“Then rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might dare to die. But God proves His love to us for, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (vv.7-8)
How lovely is our God who works such a complete rescue for us in Christ. On Golgotha Christ was bruised and beaten by the Father so that we would know His tender mercy and grace. Jesus took every sin and all the sinfulness of all those who would ever believe in Him. Every sin from all believers. He took them all and He paid for them. There is no more price to pray if you are in Christ. You will never, ever face a wrathful Father, never be damned for any of your sins. No matter how evil they are. For Christ has drunk the cup of God’s wrath empty for all those who trust Him. There is not one drop left.
What a wonderful gift? How can you have it? Not through your works and merit! Your happiness cannot be found in your identity as a moral superman, and neither can your salvation. Rather this salvation is all yours in Christ, if you will have Him. He is yours if you will believe in Him. Verse 1 “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We can only have Christ by faith. When someone turns to Christ he is clothed with Christ. Through faith he is united to Christ and receives all that is Christ’s. He receives Christ as His righteousness. His perfect life, obedient to the Father at all times, is credited to us. In return through faith we see that Christ received all that was ours at Golgotha. Our sin. Our shame. Our guilt. Our punishment. All that was ours became His.
Please don’t think this isn’t practical. These truths change lives. What does God think of you right now? If you are in Christ then God looks at you and sees none other than Christ. He sees you and it is not as if you had never sinned, but rather as if you were Christ. He looks at us and cries out with joy “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased!” And nothing can change this. Not your pride. Not your self-obsession. Not your cold heart. Not the porn that you looked at this week. He saved you without your works through faith in Christ and so will He keep you. Your works will never separate you from His love to you in Christ. He loves you as He loves His first-born Son. Nothing will ever change this.
No one can make us happier than God. Nowhere can we see this any clearer than in the gospel of grace. Therefore let us preach this good news to ourselves every day. For God has given us everything that we need that we would not find our joy in the dirt of this world but would find Him to be pure joy, all joys excelling.
0 comments:
Post a Comment