Between Wickedness And Godliness

1 Chronicles 3:17-18 " The sons of Jeconiah who was taken prisoner by the Babylonians, were Shealtiel, Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah."

Matthew 1:12 NLT "After the Babylonian exile: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel."



We don't really know much about Shealtiel. He is mentioned eleven times in the Bible - but there are precious few details about his life. What we know about him only comes from two geneologies; 1 Chronicles 3 and Matthew 1. In fact, there are only three facts about Shealtiel that we can glean from scriptures:
One: He was the son of Jeconiah.
Two: He was born in Babylon.
Three: He was the father of Zerubbabel.

That's it. His whole life; what he did, who he married, how he served God...none of that is known to us! If it weren't for the family lists in scripture, we wouldn't have even known that Shealtiel ever existed! How depressing for him, right? However, when we take a deep look at Shealtiel's surroundings, we can see more clearly what kind of man he must have been.

First, let's look at Shealtiel's father, Jeconiah:

Jeconiah was the son of King Jehoiakim and grandson of King Josiah. Although Josiah was a righteous man, Jehoiakim was anything but. While denying the very God that made King Josiah powerful, Jehoiakim also rebelled against the most powerful empire in the world - Babylon. This was an extremely foolish move!

When Jeconiah was only eight years old, Jehoiakim made him an "associate king". He co-ruled the nation of Judah at his father's side for ten years. No doubt, during this time, Jeconiah learned the wicked ways and practices of his father and even began to follow them. 2 Chronicles 36:9 has this testimony about Jeconiah, "He did evil in the sight of the LORD." After Babylon-supported raiders killed Jehoiakim, Jeconiah became king of Judah at the age of eighteen. He never turned from his wicked ways or repented. After three short months as king, Jeconiah was captured and taken to Babylon as a prisoner.

While he was in Babylon, his uncle Zedekiah was instated as king by the Babylonian emperor. Most Jews still regarded Jeconiah as king though, and erroneously believed that God would bring him back to the throne. This led Jeremiah to announce by the Holy Spirit that none of Jeconiah's descendants would ever sit on David's throne. Jeconiah destroyed the destiny of his children by his own wickedness. Still, it wasn't all bad for him. After several years of captivity, the next Babylonian emperor had pity on this one-time king. He let Jonah out of prison and gave him a life in Babylon. It was during this time that Shealtiel was born.

Now let's look at Shealtiel's son, Zerubbabel:

We don't know much about Zerubbabel's early life. His name is actually Assyrian, not Hebrew. It means "the one conceived in Babylon." Zerubbabel never knew anything but life in captivity. He never experienced any other culture other than that of Babylon and then Persia. But somehow, this was the man that Cyrus picked to lead the first wave of returning exiles. Zerubbabel led over 40,000 Jewish people back to Jerusalem to repopulate and rebuild.

In Jerusalem, Zerubbabel was instated as governor by Cyrus and he laid the foundation of the new temple. This was a man that feared God and worked closely with Joshua the high priest. God responded to Zerubbabel's trust in Him and declared through Haggai, "On that day, says the Lord of Hosts, I will take you Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, my servant, and wear you like a signet ring; for it is you whom I have chosen."

God rejected Jeconiah and his descendants as kings because of his wickedness. But when Zerubbabel embraced Him, God worked around His own curse and brought a blessing on this family once again. Now the question is, who taught Zerubbabel to fear God? It certainly wasn't a common thing in his culture. Babylon and Persia were both god-less, immoral, and idolatrous empires. So where did this man who was "conceived in Babylon" learn about the ways of God?

 From his father.

 This is where Shealtiel comes in. He saw the wickedness of his father. He knew the stories of what God did to Judah because of the evil that his people were practicing. And he knew the prophecies of repentance and restoration for the Jewish people. So Shealtiel bridged the gap between a wicked generation and a restored generation. He was a member of a repentant generation.

