Promises of Christ

And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. (Luk 5:17-26 KJV)

The Pharisees and doctors of the law were coming out to find something against Jesus. Their motivation for coming to Christ was to condemn Him in some way. Jesus, well aware of the corruption in them sets the stage to show them clearly that He is, in fact, God in the flesh. Rather than initially healing the man with the palsy (paralyzed) as one might expect, Christ first forgives his sins. We expect healing to be the focus because the passage opens with, “the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” But Christ, knowing the thoughts of the Pharisees and doctors, first makes a clear declaration that He is God. He does this by forgiving the man’s sins, which only God has the authority to do.

After Christ forgives the man his sins He heals him. This is done to prove that He does have the authority to forgive sins. Only God can forgive sins, and as proof that Christ is God the man is healed of the palsy, which only God is able to do.

When Christ tells us that our sins are forgiven we ought to believe Him. We should not make the mistake of the Pharisees by walking in disbelief and contention, even when confronted with so much evidence that Christ speaks the truth to us and has the power to fulfill what He promises because He is God.

So let’s consider some of the promises that we have in Christ. As we consider them let’s do so with an understanding that the one who promises them has the power to fulfill them as well…

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (Rom 6:18 KJV)

…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Act 2:38-39 KJV)

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Rom 4:13 KJV)

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:14 KJV)

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:29 KJV)

Let’s be as the men who let down their friend to Christ, believing the promises that are fulfilled in Him. May we not stop at anything, even the tearing up of a roof, to get to Christ and grab hold of His promises. We must strive as long as we are able…and we must strive violently to grab hold of Christ and keep hold of Him. We must live as a people who believe the promises given to us, and we must be motivated to live by Christ and His promises to us.

May God grant that we would live as a people who have been set free from sin rather than a people who serve it. May we live as a people who are equipped with the power of the Holy Ghost rather than a people who rely on their own strength and talent. May we live as a people who are the heirs of Abraham, inheriting the entire world and exercising dominion over it…rather than a people who allow the world to gain dominion over us.