NOVEMBER 15 - Nº 319 Romans 6 – 8
In the first part of his letter to the Romans, Paul explained that no one is righteous enough to enter God’s holy presence. No amount of good works, or obedience to the Law, or performing of rituals can make it possible. The only way that anyone can have a relationship with God is through faith in what Jesus did on the cross. The result of that faith is God’s gracious gift of eternal life. Because of God’s grace, all our sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven, and we can live in His presence forever. “But,” Paul asked, “does this mean we should go on sinning so that God’s grace will keep on increasing in our lives?” He emphatically answered his own question, “No way! If this is what you are thinking, you don’t really understand what Jesus did for you.” Paul went on to explain that when believers really comprehend Jesus’ death on the cross, they live their lives differently. They realize that they are free from the bondage of sin. They no longer allow sin to control them. Instead, they choose to be slaves to Jesus’ righteousness. Their goal is to live in a way that will please and honor him. Then Paul asked, “What about the Law? Are we still obligated to keep it?” Again, he answered his own question. “No way!” he bluntly stated again. “The Law was never designed to help us live holy lives. As a matter of fact, it is just the opposite. The purpose of the Law is to point out how impossible it is for us to keep ourselves from sinning. It is designed to show us how much we need a savior.” Paul shared how he personally struggled with this. “The Law keeps revealing things that I do wrong,” he wrote, “but it doesn’t help me do things that are right. It has no power to help me overcome my sinful desires. It only leaves me feeling miserable and exhausted from fighting them. I find myself crying out, ‘Who can deliver me from this?’” Again, he answered his own question. “Only God can!” he exclaimed. “And He does it through Jesus Christ!” “Because Jesus overcame death,” Paul added, “he has the power to overcome sin! And now it is possible for us as believers to live righteous, godly lives, because the power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives inside each of us!” Paul explained that God has a purpose for everything that ever happens in a believer’s life. He can take every tangled, treacherous situation and turn it into something good. Paul promised the Roman believers that there was nothing that Satan, or anyone else, could ever accuse them of doing that Jesus had not already paid the penalty for. “As a matter of fact,” Paul added, “I am convinced that there is nothing—not death or life, not angels or demons, not anything that is happening right now or anything that will ever happen in the future, not any powers or any distance, not anything in all of creation—that can ever separate us from God’s love, the love that He displayed when He sent Jesus to die for us!”
Have you ever wondered if God still loves you because of something you said or thought or did? God’s answer is “Yes, I do!” I love you so much that I sent Jesus to die for all your sins (past, present, and future)! Nothing—not anything in all of His creation—will ever be able to diminish that love!
