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Hoyte Nelson's Poems/ Reflections & Biblical Essays
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Essay A Comforting Truth That Blessed My Life I
came to know Christ as my Savior at a young age. I knew then that as a result of
having Jesus Christ as my Savior I was supposed to be different. When I heard a
Mr. Thronhill say, “I got a new women at my house” (following her
conversion), I knew that this was the way it was supposed to be for all
christians; we were suppose to be a new person. Yet, I not only struggled, but I
observed the struggles in the lives of other Christians.
Then one day at chapel while attending Clarke Memorial College in the
early fifties, we had a guest “Bible Scholar” (as he was introduced), A Dr
Coltman from Canada (as I remember). His text was Romans 8:1 “Therefore
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” He shared
with us a truth that day fifty years ago that I trust will bless the reader of
this article as it has blessed me for all the years of my ministry: (Later, one
of our godly teachers addressed this subject as referenced in my Essay: “A
Scribal Insert”). First of all,
when the Apostle Paul speaks of conflicts in his life: (Romans 7:14-24), he
asked this question, “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death” (KJV) It is
important to notice the personal pronoun: “’Who’
shall deliver me,” [not what shall deliver me]? His answer was: “Thanks
be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Then Paul gives us this victory proclamation: “So then, on the one hand I
myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh
the law of sin” (Romans 7: 25, NASV). Continuing in
the next chapter (Romans 8: 1) Paul writes, “Therefore (That is, because Jesus
has delivered him) “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus.” Now,
according to Dr. Coltman, there was a time in distant passed when the scriptures
were copied by hand, and a Scribe, copying this scripture, saw in verse four
this statement: “Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” and by
mistake or otherwise, he added that phrase to verse one of chapter eight
(Roman’s 8:1) as a scribel insert” (In those days there were no chapter,
verse division in the scripture; thus it was copied as: “There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.” If
this truth is not properly understood, one would think that our salvation
depended upon our “walk,” and not our faith in Christ’s accomplishment at
the cross. But remember Paul’s question: “Who
shall deliver me…” (Romans 7: 24; therefore, our salvation in a person, and
not in our walk. Does
this mean that our walk does not matter? Yes it matters, but our walk “in the
Spirit” is because we are Christians, not in order to be a Christian. The
apostle said, “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His
son into your hearts” (Galatians 4:6); Therefore, our salvation is not
dependant upon our walk, but upon the finished word of Christ Himself. What is
the difference? Once we are saved, our walk is to walk after the Spirit, but our
salvation is not in our walk, but in Jesus, and in him there is no condemnation,
period! Now
fifty years later, I am still comforted in the fact that although I am a sinner,
I have been saved by His grace, and not my works.
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