Daniel was a member of that same generation. He was only a child when he was ripped out of Jerusalem. He was forced to grow up in a pagan and ungodly culture. But listen to his prayer in Daniel 8:4-11:

      "Lord, you are a great and wonderful God. You keep the covenant you made with all those who love you and obey your commands. You show them your love. We have sinned and done what is wrong. We have been evil. We have refused to obey you. We have turned away from your commands and laws. We haven’t listened to your servants the prophets. They spoke in your name to our kings and princes. They also brought your message to all of our people in the land.

      “Lord, you always do what is right. But we are covered with shame today. We are the people of Judah and Jerusalem. All of us are Israelites, no matter where we live. We are now living in many countries. You scattered us among the nations because we weren’t faithful to you. Lord, we and our kings and princes and people are covered with shame. We have sinned against you.

     “You are the Lord our God. You show us your tender love. You forgive us. But we have turned against you. You are the Lord our God. But we haven’t obeyed you. We haven’t kept the laws you gave us through your servants the prophets. All of the people of Israel have broken your law and turned away from it. They have refused to obey you."

It was a wicked generation that brought sorrow to Israel. Shealtiel's generation was raised in that sorrow and became repentant, seeking God's forgiveness for the sins that their fathers had committed. They knew that they were to be exiled for seventy years - per God's decree. So Shealtiel knew that he wouldn't see Jerusalem or the promised restoration of God's people. So what did he do? He prepared his son.

Now we can see a few powerful truths from the life of Shealtiel.

First, we can see the divine order of things. No one can move straight from wickedness to restoration. The proper order is to move through repentance. God will not restore if you won't repent. Whine about grace all you want to...but grace does not cover an immoral lifestyle! This was the message that John preached, the message that Jesus preached - this is the gospel of the Kingdom - "Repent for the Kindom of Heaven is at hand!"

Secondly, I can see a profound truth in my own life. I grew up in a generation that has been alienated from God. Our fathers sowed the seed, and now we're reaping the horrible harvest. Violence. Laziness. Perversion. Immorality. Despair. My generation seems to have no hope, and we're still only digging ourselves deeper. We've been born into captivity.

As much as I try to shield them from it...my own kids have been born into this culture too. Like Zerubbabel, they have been "conceived in Babylon." But I have learned my part from Shealtiel; I have two major responsibilities:

1 - I must push into a changed lifestyle. If you're a believer that happens to be in the Millennial generation, listen to me. We cannot afford to be passive in our Christian walk! We can't afford to lose track of where our Bibles are, go days without seeking God's face, or allow ourselves to be disconnected from our spiritual leaders. We must repent of the wickedness that infiltrated our father's generation and now runs rampant in our own. We must change!

2 - I must prepare my kids for role. My kids are going to see God's glory! My kids are going to operate in the kingdom of God, not this world's system! My kids are going to lay, once again, the right foundation in the church! They're not going to "play church"! They're not going to treat God's house like a social gathering or country club! My kids are going to lead the way back to the Kingdom of God!

...But Is It What God Wants?

James 4:13-16 “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.”

Up until yesterday, I read this passage of scripture as if it were telling us not to plan ahead, because we don’t know if we’ll still be alive to do what we’ve planned. That’s probably why I didn’t pay very much attention to it, since I knew that Proverbs 21:5 specifically tells us to make diligent plans for the future - “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty.” So what is it? Should we make plans or not?

I think asking this question is beside the point. Of course we need to make plans for our life! In two different passages in Proverbs (6:6 and 30:25), the lowly ant is considered wise because it stores food in the summer to eat during the winter. Isn’t that planning ahead? Should the ant give up its preparation because it doesn’t know if it’s going to be stepped on today? And what is our Christian walk if it’s not a plan for the future? I don’t know about you, but my plans extend 1,000 years into the future and beyond!

The issue in this passage isn’t the planning itself. The issue here is, who’s responsible for the decisions in your life - you or God? You see, when you made Jesus your Lord - you made Him your owner, your ruler, your boss. You no longer have the right to direct your own life anymore. Didn’t you know this already? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Your life belongs to God now! That means, whatever He says you do!

Psalm 37:23 shows what this kind of life looks like, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.” Romans 8:14 echoes this, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” When you truly give your life to Jesus, you’re surrendering the control of every decision you make!

