Chapter twenty-seven part B

For as many as are of the works of the law   are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed   is   every one that continueth not in   all things   which are written in the book of the law to do them.  
But that   no man is justified by the law in the sight of God,   it is   evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
And   the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.”
  273  

     The good news of the gospel is that through Jesus the Savior, men can be rescued from the condemnation of the law because Christ became a curse in our place:

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,   being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed   is   every one that hangeth on a tree:”   274  

     By God’s grace, all of our sins were imputed to Jesus’ account and punished on that old rugged cross nearly two thousand years ago:

“Who his own self   bare our sins in his own body   on the tree, . . . ”   275

“So Christ was once offered   to bear the sins of many; . . .”   276

“Who gave himself   a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”   277  

“But he   was   wounded for   our   transgressions,   he was   bruised for   our iniquities: the chastisement of our peacewas   upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and   the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
  278  


By God’s grace, true believers will have Jesus’ righteousness imputed to their account:

“Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man,   unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Saying, Blessed   are   they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”
  279

“For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more   they which receive abundance of grace   and ofthe gift of righteousness   shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (sic)
Therefore as by the offence of one   judgment came   upon all men to condemnation; even so   by the righteousness of one   the free gift came   upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so   by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
  280

Notice above that God’s Word speaks of ‘the gift of righteousness’ ‘by abundant grace’, and also ‘righteousness imputed without works’. It is Jesus’ righteousness, ‘the righteousness of   one’, not the righteousness of many. Also we see that it is ‘by the obedience of one’ person, Jesus, that many shall be made righteous, not by the obedience of many people. People are   unrighteous, that is why justification before God must come by righteousness imputed, Jesus’ righteousness imputed, to the true believers account. This is available for all who will believe:
“And therefore   it was imputed to him for righteousness.   (To Abraham, see Gen. 15:6, KJV)
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
But   for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;”281  

“For he hath made him   to be   sin for us, who knew no sin;   that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”   282

Solely because of God’s wonderful grace, all true believers can say with the Prophet Isaiah:
“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,   he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,   . . .”   283  
We can stand before God robed in Jesus’ righteousness, accounted as sinless instead of sinners, all because of God’s wonderful grace. God will never again see our sin because it has been imputed to Jesus’ account when he hung on that old rugged cross nearly two thousand years ago.   By God’s grace, our sins were not even imputed to our own account:
“ . . . God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,   not imputing their trespasses unto them; . . .”   284
     When Jesus took the punishment for the sins of humanity upon himself nearly two thousand years ago, he paid the full penalty of mankind’s sin before God. No man deserved it then, and no man has ever deserved it since. The most righteous person on earth did not deserve to have Jesus suffer on that old rugged cross for him or her. The worst sinner on earth did not deserve to have Jesus suffer in his or her place. Any humans today who will turn to Jesus in repentance and faith will never deserve what Jesus did for them. Nobody will ever deserve what Jesus did in our place; it was a gift offered by God’s grace! It is undeserved! Jesus did it solely because of his love for humans . . . not because humans deserved it:  

“But   God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”   285

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that   he loved us, and sent his Son   to be   the propitiation for our sins.”
286  

     Forgiveness of sins and eternal life in God’s presence are offered still today as gifts by God’s grace. They cannot be earned or purchased, paid for by human effort. They must be accepted as gifts, or they will not be received at all. They must be accepted by faith alone, trusting solely in Jesus’ promises in the Bible. For all who will in true repentance turn to Jesus by faith, God’s grace will supply everything they lack.
     The truth of the Bible is that by God’s grace all men’s sins were punished in Jesus. All who repent and turn to Jesus by faith will have his righteousness imputed to their account just like their sins were imputed to Jesus’ account on the cross many years ago. This transfer of values satisfied God’s justice against all sin by punishing it. It also allows his love and mercy to be shed upon men because Jesus took the punishment in their place. Men may now share in Jesus’ inheritance instead of being punished. It was all done by God’s grace alone. No man ever deserved it, nor ever will, no matter how many good deeds they do. It is offered solely to mankind by God’s grace because of his love for humans. It was and is   God’s   Righteousness   At   Christ’sExpense (GRACE); Jesus’ righteousness imputed to men at his expense. Men cannot buy with good works what Jesus purchased with his shed blood. It is the gift of Jesus’ righteousness offered to everybody who will come to him, the true Jesus of the Bible, not the fairy tale Jesus of the BkM. Those who will believe and follow the true words of Jesus found in the Bible will receive the gift of God’s grace. All who follow anybody else including Joseph Smith’s fairy tale Jesus will find themselves among the many spoken of by Jesus recorded in the Bible in Matthew 7:22-24:

