Friday, April 29: read Romans 5:1-11
These verses are a super summary of what it means to be a true believer. We have been justified, referring to our legal status before God (verses 1 & 9). We have been reconciled, referring to our repaired relationship with God (verses 10-11). Justification and reconciliation entail other key concepts, some of which are the basis and others the results. Think about the topics mentioned in this passage and their relationship to our justification/reconciliation.
- Faith
- Grace
- Peace
- Hope
- Love
- Holy Spirit
- Wrath
- Rejoicing
The most surprising part of this passage is probably verses 3-4. For most of us, suffering is not desirable, and we don’t consider it an essential part of faith. We’re okay with being followers of Jesus up to a point. But the path he took to the cross (and to the grave) would mean a level of brokenness, humiliation, pain, and suffering that we’d have trouble accepting (Even the twelve disciples kept their distance from Jesus at his lowest moment.). What would help us in overcoming our reluctance to sacrifice ourselves for Christ’s sake?
Is all suffering guaranteed to be beneficial? Or might our attitude toward it influence how beneficial it would be?
Paul wrote that someone might be willing to die for a good person. But that’s not what Christ did. What kind of people did Jesus die for?
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