Lesson 2299

(Lesson 2299)(03-28-18) Matthew 7:21-29
    Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

   Today’s lesson teaches us that simply believing that there is a God, and partially obeying His laws, is not enough to recieve the imputed righteousness required to attain eternal life.
    At the point of His ministry referenced by today’s quote, Jesus had not yet fulfilled all that would be required of Him to create a path to eternal life. Therefore, there was no such path other than for those who were wholly committed, by faith, to the fact that God would provide a means by which their sins could be “justified”. (That faith is the same faith that saved all the biblical saints before the coming of Jesus Christ.)
    Remember, Jesus Himself referred to His doctrine as a “mystery” that could only be exposed after His death. Paul said, “How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit”. (Ephesians 3:3-5)
    I hope that this will make it clear that the ONLY way to receive the righteousness necessary to qualify for eternal life, one must know and fully believe in the operation of God which is the offering of His only begotten Son as a ‘one time fits all’ sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. And that that operation could not be known, or understood, at the time Jesus offered today’s lesson.
    Future study will make it easier to understand the full intent of this lesson.~