Be encourage, you were reconciled by Christ’s death for the regeneration of your life
In Romans 5:8 the apostle Paul hangs this astounding backdrop; “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Paul proceeds to explain the unseen details of what Christ accomplished for those who believe in Him. God’s love was alive and active before time itself, and He expressed it by loving those who were incapable of receiving His love. His love was proactive, knowable, and focused. But most of all, His love was pure, unselfish, and sacrificial for the benefit of those who would not want to be recipients of His love.
Now comes the most amazing truths. God accomplished through Jesus Christ what sinners could not, and would not want to do. Listen as Paul explains; “We have now been justified by his (Jesus) blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9). Christ’s death saves believers from the inescapable wrath of God. Christ took your place, as your substitute on the cross to satisfy God the Father’s judgement against your sin (1Pe 2:24).
Christ reconciled you at the greatest cost
That being accomplished, Paul expands on Christ’s breathtaking work at Calvary; “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10a). For you, this is 2000 year old history. Yet for Christ, the cross of Calvary is an eternally present work which is equally relevant and sufficient to save you today as it ever was and shall ever be.
Now, when you put faith in Jesus, you were reconciled and changed in Christ. This change came about through the exchange of your sin for Christ’s righteousness. This exchange could only have taken place through Christ’s death which justified you from your death penalty for your sin. That is, you were acquitted from guilt and declared right before God through belief in the death of Christ. WOW! This specific belief is what makes you a Christian.
For believers; “now that we are reconciled… we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:10b-11). In Christ, it’s a done deal. Nothing can be added and nothing can be taken away from Christ’s work of justification and reconciliation. What a spectacular theological synchronicity; justification and reconciliation. The repentant sinner is now submersed by faith into Christ’s accomplished work, there is nothing more for the believer to do as Christ has done it all.
Christ reconciled you with purpose
Christian, rejoice in the cross; if for no other reason than you are presently reconciled in Christ, restored, regenerated, and rebirthed through His resurrection. “The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:10-11). This gives liberation from guilt of repented past sin. This liberation sets those who receive Christ (John 1:12) free from blind enslavement to sin. The past is forgiven, washed away into God’s forgetfulness (Psalm 103:12) and buried with Christ. And there the rotting corpse of your past life must stay so that you can live Christ’s resurrected life with no turning back.
Today, I encourage you to live aware that you were reconciled by Christ’s death for the regeneration of your life. Find some other believer and build them up with this profound truth. Remind some child of God that faith in Christ is not worthless; it’s not a waste of time or effort, and it’s not without impact for God’s glory through your life.