“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more will we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! “
Romans 5:9-10

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Once again, Paul is reminding the Jewish believers in Rome that they have no need to fear losing status as their church fills with Gentiles, for we are all justified by the death of Jesus, symbolized by His blood. When God looks upon one who had placed his or her faith in Jesus, He does not see Jew or Gentile, but a friend covered by the perfect righteousness of His Son. The righteous wrath of God against sin is diverted away from every person who places their faith in Jesus, because the Son of God has already absorbed it on the cross. This is our means of reconciliation with God, totally accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for both Jew and Gentile.

This reconciliation means that the Holy Spirit now resides within the believer. Sin is no longer dominant over one who is saved. We now have the power within us to say, “No!” to sin and “Yes!” to God. No one does this perfectly, but the playing field has been leveled. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to our situation, analogous to what God revealed to Cain in Genesis 4.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
Genesis 4:6-7

All of us can be saved from sin and destructive consequences. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can see the decisions placed before us, and are empowered to make right choices. Again, none of us do this perfectly, but God has placed within our hearts the desire to please Him. This change of heart has given us new life. Things are different now, because God is at work within us. We are no longer our own person, but we have been given a new purpose: to serve a loving Master who chooses to use imperfect humans like us to accomplish His will in this world.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • From what has God saved you?
  • What are some of the choices that have been placed in your path where you have heard, “This is the way, walk in it”?
  • When have you heard, “Sin is crouching at the door, but you must master it”?

Church Reading Plan: Proverbs 1; 2 Corinthians 13