since we are justified by faith,
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ
Romans 5:1
· You are guilty. You have sinned. So have I.
· You deserve punishment. So do I.
· In our offensive state, there is no way that we should ever expect to be able to stand before a holy, perfect, and pure God. Described in Hebrews as a consuming fire, God’s glory should utterly toast us.
· On our own – as we’re reminded on Ash Wednesday – we are ashes to ashes and dust to dust.
· Your sins (and mine) deserve the death penalty.
· That’s our nature. That’s our state from birth. That’s our destiny – the decay of the grave and the fires of hell.
So here’s the question … How come a convict like you (and me) is declared “just”?!!!
That’s what “justified” means. We who are “dead,” “doomed,” and “sinful” (see Ephesians 2:1), have a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. But instead of this card being Monopoly orange, the color of our freedom is blood red.
Our sin creates violence in God’s kingdom. We may think that we’re hurting no one but ourselves, but sin is violence. Insurrection. Even if we’re sinning in secret, we’re stabbing our Father’s heart with every sin. Every transgression nails Christ to the cross again. So how can Paul possibly say that us traitors have peace with God?
How? It’s not because of anything that we have done. It’s “through [everything that] our Lord Jesus Christ [has done].”
And it’s not because we deserve any of it. It’s because of Jesus’ love, grace, and sacrifice.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy in an orange jump suit
that has been washed white
in the blood of the Lamb
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