How Great Is the Good News?
“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.” Romans 7:21
The middle-aged woman in the front pew leaned forward suddenly, throwing her arms up in the air!
“Thank you!” she cried.
I stopped my lesson on God’s “big story of grace,” looking at her, asking her to say more.
“I just never got that before,” she said. “Wow! This is amazing!!”
I had been teaching about redemption in the jail chapel service. I told the ladies how we are made a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) and how God has made us “righteous in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:21).
I had just explained that we do still continue to sin, even after we become Christians. “And sometimes we wonder, ‘Why, if we are ‘new creation in Christ,’ do we still sin? And how does God see us as righteous?’”
I told them about the apostle Paul and how he said that he often does the very thing he hates (Romans 7:21), just as we sometimes lose our temper and yell at someone even when we were just praying that God would help us hold our tongue. The good news is, that we have a way out when we sin. We can ask God for forgiveness, and turn away from our sin (repent). But we have not forfeited our status as his children. Once God’s child, always God’s child. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
“Whenever our conscience accuses us, and we feel burdened with guilt, we need to look away from ourselves to Christ crucified. Then again we will have peace. For our acceptance with God depends not on ourselves…but entirely on Christ and what he has done for all on the cross.” (John Stott, Authentic Christianity, p. 211).
It was this assurance, this security, that was such good news to my friend at the jail. She had believed in Christ as Savior once, but she did not understand that her salvation lasted forever. She thought that every time she sinned, she was “out,” kind of like striking out in baseball, except she only got one strike. No wonder she was astonished by this good news!
Her reaction humbled me. I’m afraid I have sometimes taken this good news—the reality that Abba God doesn’t kick me out of the house every time I sin—too much for granted. It truly is astonishing. It’s the kind of kindness that should knock me on my knees to thank God yet again for his goodness and mercy to me. How about you? Do you want to join me in praising God for our assurance in Christ?
A Prayer about the Great Good News of the Gospel
Oh, dear, good Father, we thank you and praise you for your abundant mercy, for your incredible patience with us. We are so glad the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to change us, to make us more like your Son every day. We want to be like him. But we are so glad that when we fail, you forgive us freely. In Jesus’ assuring name we pray, Amen.
