Guilty!? The Awesomeness of God’s Grace in the Letter to the RomansSample

Healing the relationship with God

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. Romans 3:23-24 (ESV)

Through our rebellion we have broken our relationship with God, having refused to obey Him and having disregarded His law from the beginning. There are many lawmakers, but only one ultimate authority: God, and He desires His law to be enforced. His law is just, and He is just. Understandably, God is angry when His law is disobeyed. At one point in history He chose Abraham to be the father of a people who would obey, and God would care for them—Israel. But this nation was no different than the others. Yet, God desired that the promises He had made to this people would be fulfilled, although He didn’t ignore either their sins or those of neighboring peoples. Paul writes that all have sinned — which not only applies to the Israelites, but also to people today! There is no excuse. Something had to happen to defer judgment- a challenge to God, who had created the whole world, only to see His creation sullied in rebellion.

Israel was unfaithful to its call. The Israelites should have lived as God’s chosen people, separated from other nations to believe in His Word, to serve no other gods and to commit to obeying His commandments. Israel was to be a witness to surrounding nations. Instead of being a model of delivery from sin and its consequences, Israel became part of the problem. The world had already gone off track when God made a covenant with Abraham and his children to begin again, but this too failed. How is God faithful to this covenant? The solution is in His Son, Jesus Christ, who in obedience to God’s will lived and died. Jesus Christ has delivered Israel and the entire world from sin and guilt. His fulfillment of God’s law is applied to those who believe in Him. Through His crucifixion we are reconciled to God, and the relationship with Him is restored.

Do you share this reconciliation by the work of the Spirit? If you do, you know what an unspeakably precious gift your relationship with God is.