Love Advocates
I’ve always loved children and after meeting/marrying my Hubbs, we soon had three little boys in close succession. With every intention to be Super-Mommy, my human limitations soon became glaringly apparent. I wish I could carry all three down the stairs at once, but I only have two arms. I wish I could catch the child about to fall while bandaging another’s boo boo, while simultaneously changing another’s diaper, but alas, I can’t be all places at once. In addition to physical limitations, there’s the character flaws. My perfectionism encourages me to pursue excellence, which isn’t a bad thing, but the flip side of that coin is that I sometimes struggle with anxiety. Parenting highlights that fact that I am imperfect, which is why I need Jesus.
The thing about a perfect God is His strength of character in one area doesn’t create lack, or weakness, in another. I love how Romans 3:26 describes God as “just and the justifier”. We see examples throughout the Old Testament of what is summarized in Hebrews 9:22b, “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” The silver lining, in what may initially come across as a gloomy statement, is that goodness exists, truth exists. God cares about right vs wrong, which is especially comforting in times when we’ve been wronged. God doesn’t rationalize our sins. He sacrificed for them. God is just… and the justifier.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
(Romans 3:23-26)
I love how the ESV version uses the term ‘gift’. We ‘are justified by his grace as a gift…’ and that gift was purchased with Jesus’ blood. Seems particularly relevant this time of year. Jesus, the greatest gift. When Jesus came in the flesh, he showed us what God is like: full of grace and truth (John 1:14) Grace and truth- it’s all good news! The flip side of God’s character is just as good. Since He is perfectly just and perfectly gracious, we can know that we are perfectly loved.
The thing about a perfect God is His strength of character in one area doesn’t create lack, or weakness, in another. I love how Romans 3:26 describes God as “just and the justifier”. We see examples throughout the Old Testament of what is summarized in Hebrews 9:22b, “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” The silver lining, in what may initially come across as a gloomy statement, is that goodness exists, truth exists. God cares about right vs wrong, which is especially comforting in times when we’ve been wronged. God doesn’t rationalize our sins. He sacrificed for them. God is just… and the justifier.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
(Romans 3:23-26)
I love how the ESV version uses the term ‘gift’. We ‘are justified by his grace as a gift…’ and that gift was purchased with Jesus’ blood. Seems particularly relevant this time of year. Jesus, the greatest gift. When Jesus came in the flesh, he showed us what God is like: full of grace and truth (John 1:14) Grace and truth- it’s all good news! The flip side of God’s character is just as good. Since He is perfectly just and perfectly gracious, we can know that we are perfectly loved.
No Comments