The young man with the car, (from Lent Day 38) through his own poor judgement, had created a problem he could not fix on his own. So he admitted he couldn’t do it and reached out to an uncle for help. That uncle was able to purchase an engine from a salvage yard and replace it with the blown engine.
That is the same with the human condition. In our own strength and wisdom, all roads lead to brokenness and death. Proverbs 16:25 puts it this way: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” That is spiritual reality for you and me today. Our very best is not good enough to free us from our fallen condition.
What is required is for us to be clothed in the righteousness provided by the sacrificial death of the Lamb of God, His Son Jesus Christ. In his death and resurrection, Jesus accomplished what no other man could; he became the substitute for the ultimate curse, and paid the ultimate penalty for our sin.
Our responsibility, in view of the cross, is to admit our fallenness and to have faith in the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus to be for our sins. There is a chorus (HC#5) we sing which points to our need for a Redeemer, and God’s provision…
There is a Redeemer,
Jesus, God’s own Son,
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah,
Holy One.
Jesus, my Redeemer,
Name above all names,
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah,
Hope for sinners slain.
Thank you, O my Father,
For giving us Your Son,
And leaving Your Spirit
‘Til the work on earth is done.