More Than____Sample

MORE THAN YOU DESERVE I love that verse 33 begins with a question and, what’s more, a challenge. Paul is asking the Romans, "Who could possibly oppose God’s decision in the justification of his people?" At the time of writing this letter, there was division within the church in Rome as both Jews and Gentiles tried to coexist. They had differing opinions on what it meant to be a follower of God, so Paul writes to remind them that they are not the ones to pass judgement on another's faith; that is God’s job alone. He challenges them to think of someone who is worthy enough to supersede God’s decision to save anyone who declares Christ as Lord. The truth is, no one can rightfully make that decision other than God. I think we pass this same judgement over ourselves all too often, and understandably so. We know ourselves the best; we know all of our own thoughts, feelings, actions and decisions. We know all the mistakes we’ve made and the regrets we have. Of course, we pass judgement and decide for ourselves whether we believe we are worthy of God’s forgiveness or not. This is, however, not our job. As Paul writes, it is God who justifies and is therefore the only one who can pass any judgement on us. We don’t have the qualifications to oppose God’s ruling! As verse 34 says, Jesus is interceding for us. He is like a witness in a trial, speaking on our behalf and graciously presenting our case. This verse also tells us that Jesus is the only one who can condemn us—but he doesn’t. When we recognize that Christ, who died for our sins and rose to life again, is the only one able to pass any judgement on us, we can step into the freedom that God promises. We don’t have to do anything other than bring our case to God, letting him take care of any charges against us and letting us go free. Questions: 1. Are there any areas of your life for which you’re still passing judgement on yourself? 2. What practical steps can you take to accept God’s justification? 3. Just as we need to forgive ourselves, we must forgive others. Is there someone in your life that you need to stop judging?