Today I am writing from the 4th chapter of Romans, but I will focus on two verses, two very important verses. Not that the others are less important but sometimes we only need a few words to open an entire realm of truth, these two verses do just that. Verses 7-8 say: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
First we must establish that we are indeed sinners. David says in Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.” David is not saying that he sinned by being born or that it was a sin for his mother to give birth. David is saying that because of the fall of Adam in the garden, we are all born with a sin nature. We are not sinners because we sin but, we sin because we are sinners.
Establishing as a baseline that we are all sinners in need of redemption, we can see how important Paul’s words are. No matter how good we try to be or how many good deeds we accomplish we are still unable to work our way out of our predicament. Only a Holy and just God can do that. Fortunately, Father made a way; he sent his Son to die for us as a propitiation for our sins. He paid the debt that we owed! Paul reminds us of this in these verses, telling us of the blessing that this is.
If you are reading this and you are a grizzled veteran Christian you may say “Duh” everyone knows this, but if you are unfamiliar with the Gospel this can change your life. There is a Savior and his name is Jesus the Christ and he died for you, and me and your weird uncle. That’s how much God loves us and why Paul can with assurance say we are blessed for our sins to be forgiven and not counted against us, we are “Declared Righteous”.
I hope and pray as I write these blogs that not just Christians read them, but men and women who have never heard these words before. If that is you please feel free to email me or comment on this blog and I would love to speak with you or even have you attend one of our small group “House Churches” to see what this whole thing is about.
In closing, we must remember both heaven and hell are real. The decisions we make on this earth have lasting consequences. It’s your life; be an active participant in it.
One Comment
Tom Howe
Paul, thank you for your words. I am growing more and more aware of how utterly dependent on God’s grace I must be to live a holy life and that I never deserve forgiveness. It humbles me to watch how beautifully you have put on Christ in your daily walk in God’s love. Thank you. You display how Jesus is our only hope.