Live Like You Mean It

Read Romans 3:21-31
Theme:Salvation available to all by faith.
Title in NIV: God's grace declares believers righteous through faith.

Yea! I am to the 'good news' part! The first two and half chapters kept getting heavier and heavier. I spoke to the ladies class last night on Romans chapter 2. It was not a 'feel good' lesson. By the end, the room felt alone and silent. I ended with Romans 3:21, "But now a righteousness form God has been made known!!"

To me Romans 3:21-26 is the summary of the bible. "But now" indicates there was something before. Before, righteousness from God apart from the law was not known. Now, righteousness apart from the law has been made known. How is it known? Through faith in Jesus Christ and belief in Him.

He is quick to point out "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". But in the same sentence Paul says we "are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Justified means being set free from guilt and blame. Redemption means the act of freeing someone, esp freeing one from sins.

To rephrase the previous statement: I have no guilt and blame is not on me because Jesus rescued me from my sin. This is God's Word, but I know many people who do not live like they are justified or redeemed. They are worried and scared for Jesus to return.

"God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement..." Atonement means a payment for sin. In the old testament they sacrificed animals for a blood atonement. Jesus offered himself as our payment when he died on the cross. He paid the debt he did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay. He died in my place. "He did this to demonstrate his justice..." God made it possible for sins committed beforehand to be paid for. And, he made it possible for sins committed in the future to be paid for too. That takes care of the whole shebang: backwards,forward and every thing in between.

There is a catch, however. The last words in vs. 26 say, "the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Yes, you have to do your part and believe that he paid for your sins (atonement), know you are not to blame and have no guilt (justified), and believe He already rescued you (redeemed).

So, if you are happy and you know it... say it is because you have faith in Jesus and all that He has done for you. Not because you follow the rules and think you look righteous. Men are "justified by faith apart from observing the law".

Verse 31 asks if we can break the law because we have faith in being justified, redeemed, and atoned for? No, because, if we have faith we will want to keep the law because we want to live what we believe. We don't want to look like a contradiction to the world or to someone who does not believe. I bet you know people who say they are Christians but their actions don't uphold their belief. If we have true faith and truly believe we are justified, atoned for, and redeemed, we will want to live like we are clean, set free, guilt free, blame free and covered by the blood of Jesus.

Let us daily, "Live Like We Mean It!!"

Blessings to you! I don't know how many of you read this, but I am loving every minute of writing it. Matthew 23 asks, "you who teach others, do you not teach yourselves?" I truly feel like I teach myself every day. I pray it comes out in my life and others see it. I pray I am not a contradiction.