Sadly, this couldn’t be any more different from the modern American ‘gospel.’ We’re being told that God’s grace allows us to add God’s forgiveness to whatever lifestyle we want. We’ve told Jesus to be our Savior and never really made Him Lord. The motto of this gospel is, “Jesus died so we could live (any way we want)!”

The fact is, Jesus didn’t die so we could live our own life. He died so we could die to our own life! 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says this: “If One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” When Jesus died for us, He gave us the power to die to our will and live in His will.

No more of this American religion! No more calling Jesus ‘Lord’ and ignoring what He tells us! No more hearing and never doing! Listen to how your Lord ended His most famous sermon:

Matthew 7:24-27 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”
“But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

The first type of man represents the people who hear (and read) God’s Word and do it! Even though it’s tough, even though everyone says there’s an easier way, even when it takes longer to get what they want - they build their life God’s way. This kind of life, built on obedience to God’s Word, stands up to the storm.

The second type of man represents the people who hear God’s Word and go about their own way. They know they should spend time in the Bible, but they’ve got a busy life. They know that God loves cheerful givers, but money’s tight at the moment. They know that the Bible tells parents to discipline their kids, but they want their kids to like them! So, instead of doing things God’s way - they decide that God will understand if they do it their own way. After all - “God knows my heart!” So they call Him ‘Lord’ and then act like they’re living their own life. This is a life built on sand, my friend! Let a few raindrops fall, and everything collapses!

I know God’s way isn’t always easy - but it is always right! It’s time for a true altar call this morning. It’s time, once and for all, to lay down your life as a living sacrifice. It’s time to finally make Jesus your Lord and Savior. Stop pretending like you can still do things your own way!

Luke 6:46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?”

The Life Of A Believer - Craving

Numbers 11:4-6 “Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. ‘Oh, for some meat!’ they exclaimed. ‘We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!’”

For a believer, the Israelites’ time in the wilderness is symbolic of the spirit’s struggle with the flesh. From their first test of faith at Marah, to their desire to have a god that fit their convenience, they were always their own worst enemies.

In Numbers 11, their ugly side began to show again. It started among the mixture of people they had with them - the Egyptians that were impressed with the way God rescued Israel and followed them out to the wilderness. As they journeyed through the desert, these Egyptians began to crave their favorite foods from Egypt. Apparently this craving became a continuous topic of conversation and eventually the Israelites picked up on it. The miraculous provision that God poured out for them every morning became the object of complaint. They began to long for what they saw as the luxuries of Egypt; meat, fish, and a few vegetables. Ignoring the hardships of slavery, they began to dream of going back!

These complaints and cravings became rampant throughout the camp. Whenever two people talked to each other, this craving eventually wormed its way into the conversation. Whenever they came to see Moses, this was what they always brought up - we want meat to eat!

Finally, Moses got tired of dealing with their whining and moaning. Look at his conversation with God in verses 10-15, “Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”

Whatever complaints these people had, they weren’t valid. They were rescued from a harsh life of slavery and were on their way to a land of their own. Their lives weren’t in danger - it wasn’t as if they were starving. And even though they may have a temporary shortage of meat, they did have meat to eat. They raised their own livestock, so manna wasn’t all they had to eat! Their problem was their own craving.

These people wouldn’t stop craving the things of Egypt, so God gave them over to it. He said in verse 18, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, ‘Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.’ Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?’”

This is exactly what happened! God sent an enormous flock of quail. This flock covered the whole camp and extended for miles on either side of it. God held the birds fluttering about three feet above the ground. All the Israelites had to do was reach out and pull them out of the sky! No one gathered less than 30 pounds of meat - that is a lot of quail!

But this wasn’t a reward for their whining, it was a consequence of it. While they were gorging themselves, unrestrained in their craving, they began to die. Verse 33 says, “but while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.” Many people died and were buried there, all because they “yielded to intense craving” (verse 4 NKJV). When they moved on, they named that place Kibroth Hataavah - the graves of lust.

1 Corinthians 10:1-6 “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.”

Everything that happened to the Israelites after the Exodus happened as a spiritual example for us. The things they went through are a picture of what we go through on our spiritual journey. Some of these examples are good to follow, more of them are warnings to avoid. This is one of those warning.

