I saw a quote earlier this month that said "I used to think that being a child at Christmas was the best thing ever. Now I know it's having children at Christmas." Brittnee and I are just now starting to get to see Thomas's excitement at Christmas time. He loves looking at, and playing with, the tree even though that's a "no-no". He has learned this year that Santa Clause says "ho ho ho" which is fun to hear him say as well. As Christians, we know the true meaning of Christmas and I hope that we are all taking time during this season to reflect on the gift God gave us in Jesus. But there is something special about seeing our children and loved ones open presents with such excitement and awe on Christmas morning. Fortunately for us, our gifts aren't limited to just that one day of the year, we have been given gifts that last a lifetime in Christ. So let's see what God left for us under the Christmas tree in Romans 5:1-11.
The first thing we see there is an envelope containing a record of our sins with big red letters on it that says JUSTIFIED. V1a says "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith." We have been justified, not because of our actions but because of what Jesus did our sins could be washed away. The tense of the verbs here even carry significance. "have been justified" shows that justification happens as a one-time event but has ongoing results.
The second package under the tree is a dove, a symbol of peace. V1b reads "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." This means that our war with God has ended. Now you may not have realized that prior to being saved you were at war with God, but He has waged war on sin and unrighteousness. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" - John 3:36. If something in your personal relationship with God just doesn't seem quite right or you feel like God is always against you, then examine your life to see if there is an unconfessed sin that is impairing your relationship with God. Once you are able to get that right with Him, we are no longer enemies of God but we are reconciled with him in peace - "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God" (v10a)
The third gift under the tree is a gold key which gives us unrestricted access to the presence of God with a note attached saying that are to use it often. V2a reads "Through him we have also obtained access by faith into his grace in which we stand." In today's world we don't often think much about having unlimited access. We have cell phones and are practically in constant contact with people anywhere in the world. The same is true with our contact with God. We are free, and encouraged, to pray to Him anywhere, anytime, and anyplace. We can come to God to worship, confess, and find rest in Him. But this was unheard of in the Old Testament when communication with God was done through the priests. Also notice that we are "standing" in his grace. This shows the continuing effect of justification for our lives as we still stand with him today.
The fourth gift is one of the greatest, HOPE. V2b says "and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." In the New Testament, hope is not defined exactly the way we consider it today as a wishful desire with no certainty. Hope for the Romans spoke of something that was certain but just had not taken place yet. Paul was aware that people may question the source of his hope so he went ahead and gave them an answer before they could ask telling them in verse 5 that "hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit." The foundation for our hope is not in OUR love for others or OUR love for God, it is in HIS love for us which he has given to us. As believers, we can know that our hope and faith in his glory will grow because of God's love and promises for us.
The fifth package starts looking a little more exciting. It's a rope and harness with some sort of climbing gear. Vs 3-4 read "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." This gift reminds us to hang in there during the tough times. And the rope lets us know that we won't be hanging off the cliff alone because the Lord has gone ahead of us and fastened the rope to a solid rock for our safety during the climb. At times we may not value this gift because it requires getting out there and doing hard work, but the value that it has when needed during difficult times is immeasurable. We are to rejoice during our trials and sufferings. This is not saying that we should enjoy the pain, but rather that we are aware of its beneficial results. We won't always understand all the why's and how's but our suffering produces endurance, character, and hope. Just like with physical training such as running or lifting weights, it hurts to make gains. It's hard to run when your legs are cramping and you're short of breath but in order to be stronger tomorrow you have to go through the pain of today's workout. Suffering also is a step in becoming more like Christ - Luke 24:26 reads "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" There were numerous prophecies of a suffering saviors and as Christians we are to become more like Christ on a daily basis.
The next gift under the tree is quite possibly the best one of all. It is the deed to our life marked "paid in full" by the blood of Jesus Christ. V6 says "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Our debt and judgment has been paid and satisfied; but not by us, but the sacrificial blood of Jesus. We are the weak that Christ died for, we are the sinners that He died for, we are the sinners that He died for. How can we even consider being prideful or self-righteous when these are the words used to describe us? Weak - being helpless and unable to save ourselves. Ungodly - because of our revolt against God's authority. Sinners - because no matter how hard we try, we miss the mark of perfect righteousness. A perfect man died a violent death to save us while we were still his enemies. We were spared from God's wrath because of the love of Jesus. Vs 7-8 read "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare to die - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Paul points out here that we are neither righteous nor good, yet Christ laid down his life for us. How great a love is that? The greatest! "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13
Finally we have reached the last gift under the tree. It's a sweatshirt that says "Reconciled to God" across the front. Vs 10-11 state "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have no received reconciliation." The card in the box says that we are to wear the shirt with pride, showing it off and being boastful about it, as we often do our favorite sports teams. But we are not to boast in ourselves, but rather in what Christ has done; converting us from enemy to friend, in order to give God the glory. He has reconciled us and given us a ticket to the kingdom of heaven!
As we look at these gifts we see that we have received justification from God, have peace with God, our enemy relationship is over, and we have hope (a confident expectation). Our hope is being shaped and strengthened daily through our suffering and enduring. Our peace allows us to look back at sin that is now over. The grace lets us look up to our heavenly Father with whom we now stand. And glory that we can look out to our final destiny seeing and reflecting the glory of God. He has shown us his love and poured it into our hearts, even while we were still sinners. And as we celebrate and proclaim our salvation, it is not because of our self-righteousness, but because of the steadfast love of God. This love is most easily pictured at the cross, where he gave his best for our worst. The final rejoicing and glorification of God is a result of the initial justification we receive when we invite Him into our hearts. These gifts only scratch the surface of God's Christmas gifts to us. If we wanted to we could go on forever opening and reviewing gifts we have been given from the Lord. But instead, let's be content and thank him for all he has given us, and commit ourselves to using the gifts as they are meant to be used - as a true treasure from heaven given to every believer.
