Episode 69: Romans 5

Today's meditation is based on Romans 5 from the Passion Translation

My faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to me and he now declares me flawless in his eyes. This means I can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what my Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for me. My faith guarantees me permanent access into this marvelous kindness that has given me a perfect relationship with God. What incredible joy bursts forth within me as I keep on celebrating my hope of experiencing God’s glory!

But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble I have a joyful confidence, knowing that my pressures will develop in me patient endurance. And patient endurance will refine my character, and proven character leads me back to hope. And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because I can now experience the endless love of God cascading into my heart through the Holy Spirit who lives in me!

For when the time was right, the Anointed One came and died to demonstrate his love for me, when I was a sinner, entirely helpless, weak, and powerless to save myself.

Who else would have dared to die for my sake? I could understand if someone was willing to die for a truly noble person. But Christ proved God’s passionate love for me by dying in my place while I was still lost and ungodly!

And there is still much more to say of his unfailing love for me! For through the blood of Jesus I have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in my sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, I will never experience the wrath of God. So if while I was still his enemy, God fully reconciled me to himself through the death of his Son, then something greater than friendship is mine. Now that I am at peace with God, and because I share in his resurrection life, how much more I will be rescued from sin’s dominion!

And even more than that, I overflow with triumphant joy in my new relationship of living reconciled to God—all because of Jesus Christ!

When Adam sinned, the entire world was affected. Sin entered human experience, and death was the result. And so death followed this sin, casting its shadow over all humanity, because all have sinned. Sin was in the world before Moses gave the written law, but it was not charged against them where no law existed. Yet death reigned as king from Adam to Moses even though they hadn’t broken a command the way Adam had. The first man, Adam, was a picture of the Messiah, who was to come. 

Now, there is no comparison between Adam’s transgression and the gracious gift that I experience. For the magnitude of the gift far outweighs the crime. It’s true that many died because of one man’s transgression, but how much greater will God’s grace and his gracious gift of acceptance overflow to many because of what one man, Jesus, the Messiah, did. And he did it for me!

This free-flowing gift imparts to me much more than what was given to me through the one who sinned. For because of one transgression, I faced a death sentence with a verdict of “Guilty!” But this gracious gift leaves me free from my many failures and brings me into the perfect righteousness of God—acquitted with the words “Not guilty!”

Death once held me in its grip, and by the blunder of one man, death reigned as king over humanity. But now, how much more am I held in the grip of grace and continue reigning as a king in life, enjoying my regal freedom through the gift of perfect righteousness in the one and only Jesus, the Messiah!

In other words, just as condemnation came upon me through one transgression, so through one righteous act of Jesus’ sacrifice, the perfect righteousness that makes me right with God and leads me to a victorious life is now available to all. One man’s disobedience opened the door for me to become a sinner. So also one man’s obedience opened the door for me to be made perfectly right with God and acceptable to him. So then, the law was introduced into God’s plan to bring the reality of my sinfulness out of hiding. And yet, wherever sin increased, there was more than enough of God’s grace to triumph all the more! And just as sin reigned through death, so also this sin-conquering grace will reign as king through righteousness, imparting eternal life through Jesus, my Lord and Messiah!

Until next time, be blessed and be a blessing.

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Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/zimpzon/mindful
License code: UI2LISMMLRMANJZ4

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