“Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:39
Speaking in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, Paul treated the listeners to a survey of Old Testament history. He began with bondage in Egypt and ended with freedom in Christ. (Acts 13:16-41)
Scripture makes it clear: keeping the rules gets us nowhere. The law could not get the job done. But the law does serve a purpose: it points to our need for a Savior.
God, thank you for the mirror that the law provides. As I gaze upon your holy standard of perfection, my imperfect and flawed image reveals my great need for a Savior.
Read the verse above again. A few key words and phrases offer powerful revelation:
Through him – Jesus is the only way to freedom.
Everyone – The message of the gospel is for all.
Believe—To place your faith in Jesus, acknowledging Him as the Son of God, who died on the cross to atone for sin, was buried, and then rose on the third day. To really believe is to turn the reigns of your life over to Him.
Justified from everything – Nothing is outside the realm of forgiveness. Nothing is too great for God to forgive, for Jesus to atone for.
Justified is one of those “church” words that we use, but find difficult to define. It carries two elements*:
- Forgiveness of Sin
- Gift of Righteousness
If my spiritual condition were viewed on a number line, my sin puts me in the negative. Forgiveness brings me to zero, a place of neutrality. And righteousness places me in the positive…for eternity!
Are you trying to earn your salvation by doing good things? Impossible.
Are you trying to make yourself righteous with good needs? Unnecessary.
You and I deserve nothing. Our sin separates us from a holy God. But because of His love He made a way for the penalty of sin to be paid. Jesus stepped up and took our punishment. It cost Him the cross.
Because of the cross, you and I are not only forgiven, we are also declared righteous. Our sins are not just covered, they are gone! We are free from the bondage and condemnation that sin brings.
The woman of God lives sent and lives free!
Jesus, thank you for dying for me. How I praise you that living for you is not a matter of “have to,” but a delight of “want to.”
Live Sent Action Point: Share the life-changing truth with someone today: Sin separates us from God. Through Him, everyone who believes receives forgiveness of sin and the gift of righteousness.
*Acts 13:39 footnote. The NIV Study Bible, New Internatinal Version, published by Zondervan Bible Publishers.
Note from Laura:
Thank you for joining me for the journey to Live Sent in August! My plan was to blog all the way through this amazing book this month, but I was slowed down by the Spirit and trust that His plan was better than mine. I will continue to make a post 2-3 times per week, Lord willing, and hope to make one of those a Live Sent topic each week.
Dear reader, know that today I am praying for you, asking Him to fill you and equip you, to give you the delight and determination to live sent by living in Him. If I can pray for you, if you have a question, if you are not sure of your salvation, or if you just want to visit, please send me a message: Cross.My.Heart@cox.net
Praying God continues to bless you and make you a blessing!
