“David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.’” — Romans 4:6-8
Grace is indeed a gift we could never earn. At the same time, our sin has given us an incredible debt before God. And no amount of good works could pay our debt. But the truth is that the Believer is given a credited righteousness straight from Jesus. The word “credited” (in the Bible) is a financial term for transferring a balance to our account — more specifically, a negative account.
“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” — Luke 12:48
Recently, I taught a message from Romans 3:1-8. Those verses are clear. God entrusts us with His Word. In fact, as disciples, we must unapologetically share the Good News of the Gospel of Grace to a lost world.
If we want to see lives changed, we need to take personal responsibility for this charge. But, if you are like me, we can often feel like Moses when he complained, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” — Exodus 4:13 (NIV84)
In Romans 2:16, rather than say “God’s gospel” or “the Gospel of Jesus,” the Apostle Paul said, “my gospel.” This has naturally confused some people as they first read it.
Throughout Paul’s many epistles, he writes the phrase “my gospel.” Additionally, he also notes “the Gospel of God” numerous times — including in Romans 1:1. In that verse, Paul said He was an Apostle of the Gospel of God.
Oftentimes we can take the body of Christ for granted. With some, the busyness of life can cause them to miss opportunities to be together. For others, the fear of judgment, admonishment, or conviction can lead Christians to keep others at arm’s length. Honestly, I can get very distracted with ministry life. Because of this, I miss the true beauty and benefit of being in the same room with Believers; I don’t savor the fellowship we share and the Holy Spirit. But, we read in Psalm 133 that we experience a true blessing from God when we lovingly and humbly “do life” with one another.
Through many circumstances, I have recently experienced how much I need to be with others living for God’s Kingdom. Firsthand, I have seen Saints walk in obedience, “encouraging each other daily” (Hebrews 3:13). I have also witnessed discipleship in action as Believers have instructed those in the faith (Romans 15:14). What is more, while walking through family trials, God has allowed me to experience our “burdens being shared” (Galatians 6:2) and “others stepping into our weeping and rejoicing” (Romans 12:5).
His Good Plan for Believers
Being with other Believers is God’s intention for our Christian walk. Without a doubt, it supplies so much good for us. Being connected with God’s people offers protection and accountability in our struggles (James 5:16). Additionally, it gives us support when we are discouraged or in need (Galatians 6:2). Community always provides endless opportunities to “die to ourselves” by loving and serving our brothers and sisters (John 13:15). Indeed, that is our most remarkable testimony to a lost world that we are followers of Jesus. His truth definitely changes us (John 13:35). Possibly the most freeing thing of all is being connected to other Christians — it surely allows us to be who God made us to be. God has specifically given me my gifts, talents, and passions to be the perfect, complimenting piece to the rest of the body around me (1 Corinthians 12).
Do you realize that God could have chosen any time in history for you to live? Not only that, but He could have placed you in any geographical location to live your days. However, in His perfect sovereignty, He chose to put you right here, right now, for a specific reason.
In Acts 17:26 (ESV), Paul tells the deep-thinking Greeks that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.”
“so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” — Isaiah 55:11
If you’re like my family and me, you take in and process a lot of words throughout the week. These words come to us through various means, whether reading books, watching the news, or listening to podcasts or sermons. We certainly live in a time when we hear words constantly.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17
We absolutely live in an age when everyone is right in their own eyes. Most people don’t even consider that their decisions could be wrong or their actions harmful. At the same time, everybody is on their own path, trying to figure out how to navigate life. Also, endless resources and influences are waiting to tell them exactly what they want to hear.
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith…” — Romans 12:4-6
These verses explain how the Church is made of different parts (people); they fulfill unique functions, like a human body. We do not have the same roles, but collectively, God uses us to do incredible things. I recently witnessed a powerful example of this.
Every once in a while, I go through all the “stuff” in my house. I take inventory of things that are useful and decide what things are just taking up space. Then, I’ll put anything useless into a big pile and take it out to the trash. If we’re honest with ourselves, we all have “stuff” we need to take inventory of, don’t we? We need to know what’s useful and what’s not.
