Romans 5:10, 11
Christianity is not about doing good and avoiding evil; nor is it about trying to get to heaven. If these things define us, then we should drop “Christ” out of the name of our faith, for these having nothing to do with Christ and His finished work. Every religion in the world tries to do good and avoid evil, and all of them are working and hoping for a higher home when they die. Is this what we want to be?
We have relationship, not religion, and we are sons, not slaves (Galatians 4:7). The reason that Christianity is special is that when you accept Christ, your life does not become a daily challenge to live up to rules and regulations but it becomes one where Christ lives His life through you. The cross and the resurrection provided two very important things for all of us:
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10).
Christ’s death on the cross reconciled the world back to God. There is no more separation between God and man. Not even sin can separate man from God, for Jesus bore all sins in His body on the tree. This message of reconciliation is made up of the fact that God does not impute transgressions to man; and this is the sole message of the church (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Christ’s resurrection, which of course could not have taken place without the cross, provides us with life. It is not the life of Jesus prior to the cross that gives us life, for that would have nullified the need for His sacrificial death. Jesus’ life is a pristine example of how to live, but it provides us with no strength to copy the same. We need His death for our sins and His resurrection for our life if we hope to walk as He walked.
These two important things are not the only things however, for Paul now says, “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:11). The word ‘atonement’ is the Greek word ‘katalaga’ meaning, “exchange or reconciliation”. We have joy because of the finished work of Jesus, who has exchanged His life for ours. He took our sin; we take His righteousness. He took our curse; we take His blessing.
Peter called this joy “unspeakable” (1 Peter 1:8). It is unspeakable because mere human words can never describe the miracle that takes place at the great exchange. When we are saved, we give up who we were to receive who He is. He is perfect in every way, and as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). He literally exchanged places with us at Calvary, taking into Himself what should have been ours; giving us what was rightfully His.
Because of the great exchange, every promise of God in Christ is yours. If Jesus was beloved, so are you. If Jesus was full of health and wholeness, so are you. If Jesus was the righteousness of God, so are you. Get the picture? Thank God for the great exchange and just enjoy being who He has become in you.
Christianity is not about doing good and avoiding evil; nor is it about trying to get to heaven. If these things define us, then we should drop “Christ” out of the name of our faith, for these having nothing to do with Christ and His finished work. Every religion in the world tries to do good and avoid evil, and all of them are working and hoping for a higher home when they die. Is this what we want to be?
We have relationship, not religion, and we are sons, not slaves (Galatians 4:7). The reason that Christianity is special is that when you accept Christ, your life does not become a daily challenge to live up to rules and regulations but it becomes one where Christ lives His life through you. The cross and the resurrection provided two very important things for all of us:
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10).
Christ’s death on the cross reconciled the world back to God. There is no more separation between God and man. Not even sin can separate man from God, for Jesus bore all sins in His body on the tree. This message of reconciliation is made up of the fact that God does not impute transgressions to man; and this is the sole message of the church (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Christ’s resurrection, which of course could not have taken place without the cross, provides us with life. It is not the life of Jesus prior to the cross that gives us life, for that would have nullified the need for His sacrificial death. Jesus’ life is a pristine example of how to live, but it provides us with no strength to copy the same. We need His death for our sins and His resurrection for our life if we hope to walk as He walked.
These two important things are not the only things however, for Paul now says, “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:11). The word ‘atonement’ is the Greek word ‘katalaga’ meaning, “exchange or reconciliation”. We have joy because of the finished work of Jesus, who has exchanged His life for ours. He took our sin; we take His righteousness. He took our curse; we take His blessing.
Peter called this joy “unspeakable” (1 Peter 1:8). It is unspeakable because mere human words can never describe the miracle that takes place at the great exchange. When we are saved, we give up who we were to receive who He is. He is perfect in every way, and as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). He literally exchanged places with us at Calvary, taking into Himself what should have been ours; giving us what was rightfully His.
Because of the great exchange, every promise of God in Christ is yours. If Jesus was beloved, so are you. If Jesus was full of health and wholeness, so are you. If Jesus was the righteousness of God, so are you. Get the picture? Thank God for the great exchange and just enjoy being who He has become in you.