We all had things that we really liked to do while we were in the world. It could be drinking, it could be partying, it could be pornography - it could be anything. Before we received salvation, we were slaves to all kinds of sin. But when we were rescued by Jesus, we were delivered from the power those sins had over us. Now we no longer have to submit to it. However, now we have to diligently remove any trace of our old life from our new one.

Our flesh will still desire, or crave, the things we once did. Sin is so sneaky! It will convince you to remember all the fun you had when you behaved that way - all the while forgetting the bondage you were in and the freedom you longed for! It will pant thoughts like: “Do you remember all the fun you had?” “Don’t you remember how good those tasted?” “You know, before you were saved, you didn’t feel bad about doing that!” If you don’t respond properly, you’ll find this thing worming its way deeper inside.

Eventually, if you don’t stop that craving (that lust), you’ll have the opportunity to go back to it. But just like there were consequences for the Israelites, there will be consequences for gratifying that lust. Stay away from that “meat”!

How should we respond to these ungodly cravings? The same way the Israelites should have - by focusing on what you have, not what you don’t have! These people had their freedom! They had a promise! They were being supernaturally provided for! If they would’ve filled up on what God gave them, they wouldn’t have hungered for what they used to eat. Remember, manna is symbolic of God’s Word - our spiritual food from Heaven. So...you’re answer to these cravings is to keep your nose inside the pages of your Bible.

Cut out those things in your life that are stirring up your lusts (like those Egyptians that were traveling with the Israelites) and replace their thoughts with what God’s word says! Whatever you do, never allow yourself to return to the things that held you in bondage!

Romans 6:16-18 “Don't you know that when you give yourselves to obey someone you become that person's slave? You can be slaves of sin. Then you will die. Or you can be slaves who obey God. Then you will live a godly life. You used to be slaves of sin. But thank God that with your whole heart you obeyed the teachings you were given! You have been set free from sin. You have become slaves to right living.”

Yahweh Tsidkenu

Jeremiah 23:6 “And this will be his name: ‘Yahweh Is Our Righteousness (Yahweh Tsidkenu).’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.”

God is Righteous. He is completely righteous, there could never be the slightest hint of wickedness in Him. That’s why He stands in direct opposition of sin - He hates it. God is so righteous that He sees the wicked thought in the same way He sees the wicked action. He will punish both of them in the same way.

David couldn’t help to declare God’s righteousness. In his mind, that’s who God is! Look at just a few of the things David wrote about God’s righteousness.
Psalm 36:6 “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.”
Psalm 11:7 “For Yahweh is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.”
Psalm 45:6 “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.”
Psalm 97:2 “Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”

There are many, many more verses in David’s psalms about the righteousness of God. As far as David was concerned, God’s righteousness and justice were what gave Him the right to rule.

Now, from our point of view, God’s righteousness can be a fearful thing. Our righteousness and His righteousness won’t ever match or line up. The best mankind can do - the most righteous we could ever be - is described in Isaiah 64:6: “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags.” We just don’t measure up. We can’t do enough righteous things to become righteous. Why? Because there isn’t enough good deeds in the world to erase a single act of wickedness.

Is it any wonder then that our first reaction to God’s righteousness is fear? Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5), Manoah (Judges 13:22), and David (1 Chronicles 21:16) were all terrified when they saw God. Why? Because their first thoughts were about God’s righteousness and their sinfulness. As Paul preached to Felix (the man who held Paul prisoner) about God’s righteousness, it brought fear to him too. Acts 24:25 says, “As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. ‘Go away for now,’ he replied. ‘When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.’” The righteousness of God makes sinners a little nervous.

But the separation of our wickedness and God’s righteousness didn’t only affect us. One reason God hates our wickedness so much is because of the separation it brings with it! Listen to what He said in Isaiah 48:18 “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”

God hates our wickedness, but He hated our separation even more! This is why He paid such a high cost to eliminate them both. 2 Corinthians 5:21 shows us what He really wanted for the sinner; “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” As much as God hates our sin, He still took it on Himself to destroy the separation between us. This is how it worked; He took our sin and gave us His righteousness.

