Devotion:
Read Romans 5:1-11.
This letter from Paul to the house churches in Rome provides some of the most essential elements of Christian theology or doctrine, especially on the subject of our salvation. In the first three chapters, Paul makes the case that human beings sin and need to be saved. Then Paul proceeds to show that we cannot save ourselves. For that, we need God’s grace. Our part is simply to have faith and to accept the gift of grace. We think correctly of God as always acting and judging justly, treating us fairly and without bias, punishing the guilty and rewarding the innocent. The problem is that none of us are innocent!
While God indeed is just, an even more defining attribute is that God is love! Grace is God’s love poured out to us without our earning, meriting, or deserving it. That grace came in the form of God’s one and only Son, coming into the world to die for our sins. By Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we are counted or treated as righteous. Wow, that is Grace with a capital G! We remember this awesome grace in our liturgy for Holy Communion when we hear the words of confession and pardon that “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (verse 8) ... that proves God’s love for us!”
Personal Worship Option:
Pray with me, “Thank you, Almighty God, that you love me so deeply that you would send your Son to die for me, yes for me! Help me to believe more strongly each day in his death and resurrection. I do not deserve your love, but I accept it as grace and desire to walk in your ways by following the teachings of Christ. Amen”
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