Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– John MacArthur
The Creator of All Things
It doesn’t take a Bible scholar to know God created us. In the Gospel of John, it says of Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) and that “all things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Clearly, Jesus is the Creator of all life. “All things” must include mankind, who was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) in the Garden of Eden.
The Creator of Life
While the Apostle Peter was at the “portico called Solomon’s” (Acts 3:11), he spoke to all who were present at Jesus’ illegal trial and consented to His death on the cross. Peter tells them, “You denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses” (Acts 3:14-15). Peter grants them that “you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers” (Acts 3:17). That doesn’t make them guiltless because Peter still says, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus” (Acts 3:19-20). Peter clearly identifies the Author of Life as Jesus Christ.
The Giver of Life
When the Apostle Paul is preaching the Gospel to the Greeks, he tells them, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man” (Acts 17:24). He is not “served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). Instead of giving anything to God, Paul is saying He gives life to everything! Even so, God’s desire is “that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). God freely gave life to us all and freely gave His own Son so that we might receive eternal life in Christ.
The Eternal Life
God gave the most. We had nothing to give. Guess Who deserves all the glory! That’s right–it’s God. This is the Gospel. We are not saved to eternal life by any works because, at best, our works are like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). To try and make works as part of our salvation is like telling God, “Thank you, God and Jesus. It’s great you died for me. But in order to complete my salvation, I must do good works.” That robs God of glory and tries to give us glory or credit for our salvation. The trouble is, how would we ever know when we’ve done enough good works to save ourselves? Actually, it can’t be done because it is only “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). That’s good news to me and probably to you.
Conclusion
We should be ever thankful to God for giving Jesus’ life for us, who were ungodly, wicked, enemies of His. Yet He died for us anyway (Romans 5:6-10). The wages we earned was eternal death. However, God says that in Christ, He offers the free gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23) but only because of and through Christ (Acts 4:12). He is our Creator, the Author of Life, and the Giver of Life. Only He brings eternal life for all who repent and believe. Thank and praise Him for that today, even right now!
