TODAY #10–Just as if…

I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD.  Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin….I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.–Nothing in all creation can hide from him.  Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes.  This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done.  That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God.  Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him.–For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.–For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.–for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.–if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.–God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.–Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Ezek.18:30,32ESV; Heb.4:13,14NLT British text; Rom.3:20-22ESV; Rom.10:4ESV; Mt.12:37ESV; Rom.10:9ESV; Rom.3:24NLT; I Tim.6:12ESV; Ps.32:1,2

Incredible this reality in which we are called to stand as those who claim Christ as our King. He has done all.  We appear before God just as if we had never sinned.  The fight is to continue to believe when sin dogs our steps and condemnation flutters in to find a place to roost.  We need only run back to rest under the shadow of the Cross.  There our sins, past-present-and future, were nailed.  God declares us righteous on this basis and this basis alone. –LS

Listen in on these lyrics till your heart resounds with them:

Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
We fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love

And bled for us
Freely You’ve bled for us

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

(Christ is risen: Matt Maher / Mia Fieldes)