The first thing we see there is an envelope containing a record of our sins with big red letters on it that says JUSTIFIED. V1a says "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith." We have been justified, not because of our actions but because of what Jesus did our sins could be washed away. The tense of the verbs here even carry significance. "have been justified" shows that justification happens as a one-time event but has ongoing results.
The second package under the tree is a dove, a symbol of peace. V1b reads "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." This means that our war with God has ended. Now you may not have realized that prior to being saved you were at war with God, but He has waged war on sin and unrighteousness. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" - John 3:36. If something in your personal relationship with God just doesn't seem quite right or you feel like God is always against you, then examine your life to see if there is an unconfessed sin that is impairing your relationship with God. Once you are able to get that right with Him, we are no longer enemies of God but we are reconciled with him in peace - "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God" (v10a)
The third gift under the tree is a gold key which gives us unrestricted access to the presence of God with a note attached saying that are to use it often. V2a reads "Through him we have also obtained access by faith into his grace in which we stand." In today's world we don't often think much about having unlimited access. We have cell phones and are practically in constant contact with people anywhere in the world. The same is true with our contact with God. We are free, and encouraged, to pray to Him anywhere, anytime, and anyplace. We can come to God to worship, confess, and find rest in Him. But this was unheard of in the Old Testament when communication with God was done through the priests. Also notice that we are "standing" in his grace. This shows the continuing effect of justification for our lives as we still stand with him today.
The fourth gift is one of the greatest, HOPE. V2b says "and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." In the New Testament, hope is not defined exactly the way we consider it today as a wishful desire with no certainty. Hope for the Romans spoke of something that was certain but just had not taken place yet. Paul was aware that people may question the source of his hope so he went ahead and gave them an answer before they could ask telling them in verse 5 that "hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit." The foundation for our hope is not in OUR love for others or OUR love for God, it is in HIS love for us which he has given to us. As believers, we can know that our hope and faith in his glory will grow because of God's love and promises for us.
The fifth package starts looking a little more exciting. It's a rope and harness with some sort of climbing gear. Vs 3-4 read "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." This gift reminds us to hang in there during the tough times. And the rope lets us know that we won't be hanging off the cliff alone because the Lord has gone ahead of us and fastened the rope to a solid rock for our safety during the climb. At times we may not value this gift because it requires getting out there and doing hard work, but the value that it has when needed during difficult times is immeasurable. We are to rejoice during our trials and sufferings. This is not saying that we should enjoy the pain, but rather that we are aware of its beneficial results. We won't always understand all the why's and how's but our suffering produces endurance, character, and hope. Just like with physical training such as running or lifting weights, it hurts to make gains. It's hard to run when your legs are cramping and you're short of breath but in order to be stronger tomorrow you have to go through the pain of today's workout. Suffering also is a step in becoming more like Christ - Luke 24:26 reads "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" There were numerous prophecies of a suffering saviors and as Christians we are to become more like Christ on a daily basis.
The next gift under the tree is quite possibly the best one of all. It is the deed to our life marked "paid in full" by the blood of Jesus Christ. V6 says "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Our debt and judgment has been paid and satisfied; but not by us, but the sacrificial blood of Jesus. We are the weak that Christ died for, we are the sinners that He died for, we are the sinners that He died for. How can we even consider being prideful or self-righteous when these are the words used to describe us? Weak - being helpless and unable to save ourselves. Ungodly - because of our revolt against God's authority. Sinners - because no matter how hard we try, we miss the mark of perfect righteousness. A perfect man died a violent death to save us while we were still his enemies. We were spared from God's wrath because of the love of Jesus. Vs 7-8 read "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare to die - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Paul points out here that we are neither righteous nor good, yet Christ laid down his life for us. How great a love is that? The greatest! "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13
Finally we have reached the last gift under the tree. It's a sweatshirt that says "Reconciled to God" across the front. Vs 10-11 state "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have no received reconciliation." The card in the box says that we are to wear the shirt with pride, showing it off and being boastful about it, as we often do our favorite sports teams. But we are not to boast in ourselves, but rather in what Christ has done; converting us from enemy to friend, in order to give God the glory. He has reconciled us and given us a ticket to the kingdom of heaven!
As we look at these gifts we see that we have received justification from God, have peace with God, our enemy relationship is over, and we have hope (a confident expectation). Our hope is being shaped and strengthened daily through our suffering and enduring. Our peace allows us to look back at sin that is now over. The grace lets us look up to our heavenly Father with whom we now stand. And glory that we can look out to our final destiny seeing and reflecting the glory of God. He has shown us his love and poured it into our hearts, even while we were still sinners. And as we celebrate and proclaim our salvation, it is not because of our self-righteousness, but because of the steadfast love of God. This love is most easily pictured at the cross, where he gave his best for our worst. The final rejoicing and glorification of God is a result of the initial justification we receive when we invite Him into our hearts. These gifts only scratch the surface of God's Christmas gifts to us. If we wanted to we could go on forever opening and reviewing gifts we have been given from the Lord. But instead, let's be content and thank him for all he has given us, and commit ourselves to using the gifts as they are meant to be used - as a true treasure from heaven given to every believer.
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