The last couple of weeks we’ve looked at the new family that God is forming, one that goes all the way back to Abraham. But Paul clarified what that family is truly made of - all people who are declared in the right because they have put their faith in the One who raised Jesus from the dead. We now turn to Romans 5 to consider Paul’s words on what this all means for us, both now and in the future.

"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;

blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

We humans all have one thing in common: we are confined under the power of sin.

But God!

When we were powerless...JESUS!

When we needed redemption...JESUS!

When we were on the outside looking in...JESUS!

When we were owned, manipulated, and controlled by our sin...

JESUS.

Artwork-

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn), (1653) Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves: The Three Crosses [Drypoint printed on vellum].

Artwork-

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn), (1653) Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves: The Three Crosses [Drypoint printed on vellum].

We humans all have one thing in common: we are confined under the power of sin.

But God!

When we were powerless...JESUS!

When we needed redemption...JESUS!

When we were on the outside looking in...JESUS!

When we were owned, manipulated, and controlled by our sin...

JESUS.

When we’ve really messed things up, we often run back to rules to re-establish order in our lives. We recommit ourselves to better accountability and stronger practices because we want to avoid the shame of messing things up again.

But new rules and commitments don’t repair what is broken inside of us because all of this depends on ourselves – our own will-power, our own grit. And we all know where we end up when put our faith in ourselves. The Scriptures tell us this is a dead end because each of us resides under the power of sin – a force that overthrows even the strongest among us.

What we need is faith in something else, someone else who’s greater than sin’s might...someone with whom sin doesn’t stand a chance.

God is faithful. This isn’t just a cliche. He is really is. He is faithful to deliver his people. He is faithful to the very end.