There are at least two
beloved hymns that contain the word “wretch” within their verses. The context of that word in those hymns
denotes the spiritual condition of unbelievers before Jesus enters into their
heart and life.
Amazing Grace
“Amazing grace! How sweet the
sound – that saved a wretch like me!”
Victory In Jesus
“How He gave His life on Calvary to
save a wretch like me.”
Wretch is an ugly word -
describing a person who is miserable, despicable, vile, or outcast. Perhaps many would say, “Whoa! I was bad, but never like that!” But wait - the Bible tells it much
differently.
God loves us, He created us, and
His desire is for us to walk with Him, to serve Him, and to worship Him. However, the Bible is clear that all mankind
is dead in sin, therefore, it is impossible to have a personal relationship
with Him and please Him without a spiritually cleansed renewal of the
heart. Our God is a holy and righteous
God Who cannot look upon sin, and as unrepentant sinners, we are wretched to
Him and not fit for His kingdom.
Although all are alienated from
God, it’s through Christ’s shed blood on His cross and His death that we can be
reconciled to be presented holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight
(Col. 1:21, 22). We become worthy in the
eyes of God only through the redeeming blood of the cross. Our worthiness is not a result of anything we
do to gain God’s approval.
However, many are deceiving both
themselves and others by acting out Christianity - doing those things
Christians are supposed to do. Most are
kind and love one another, they regularly attend church, they sing in the
choir, and they even attend Bible studies.
They have religion in their life, but don’t have Jesus in their
heart. Their names are recorded in a
church membership book, but not in the Lamb’s Book of Life. They have never experienced a born again,
spiritual re-birth of the heart. That
describes many in our churches today. They
are wretched in the eyes of God, but don’t know it.
The Apostle John recorded the
messages of our Lord Jesus to seven churches of Asia . His letter to the church of Laodicea
The church, so wrapped up
with their works and material things, does not recognize its true
condition. John wrote in Rev. 3:17 that
they claim to be wealthy and in need of nothing, but don’t understand they are
wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
Because of their pitiful and lukewarm condition, Jesus said in Rev. 3:16
that He will vomit them out of His mouth.
Rev. 3:20 reveals that Christ is being kept outside of His church, but
He stands there calling and knocking at the door to be heard - longing to be
invited in to fellowship with them. It’s
sad, but the Jesus they claim to love and worship is not the Jesus of the
Bible. The real Jesus is not at the
forefront of their lives.
The sin of pride and
self-sufficiency has blinded some people and prevented them from humbly
submitting themselves to the God of all creation - the One Who is in control of
all things. Romans 12:3 warns that we
must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought. James, the brother of the Lord and a man of
noted authority, wrote in James 4:10 (NKJV), “Humble yourselves in the sight of
the Lord, and He will lift you up.” The
Apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:16 that the pride of life is not of the Father,
but is of the world.
Perhaps many who have never
thought of themselves as wretched have never been truly convicted of their lost
and sinful condition. They have never
been humbly on their knees in repentance - crying out with a remorseful, broken
heart to Almighty God. They may have
never prayed something like this:
“Oh
God, help me! I’m a lost sinner and need
the Savior in my life! I’m so sorry for
what I’ve done, for my unbelief, and for not trusting in You! I repent of my sins, Lord - forgive me! I believe Jesus suffered and died on that
cross for me, in my place. Lord Jesus,
come into my heart now, this very moment, and help me to live a life that is
pleasing and honoring to You. Thank You
in Jesus’ Name. Amen!”
The Bible tells us in Luke 15:10
that when one sinner repents, there is joy in the presence of the angels. Just imagine – there is a massive victory
celebration in heaven the moment each one of us places our faith and trust in
Him!
Also, as born again believers, we
instantly become royalty. We become sons
and daughters of the most-high sovereign God Who rules today and will rule and
reign forever. As a child of the King,
we become worthy heirs to the kingdom of heaven. Revelation 3:4 promises that the faithful in
Christ will walk with Him in purity and righteousness, for they are worthy.
We can have absolute assurance of
our salvation through the promises God provides for us in His Word. God’s Word is infallible, and we must trust
His promises through faith alone in Him.
John 3:16
(NASB) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Romans 10:9, 10
(NASB) “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person
believes,
resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation.”
1 John 4:15
(NASB) “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in
God.”
Isaiah 43:1b
(NASB) “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name;
you are Mine!”
From wretched
to worthy - only by God’s amazing grace!
Don
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