Born Faith

 

by Jose Barajas

I have seven brothers and two sisters, as I have stated in the past. My parents are Mexican who were both born in Mexico. All of us, with the exception of my little brother, were born in Mexico. The fact that my little brother was born in America, makes him an American citizen, but he is still Mexican. After years of us living in the United States, some of my brothers, a sister, and both my parents received their citizenship and became American citizens, but they are still and will always be Mexican. Regardless of what our citizenship may be, we are what race, or nationality we were born into, and nothing we do can change that.

The book of Romans, written by the apostle Paul, is one of the great books in the Bible, and one of my favorites. There is what is called the Roman road of salvation when one is sharing the gospel of Jesus, and I want to focus on what Romans is truly teaching here. Let’s look at what Paul writes in Romans three twenty three, 

“for ALL HAVE SINNED and fall short of the glory of God,” (ESV) (Emphasis added)

Watchman Née writes is his book “The Normal Christian Life”,  

“You will scarcely find the word `sinner' in the first four chapters of Romans. This is because there the sinner himself is not mainly in view, but rather the sins he has committed. The word `sinner' first comes into prominence only in chapter 5, and it is important to notice how the sinner is there introduced. In that chapter a sinner is said to be a sinner because he is born a sinner; not because he has committed sins.” 

Paul is reminding us that we are sinners, not because we commit sins, but that we sin because we are sinners. Paul writes in Romans five nineteen A, 

“One man disobeyed God, and many became sinners.” (NCV)

There are many pastors and false prophets out there teaching what it means to be a sinner and what we have to do to change that, but God’s word is very clear. First, we can’t on our own be anything else than what we were born into, and that is a sinner who sins. Now before you start writing me hate mail, commenting that I'm wrong, or accusing me of justifying sin, that is not what I am saying. Paul himself tells us in chapter six of Romans,

“So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us even more grace? No! We died to our old sinful lives, so how can we continue living with sin?” (NCV) 

There are two things going on in the book of Romans that we need to be reminded of. From chapter One, one to chapter five, eleven, it is about the sins and us being cleansed by the blood of Jesus. From chapter five, twelve to chapter eight, thirty-nine, we see sin, not plural. We as humans need forgiveness from our sins, which is the blood, but we also need deliverance from our sin, which is the cross or being crucified with Jesus. 

The first section says we cannot come to God without the blood of Jesus. That's because there isn’t enough we can do, nor can we live in a way that would be sufficient for God to see us as good. The writer of Hebrews says in chapter ten,

“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (ESV)

The writer isn’t telling us that Jesus cleanses our heart, because Jeremiah reminds us that the heart is wicked, but that God is giving us a new heart. We don’t wash or iron clothes that we are going to throw away. Ezekiel thirty six reminds us of what God is going to do, 

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (ESV)

We must remember that the blood was not about us, but for God. In Leviticus sixteen on the Day of Atonement, the high priest alone was to take the blood into the Most Holy Place and sprinkle it there to make atonement before the Lord. In Exodus twelve the blood was out on the lintel and on the doorposts. What does Moses write,

“But the blood will be a sign on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Nothing terrible will hurt you when I punish the land of Egypt.” (NCV) 

Where were the Israelites? They were inside enjoying the Passover meal. The blood was enough for God to see, and for Him to pass over them. I think too many of us, and this includes me, believe that it’s all about us and how we act or how we feel when we come to God. But, without the blood of Jesus we are just “doing” church, ministry, or life in general. Are we approaching God based only on days when we feel good, or when we really did so many good deeds, and thus attributing them to how God sees us? Or do we stay away from reading and approaching God, because today I sinned and I'm not really into facing God. But in reality, with Jesus we can “do” all through HIM, but only because of His blood. So we can draw near or come boldly to GOD through HIM. The writer of Hebrews says in chapter four,

“Therefore since we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a High Priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.” (NET)

Jesus did what the human high priest couldn’t do for the people. While only the high priest could enter the holy of holies, and only once a year, Because of Jesus and with His blood, are we able to come boldly and daily into the presence of God. I am a sinner because I was born a sinner and I sin because of that, similar to being Mexican, because I was born Mexican and nothing will change that, but the beauty of simplicity is that Jesus gave His blood to make me clean when God looks at me. 

The second part of Romans I mentioned above, is about the cross and us being crucified with Christ. The blood can wash away my sin as the old great hymn echoes, but it cannot wash away the “old man” in me, it needs the cross to crucify me. The blood deals with the sins, but only the cross can deal with the sinner. Paul writes in Romans six, six

“We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (ESV)

And he also writes in Galatians two,

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, THEN CHRIST DIED FOR NO PURPOSE.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)

To be “In Christ”, we must understand that when Jesus died on the cross and rose, we too were crucified and risen with Him. His crucifixion is past, so ours isn’t and can’t be future. No where in the Bible does it say our crucifixion with Jesus is in the future. Does God crucify us physically? No! The Greek aorist that is used is a “once for all”, and “eternally past” tense. To have died in Christ is not only a doctrinal position, but an eternal and indisputable fact. Luke records in Acts Two what Peter said in his message at Pentecost,

““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, DELIVERED UP ACCORDING TO THE DEFINITE PLAN AND FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)

John also wrote in Revelation Thirteen speaking of those who would follow the beast,

“and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone WHOSE NAME HAS NOT BEEN WRITTEN BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD IN THE BOOK OF LIFE OF THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)

Paul also writes in Colossians One, speaking of Jesus, 

“And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, MAKING PEACE BY THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)

If I were to mail you a Bible, and I put a piece of paper in that Bible, though the paper is not originally in the Bible, the paper will go with the Bible wherever it goes. The paper cannot go on its own or be left, if it stays in the Bible. God has put us in Christ, for whatever Jesus went through, we too have gone through. I know it may be tough for many to understand or believe this concept, but if we truly study the word of God in context and according to what the writers were saying through the Holy Spirit, our eyes and ears can be opened to these truths. 

Paul reminds us that when we come to Jesus, we become a new creation, read what he writes in Second Corinthians five,

“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;” (ESV)

In order for us to die to sin, we must first be cleansed by the blood, then crucified in Christ so that this old man can pass away. We can walk our walk in Jesus as zombies and think we are okay, but sadly we will end up like Judas. In order to grow in our Christian walk, we must be “in Christ.” We are to put away foolish things, run the race, and not worry about worldly things. Yet we are also to preach the gospel of reconciliation and of forgiveness which only comes with Jesus' blood, death, and resurrection. The cross is the mighty act that transforms us from Adam to Christ. 

So my question is, are you content being what you were born into? I’m not talking lineage or nationality, but a sinner walking aimlessly thru this world, hoping things will get better, or maybe you feel okay where you are in life? I pray that you understand that everyone sins and is a sinner, but Jesus only can truly set you free, free of the sins and free from the bondage of continuing to sin. Will we be perfect and never sin again? No, but everyday we will depend more and more on Jesus and let His life be truly lived in us, for I want to be “in Christ” today, tomorrow, and forevermore!”

Jose Barajas