Lent Day Thirteen
“Amazing Grace”
Romans 3:21-26 The Passion Translation
21–22 But now, independently of the Law, the righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus, the Anointed One! This is the righteousness that the Scriptures prophesied would come! It is God’s righteousness made visible through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And now all who believe in him receive that gift! For there is really no difference between us,
23 for we all have sinned and are deprived of God’s divine splendor.
24 Yet through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness! His gift of love and favor now cascades over us, all because Jesus the Anointed One has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin!
25 Jesus’ God-given destiny was to be the sacrifice to take away sins and now he is our Mercy Seat because of his death on the cross. We come to him for mercy for God has made a provision for us to be forgiven by faith in the sacred blood of Jesus. This is the perfect demonstration of God’s justice, because until now, he had been so patient—holding back his justice because he heard the echo of his likeness in human hearts. So he covered over the sins of those who lived prior to Jesus’ sacrifice.
26 And when the season of tolerance came to an end, there was only one possible way for God to give away his righteousness and still be true to both his justice and his mercy—to offer up his own Son. So now, because we stand on faith in Jesus, God declares us righteous in his eyes!
I was never the sort of schoolboy who looked forward to school reports. They usually included the line: “must try harder”. Many of us grew up with that inbuilt voice telling us that we are not quite making the mark, that we ought to do better. Maybe you were not like that, but I am sure that we have all known instances in our lives when we haven’t done well. There are things that we are ashamed of, times when we have disappointed ourselves and others. But before you get discouraged and stop reading because this sounds gloomy, hang on! These few verses of Scripture contain some of the most astonishing and encouraging words contained in the Bible. Something astonishing for every human being has come to light, has burst through our gloomy failures and disappointments through Jesus! The Gospel, the Good News at the very heart of Christianity is that there is a way to be reunited with the One who made us and the awesome creation around us, the One who not only made us but loves us and longs to be known as our Father, the One who alone can fulfil our deepest longing. And the way into that wonderful experience and destiny is not through striving to overcome disapproval but simply trusting what Jesus has done for us and welcoming Him into our lives.
I wonder what your view of God is - a remote, distant deity? Maybe a demanding disapproving father figure? Don’t you believe it! Those very common caricatures are nowhere near the truth! He is Love itself, and Jesus was Love incarnate, in Person. You see, our God loves to give gifts, and He gave His Son, Jesus for our sakes, sending Him both to display His lovingkindness, His mercy and to die in our place to wipe the slate clean and forgive all our failures and shortcomings. And there’s more! What Jesus accomplished on the Cross has not only dealt with our past and opened up a magnificent future for us, it has also brought us into the enjoyment of God’s astonishing lovingkindness and generosity NOW, in the present! Verse 24 says: ‘through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness! His gift of love and favor NOW cascades over us, all because Jesus the Anointed One has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin!’ (Caps mine). Such is the grace of God: Amazing.
Goff Hope
Goff is a Londoner, born in Queen Elizabeth 2 Coronation year, and it was at a Billy Graham crusade at London’s Earls Court that he became a Christian. Much of his early life was focussed on London, going to school on the Underground, working for the BBC at White City studios (then later ITV on the South Bank) meeting wife Angie at Kensington Temple, and then leaving a career in television to study at London Bible College (LST).
For the last 34 years Goff has been a church leader at King’s Community Church here in Norwich during which time he and Angie have travelled widely serving churches in the Newfrontiers family of churches. He has also been involved in the training of leaders. Goff’s other passions in life include family, spending time with grandchildren and when time allows, escaping on the Norfolk Broads in his sailing dinghy!