CoA Week 5
~Company of Angels~"...You have had a clear picture of Jesus Christ crucified, right in front of your eyes..." -Gal 3:1
Weekly Bible Reading
Romans 5:1-11
So then, now that we have been justified by faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; it is through Him, by faith, that we have been admitted into God's favour in which we are living, and look forward exultantly to God's glory. Not only that; let us exult, too, in our hardships, understanding that hardship develops perseverance, and perseverance develops a tested character, something that gives us hope, and a hope which will not let us down, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. When we were still helpless, at the appointed time, Christ died for the godless. You could hardly find anyone ready to die even for someone upright; though it is just possible that, for a really good person, someone might undertake to die. So it is proof of God's own love for us, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. How much more can we be sure, therefore, that, now that we have been justified by His death, we shall be saved through Him from the retribution of God. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, how much more can we be sure that, being now reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. What is more, we are filled with exultant trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.
What does our faith gain for us?
Why are we able to rejoice in our hardships?
If the greatest love is to lay down your life for your friends (John 15:13), how can we describe God's love, in laying down His life for His enemies (Romans 5:8,10)?
For Memory:
"So it is proof of God's own love for us, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8)
Labels: Company of Angels, St. Andrew's
posted by Gregory at 4:18 p.m.
1 Comments:
We are justified by our faith, which, because of the Cross of Christ, has brought us peace and favour with God. So we rejoice in that fact, that our embracing of Christ has led us into the Family of God!
St. Paul tells us, further, that we can rejoice in even the seemingly bad things that happen to us, because, just like the hardships and sufferings that came upon Christ served to bring us closer to God, our own hardships will bring us ever more closer to God if we have the right attitude toward them. They teach us to persevere, they build character, and they, through it all, give us a stable and sure hope that God is working in us--and that hope is a direct result of that same love poured out on us at the Cross, through the Holy Spirit living inside us.
But the clincher is to see just how great that love of God's actually is! Jesus said in John 15:13 that "no one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends." But St. Paul here is saying that Jesus laid down His life for us, while we were still sinners and enemies of God!
That's impossible love! It's beyond what Christ calls the greatest love! And that's the love that He has for us!
And if that's the love He had for us, while we were still His enemies, then what more can we expect now that we are reconciled to Him, and can be called His friends?
The Truth is staggering!
God bless!
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