There is such beauty and hope in the book of Romans. It is the hope of our salvation. It is the glory of the Father and the reality of the Son. It is the forgiveness of sin, the promise of Heaven, and the gift of eternal life. It is the message we have been commissioned to carry to the ‘farthest ends of the earth, so that all might hear and believe and share in the hope of our salvation.
When we come to Christ as broken sinners, He exchanges our sin for His righteousness.
Gotquestions.org
Today’s journey is a collection of passages known as the Romans Road, which leads us straight to God’s gift of eternal life—by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:8-9). This road through Romans is the main thoroughfare of our faith. It presents the problem, which is sin (Rom 3:23), and then the answer/provision, which is God’s deep, deep love for us, even while we were sinners (Romans 5:8). The next stop on the journey (Romans 6:23) reminds us that our sin demands a payoff, and that payoff is death. But thanks be to God, Jesus paid our debt! So that now, when we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). ~ As today’s journal entry puts it: “It is at this moment that we are saved and cross over from death to life. God no longer views us by our sin but by Christ’s righteousness.”
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21.
Friends, while God’s gift of eternal life is good news for us who have believed and been saved, for those who have not yet believed in the message of the Gospel, there is bound to be a fair amount of discouragement and misery on this Romans Road. For without faith in Jesus and the eternal life that is available to all who believe, there is no hope. This, my friends, is why we must not neglect our calling to shine the light of Jesus wherever we go in this dark, foreboding world.
Father, may we align our hearts with Your desire for all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth1 – and may we live and pray to that end. ~ In the name of Jesus and for Your eternal glory, I pray ~Amen.
If you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ, if you do not know the hope of eternal life, I invite you to visit the link ‘Know These Truths’and let me introduce you to the One who gave His life so that you might live. If you have questions or are ready to take the next step, please message me at m.black@lmbc.org ~
Read: Ephesians 2:4-10;Titus 2:11/SOAP: Ephesians.2:8-9 and Titus 2:11
Warning: What you are about to read may be very familiar- please use caution when you are reading. Do not allow your mind to only ‘hear’ “blah, blah, blah, …” Ask God to give you a clear mind and heart to hear it as though for the first time – and with fresh and clear understanding and appreciation.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.
Titus 2:11
Friends, according to Scripture, we were once dead because of our disobedience and our many sins. We used to live in sin just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God (I love the “but God” statements of the Bible) is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he called us out from the grave of sin and shame and placed us in Christ Jesus and put His Spirit in us. He rescued us from the death we deserved and gave us His gift of salvation, rich and free!
Application: Living out the Journey
Salvation is not by works of the past, nor the present, nor the future. It is simply and yet profoundly a gift of God’s marvelous grace. His is a grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, a grace that was poured out on Calvary’s mountain where Jesus was crucified and His blood was spilt. His is a grace that changed everything – setting prisoners free from chains of sin and death – replacing them with life and peace and hope in the promise of forgiveness and eternity with Him! This marvelous grace of our loving Lord opened salvation’s door not just to the Jew but to Gentiles and all who would call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ1.
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt
Friends, Grace is a gift, the greatest and most powerfully loving gift we will ever receive. It is a gift to cherish and a gift to share. It is a free gift that can never be lost or taken away, and it is a gift that keeps on giving. Not only are we made right with God (saved/justified) by grace, but we are sanctified (made more like Christ) by grace, and one day, by God’s grace, we will appear with Christ in glory.2
To grow in grace is to mature as a Christian. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we mature and are sanctified by grace alone. We know that grace is a blessing that we don’t deserve. It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. The sanctification process, becoming more like Christ, is synonymous with growing in grace.
gotquestions.org
Peter wrote that we should grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,3 which does not mean that we gain more grace from God but instead that we mature as Christians. Simply put, this means “training ourselves in godliness, which Paul told Timothy is much better than physical training – because it promises benefits in this life and in the life to come4.
So, how can we train for godliness and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ?
It should be noted: “To grow in grace does not mean gaining more grace from God. God’s grace never increases; it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less.”
gotquestions.org.
We grow in grace by a number of Spiritual disciplines, including:
Meditating on and Reading God’s Word – letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16)
to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given.
The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.
Being devoted to prayer (Colossians 4:2) and keeping alert in it… knowing that our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:7-8)
The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.
gotquestions.org
Prayer of Response to the Journey
Father, thank You for Your grace, the gift of Your Son who brought salvation to all people. By Your grace, Christ justifies us and sanctifies us – and He will one day return, and by His grace we will share in His glory! Help us to grow daily in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and to live out the blessings of Your grace -by showing love, grace, and mercy to all. Help us to do and to say what pleases You – obeying You – not as though we need to win or keep our salvation but simply to please You. For – hallelujah! Our salvation is a gift that can never be earned, lost, or taken away! Oh, how sweet is the reality of this amazing grace! – Amen!
Me From the Inside Out 