Wrapping up Romans 5

Our God is in the business of changing lives, and that is not just a cliche.  Let me explain by sharing about one life that was transformed by the power of the Word.

Our 20-year-old daughter who lives in a group home nearby, was spending much of this weekend with us for her birthday.   Being together and having fun with her brought back a lot of memories about how she used to behave.  Whenever things didn't go her way, she would become aggressive, destructive and violent.  She had absolutely no self control—I could see her struggling with mental illness and everything that accompanies it—and it was ugly and painful for all of us.

After a year and a half of intensive treatment, she is like a new creature.  She rarely raises her voice now and has learned to live within the boundaries of acceptable behavior or pay the consequences.  She may have a relapse every once in a while, but the difference is like night and day.  God, in His infinite wisdom, has chosen to surround her with folks who are equipped to handle her and her special needs, and we get to enjoy her as a daughter once again on a limited basis... for now.

In the midst of the multi-year trial we prayed, struggling to find comfort in God's word, looking for promises and direction when there were decisions to be made.  What we learned was this—to do what we believed would bring peace.  Peace became the operative word in our house, and even though chaos would arise, people were hurt, and things were broken, I can honestly say that I constantly felt the presence of God.  I knew He saw everything, He felt our pain and He hadn't forsaken us or our daughter.

We declared the scripture over Katie without a shred of evidence that she believed it or understood it, yet that didn't matter.  Here is what we said:


"This is what the Lord says, 'You will be in Babylon for seventy years.  But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.  For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord.  'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days, when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me.  I will be found by you,' says the Lord.  'I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes.  I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.'"(Jeremiah 29:10-14)

Yes, I know this prophecy is for the Jews, who became slaves in Babylon just as God said.  But I also know that as of this century, millions of Jews have returned to their homeland from faraway nations as was foretold by Jeremiah.  The Old Testament is filled with the colorful history of God's people—His chosen ones—a family into which we have been adopted (including Katie)!  His assurance that He has plans for each of us is one of the promises that keeps us going when we face adversity.  We are also assured that He will use those situations for our good.

This is a just a chapter in the story; perhaps someday I'll write a book about it.  For now, I thank God that He has blessed Katie beyond belief and she has found peace.

One Man, Jesus Christ

Don't get offended by my calling Jesus a man—it was in fact His humanity that made Him the most perfect sacrifice for the corporate sin of mankind.  When He chose to enter our world and put on human flesh with blood flowing through His veins just like ours, He did so with full knowledge of the Father's  plan.  In other words, death did not take him by surprise.

"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many.  But even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ."  (Romans 5:16, 17 NLT)

This passage says that we sin because we are sinners; that is our nature.  Therefore, we do not become sinners because of mistakes, poor judgment, selfishness, etc., we've simply inherited the sin nature from Adam.

The reversal that takes place when we are spiritually reborn requires an incredible amount of faith to believe!  Its simplicity is our undoing.  God offers to trade our sin nature for righteousness as Christ the Savior delivers us from the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light.

I am learning to acknowledge this truth daily, because the thought of this wonderful grace keeps me from focusing on my failures and sets my heart at peace for the day.

Hope does not disappoint

Look at all of the synonyms for the word hope:
promise, anticipation, expectancy, outlook, prospect, supernatural virtue

Here is the single antonym listed:
despair

What would we do without hope?  I think some people believe that hope is not spiritual enough, even though in scripture hope is always encouraged and applauded.  When our circumstances are desperate, the natural thing to feel is despair (same root word).  But God has another plan for us:

"We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment.  For we know how dearly God loves us because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love." (Romans 5:3-5)

I have been in situations that seemed desperate in the moment, even frightening when the outcome was unknown.  Someone you love is in an ambulance on the way to the hospital; a child has gone missing; a large amount of cash has been misplaced; you get the picture.  We've each had momentous burdens to bear and heartbreaking decisions to make.

Whenever I chose to stop fretting in the midst of these circumstances, I always felt the peace of God envelop me like a hug.  I would hear the familiar words of scripture in my head and allow that same word to fill my heart and bring peace.  I am not mad at God, nor do I blame Him for difficulties, for they have made me stronger.  Rather than run from Him, I have run to Him... sometimes it just took a little longer.

If you happen to be unfamiliar with the story of The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom, suffice it to say that she weathered more trials than any human should have to bear; yet in her own words:

It is not my ability, but my response to God's ability, that counts.

- Corrie ten Boom | God Quotes

Author Info

Corrie ten Boom (1892 - 1983) Dutch, Christian Holocaust survivor.

We never really know what we are made of until tested.  The ten Boom family broke the law of the land in order to do the Christian thing--hide Jews in their home, keeping them from the Nazis and certain death, until the entire family was arrested and sent to a concentration camp.  Corrie was the only one in her family who survived.  She knew that her hope, placed in God alone, would never disappoint.

