First Wednesday of Advent

The Solution

Read Romans 5:1 – 10
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  This is good news!  This is the Gospel!  Yes, we are sinful failures deserving death and punishment, BUT God loves us so much that He remedied the problem.  Take a moment and let that sink in.  God loves you!  How can we truly know He loves us?  Because of the Christmas message.  "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” He made a way for us, so we would not have to face death and eternal punishment, through his only son Jesus.  God has provided an escape clause for our condemnation.  Jesus died in the place of the powerless (“feeble,” v. 6), the ungodly (v. 6; 4:5), sinners (5:8), and even His enemies! (v. 10).[i] Through Jesus Christ we have the ability to inherit eternal life.  There are conditions though.

Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Public pronouncement and inner faith are the two conditions.  You must first confess publicly your commitment and belief in Jesus Christ and secondly you must believe with all your heart.  The two should be synonymous as we have seen in the Bible that the words we speak are a reflection of our heart.  Salvation comes through acknowledging to God that Christ is God and believing in Him.[ii] 

Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  The war is over!  The price has been paid, death has been transformed to life.  Through the work of Christ all causes of enmity between our souls and God have been removed. We have been changed from foes to friends by a miracle of grace.[iii]

[i] Ibid (2:457)

[ii] Ibid (2:481)

[iii] MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Ro 5:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.