CHRIST RECEIVETH SINFUL MEN

CHRIST RECEIVETH SINFUL MEN!

2 Cor 6:16-18

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

           Relationship is established with God when we trust Christ as our Savior but the blessings of fellowship rest upon the contingency of our obedience. We are, by nature, sinful. We are like show pigs who can be scrubbed clean and a fresh curl put in our pink tail but when the show is over we return to roll in the mud.

           Paul is not referring to strangers here but those who were “temples of God.” He urges them to disavow, disagree with, and disassociate from the idols of Belial. We no longer belong together. It is upon this disassociation and separation that God promises to receive us.

The words to an old hymn, “Christ Receiveth Sinful Men” were written by Erd­mann Neu­meis­ter, Evan­gel­isch­er Nach­klang (Ham­burg, Ger­ma­ny: 1718). He based this hymn on his ser­mon which be­gan “Jesus nimmt die Sün­der an! Saget doch dies Trost­wort allen.” Emma F. Be­van trans­lat­ed the hymn from Ger­man to Eng­lish in her Songs of Eter­nal Life (Lon­don: 1858).

Sinners Jesus will receive;
Sound this word of grace to all
Who the heavenly pathway leave,
All who linger, all who fall.

Christ receiveth sinful men,
Even me with all my sin;
Purged from every spot and stain,
Heaven with Him I enter in.

Refrain

Sing it o’er and over again;
Christ receiveth sinful men;
Make the message clear and plain:
Christ receiveth sinful men.

Dear Lord please receive us and refresh us today. We have found ourselves in the mud again. AMEN