We wrap up week 3 back in Romans again… chapters 5 and 6.
Today’s thoughts:
Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty awesome to me that we can have peace with God. Knowing the depths of sin of which I am capable, and the position that places me in relation to His holiness and righteousness… it’s just, well… almost too good to be true. Especially when considering the cost to me, personally… simple, childlike faith in Christ.
That’s not to say Christianity is a cake walk, of course. If we’re serious about our faith, it will be anything but that. We still stumble and fall into sin occasionally, suffering from our brief forays away from God. And yes, sometimes God allows amazingly difficult things to come our way to mold us into the people He wants us to be.
But seriously… this idea of peace with God simply blows me away. I just can’t hardly comprehend it. I wonder if anyone really can?
Romans 5:8 (NIV)
8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
As any parent can attest, the emotions you feel when witnessing your child’s birth are absolutely overwhelming. It’s utterly amazing just how deeply we love our kids, in those very first moments. Not to minimize the love between spouses, of course, but the love of parents toward their children is probably the closest experience we have to really knowing and experiencing the kind of love that God embodies and expresses toward us.
When I read this passage, though, I realize just how little we really can know of the love of God.
Seriously… do you know of any person on this planet that has the kind of love it would take to allow their child to die so that others might live? If given the choice between sacrificing your child or allowing the entire world to perish, we’d all choose the latter.
But God loves us that much, that He allowed Christ to die for us. And His son Jesus (who is somehow God as well… another concept I’ll never fully understand), willingly went to the cross because he loves us that much.
In spite of our sin. When we were utterly unlovable.
Wow.
Romans 6:11-13 (NIV)
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
Paul’s encouragement here is a stark reminder… even though we are right with God once again through our faith in Jesus… even though all sin, past, present, and future has been paid in full by the atoning blood of Christ… we’re still going to struggle with sin.
I don’t know about you, but that’s one of the most frustrating things about this faith walk with Christ we call Christianity. In yesterday’s reading, Jesus encouraged us to “be perfect … as your heavenly Father is perfect”. It just drives me up a wall that I can’t be. My brain can wrap itself around why God would allow us to struggle with sin (most simply put, if He made us perfect instantaneously at the moment of our salvation, what would be our reason to connect with Him on a regular basis?), but I’m still frustrated by the issue. As I would suspect is true for all of us, I seem to have this nasty little rebellious streak in me that WANTS to sin from time to time… that WANTS to be free to follow my own path. Worst of all, I seem to be that way even knowing that the consequences for me are, well… less than desirable.
Oh how I wish I knew how to truly live a life dead to sin and alive to Christ.
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