As You Begin The New Year

...Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10.22

Last month R.C. Sproul died. He was a great pastoral theologian who has influenced countless people to know and love God more. One of his most popular works is called, “The Holiness of God.” This book is very powerful in focusing us on God's pure holiness. Because God is absolutely holy, the call to draw near to God is only allowable and doable, because God has made a way for us to be near him and not be destroyed by him.

God calls us to draw near to him with full assurance that we will be accepted, and we will survive the encounter, because God has presented Jesus, his Son and our Lord, to live the life we should have lived and die the death we deserved to die. 

Jesus did this for us. We get to draw near to God, the Holy One, because Jesus took on what we deserve—condemnation and death—so that we can get what Jesus deserves—full acceptance and welcome—from God.

As you begin this new year, begin on the basis of the gospel, that you have full welcome and access to God, even though you have sinned—all because Jesus has made it possible.

Today, no matter what you have done, draw near to God. Draw near to God in Jesus. He has done all the work necessary to make you presentable to the most holy God!