JC Blog

Not only did God demonstrate his love for us while we were powerless and held captive to sin, by sending Jesus, he made sure that this act of redemption was a one time victory. Not only are we justified through faith in Jesus' blood, but we are also saved from God's wrath by his blood. No longer are we enemies of God, instead we are His friends. We are fully justified, as if we had never sinned, by faith in his blood.

The first question that naturally arises, is why was Jesus' blood necessary? As you read the Old Testament especially in the Law books, you will see that every sin and transgression had a corresponding sacrifice to it. Hebrews 9:22 adds clarity to this when it says, "...the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." so a blood sacrifice was necessary to absolved sin and to receive forgiveness from God.

The blotting out of sin was accomplished through the shedding of blood. However Hebrews 10 reminds us, that if sacrifices of animals could made perfect the worshipper, would they not stop being offered? But as it stands, guilt remained upon the person because the blood of bulls and goats were never able to take away sin ( Hebrews 10:1-3 ). However, the Israelites continued to offer sacrifices year after year because guilt remained. And if guilt remains in a relationship then something is not right. However when Jesus came, his blood was able to completely clear the consciousness of sin upon the born again spirit. "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" ( Hebrew 9:14 )

So the sacrifice of blood accomplished two things. First, it satisfied God's righteous wrath against sin and corruption. And secondly it was able to remove the traces of sin upon our conscience. We, no longer are held under sins dominion, subject to it's guilt and shame. In fact Colossians 1: 21-22 says, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation." In other words, if Christ has presented you to God holy and blameless, then that is what you are. Through faith in Jesus, you are holy, pleasing and acceptable unto God.

"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." ( Romans 5:9-11 ) If when we were God's enemy, he sent Jesus to the cross to die a criminals death in our stead, what wouldn't he do for you now that you have receive right standing with him through faith in Jesus' blood? Jesus atonement for your sin had such a profound effect upon your born again spirit that when God looks at you he sees Jesus. That is cause for rejoicing today!

What an amazing truth! Throughout life we face many disappointments and discouragements because of situations and people, but Paul said that anyone who trusts in Jesus will never be put to shame. The Amplified Bible puts it like this, "No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed" ( Romans 10:11 ). Meaning with Jesus you will never be disappointed in the abundant life he provides for you. Jesus said in John 10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" ( John 10:10 ). The life he offers doesn't start when we get to heaven, this abundant life starts right now.

This is a message of grace. This is an important truth to meditate on and believe with all your heart. When we place our hope in Jesus we won't be disappointed. This is a theme throughout the entire Bible and is important to grasp. God reminded the Israelites over and over to trust in him and put their confidence in him. David said, "The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him" ( Psalm 34:22 ). By placing our faith in Jesus we will never face judgment. More than that, Jeremiah said, "blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him" ( Jeremiah 17:7 ). By placing our confidence and trust in Him we are blessed. He went on to say, "He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" ( Jeremiah 17:8 ). By placing our confidence in the Lord we do not have to worry about anything. If the economy is bad then we needn't worry about it, we are in God's economy. It doesn't matter if rain hasn't come, we simply tap into the water source and flourish. The Lord is able to richly bless us and make all grace abound in our lives simply because he loves us and we put our trust in him.

This passage is an amazing glimpse into the heart of God. It shows that God does not choose us based on our nationality, our heritage, the color of our skin or any other criteria. Paul said in Romans 2, "God does not show favoritism" ( Romans 2:11 ). With God there is no partiality or unfairness and he doesn't consider one person more valued than another. The King James Bible says "God is no respecter of persons" ( Acts 10:34 KJV ). This is a great thing because Paul is teaching us that when God looks at us, he does not see a distinction between things like Jews, Gentiles, Americans, men or women. In fact he said that the same Lord is Lord over all and he generously bestows his riches, blessings and favor upon all those who call to him in faith. What an amazing thing. This reinforces the truth that we are accepted and loved solely on the basis of Jesus. What a freeing reality to understand.