Romans 3:21-22 agrees - “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law (apart from working to earn it) is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.” God plan was to provide righteousness to those who would put their trust in Him. His desire was to become our righteousness!

Incidentally, this was always His plan. The first time you see the word “righteousness” in the Bible is in Genesis 15:6, “And he [Abram] believed in Yahweh, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Righteousness has never come by trying to do, do, do, do....anytime you see it, it has only come by faith.

So then, this should be the response of everyone who has received the free gift of righteousness:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness”
(Isaiah 61:10)

Thirteen More "El" Names

When I first started studying the names of God, I thought that I would do two or three “El” articles and then move into the well-known Yahweh names.  I had no idea that there were close to twenty different “El” names! Each of these names give a picture of a different part of God’s nature and shows us another perspective of the God we serve. Each one of these could be a separate post, but I’ll condense it to save about three weeks!

El Echad - The One God
Malachi 2:10 “Have we not all one Father? Has not One God (El Echad) created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of the fathers?”
Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is One (El Echad) Yahweh.”
It doesn’t matter what the world says. It doesn’t matter what compromising preachers say. It doesn’t matter what’s politically correct. There is only one God - period.

El Hanne’eman - The Faithful God
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the Faithful God (El Hanne’eman) who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments”
Hebrews 13:5 “For He Himself has said,“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
God keeps His covenant. He is always faithful. If He said something in His Word, whether it’s a warning or a promise - you can bet on it!

El Emmett - The God of Truth
Psalm 31:5 “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Yahweh, God of truth (El Emmett).”
Psalm 57:3 “God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.”
Now we can see why it’s impossible for God to lie. He’s the God of truth! God speaks the truth, loves the truth, and expects the truth.

El De’ot - The God of Knowledge
1 Samuel 2:3 “Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for Yahweh is the God of knowledge (El De’ot); and by Him actions are weighed.”
God knows every thought, every intent, every secret thing. Believers never have to worry about what they don’t know. When it’s time to know, God will give us the knowledge!

El Kabowd - The God of Glory
Psalm 29:3 “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory (El Kabowd) thunders; Yahweh is over many waters.”
Our God is glorious - the God of Glory!

El Qadowsh - The Holy God
Isaiah 5:16 “But Yahweh of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God who is holy (El Qadowsh) shall be hallowed in righteousness.”
It’s God’s holiness that calls us to be holy in our conduct. Leviticus 11:45 (quoted in 1 Peter 1:16) says, “You shall therefore be holy, for I [God] am holy.”

El Channun - The Gracious God
Jonah 4:2 “So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious God (El Channun) and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.”
Jonah knew this part of God’s nature, and He didn’t want to share it with Israel’s enemies in Ninevah. God is still just as gracious to us today. (He isn’t more or less gracious, as we’ve already found out.) God’s grace is a part of His nature - aren’t you glad?

El Ma`owz Chayil - God My Strength and Power
2 Samuel 22:33 “God [is] my strength [and] power (El Ma’owz Chayil): and he makes my way perfect.”
When you’re weak, He is strong! Literally, Ma’owz  is a place of strength - as long as you’re there, you’re strong! Notice what He does with His strength - He makes our way perfect! We have God's strength behind us when we decide to obey what He says!

El Rachum - Merciful God
Deuteronomy 4:30-31 “When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for yahweh your God is a Merciful God [El Rachum]), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.”
Even after we sin, God will always have mercy on us when we repent. He is our Merciful God! Remember though, there is a flip side to El Rachum...

El Tsaddik - The Just God
Isaiah 45:21 “Tell and bring forth your case; yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, yahweh? And there is no other God besides Me, a Just God (El Tsaddik) and a Savior; there is none besides Me.”
Even though He is merciful, God can never let sin go unpunished. Even repented sin requires punishment - that is why Jesus came. He came to take our punishment so that God could be just when He let us go free. God is just, and sin is costly!