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them,   I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Therefore   whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:”

Notice above that these were religious people who spent their lives doing good deeds in the name of Jesus. Their apparent mistake was that they did not follow the words of Jesus. They must have built their spiritual resume on something other than Jesus’ words. They blew it! Instead of being received into his arms with gladness on judgment day, Jesus will tell them to depart. They will be cast out of his presence forever. He could have been their advocate before God’s judgment throne, but they had refused to do his sayings. Whose sayings had they followed in life? They were religious! Is it possible that they had followed the sayings of Joseph Smith about Jesus found in the fairy tale BkM? It will be too late on that judgment day to begin building their spiritual house on the true words of Jesus.  
     Let readers build their spiritual house upon the true words of Jesus. Jesus compares all who do this to a wise man. If one chooses to build their spiritual house upon the fairy tale called the BkM or the words of any other false prophet, Jesus likens that person to a man who built his house upon the sands:

“And every one that   heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:”   287  

When the storms of judgment day come it will be too late to move your spiritual house to the Rock called Jesus. Today is the day of salvation! Turn today to the true words of Jesus found in the Bible and learn of the wonderful grace that God offers! Build your spiritual understanding on Jesus’ words and receive forgiveness of sins plus eternal life with God by his grace alone.


 

#246 2 Nephi 25:23, BkM
#247 Moroni 10:32, BkM
#248 Someone once told this author that there are roughly 613 separate precepts to God’s law. This author has not personally counted every piece. The number is flexible especially since every researcher may divide the precepts differently.
#249 James 2:10-11, KJV BIBLE
#250 Exodus 20:15, KJV BIBLE
#251 Romans 3:23, KJV BIBLE
#252 Ecclesiastes 7:20, KJV BIBLE
#253 I John 3:4, KJV BIBLE
#254 Galatians 3:24-25, KJV BIBLE
#255 Romans 3:19, KJV BIBLE
#256 Romans 3:20, KJV BIBLE
#257 Joshua 1:8, KJV BIBLE
#258 Leviticus 18:4-5, KJV BIBLE
#259 Ecclesiastics 12:13, KJV BIBLE
#260 John 14:15, KJV BIBLE
#261 Psalm 34:18, KJV BIBLE
#262 Isaiah 66:2, KJV BIBLE
#263 Psalm 51:1-4, KJV BIBLE
#264 Isaiah 53:11, KJV BIBLE
#265 Acts 4:12, KJV BIBLE
#266 Romans 10:9-13, KJV BIBLE
#267 Romans 6:23, KJV BIBLE
#268 Ephesians 2:4-7, KJV BIBLE
#269 Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV BIBLE
#270 Romans 11:6, KJV BIBLE
#271 Romans 4:4, KJV BIBLE
#272 Galatians 5:3-4, KJV BIBLE
#273 Galatians 3:10-12, KJV BIBLE
#274 Galatians 3:13, KJV BIBLE
#275 I Peter 2:24, KJV BIBLE
#276 Hebrews 9:28, KJV BIBLE
#277 I Timothy 2:6, KJV BIBLE
#278 Isaiah 53:5-6, KJV BIBLE
#279 Romans 4:6-7, KJV BIBLE
#280 Romans 5:17-19, KJV BIBLE
#281 Romans 4:22-25, KJV BIBLE
#282 II Corinthians 5:21, KJV BIBLE
#283 Isaiah 61:10, KJV BIBLE
#284 II Corinthians 5:19, KJV BIBLE
#285 Romans 5:8, KJV BIBLE
#286 I John 4:9-10, KJV BIBLE
#287 Matthew 7:26, KJV BIBLE