I mentioned this in a recent post, but I have been wrestling with the balance between grace and obedience and the weight of that, but one night, the Lord spoke so much truth and life into my heart that I really want to share with you guys. I'm going to be in Romans 8 a lot, so you might want to take a moment to read through that for yourself and open your heart to what God might want to teach you.
A couple days ago, I went on a walk with Piper and I honestly just confessed that I'm afraid of failing. I'm afraid of letting God down, of doing the wrong thing, of not moving when I'm supposed to move or waiting when I'm supposed to wait. To be completely vulnerable with y'all - my Bible study times have been pretty tense because I'm so desperate to hear His voice and what He wants me to do. I'm so afraid of messing up that I'm no longer enjoying the Father's presence at all, and I'm not partaking in the rest or peace that He offers me.
But that night I read Romans 8, my heart began to heal a little bit more, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the Lord's miraculous grace. I'm going to dive into a couple of the verses that impacted me the most, but like I said, I would totally encourage you to read through the entire chapter yourself and give the Lord space to speak to you specifically.
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." (verses 1-2)
Right now, at this very moment, there is no condemnation. Absolutely zero shame or guilt if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. We are free, friends, because Christ's death broke the grip of the Old Testament law - the law that we could never live up to, the law that reminded us of just how unholy we are. The same spirit that rose Christ from the dead now lives in us, and He brings life instead of death. He draws us closer to the Father instead of refusing a relationship. God looks at us with pure love in His eyes, as if He's seeing His very own Son - not the sin and wounds that we see when we look in the mirror.
"And so [Christ] condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (verses 3b-4)
Instead of having to carry the weight of our sin by ourselves, Christ took that burden on Himself, and condemned sin and the enemy. He defeated it with the blood He shed on the cross and breath He breathed three days after He was buried in the tomb. He did this so that the righteous requirement would be met within us. He knew that we could never meet that on our own, so He took it upon Himself to purify and cleanse us. So now, when He looks at us, He sees only the sacrifice He made and the price He paid for us. We are now invited to walk in a new identity, one where we are holy and righteous, a blameless temple and a chosen part of His family.
"But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness." (verse 10)
So, if Christ is in us, even though we are constantly battling sin and our fleshly desires, we can walk in life. Even though the sin inside of us brings death and separation from the Father, Christ took care of it and granted us the ability and blessing to walk in His Spirit of life. Sin and death and shame no longer have any claim on us, no longer any hold or power over us, because we are walking in the abundant, beautiful life bought for us through the blood of Jesus.
"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children." (verses 14-16)
This was perhaps the most personal part of this entire chapter. God now sees us as His children, and He loves us. He's not imperfect or wavering like our earthly fathers, but He loves us constantly and flawlessly. He has adopted us, chosen us, and He wants to be involved in our lives. God has rescued us and claimed us as His own, and He is ours. Nothing can change His love for us, and because of that, we don't have to live in fear anymore of messing up or removing ourselves from His favor. We don't have to be afraid of sin or the chains that once held us back, or anxious about if He's going to be mad at us after we mess up. He chooses us, and as long as we choose Him, we are safe in who He says we are. Hallelujah, praise the Lord for that, because that is exactly what my heart needs right now.
Even though I've been a Christian all my life and I know the "right" answers, I've really been wrestling with fears about if God still loves me and if I have lost His favor or salvation. But the Lord showed me this chapter of Romans 8 at just the right time, and He spoke so gently to my heart. He loves me, and because of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection, the grip of shame and guilt no longer has any power over me. The same is true for you. As long as we keep choosing Jesus, over and over again, sin cannot separate us from His love anymore because He paid the price to close that gap. He looks at us with love in His eyes, as His beloved, pure and blameless.
That is beyond a blessing.
Has the Lord taught you something recently that really struck your heart? Was there a part of Romans 8 that seemed to speak directly to you? Let me know down in the comments below, I love to hear from you!
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