Ephesians 3:12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Everything is dependent on Christ. That’s why Jesus said so clearly, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Apart from faith in Christ, anyone drawing close to God, in our natural, sinful state, would get zapped, much like in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sometimes fiction can help us understand truth! We really have trouble understanding the absolute holiness of God, and how sinfulness simply cannot exist in His presence. The more we understand His holiness, the more we grasp how incredible and magnificent His grace toward us really is. We rightly love the song, Amazing Grace, but most of the time we live without a grasp of how essential that grace is to us. Physicists tell us about matter and antimatter, and how they are totally mutually exclusive. When they touch, both are instantly converted into energy, to the point that the reaction has been considered as an energy source for space ships and the like. (The problem is in how to maintain a supply of antimatter within a vessel of matter, so it’s strictly in the area of mind games at this point.) When sinfulness touches the holiness of God, the destruction is just as total for the sinfulness, but God cannot be destroyed; it’s no skin off of His nose. That’s why the truth expressed in this verse is so incredible. The New Testament is loaded with passages that speak of God’s grace, expressed in Christ Jesus, and there are plenty of Old Testament prophesies that point to it as well, most notably Isaiah 53. Only God could have come up with the plan to sacrifice His own Son to atone for the sins of mankind! We do, however, have to believe it for it to be effective in our lives personally. That’s why all who believe in Christ for themselves are compelled by God’s love to share the knowledge of Christ with those around them, so that they too may have the opportunity to believe. (2 Corinthians 5:14)

This is of course the reason why I live, and specifically, why I live in Japan as a missionary pastor. So few Japanese know enough about Christ to believe in Him! The biggest mystery to me is why more Japanese don’t recognize their need of salvation. There are many factors to that, but I keep reminding myself that nothing is impossible for God. (Luke 1:37) I am to remain humble and faithful, knowing that I have no hope apart from Christ, and that in Him I have every hope indeed. I am to keep sharing His truth, however He gives opportunity, and trust Him with the outcome.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You are doing here. People are being drawn, and I praise You for that. I pray that every lie of the devil would be defeated and everyone You are calling would follow through, so that Your children may rise up as a mighty army in this place, defeating the works of the enemy, (1 John 3:8) setting people free, and preparing the way for Christ’s return. Thank You. Hallelujah!