Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” – Romans 6:4

Baptism doesn’t save anyone. Salvation is entirely accomplished by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ and nothing more. Baptism doesn’t earn us any additional blessing or favor from God. In Christ, you are already loved, blessed, and favored more than can possibly be imagined. However, that doesn’t mean baptism is without significance.

When a believer takes the step of obedience to pass through the waters of baptism he or she not only obeys the example of Jesus and tells the world of their commitment to follow Him. They actually identify with His death, burial, and resurrection. When we go under the water, we are symbolically buried with Christ. When we come out of the waters, we are symbolically raised with Christ. Through baptism, we identify ourselves and our lives with our Savior’s. We have identified His death with the death of our old, sinful self and identified His resurrection with our new creation in Him.

Again, water is just water. It’s God’s grace that raises us to new life in Jesus Christ. However, baptism is a beautiful and powerful sign of that grace and new life within us. Baptism is also clearly assumed and expected for every believer, so if you haven’t already been baptized as a believer in Jesus, don’t delay any longer. #FollowJesus

“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:17

Throughout Romans chapter 5, Paul contrasts the disastrous consequences of Adam’s sin to the glorious results of Christ’s sacrifice. When Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, his one sin ushered death into our world. His fall into sin ruined mankind, so that we are all born into sin and joyously embrace it for ourselves. Because sin separates us from God, Who is the source of life, the appropriate and necessary payment and consequence for sin is death. Thus, through Adam, death became a necessary part of every life on earth.

However, as terrible as all that is, the victory of Jesus on the cross is even more powerful! For everyone who trusts in Jesus, having their sins forgiven by God’s grace, death has been defeated! Every believer in Jesus will rise from the dead just as Jesus did. First, our soul will be with Jesus. Then our bodies will rise in a glorified state when He returns. Death isn’t the end for us, it’s the beginning of something unimaginably wonderful – an eternity spent in the presence of our Savior. We will reign in life through Jesus Christ!

Death occupies an enormous place in the mind and imagination of most people, including believers in Jesus. However, the reality is that for Christians, death is a minor note compared to the glories of eternal life. Death is no more consequential than a quick stop at a rest area on an interstate highway. Take time to contemplate that today and rejoice in it! Your death won’t be your final moment. Reigning in life is your eternal reality! #FollowJesus

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:1

Do you have peace with God? If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, the answer is a resounding YES! However, if you haven’t trusted in Jesus, the answer is an absolute, unqualified NO! For anyone who has not yet been justified (declared righteous) by faith in Jesus Christ, their lifelong, ongoing situation is literally war with God!!!

We seldom consider this (and it’s uncomfortable to think about, but war against God is the natural state of every human being because of our fallen, sinful nature. We’re born in a state of rebellion against God and continue to rebel against Him daily. Every sin we commit isn’t merely a moral failure, it’s an act of rebellion against the supreme King of the Universe!

When we insist on doing things our way rather than God’s way, that’s our ongoing declaration of war. This is why there’s no such thing as a sin that “doesn’t hurt anyone” or “doesn’t affect anyone else”. All sin is against God. All sin rejects His rule and reign. All sin denies His authority to decide right and wrong and to direct His creation. From our earliest days, our selfish, manipulative, shameful, and cruel acts not only affect other people, they tell God to get lost. This is why the default destination for every human being ever born is an eternity separated from God in Hell. That’s the request we make every time we sin, “God, leave me alone, mind Your own business!” And He will and that’s called Hell.

Every person is born in rebellion against God and that state of war continues until such time as we yield our lives to Jesus Christ. When we embrace Him as Savior, we are washed clean of our sin and rebellion by His blood that was shed on the cross. It is only through faith in Jesus that our long civil war ends and we finally experience peace with God. In Christ, we are reconciled to our Creator FOREVER. The war is over. An eternity of peace has begun. If Jesus is your Lord, then you truly have peace with God at long last! #FollowJesus

“For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.” -Romans 4:3-4

God’s means of salvation remains unchanged. Every human being sins and we’re all unrighteous. Even Abraham! God never declares unrighteous people to suddenly be righteous because we’ve reformed ourselves, straightened up, flown right, or done great things for Him. God declares unrighteous people like us to be righteous based exclusively on His grace which we receive through faith in Jesus Christ. We believe God about His Son and it is counted as righteousness. Even though we aren’t. That’s God’s gift of grace.

Grace – the only way by which sinful people can be reconciled to our holy Creator – is a gift, not a paycheck. It’s a gift to you from the supreme and holy ruler of the universe. God doesn’t forgive you, declare you to be righteous, love you, and adopt you as His precious child because He owes you anything or based on what you’ve done to improve yourself or please Him. If He did, he wouldn’t be showing you grace, He’d simply be giving you what you’d earned. None of us can earn God’s declaration of righteousness. Because we aren’t righteous. We’re selfish, rebellious, and sinful.

Your relationship with the most Holy God is only based on His grace. God doesn’t deal with you based on what you deserve or do. This is a very good thing! God’s grace toward you is like a vast ocean compared to any tiny drops of merit you could ever earn for yourself. Let God’s grace flood your life, your heart, and your mind. Dwell in it and delight in it. Remember how you received it – not because of anything you’ve done – but through your faith in Jesus and what He’s done for you on the cross and the empty tomb. #FollowJesus

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” – Romans 3:20

Herein lies the great conundrum of God’s Law… God gave His Law to the ancient Israelites to be obeyed, however it’s impossible for an ordinary human to perfectly follow the Law in both action and attitude. God gave the Law to bless His people, guide them, and show them how to be His people in an ungodly world. However, following the Law perfectly could never make an imperfect and sinful human being perfect. It could never result in the guilty being declared not guilty (justified).

The greatest value of the Law was to reveal just how impossibly holy our God is. It vividly details the unbridgeable distance between us in our fallen, sinful nature and our sinless, unstained, infinitely righteous and holy God. Why would God give the Law for this purpose? So we would finally admit that we can’t save ourselves, can’t justify ourselves, and can’t reconcile ourselves to God. In other words, for all its many virtues, the greatest virtue of the Law is to make clear that each and every person needs a Savior!

We need someone who can reconcile us to God. We need someone who can deal with our sins and our guilt. And none of us are qualified to be that person. Not for ourselves and certainly not for others. The ultimate point of the Law is that we all need Jesus! Only Jesus, the eternal Son of God and perfect human being, fulfilled the Law in action, heart, and mind. Only Jesus was qualified represent us before God and take our sin and guilt upon Himself so that through faith in Him, we are justified before God.

The Law’s ultimate objective was to spur us to faith, not to exaggerated efforts to save ourselves. Although good works are important for those who have been saved, salvation comes only through God’s grace and not in the slightest bit through our works. That hasn’t changed and it won’t ever change. #FollowJesus