January 18
“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face,” Psalm 24:1-6.
The entire creation belongs to God. He called it into existence by His almighty Word. God said, “Let there be . . . and there was,” Genesis 1:3. He created the earth and the vegetation and all the inanimate objects. The foundation of the earth is in the midst of the mighty oceans. Speaking of God’s creation, the psalmist says that he is referring to, “All its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” He also created the first human beings, Adam and Eve. As Christians, we are also called God’s workmanship. The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them,” Ephesians 2:10. God made us who we are. By the Holy Spirit, He called us out of spiritual darkness with the light of the Gospel, the message of forgiveness through faith in Christ.
Now, the psalmist directs our attention to another kingdom. “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?” The reference here is to the holy Christian Church on earth. How and who can enter into the presence of God’s holiness and be a member of the holy Christian Church? In verse 4 of the psalm, it reads, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” Some might conclude that membership in the holy Christian Church is based upon the good works that one does or the evil that one avoids doing. Of course, such a conclusion would conflict with what is clearly taught elsewhere in Holy Scripture. For example, “We conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the Law,” Romans 3:28. “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast,” Ephesians 2:8-9.
Indeed, we are saved by God’s grace through faith alone in Jesus as our Savior. The psalmist is saying that we are saved by a faith which is very much alive. Faith alone saves – however, the faith that is expressed with the mouth is demonstrated by the deeds that are done or by the evil that is left undone. You cannot say to God, “I believe in You and I love You, but I am going to do as I please instead!”
God promises that He will bless our Christian lives which flow from hearts filled with faith in God and our Lord and Savior Jesus. “He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” Salvation is from God, who declares us righteous and forgiven for Jesus’ sake. In his Epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him,” Romans 5:8-9.
Like Jacob, we seek to look into God’s loving face with its assurance of forgiveness of all our sins, and we say with Jacob, “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant,” Genesis 32:10.
“Look unto Him ye nations;
Own Your God, ye fallen race.
Look and be saved through faith alone;
Be justified by grace.
Glory to God and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The Church in earth and heaven.” Amen.