her family and society. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He knew all about her, just like He does each of us. However, just as His nature is, He did not condemn her but went on to restore her. (John 4:5-42).

Willing to save both the rich and the poor, Jesus invited one rich ruler to follow Him. The man was still in his prime years and was probably beginning to hit even greater wealth. Too attached to his wealth and ambitions, he turned down the offer (Luke 18:18-25). But there was another rich man, Zaccheus, who caught the attention of the Lord because he was keen on seeing Him while Jesus passed through Jericho (Luke 19:6). The Saviour went to his house the same day to be his guest. That action was a flow of overwhelming love reaching into the inner recesses of the heart of this publican. He repented of his sins and received salvation.

Luke 8:26-39 tells us of a mad man from Gadarene, who also encountered the Lord and was delivered from the many demons he was possessed of. This man obviously had no one to help him. Who could even go near such a man?  He had not even known there was someone who could cure his madness, but the Saviour came to his rescue. Wow! Such great love. The Saviour's love is far-reaching and beyond any human reasoning. 

The case of the woman ‘caught in the act’ would have repelled our religious/self-righteous selves, if found in that situation. Many pastors would have failed that test of love. But our beautiful Lord wisely dismissed her accusers and forgave her sin. What about Peter who had been one of Jesus’ disciples, who denied Him at a most crucial time? Nothing could have been more hurtful than to be denied thrice by one of your closest friends, even after he had been forewarned. What did the Saviour do when Peter repented? He forgave him.

Different souls, same Saviour; different experiences and ordeals life threw at them– yet for everyone who turned to the Saviour, they never got disappointed. Do you feel like you have already disappointed the Saviour as a believer through what you may have thought, done or said? Do you feel unworthy of His love because of a fall and you have concluded your life based on that seeming fall from grace? Hear this – you could never surprise the Lord; no one could. Remember, He “…was in all points tempted like as we are…” (Heb 4:15). What point of your life are you in right now? He’s been there.

Satan will do anything possible to keep one in guilt and shame but the Saviour is always touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He never condemns because then, He wouldn't be able to save (John 3:17; 8:11). Condemnation and salvation are worlds apart; in fact, they are beings apart. Satan is the one who condemns; that nature is his but the Lord has nothing of such in Him. The devil is always seeking an opportunity to steal, kill and destroy a soul. He would haunt him with everything he made him do until such a person gives up on himself. This was the case with Judas. Having been eaten so deep by sin and self-condemnation, he became too weak to crawl to the Saviour for forgiveness and restoration; thus, he hung himself.

Do not let Satan cheat you! Irrespective of how your life has been or may seem, you can come to the Saviour just the way you are. He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from “all” unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9). But, we ought to be willing to receive His cleansing power to make us whole. We ought not to remain in our old ways and think that the Saviour's love covers it all. Of course His love covers, but the hatred of the devil is very much alive too. He would want you to continue in sin “that grace may abound”, but it does not work that way. We need to genuinely trust in the Lord for us to be free from the sin nature.

Sin is a nature that every man needs to be delivered from. It doesn't matter how it manifests itself; when the Lord sees that lie, theft, fornication or murder, He actually sees the sin nature, not the sinner, but He would want the sinner to be free from it. We must know to continually go to Jesus for the remission of our sins. We must never be satisfied with our current state; this is how we can be helped. The moment we begin to look to ourselves (where nothing good can be found in), we begin to fall from grace. But we should always “come boldly unto the throne of grace [the place of the speakings of grace], that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16).

Are you yet to be born-again? Why remain in sin and servitude to the devil? The Saviour already paid the price for your freedom. Firstly you must believe in His death and resurrection, and then you must confess His lordship over your life. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Rom. 10:9). It is as simple as that – you are a new man! With the help of a Bible-believing church, you will learn to live in obedience to His word. When we live to give the Saviour pleasure, we find true fulfillment and purpose for our lives. There is nothing as blessed as giving our all for the Saviour who gave us His all.

Happy Easter Celebration!

For: EGFM Editorial