The only reason it is safe for us to draw near to God is because of something that has happened entirely outside of ourselves in history (Gal 3:13). There’s no point in looking within ourselves for something to qualify us for God’s favor as everything pertaining to us, that is everything outside of Christ, is already condemned. Apart from Christ Jesus we have no hope (Romans 3:10 ff).
But here’s how ridiculous things are; condemned men whose best efforts are rejected by heaven try to use religious works to impress God. In doing so they reject that Jesus is the only qualified mediator to mend the God-declared separation between themselves and the Holy One. They will try anything and everything other than resting on Christ alone for their entire reconciliation. Are you in anyway like that?
Horatius Bonar tells the story of a man, troubled by his sense of separation from God, who thought that if he could just be religious enough he could fix things up between himself and the Almighty. He chose prayer as his religious practice and reasoned that the Lord would be impressed by a praying man and would, therefore, accept him. After many weeks of praying he felt that not much progress was being made so he doubled the amount of his devotions, saying to himself, "Surely if I try harder God will take notice and will give me peace." But no peace came. So he then decided to have family worship in his home, reasoning that, " Now the Lord is bound to take notice of me and my efforts." But there was still the great awareness of separation. Eventually he decided to hold a prayer meeting in his house and set aside a particular night. He invited his neighbors and prepared himself for conducting the meeting by writing a prayer and learning it off by heart. As he finished learning it, he threw it down on the table saying, "Surely that will do, God will now give me peace." In that moment, a still small voice seemed to speak in his ear, saying, "No, that will not do; but Christ will do." Immediately, the scales fell from his eyes, and he saw that Christ had done enough in His doing, dying and rising again. He saw that, in the light of the gospel, his efforts to impress God were redundant to the uttermost. Instantly, peace poured into his soul like a river. >From then on "Christ will do," became his lifetime motto!
He was so right! Christ will do! Christ will do for He is the only reconciler of man to God (Eph 2:13). Christ will do for He alone is the appointed mediator between the sinner and the All-Holy majestic One (1 Tim 2:5). Christ will do for He is the only one who poured out His life’s blood for sinners (Heb 10:19-22). Christ will do for He has risen in glorious triumph over the grave (John 10:17-18). Christ will do for He is heaven’s champion (Heb 2:10). Christ will do for He is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15), the brightness of His glory and the express image of his person (Heb 1:3). Christ will do for the Father has one crowning purpose, which is to demonstrate His glory and grace in His well beloved Son (Eph 2:7). Christ will do for all events are moving towards that day when every knee will bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Kurios, the Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).
What a great life motto for us as we learn to look away from ourselves and our supposed sufficiency—“Christ will do.”
He has bought me with His blood; Reconciled my soul to God; Made me fit for glory too, And will bring me safely through.
Christ will do!
What a great folly there is in performing religious works to try to get closer to God. If that’s what we are doing, then deep within our hearts we are saying, “Christ will not do!” The truth is, we can’t be any nearer to God than we already are in Christ. What a disaster, then, to think that our performance can improve on that of Christ’s finished work. Yes, Yes, Yes, Christ will do!
And that’s the Gospel Truth!