Jesus's Prescription for Sinners
We go to the doctor when we are sick. Or at least, we should go to the doctor when we are sick. Once we break down and go, we are expecting the doctor to figure out what is wrong and prescribe something that will cure us from our sickness. This happens if the doctor is knowledgeable enough to know what to do. Then, we follow what the doctor says and take whatever medications we should take, just according to the directions. Finally, the sickness is gone and we are healthy again. Jesus uses this analogy for us to understand His prescription for sinners. (Luke 5:31,32) Jesus made it plain that healthy people do not need a doctor. It is those who are sick that need to see a doctor. That is why He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. I pray we all see what Jesus is saying, since He is the Great Physician for both spiritual and physical maladies.
Sin is a terrible sickness. It infects every fiber of our being. There is no human being who has a cure for sin, and we are all sinners. If we try to deal with our sin by ourselves, we fail every time. It is only with the help of Jesus that our sinful condition can be cured. He died for our sins and rose again, as the only cure for our sins. Therefore, we have to go to Jesus in faith to receive His forgiveness and be healthy. The key is that we must repent of our sins first. Jesus calls sinners to repentance by turning from our sins, and deciding to go His way, not our way. Only then, can we be forgiven and know Him as our Lord and Savior. However, the same is true for our sins after we trust Jesus. We can't take care of the effects of those sins upon our personal relationship with Him, unless we confess those sins and repent. (I John 1:9) Our sincere repentance precedes restoration to health. That is why we need to set our hearts to hear from God's Spirit and to take time to repent of the sins He brings to our minds each day. Then, we can live as healthy, righteous Christians, which is so much better than having the symptoms of sin in our lives all of the time.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 6-8.