“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21
Dear Ones:
When Nicodemus came to Jesus at night in order to ask Him some questions, Jesus put him against an insurmountable wall. It was the wall of impossibility that rose like a mountain, because Nicodemus was brought to realize that he did not have the power or ability to be born again, to enter the kingdom of God. In other words, he was outside of the gates of heaven, and there was no way that he could enter. The authority and power had to come from within those gates, from the One who sat on the throne of heaven. It is for this reason that Jesus said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (Jn. 3:5) To be born of the Spirit of God is to be born of God. It is the miraculous intervention of God, accomplishing the work of redemption in the heart. It will certainly occur when there is the cry, or call, of the heart to God.
There are many examples of healing in the Bible. Just from a physiological perspective, healing can only occur when there is the power to do so. That power is the ability to overcome disease, weakness, and even a mindset, that is in opposition to health and strength. With regard to the healing of and by Christ, we find that power is specifically associated with healing. On one occasion, we find Luke writing in his gospel, “…and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” (5:17) The example of the paralytic who was healed because of the faith of his friends, is a remarkable testament to the power of God to do the impossible. Salvation by Christ is no different, in that it takes the power of God, given to the heart and soul, to truly believe and be saved. There are two key elements in the intervention of God to accomplish this. The first is knowledge, a knowledge of God in Christ, the crucified, buried, and risen Son of God. This necessary knowledge also extends to the revealing of the need of the sinner to know forgiveness of sins, and deliverance from the downward destiny toward destruction and ruin, without hope and God. The second element is the revelation of the heart of God, willing and ready to intervene in the heart. Jesus never turned away anyone who truly sought Him, and those that found Him, were never cast out. In the book of Isaiah, we find the Lord’s words specifically addressing this matter: “I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after Me.” (Romans 10:20) How much more will He respond wholeheartedly to save by His power, those who truly know their need, and earnestly seek Him?
In the gospel of Luke, we find the example of a woman who had an issue of blood. She had spent all of her money on doctors, but to no avail. She was desperate, because there was no human solution to meet her need. To not have this need met was to face the inevitability of death. She had heard of Jesus, and had come to believe that He was the Messiah. We see this by her faith, and resolve,for she believed that if only she could touch the border of His garment, she would be healed. When she was immediately healed in doing so, Jesus said, “Somebody has touched Me: for I perceive that virtue (or power) is gone out of Me.” (8:46) We then see the healed woman coming to Jesus, falling down before Him, and declaring unto Him “before all the people,” the reason she had touched Him, and knew her immediate healing. The woman had been brought to the point where hope only rested in one Person, the Lord Jesus. God gave her faith to believe in Christ’s power to heal, and know it.
Dear Father, Thy Son truly saves by His power, today. Give us grace to stretch forth our hands to touch Him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad