(Romans 5:1,2 Phillips) Since then it is by faith that we are justified, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace, and here we take our stand, in happy certainty of the glorious things he has for us in the future.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to look at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. All week we have been looking at Abraham and what made him right with God. We have walked through the entire 4th chapter of Romans. Before we go into chapter 5, let’s go back and read the opening verses of chapter 4. The Message Bible paraphrase of the first three verses say, “So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things? If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we’re given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, “Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own.” Like I said yesterday, Abraham’s mistakes are well documented, but he is still considered the father of faith. Abraham is revered all over the world. He is famous, just like God promised he would be. But it is not because he was perfect, or because he earned it, or even because he deserved it. All Abraham did was believe God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. As our text says, Abraham’s story is more about God than it is about Abraham. Grace puts the spotlight on God and not on you.
After internalizing what God did for Abraham — calling him when he was 75 years old, making him exceedingly rich, giving him a baby when he was 100 years old, and making his name great — we now get to think about how that applies to us. The opening verses of chapter 5 read, “Since then it is by faith that we are justified, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace, and here we take our stand, in happy certainty of the glorious things he has for us in the future.”
So what does this mean to you today? Here are a few golden nuggets:
1. We are justified by faith and not by works. We cannot today, nor will we ever be able to earn God’s righteousness.
2. We did not earn God’s plan (purpose) for our lives. God developed it before we were born. God finished us before we ever got started.
3. Grace is God’s “how.” Love is God’s “why.” Faith is our “how.” Divine purpose is our “why.” By faith we access God’s grace.
4. Grace puts the spotlight on God and not on you.
5. Grace makes God the star in your life’s story. When people read the book of your life, God wants to shine on every page. When you accept His Grace you allow Him to shine through you.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Abraham and the example I see in him. You promised to bless him, to make his name great, and to bless all the families of the earth through him. Abraham did not do anything to deserve this. He did not even come up with the plan. You told him what You wanted to do in his life, and he simply said, “Yes.” He agreed to Your purpose for his life and he pursued it by faith. You developed his purpose by Grace and he accessed Your purpose by faith. You designed Abraham’s purpose because You loved him and You do the same for me. You designed my purpose because You love me. You reveal Your plans to me out of Your love. You show me how Your plans were birthed by Grace and not because of anything I did. You then expect me to align with Your plans for my life by faith. I declare that I do. I want to be the man/woman You have called me to be. Therefore, by faith I access Your Grace and I allow Your light and Your love to flow through me daily. I want You to be the star in my life’s story and by faith I believe that You will. When people read the book of my life, You will shine on every page. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
