God give power to men
April 1, 2022 (Bible Devotional)
But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. — Matthew 9:8
God gives power to men. He can save to the uttermost all who come to him. Many doubt God’s power. In the Gospel, we find not only good news but the power of God to save sinners. Some will claim that they believe that God can forgive their past sins, but they are unwilling to confess that God can give them the power to walk into a new life. This cannot be the case. If God is powerless to heal and save, then the Gospel would be nothing but a fable. In the Gospel, we find the power of God on display in the lives of the redeemed.
The Pharisees were skeptical of the power of God to save. And more specifically, they envied Christ, the some of God who came to seek and save the lost. They did not believe that he had the power to forgive sin. But that was not the greatest mistake of the Pharisees. Their ignorance of the power of Christ reveals that they did not know the power of God. For this reason, the Pharisees marvel when Jesus heal and forgive a person in front of their eyes. This miracle was not performed for boasting. Instead, it was a testimony that God can not only save for the present, but his forgiveness gives us healing power to live a righteous life.
And many today are marveling at the same realization. They knew that God can forgive. Yet, they spiritualize the forgiveness as if it is some mysterious work. While forgiveness is a spiritual thing, we need not make it a mental exercise only. When Christ forgives, he says go and sin no more. The forgiveness of Christ is not simply an erasing of previous sin. It is God changing our lives. This is we continue in sin, we are simply testifying that God has no power to forgive. Christ has the power to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before all. This is the power of forgiveness. And it is the power manifested in the Gospel.
Some hold a futurist view of the Gospel. They would not go as far as to say God has no power, yet they will boldly proclaim that this power will not realize in our lives today. They would have us believe that the power of God is limited. These teachers, just like the Pharisees, are proclaiming that Christ cleanses us from sin until we are in heaven. However, why should we believe that God will have the power to keep us from sinning in heaven while he cannot do it today? Marvel not at this, Christ has the power to save to the uttermost. He has given us the power to walk into a new life. We do not have to rely on our strengths. Let us accept the gift of eternal life today.
Do you believe that God can give you power over sin?
The Prayer — Heavenly Father, Make us victorious In Jesus’s name. Amen!
