We all share the same problem
and it affects everything...
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
– Romans 3:23
This affects everything! Our relationships, our motivation, our purpose in life, everything we have known is coming from a place of rebellion against the one who created us. The “glory of God” is something amazing that includes his design and purpose for us, but we can’t begin to understand it because of sin. That’s our problem, sin! Sin is basically disobedience to God and we are all guilty of sin.
It gets worse before it gets better...
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 6:23
There are real consequences for disobedience to God. In fact, much of our life experience involves consequences for sin. Sin breaks relationships, it corrupts our motivation, it destroys us physically and ultimately leads to physical death. Because of our sin, we are spiritually dead and unable to have a relationship with God. In Revelation 20:12-15, we are told of a future judgement before God where all of us will be judged on what we have done in this life. The final consequence for our sinful works is described as eternal suffering in a lake of fire – the second death.
But just as Romans 6:23 above gives us the fatal connection between sin and death, it also gives us hope, “but the free gift of God…”
God's love...
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
– Romans 5:8
Even while we were enemies of God, God loved us enough to send his son to save us. Jesus Christ, the son of God, became a man and was tempted just as we are but without sin. Jesus demonstrated perfect obedience to the Father in his time here on earth. Then Jesus went willingly to the cross to take on himself the wrath of God, the penalty for our sin. Through his death and resurrection he overcame sin and death for us.
Salvation through faith...
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
– Romans 10:9
Have you come to realize your own sin? Do you see how impossible it is to save yourself from sin and death and to find your own way to the life that God created you for? It is from a place of realizing our own hopeless condition that we look to Christ to save us. That’s what faith in Christ is all about. There is no specific prayer to pray or service to attend or prerequisite of getting your life in order and ready for salvation. You simply look to Jesus Christ and ask him to save you and take over control of your life.
When you trust Jesus as your savior, as the lord of your life, there is both immediate and ongoing salvation that God works in your life. Your sin is forgiven and paid for by the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. The Holy Spirit places his seal on your life as a guarantee of a future inheritance in heaven. Your life becomes a journey of faith, trusting the wisdom of God and holding on to the living hope of Jesus Christ as he guides you through the brokenness of sin to new life.
I am free!
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
– Romans 8:1
All of the guilt and shame from our sin has been taken by Christ! Through faith in Jesus Christ we no longer live under condemnation. There is no need to fear because fear has to do with punishment and Christ has taken our punishment on himself. Every sin we have committed or ever will commit is payed for by the blood of Christ. We can truly live a life that is motivate and empowered by the selfless love of God!
New purpose in my life...
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
– Romans 12:1
You can’t understand the joy of being a worshiper of the Living God until you have experienced the love of God in your life through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Die-hard sports fans, political fanatics, champions for a great cause, have all discovered that there is something wired into all of us that finds joy in a person or cause that is greater than we are. That something was put there by God and is only fully satisfied in Him. It is not obligation or duty that is our primary motivation. It is desire and joy that drives us to offer every part of our lives as a sacrifice of worship to God.
Hope of glory...
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
– Romans 8:18
It is a curious thing to see the resiliency of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ during times of suffering and loss. It is not that they feel the suffering or morn the loss any less, but their hope is anchored in the living hope of Jesus Christ. It is a hope that is certain and guaranteed, not by the frailty of human strength or circumstances but by the power of God. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are in the watch-care of a God who loves them, in fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit, and in fellowship with his people who also share the same hope of glory.
Do you know the love of God in your life?