El Yeshua - God of My Salvation
Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God my salvation (El Yeshua), I will trust and not be afraid; for Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.”
When did God become our salvation? When Jesus (Yeshua) bore our sin on the cross! Isn’t it amazing that Yeshua was part of God’s name even in the Old Testament?

El Kanno - The Jealous God
Exodus 20:5 “You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God (El Kanno), visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.”
God hates sharing you. He hates getting half of you and losing the other half of you to the world. He wants every part of you, every second of your day, and every ounce of your devotion.

El Chaiyai - The God of My Life
Psalm 42:8 “yahweh will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me— a prayer to the God of my life (El Chaiyai).”
This name makes everything that God is personal to us. The God of Salvation is the God of my life! The Gracious and Merciful God is the God of my life! The God of Strength and Power is the God of my life! If you’ll let Him, He wants to be the God of your life too!

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God (the Faithful God, the God of Truth, the God of Knowledge, the God of Strength and Power, the Gracious God, the Merciful God, the Holy God) is for us, who can be against us?”

Justified

Titus 3:4-7 “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Like redemption, justification is another doctrine that too many Christians can’t define. Even though it’s an incredible benefit of salvation, it simply isn’t taught or defined in many churches. As a result, many believers simply don’t know what this concept means - and many others have a distorted view of it.

In its simplest terms, justification is another legal term. The Greek word is “dikaioo.” It refers to a person that is accused of breaking the law being found innocent in court. When they leave the court, they leave justified of those charges. They are legally unaccountable for what they were charged with and are in right standing (righteous) according to the law

Spiritually, justification is to have right standing with God - to be righteous in His eyes. I’ve heard it said that to be justified is to be “just-as-if-I’d never sinned.” According to the Bible, there are two ways to be justified:

The first way to be justified is by never breaking the law in the first place. God is going to judge the world based on the ten commandments. So doesn’t that mean we’re righteous if we obey them? Absolutely! This is called justification by works. As long as you obey the ten commandments, God will pronounce you righteous and unpunishable. Leviticus 18:5 declares, “You shall therefore obey My commands and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am Yahweh.” You see, as long as you do what God says, you’ll be righteous!

But before you try justification by works, you should know something. There is an inherent problem with that kind of righteousness. God doesn’t only look at outward actions - He also looks at (and judges) inward thoughts. God judges hatred to be the same as murder (1 John 3:15). He sees a lustful look in the same way He sees adultery (Matthew 5:28).That time you would’ve rather stayed in bed instead of going to God’s house? He saw that as idolatry (putting anything else before Him). Can you see the problem with justification by works? You have to control your thoughts just as much as you need to control your body!

But that’s not the only problem with justification by works. Let’s say that from now on you obeyed everything in the law (the ten commandments). Let’s say that from this point forward you were even capable of obeying God in every one of your thoughts. Does that make you righteous? Sadly, no. Obeying God today won’t erase disobeying Him yesterday. God keeps intense records! Being the righteous judge that He is, He can’t ignore a single act of disobedience. Even if it looks like your good should outweigh your bad - your bad still requires judgement.

As if that wasn’t enough reason to avoid justification by works, read what James 2:10 says, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” So liars will get the same judgement as murderers! Someone who disobeys their parents as a kid will be judged in the same way as an adulterer or a thief! How can anyone be justified by obeying the law?

You can’t. Romans 3:20 declares, “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” No person can find their righteousness by obeying the law because no one has ever obeyed all of the law. So aren’t you glad there’s another way?

The only way we can be justified is by faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This kind of justification comes when you believe what Jesus did for you. When you trust that Jesus took your punishment to Himself on the cross, you receive His righteousness. It’s a simple exchange - Jesus took the punishment of your sin, and you take the reward of His righteousness. That’s it. That’s all there is to being justified!

Do you think it sounds too simple to be true? Well, the Bible affirms this over and over again:
Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
Acts 13:39 “...and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
1 Corinthians 6:11 “ But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
Galatians 2:16 “Yet we know that a person is made right with God (justified) by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right (justified) with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

If you were able to keep the law, you could be justified by it. But no one has ever been able to keep God’s law by themselves! If I were you, I would would chase the justification that comes by faith!