O, DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?
Kendra Intihar
Today's Scripture: “For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17, ESV
Theme: Jesus’ resurrection overpowered our death penalty for sin, proving His ultimate supremacy.
A TALE OF TWO CHOICES
The love of God, revealed through the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is good news for us all. Jesus is Lord! God has delivered us out of the bondage of sin and into His Kingdom of mercy! In Romans 5, we see a tale of opposing choices – a redemption story that starts with Adam’s disobedience and ends with Christ’s obedience. In Adam’s disobedience, sin and death entered the world and spread like a plague, infecting us all. And in Jesus’ obedience, sin and death were conquered, vanquishing the plague that sought to destroy us. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22, NIV). The sin of Adam led to condemnation, yet the Grace of Christ leads to justification because of His boundless grace for us. The destructive path of sin has no grip on us any longer. Adam’s disobedience may have ushered sin in, but Christ’s obedience nailed it directly to the cross.
A HANDFUL OF SAND IN THE SEA
“As a handful of sand thrown into the ocean, so are the sins of all flesh as compared with the mind of God; as a fountain that flows abundantly is not dammed by a handful of earth, so the compassion of the Creator is not overcome by the wickedness of the creatures... If He is compassionate here, we believe that there will be no change in Him; far be it from us that we should wickedly think that God could not possibly be compassionate; God’s properties are not liable to variations as those of mortals... What is hell as compared with the grace of resurrection? Come and let us wonder at the grace of our Creator." – Saint Isaac the Syrian (ca. 688 AD)
PASSPORT TO FREEDOM
In the quote above, St. Isaac the Syrian marveled, as you and I should, at the revelation of God in Christ. We cannot out-sin God’s great love for us. In fact, God’s eternal posture toward us is love because God is love. He has extended this love to us through the victorious, joyful proclamation of the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus. When we choose to respond to this great love, we receive our citizenship in the Kingdom of God. The lords of this world are not our Lord, the kingdoms of this world are not our Kingdom, and our new citizenship as baptized believers, raised to new life in Christ, stamps our passports with the words “forgiven” and “free,” just like all of our brothers and sisters in Christ across borders, across cultures, and across time.
Make it Personal: Jesus’ earthly ministry was a proclamation of a brand new government from God. He welcomed and dined with the sinner; He healed the sick; He upheld the cause of the widow and the orphan; He blessed the meek, mourning, and merciful. Jesus came with a radical message: The love of God is infinitely more powerful than the sin and brokenness this world has to offer. What do you find “radical” about the Gospel message that Jesus lived and taught?
Pray: Lord, You have overcome the sting of death. In You, we are raised to new life, no longer bound by the sin that threatened to destroy us. Your love seeks us out, finds us where we are, heals us, and sets us free. Hallelujah to the One whose grace is boundless. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read: Romans 5:12-21
Weekly Memory Verse: “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” Romans 2:29, ESV