All of this is yours through faith in Jesus, for "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." ( Romans 10:13 ). All it takes is to trust Him as your savior and look to Him as your Lord. Paul said, "if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Since God does not show favoritism you can know without a shadow of doubt that you are saved through this promise.

Today, I am blessed to know that my confidence is in the Lord who has saved and redeemed me. I am grateful to know that trusting in Him provides security in an insecure world. My prayer is that you know the hope to which you are called in Christ Jesus and that this truth will resonate in your heart every day for the rest of your life, amen.

Salvation is as easy as this. "Confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." What a marvelous thing! So simple, yet so profound. Jesus has done everything for us. Not one thing was left undone by Him, there is nothing left to do except to celebrate this new life offered through the Son of God. It is as simple as that!

Several things happen when you trust in Jesus to save you. The first happens when you confess that 'Jesus is Lord'. This confession shows that you understand that there is no other way to be reconciled to God the Father. Acts 4:12 says, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" ( Acts 4:12 ). This is crucial. Being good cannot save you, being baptized cannot save you, going to church cannot save you. Only Christ can save you. By confessing this you are trusting in Him alone to justify you and bring you into fellowship with God. You are placing all your hope in him. "As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame" ( Romans 10:11 ).

Secondly, you must believe that God raised him from the dead. This is incredibly important. Christ died for your sins ( Romans 3:23-24, Romans 5:8 ). Christ died to defeat the power that sin held over you ( Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:13-15 ). He died as a ransom for you so that you would not be held accountable for your sins ( Hebrews 9:15 ). Because God was completely satisfied in this payment, Christ was raised from the dead ( Hebrews 9:12-14, Hebrews 10:11-14 ). His resurrection proved that the penalty or price for sin had been paid ( Romans 6:9-10 ). If his sacrifice on the cross wasn't enough to cover your sin, then he would still be dead showing that this didn't work. But it did and so Christ was raised from the dead demonstrating His perfect sacrifice. So you must believe this in your heart.

Believing this is how you are justified. Justification means that you are in a state where it is 'just as if you've never sinned'. Christ's sacrifice brought us back to a sinless state before God and we are completely forgiven ( Hebrews 10:17-18, I John 3:5, I John 3:9 ). This was part of your redemption and is a foundational truth to understand. Hebrews says. "because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" ( Hebrews 10:14 ). Showing us that sin is no longer an issue with God. He went on to say, "And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin" ( Hebrews 10:14 ). There is nothing else that we can offer to justify us before God, His sacrifice was more than enough. Believing in the proof of the resurrection is how we are justified.

What an amazing truth this is. Salvation is found in Jesus alone and all we need to do is confess His Lordship and trust what He has done is more than enough to save us. Today, I am so thankful to share this amazing gospel with you. As Paul said in the beginning of this book, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" ( Romans 1:16 ). This good news is almost too good to be true, it is incredible that through faith in Jesus we can stand before God completely justified, righteous, holy and forgiven. If you have never trusted in Jesus as your savior, it is my prayer today that you will find Salvation in him alone as outlined in this verse, amen.

It would be easy to look upon Israel and condemn them for rejecting Jesus, but Paul said they have experienced an insensibility to the gospel on our account until the full number of Gentiles come to the Lord. Does this mean that the Jews are not saved? Paul did not want us to be unaware of this truth and although it seems difficult to understand we have been advised in the revelation of this mystery so that we will not become conceited in our position of grace.

As a whole, Israel has experienced a hardness of heart concerning Jesus. They do not see him as the promised Messiah. They are relying on the Law and what they do for God to be right with Him instead of relying on His grace. It appears that for the most part they have missed out on the long awaited Messiah. However Paul explained earlier in this passage that there was currently a remnant of Jews saved by grace ( Romans 11:5 ). Jews, who saw Jesus as the Messiah, and have put their trust solely in him.

