When were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son. (Rom. 5:10)
DO YOU EVER STRUGGLE WITH who you are in Christ? Does the enemy try to tell you that you’re not good enough for Jesus or that you could not possibly be saved because of what you’ve done in the past? Good news! God is in the remodeling business and makes everything new! Understanding the two key aspects of our salvation brings clarity to what God has done for us and brings freedom in Christ.
At the point of our salvation, justification took place. Justification means that we are made right. God declares that we will be treated “just as if we had never sinned.” That doesn’t mean God is pretending that nothing happened. It means that when Christ died on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins. Therefore, we are free from the deserved punishment for those sins, even though their consequences may linger in our lives.
Until the point of salvation, we were at odds with God. Reconciliation takes place through the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross. That means we are no longer enemies, treated as outsiders. We are invited into God’s family. We have a relationship with Him.
God has poured out His love on us through His Holy Spirit. Salvation brings a change in our lives. We are new creatures in Christ!
Close your eyes and imagine the cross, remembering what Christ did for you.
Yolanda Moore is a retired school teacher, a women’s group leader, Bible teacher, and former state co-coordinator for the Christian Motorcyclists Association.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
