17 But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, does that make Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 If I rebuild what I have already torn down, I prove myself to be a lawbreaker.

19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for nothing.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

“… the Son of God, who loved ME and gave Himself up for ME.”

This is a very unusual statement – and it’s such a beautiful one. Almost every other time the New Testament writers talk about Jesus’ death on the cross, they talk about how Jesus died for a big group of people – for “the world” or “sinners” or “us.” Here, it’s personal. Individual: “for me.”

As I reflected on that, it occurred to me that this helps us with two struggles we might have. Sometimes we’re tempted to think, “But surely my good works contribute something to my salvation, don’t they? Otherwise you’re saying I’m no better than a serial killer.” But that’s Paul’s whole point here: If your good works could get you over the line, then why on earth did the Son of God have to die?Forget serial killers – your sin took the death of the perfect, eternal, God-become-flesh Son of God to fix. That should show you how enormous the problem of your sin was. If, knowing that, you put yourself back under God’s law as the basis for your salvation, you instantly condemn yourself (v 18).

But it also helps in those times when you struggle to believe that your sin could possibly be forgiven. “Jesus died for sinners, yes, but my sin is on another level of bad. There’s no way he could forgive me for that – especially when I keep falling into the same thing.” Well, say these words to yourself and let the Spirit sink them into your heart: “This life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

And if you’re wondering how that will help you to live for God now, remember the flipside of the cross: You died with Christ, so that Christ might live in you (v 20). When you put your trust in him, he joined himself to you like glue – so that your sin might be nailed to the cross with him, and so that he might be in you and with you every moment. Don’t worry about how you will manage to live for God. You won’t, by your own fleshly strength … but Christ will. So, in this sinful body as you wait for Christ’s return, keep trusting in him with peace, hope, and joy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.