Paul went on to explain that their rejection of Jesus blessed the entire world, because salvation was then opened up to the Gentiles where previously, they were excluded and outside the promises of God ( Romans 11:11, Romans 11:15 ). He encouraged us by telling that if their transgressions meant riches for the world, their final acceptance of the Christ would bring about a greater blessing for us ( Romans 11:12, Romans 11:15 ). Now we can understand that Israel is experiencing a temporary hardening to the truth of Christ until the full number and last ingathering of the Gentiles come in. Then, all Israel will be saved.

Does this mean the entire nation of Israel will be saved whether or not they believe in Jesus? No, it means that the temporary blindness that they are experiencing as a nation will be removed and we will see God moving mightily among them as they turn to him and put their trust in him.  He will reveal to them the truth of Christ and reconcile the reality of the scriptures to them. Paul quoted from the Old Testament scripture when he said, "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins" ( Romans 11:27, Isaiah 59:20-21 ). He will remove godlessness from among them by revealing himself to them. No longer will they need to adhere to the law, they will have the perfect law of Christ written on their hearts. Jeremiah said, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel  after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'  because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." ( Jeremiah 31:33-34, Hebrews 8:8-12 ). When Israel finally understands Jesus is the Christ, then we will see a great movement within this nation to return to the Lord and the result will bless the entire world by their faith.

Israel must come the Jesus the same way we do, by faith; by placing our entire hope in him to save us. They are loved on account of the patriarchs and they are chosen and called out from the world, but the truth is in Christ alone. Even now there is a remnant of Jews chosen by grace. God promised, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" ( Jeremiah 29:13 ). For those who are looking to God in the right motive of the heart he will reveal himself to them and what he reveals is always Jesus. Hebrews says, "that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" ( Hebrews 11:6 ). He is speaking of faith and we know that "And without faith it is impossible to please God" ( Hebrews 11:6 ). And so Israel must come to God through faith in Jesus alone.

Today, I am blessed to understand this truth. I am excited to see the nation of Israel returning to the Lord and finding salvation in Jesus. "For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." ( Acts 4:12 ). Amen!

What a marvelous truth to understand that our final deliverance from this world is fast approaching. Because of this, we are in a critical hour to recognize reality. We need to awaken from slumber and start advancing the kingdom of God because salvation is near and millions of people are lost.

Jesus spoke extensively about signs of the times and what to watch out for. He told his disciples, "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door" ( Mark 13:28-29 ). He was speaking of the end of the age telling them the signs that would accompany it. Then he reminded them of the fig tree. The fig tree showed the timeframe for summer had come when leaves appeared. Even so, the events that Jesus mentioned in the Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 lead to the end of this world. Because of this we know that the hour is at hand and our final salvation in nearer to us than when we first believed.

Jesus went on to say, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come" ( Mark 13:32-33 ). As believers we need to be ready to go when he comes. We should be standing our ground and advancing the kingdom of God. We should not be hanging back waiting for that day lest Jesus find us asleep or consumed with this world. We should be alert and ready. Jesus told his disciples in Luke's gospel account, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" ( Luke 21:28 ) . Our final salvation, the redemption of our physical bodies will take place unexpectedly; therefore we should always stand looking up in anticipation.

We should be on guard, awake and alert because we also have a job to do. Our job is to preach the gospel to the far reaches of the world. Jesus told the disciples that when this is accomplished He will return for us. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" ( Matthew 24:14 ). So the sooner we get moving on our mission, the sooner we will be present with the Lord forever.

Paul reminds us in today's passage that fulfillment of this mission stems our of our love debt to the Lord. He said in the previous verse, "Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" ( Romans 13:10 ). Then he started this passage with "And do this, understanding the present time..." It is because of our love for God and His love for mankind that we share the good news with everyone around us. Not out of fear, not out of guilt, but out of love and gratitude for Him. We should be burdened to see the lost saved, knowing what an incredible gift our salvation is.

Today, I pray that you are challenged to awaken from normal everyday life being motivated for the kingdom of God. Remember your final salvation is at hand and Jesus is coming very soon. Look up expectantly today, knowing that He is coming back for you. Share this good news in your workplace, with your neighbors, with your family and with your friends. The sooner this mission is accomplished the sooner we are out of here!