Protect the Peace

It's cold here, and the temperature is dropping by the minute with snow expected all day tomorrow.  I am obviously not at home in Florida; most definitely out of my comfort zone as far as the mercury goes, but nevertheless enjoying the adventure. 

Suffering from the lack of traditional comforts like my bed, my kids, my car and my t.v., can induce a little anxiety and when out of my normal routine, I sometimes stray away from spending time in the word, so this morning, I grabbed my phone, which is loaded with several bible study applications and began to read these words:

"...our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand..." (Romans 5:2) 

This incredible grace in which we stand in the presence of the Father.  When I meditate on this, I sense His acceptance and welcome, no matter what kind of mood I've been in, or how my thoughts have wandered into dark and scary places.  In His presence, these things that just a moment ago seemed oppressive, evaporate like a puddle on an steamy August afternoon.  I need to find a way to remain in this peace even when (especially when) challenges arise.

Picking up gloves, a scarf and hat, a sweater and overcoat to protect myself from the elements, reminds me that I need to protect that peace, by layering truth upon truth, promise upon promise.  I'm confident that I will survive this burst of arctic weather as well as every attempt the enemy makes to steal away this peace I've found. 

As you navigate your own world today with all of its ups and downs, remind yourself that your are continually in a state of grace, standing in the presence of the Father who loves you unconditionally.

Are We Still Sinners?

Here comes the debate on the touchy subject of whether or not believers are still sinners.  I've heard many preachers say things like, "I am a wretched sinner, saved by grace," or "we are all sinners, continually missing the mark." I understand that they are trying to identify with the Apostle Paul when he proclaims himself "the chief of sinners," or "the worst of them all,"  though he was simply holding himself up as an example of us all, in order to prove that no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands.  The law is a picture of the perfect and holy character of God, a standard none could meet.

In Romans 5:6-11, as Paul describes sinners, the literal translation is the ungodly.  In my early education I recall learning that putting the letters "un" in front of an adjective turns it into the opposite of the original word, i.e., true/untrue and happy/unhappy; now you know where I am going with this.  We were once the ungodly, enemies of God; but when we were saved, we became friends of God.

"But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's condemnation... our friendship with God was restored... we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God... " (Romans 5:8-11)

In no way am I discounting the seriousness of the plight of the sinner I know I once was; however, the Spirit of God bears witness in me through the scripture that I am now the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus.  He took my sin and gave me His righteousness in return—such undeserved kindness! Righteousness is then not what I do, but how I am perceived by God due to the blood of Christ.

Are we still sinners then?  I don't see myself that way anymore, because I have a new relationship with God.  If I were continually sin-conscious, noting every single failure and infraction throughout the day and constantly uttering, "Forgive me, forgive me, I'm sorry," I'm afraid I would feel hopeless.  Instead, I look to the cross and thank God that all of my sins have already been punished—past, present and future—and thanks be to God, there is no condemnation left for me.

So there is the place of peace; the cross upon which the Savior died in my place... the very spot where the guilty conscience can be set free to find Peace With God.

The Peace Treaty

I remember a movie on television a while back, about a Japanese man who'd been on a deserted island in the south Pacific for many years.  In fact, he'd been the sole survivor of an attack during WWII, and the news had never come to him about the Allies' victory and the end of the war.  Decades later, when a group of people tried to convince him that his people had surrendered long ago, he refused to believe and carried on at war with anyone who set foot on his tiny island.

This soldier had no idea that someone had made a treaty for peace on behalf of him and his country.  His people were no longer at war with America; on the contrary, the two countries were tied together industrially and economically.  Imagine how difficult it was for this old man to comprehend... everything had changed.

Man has been at odds with God since Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden due to their rebellion. Some people interpret this act of God as mean or impulsive--but within this exchange in Genesis 3, are three incredible acts of mercy:

1. God chose to cover their nakedness with animal skin instead of the fig leaves they'd chosen.  Although there is no particular mention of it, the implication is that God Himself killed the animal(s) making the first blood sacrfice in order to cover sin.
2. When Adam & Eve had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they obtained knowledge that was not meant for them.  Had they partaken of the Tree of Life, they would have lived forever in their sinful state, and that was not God's plan.
3. As God passed judgment on the serpent, He prophesied about the Redeemer who would one day come and make things right between man and God.

Just as God promised, the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus, brought reconciliation to sinners who put their faith in Him.  Though we were once enemies of God, we are no longer.  It's as if we were the old soldier who continued to fight a war we didn't know was over, except when we did receive the Good News, we believed and rejoiced!  The peace treaty with our Heavenly Father has been signed in the blood of His Son, and we are the beneficiaries through His grace.

Understanding this concept is the first step to finding Peace With God.  When we humble ourselves before Him and realize we have nothing to offer but our sinful selves, we are able to receive His righteousness in return.

"Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1)

Next post:  Are we still sinners?











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