Romans 3:23-26
²³ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, ²⁴being JUSTIFIED as a GIFT by His grace through the redemption which is IN CHRIST JESUS; ²⁵whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation IN HIS BLOOD through faith. This was TO DEMONSTRATE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶for the demonstration, I say, of HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS at the present time, so that He would be JUST and the JUSTIFIER of the one WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS.
²⁴being JUSTIFIED as a GIFT by His grace through the REDEMPTION which is IN CHRIST JESUS
REDEMPTION, what does it mean?
It is to purchase something, to purchase a slave, to purchase a captive prisoner, by making a payment.
Now that on itself is amazing, that our almighty God was willing to buy us free. But what makes it even more amazing, is the price that was paid.
The blood of Gods own son!
It is often said “Jesus saved me from sin”.
And this is actually not correct. Sin wasn’t after you…
It was God’s wrath!
When you put it this way, God saved you from Himself by Himself and for Himself. It was God and His righteousness and His wrath that was coming after you, and Jesus stood between you, and that judgment. He was standing between you and the judgment of Almighty God, when He gave His life on the cross of Calvary. The payment was made to the offended Justice of God. And in satisfying God’s judgment, He took God’s wrath.
Make no mistake about it, the price was paid.
The price was paid by God, and the price was paid to God, and ultimately the price was paid for the glory of God.
Now let’s go on, the REDEMPTION which is IN CHRIST JESUS.
A saying that you also will have heard, or maybe even have said yourself, is: “Jesus is all we NEED” this too sounds very religious, but it is not true in all circumstances.
When someone is hungry, he at that moment needs food, and when I instead of bread, would give him a sermon about the Christ, he would not really be helped.
When we want to go to the Father, we NEED, the Christ.
Jesus is not only who we NEED, Jesus is also all we HAVE.
For any sort of relationship with God the Father is only possible because you are IN CHRIST. Christ is the Arc for our time.
Do you see, that and it is only by being in the arc, that you are safe from the flood of Gods wrath.
Christ also is that city, to which the criminal runs, and only inside the walls of that city, is the criminal safe.
Do you see that it is IN CHRIST, and ONLY IN CHRIST, that we are safe.
▪︎ Outside of Christ you are not safe.
▪︎ Outside of Christ you are nothing.
▪︎ Outside of Christ you have nothing to boast of.
But IN CHRIST, you can speak of Jesus who was crucified, and raised from the dead, ON YOUR BEHALF.
▪︎ Outside of Christ you cannot go through the eye of the needle .
▪︎ Outside of Christ you will not go to heaven.
With only one shred of self-righteousness on your back you will not be able to go to heaven.
I know that many good Christians have gone through perilous times of doubting their salvation, but eventhough these Christians have gone through those perilous times, there was one thing they didn’t doubt, and it was this, that if they were saved, it was ONLY IN CHRIST. They’re fully convinced of the absolute inability to add anything to the atoning work of Christ.
If it was 99.99% Christ and 0.01% us, you and I will go to hell.
End of this series
About Author
