Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Rick Warren
A Reconciled Enemy
If we look at where we were before we were saved and where we are now, we can see the great chasm that had separated us from God as now being removed. Do you realize that we were once enemies of God and while we were still His enemies, God sent His Son to die for us? The Apostle Paul wrote “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Rom 5:10). From the enemies of God to the children of God made possible only by the blood of the Lamb of God.
The Ungodly Made Godly
Who would ever die for someone that was ungodly? No one I know of would do that. Would you? But that’s just what Jesus did as Paul writes that “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die” (Rom 5:6-7). Jesus didn’t die for us because we were worthy but because God is good and merciful. We didn’t warrant it…it’s just God’s goodness that saved us who were ungodly.
Sinner to Saint
We don’t have to be dead for many years before we’re considered saints by God. No, God considers us saints right now as the word “saints” are mentioned over 60 times. God speaks as if we are saints right now, and we are! The author of Hebrews writes to the Jewish Christians, “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do” (Heb 6:10). It would be hard to serve the saints if only saints were in heaven so Paul must have been speaking in the present tense as the church being saints.
New Mercies Everyday
King Solomon, in writing about God’s faithfulness in Lamentations, wrote “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam 3:22-23). Every day is a day of second chances for where we fell short yesterday. God’s mercies are not just for yesterday…they are for today and every day as “His mercies never come to an end” and “they are new ever y morning!”
Conclusion
God is the God of second chances…and third and fourth and so on. He reconciled us when we were still His enemies, dying for us while we were still ungodly, considers us saints as of now even though we are still sinners (1st John 1:8, 10), and He extends His great mercies upon us every single day. Praise God for that!
