Romans 5:10-11 "For if, when we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."
Over the last few months, I have been looking at the book of Romans. It has seemed to me that as I studied this that one of the main ideas that comes up is reconciliation. In other words, what is our spiritual stance before God now. Not just when we get to heaven, but now. In his book "Classic Christianity" Bob George talks about this and he points out that as a believer, I am not only forgiven, but accepted in God's eyes now.
I think this is important because if we are not careful as believers we can get into the trap of the "performance wheel" that characterizes many other relationships. The "I will accept you if" relationship that many people have. And if I believe that God holds the same standards and God wishes for me to be holy then I probably look at my life and realize that I fall short of that goal. So, it may be that we think that surely God must be mad at us. I know that I have felt that way at times. Trying on your own to live up to impossible standards is frustrating. And it is hard to get excited about worship and loving God when you think he might not approve of you.
This is one of the great lies of the devil. Having not been successful in taking your salvation. The accuser of the brethren will try and steal all of your joy. How many believers do you know who are truly joyful in the walk with the Lord? It seems we are characterized more by a frown and judgment than we are by joy. Maybe it is because we are doing what we are doing trying to earn the Lord acceptance when we already have it? When you think about it, it would seriously change our motives for the good that we do if we realize that God already accepts us, loves us and wants to give us more than we can ask or imagine. Few believers that I know really radiate that kind of love and acceptance that is ours in Christ.
George points out in his book that all of our sins, past, present and future were nailed to the cross and dealt with on the cross. God describes us as believers in new ways. Paul uses this term over and over again particularly in Ephesians when he says we are "in Christ". This is now how God sees the believer, not as a sinner, but as "in Christ" and reconciled. Therefore it says in Romans 5:1 "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." So, these old sins and regrets and mistakes, past, present and future have been dealt with by Jesus. And I no longer have to fear God or be afraid of him because I fall short. I can have boldness and confidence to come before him because of what Jesus did.
I believe that God wants us to live in the assurance of this acceptance. That God sees us as new creatures in Christ. The old is dying and the new is being lived out. This doesn't mean that I should not try to live for him or that I don't need to repent of some sins. Unfortunately, the church looks too much like the world today. We seems to have lost our power and confidence in the Lord. I am seriously concerned when I look at the state of the church today. Most churches are stagnant or dying. But, could that be because we serve out of a sense of fear rather than joyfully knowing that God accepts us? It is clear to me that we need to change our mindset about who we are in Christ.
I believe as beloved children that God wants us to live in and enjoy Him as children of His. George tells another story about John John, the son of John F. Kennedy when Kennedy was President of the United States. I remember seeing a picture of John John sitting under the Presidents desk playing while the leader of the free world was working. John John had access to the President not because of what he did, but because of whose he was. He could confidently walk past all the security and people trying to get the Presidents attention and get into his father's lap. In the same way, I believe God wants us to have confidence that we can come before him because we are His.
Over the last few months, I have been looking at the book of Romans. It has seemed to me that as I studied this that one of the main ideas that comes up is reconciliation. In other words, what is our spiritual stance before God now. Not just when we get to heaven, but now. In his book "Classic Christianity" Bob George talks about this and he points out that as a believer, I am not only forgiven, but accepted in God's eyes now.
I think this is important because if we are not careful as believers we can get into the trap of the "performance wheel" that characterizes many other relationships. The "I will accept you if" relationship that many people have. And if I believe that God holds the same standards and God wishes for me to be holy then I probably look at my life and realize that I fall short of that goal. So, it may be that we think that surely God must be mad at us. I know that I have felt that way at times. Trying on your own to live up to impossible standards is frustrating. And it is hard to get excited about worship and loving God when you think he might not approve of you.
This is one of the great lies of the devil. Having not been successful in taking your salvation. The accuser of the brethren will try and steal all of your joy. How many believers do you know who are truly joyful in the walk with the Lord? It seems we are characterized more by a frown and judgment than we are by joy. Maybe it is because we are doing what we are doing trying to earn the Lord acceptance when we already have it? When you think about it, it would seriously change our motives for the good that we do if we realize that God already accepts us, loves us and wants to give us more than we can ask or imagine. Few believers that I know really radiate that kind of love and acceptance that is ours in Christ.
George points out in his book that all of our sins, past, present and future were nailed to the cross and dealt with on the cross. God describes us as believers in new ways. Paul uses this term over and over again particularly in Ephesians when he says we are "in Christ". This is now how God sees the believer, not as a sinner, but as "in Christ" and reconciled. Therefore it says in Romans 5:1 "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." So, these old sins and regrets and mistakes, past, present and future have been dealt with by Jesus. And I no longer have to fear God or be afraid of him because I fall short. I can have boldness and confidence to come before him because of what Jesus did.
I believe that God wants us to live in the assurance of this acceptance. That God sees us as new creatures in Christ. The old is dying and the new is being lived out. This doesn't mean that I should not try to live for him or that I don't need to repent of some sins. Unfortunately, the church looks too much like the world today. We seems to have lost our power and confidence in the Lord. I am seriously concerned when I look at the state of the church today. Most churches are stagnant or dying. But, could that be because we serve out of a sense of fear rather than joyfully knowing that God accepts us? It is clear to me that we need to change our mindset about who we are in Christ.
I believe as beloved children that God wants us to live in and enjoy Him as children of His. George tells another story about John John, the son of John F. Kennedy when Kennedy was President of the United States. I remember seeing a picture of John John sitting under the Presidents desk playing while the leader of the free world was working. John John had access to the President not because of what he did, but because of whose he was. He could confidently walk past all the security and people trying to get the Presidents attention and get into his father's lap. In the same way, I believe God wants us to have confidence that we can come before him because we are His.
