Gold Tried in the Fire - Robert J. Wieland

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Imagine yourself guilty of a crime. No question about it— you are guilty! You are miserable in your prison cell, dreading the day of sentencing. For you, no sun shines, no Mowers bloom, no birds sing. You cannot even smile. No • me can comfort you. You feel a million miles in "outer darkness"— away from God and from everyone else whom you have disappointed. All you can feel is "a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation." Hebrews 10:27. Any one of us can imagine this misery because we have tasted it often. Then imagine someone getting up in court with evidence to acquit you. He persuades the prosecutor, the judge, and the jury that there is no evidence of your guilt. The jury acquits you. Then imagine listening to the judge pronounce his decision that all charges against you are dropped, and you hear yourself declared by this court to be innocent. The crowded courtroom erupts in applause, and with a respectful flourish, the bailiff escorts you to the free air and sunshine outside. 12
This is what justification is like, but it falls far short of what justification is; for in our analogy you were guilty and no amount of "evidence" will change that fact. In the plan of salvation, you are not only "declared right" by the Judge, but you are "put right" in the eyes of the community, and something happens within you too. That is the common, everyday meaning of justify—"to be put right." A person acquitted of an accusation of crime is not only "declared right" by the judge, but is "put right," straightened out. In printing, a righthand margin that is "justified" is made straight, not merely declared straight. And so with you. If there is an ounce of decency in your guilty soul, when you hear that judge pronounce you innocent and free, your immediate response is a wholehearted choice to be straight from then on, especially if the one who defended you in court did so at his own great personal expense and risk (more about this later). This imagined courtroom case feebly illustrates the biblical idea of justification by faith. To borrow 13
Page 1 and 2: GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE Robert J. Wi
Page 3 and 4: Chapter 1 How Can You Stop Doing Wr
Page 5 and 6: on the Sabbath, and I find someone
Page 7 and 8: especially on Christmas and Easter.
Page 9 and 10: According to his letter, Magara dre
Page 11: Chapter 2 New Testament Justificati
Page 15 and 16: Hence we propose to lay Bible comme
Page 17 and 18: justification by faith in the New T
Page 19 and 20: ighteousness can be imputed to the
Page 21 and 22: sinners "justified by [Christ's] bl
Page 23 and 24: now is a new law—"the law of fait
Page 25 and 26: eighty-six, they tried to solve the
Page 27 and 28: everything seems to deny it. In Abr
Page 29 and 30: was as yet uncircumcised. But that
Page 31 and 32: The subtle ideas of predestination
Page 33 and 34: sinned," it means that "all" would
Page 35 and 36: What "Every Man" Owes to Christ It'
Page 37 and 38: The answer he gave was that he beli
Page 39 and 40: of our infinite debt. Paul's insigh
Page 41 and 42: Chapter 4 Faith: What Is the Real T
Page 43 and 44: egotten Son, that whosoever believe
Page 45 and 46: us," closer and dearer than a broth
Page 47 and 48: love (agape), self-sacrificing love
Page 49 and 50: trust the police because we are afr
Page 51 and 52: Chapter 5 How the Enemy Stole Our F
Page 53 and 54: and Christ would together share a g
Page 55 and 56: When He cried out, „My God, my Go
Page 57 and 58: widely downtrodden Sabbath commandm
Page 59 and 60: ejected the pagan notion of natural
Page 61 and 62: sincerely but unknowingly confused
Page 63 and 64:
made heaven and earth." Revelation
Page 65 and 66:
Two arms outstretched to save, Like
Page 67 and 68:
Chapter 6 More About This Explosive
Page 69 and 70:
Paul appears to make two exceptions
Page 71 and 72:
is, non-faith. In those dark days h
Page 73 and 74:
of Hebrews, we should not expect to
Page 75 and 76:
phenomenon of New Testament faith,
Page 77 and 78:
love [agape] of many shall wax cold
Page 79 and 80:
could have been referring to the su
Page 81 and 82:
Chapter 7 You Can't Crash If You Ke
Page 83 and 84:
are never separate. Sanctification
Page 85 and 86:
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
Page 87 and 88:
What Makes Our Battle an Easy One W
Page 89 and 90:
He realized that his gun was useles
Page 91 and 92:
Temptation, however strong, is neve
Page 93 and 94:
His voice that you hear "behind you
Page 95 and 96:
great front wheels yourself; but if
Page 97 and 98:
Chapter 8 The Holy Spirit's Work Is
Page 99 and 100:
It's like a guarantee: "You will no
Page 101 and 102:
This is indeed the dynamic good new
Page 103 and 104:
TEV. This word Helper is Comforter
Page 105 and 106:
TEV. Of course, when you read "the
Page 107 and 108:
against the Holy Spirit; but even t
Page 109 and 110:
in Christ in the sense of appreciat
Page 111 and 112:
emember, you don't get one four-bil
Page 113 and 114:
hath God exalted with his right han
Page 115 and 116:
easily he can fall. His loyalty to
Page 117 and 118:
The drunk was wrong! "Without holin
Page 119 and 120:
deity? Many even today feel they ne
Page 121 and 122:
concepts which they have innocently
Page 123 and 124:
Any "Christ" who did not truly "com
Page 125 and 126:
her conception, so that she was una
Page 127 and 128:
visiting us as a tourist. Medieval
Page 129 and 130:
met our temptations as we must meet
Page 131 and 132:
through the flesh, God sending his
Page 133 and 134:
public example of them, triumphing
Page 135 and 136:
carry. He has tasted my despair, my
Page 137 and 138:
Chapter 10 Christ's Sanctuary Minis
Page 139 and 140:
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
Page 141 and 142:
1. Why is Jesus called our High Pri
Page 143 and 144:
vivid picture of this court scene b
Page 145 and 146:
other words, sin can never be "remi
Page 147 and 148:
complete. Since the atonement is re
Page 149 and 150:
This basic relationship between Chr
Page 151 and 152:
end until the problem of continued
Page 153 and 154:
Hence the attempt to prove (a) that
Page 155 and 156:
19. The Father, Christ, and all the
Page 157 and 158:
world's cares and amusements, not o
Page 159 and 160:
high priest is a symbol of a signif
Page 161 and 162:
first and second apartment in terms
Page 163 and 164:
options is the existence of two sep
Page 165 and 166:
The ministry of Christ in the most
Page 167 and 168:
These people had all lived in a sav
Page 169 and 170:
4:15. Many Evangelicals frankly adm
show all

Gold Tried in the Fire - Robert J. Wieland

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?