THINGS WHICH ARE IMPOSSIBLE

"And He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:27).

 

"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27).

 

The laws of God are difficult to keep.  Despite all of the miracles that God showed to Israel, they still failed miserably in following His ways.  Repeatedly He would deliver them from the bondage that came as a result of their bad choices, and repeatedly they would disobey His instructions again and wind up in a worse state.  In the fullness of time, God sent His own Son, Jesus, to reveal the truth to the world, and lead men to salvation.  His message was not what many expected, however.  His teachings turned that which was difficult into that which was downright impossible!

 

Jesus told the folks who had gathered on the mount to hear Him speak that unless their righteousness exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees (the religious leaders of His time) they would be shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven.  The scribes and Pharisees prided themselves in being meticulous about keeping God's commandments; and the people generally accepted this as true, and looked to them as their examples of godliness.  If these men's place in heaven was suspect, where did that leave everyone else?

 

Jesus used many examples of how righteousness needed to go beyond that which was commonly accepted as "good enough."  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught that:

 

·         It is wrong to take another's life, but just to be angry with another, or to call another an idiot, or some other degrading term, is enough to bring one to judgment.  To call someone a moron, on the other hand, can sentence one to hell fire.

·         It is wrong to commit adultery, but to look on a woman with lust is to commit adultery in one's heart.  He said it would be better to pluck out the eye, or sever the hand that transgresses rather than be cast altogether into the fires of hell.

·         Except in the case of a cheating spouse, divorce was not acceptable. 

·         It is not necessary to try to strengthen what we say with an oath.  A simple "yes," or "no," is sufficient; especially when one's life shows a pattern of dependability. 

·         It is not right to exact an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth.  Instead, one should offer the other cheek to him who would strike him, offer more than is required when one is sued, and walk an extra mile when compelled to only go one. 

·         It is wrong to love one's neighbor, and hate one's enemy.  It is necessary, rather, that one love his enemies also, bless those who curse him, do good to those who hate him, and pray for them who despitefully use and persecute him.

 

Jesus summed up these instructions by telling the Jews, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48).  This was a tall order to be sure!  There was purpose behind Jesus' teaching, however.  He wanted to be sure that the law was an insurmountable obstacle standing in the way of man's best efforts to be holy through his own will and determination.  He wanted the law to appear outrageously impossible for man to obey, so that it would work its intended purpose in man's heart: to be a schoolmaster to convince man of his need for a Savior.  Above establishing the righteousness of God Almighty, the law brings us all to the realization that we are unable and unequipped to meet its holy demands.  As Paul eloquently explains in his letter to the Romans, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:19, 20).  This is why Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Matthew 5:17, 18).  The law has a necessary and important role to play in bringing us to salvation.  It is meant to convince us of sin so that in our desperation we might turn to the Savior and quit trusting in ourselves.  Therefore, Jesus wanted to establish the law, not destroy it; but He also came to fulfill it (Romans 3:31).  Only through Christ can the righteousness of the law be fulfilled.  "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:3, 4).  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16, 17).

 

Some think that Jesus came to lower the bar by doing away with the law so more people could get in to heaven.  Their damnation is just who teach such folly.  In fact, Jesus came to raise the bar to a level where only the pure of heart could enter in, only those who hunger and thirst for righteousness could secure a place; and only the meek and the merciful would ever tread heaven's courts.  Jesus Christ is the only man Who was able to fulfill the law in every point, and it is through His victory that we can gain the victory over the sin, flesh, and the devil.

 

When we allow Jesus Christ to truly be Lord of our hearts and lives, than we will seek the good of our brothers and sisters, and not want to do anything that would degrade them or hurt them.  Our hearts will be free from lust, and we will not look on the opposite sex with impure thoughts or intentions.  We will love our spouses, and commit our marriages to God to repair and to maintain.  Our word will always be our bond, and we will be known for our integrity.  We will be willing to do whatever it takes to win souls, even if it requires being struck in the face, going the extra mile, or giving more than is demanded.  We will love even our enemies, and follow the example of our Lord when it comes to those who would persecute us.  All of this will we do, not because it is demanded of us and we are forced to comply; but because the One Who loved us and gave Himself for us has already fulfilled every jot and tittle of the law, and has called us to partake of His holiness.  Peter wrote, “…His [Jesus’] divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:3, 4). 

 

God has placed us in Christ so that we might inherit all of the attributes that are in the Savior.  We put them on by faith.  When we lack love, we can denounce our love as being unfit, and accept by faith the love that is in Christ alone.  When we lack kindness, we can likewise find an abundant supply in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Just as we were sinners when we were in Adam, and inherited the nature of sin, so now we can be righteous in Christ, and inherit the nature of the Son of God.  "But of Him [God] are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:30, 31).  Now, what was impossible for us to accomplish on our own is made possible through our Lord and Savior.  We find that He is working in us to make us everything that He wants us to be.  All glory and praise to Him!