Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
The Mountaintop of Paul's Teaching
Romans chapter 5, verse 11 comes in a beautiful, powerful context, and I'm excited to dive in together. Really, this is the culmination of a teaching that Paul was giving, because he just spent the previous four chapters building a case that no person can earn their way to salvation or to right standing with God.
Now we get to the end of his point—the summit, or the mountaintop. This is what we get, and this is powerful. Before we get to verse 11, in verses 1 through 10, Paul is letting us know the things that we receive through God. We get access. We get peace. We get so many beautiful things. We get hope, and we get joy in our hearts. That's what comes as a result of the relationship. Now I have received all of these things.
Why Little Words Matter
This is why words are important. Whenever we are approaching the Scripture and the text, we must look at the context. Little words like "so now"—you can easily read past them. "So now" is talking about something that happened previously. Because we received these wonderful gifts from God, "so now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship."
Rejoice means celebrate. We've got some celebrating to do. What is it that we're celebrating? If you look at the previous verse, in verse 10, it says we were enemies with God. That's strong language that he uses. The beautiful thing about this wonderful new relationship is that it speaks specifically to reconciliation. That's what we were. Jesus reconciled this by giving His life for you and for me.
Worth Rejoicing
Because of this, we have this wonderful new relationship. Now, "rejoice" is not a word that we typically use anymore in everyday language. If you think about what it's saying, and you think about the real gift you've been given—think about it. To go from being enemies with God to a wonderful new relationship, to have been reconciled to God, to have been made clean and right and pure with God—that's what you could not do for yourself, which Paul literally unpacked over the course of the first four chapters.
You can't do anything to be in right standing. Because you made this choice and submitted your heart to Jesus, now you have this wonderful new relationship. This reconciliation, this gift, is worth rejoicing. That means to be loud about it and to be proud about it. I am openly, happily, joyfully celebrating the fact that I have a relationship with Christ Jesus and that He did what I could not do on my own.
It doesn't matter how many service projects I do. It doesn't matter how many contributions I make to the church or various nonprofits. It doesn't matter what I do—I can't earn it. He did what I could not do, and that is a reason to have joy.
What a Friend Looks Like
"Christ has made us friends of God." When you think of a friend, what comes to mind? I have a few really close friends in this life. When I'm up or when I'm down, whenever things are good or when things are bad, whenever I make great choices that make everyone happy, or when I make wrong choices that I shouldn't make, my friends are there.
That friend is solid. That friend lifts me up when I need it. That friend challenges me when I need it. They encourage me when I need it. Think about this world in which we live, and the loneliness. A lot of people are dealing with loneliness. You're surrounded by people all day, every day, but you don't feel that you have a connection to anyone.
Sometimes there may not be a human connection to people, and this can make your heart heavy and grieved. This verse is reminding us you don't have to let your heart be troubled, because Jesus Christ made you a friend of God. If you really acknowledge that and you're aware of that, that means the same way a friend will listen to you,
God is always there with a listening ear. The same way a friend would lift you up, God is always there with a helping hand. The same way a friend would challenge you, encourage you, teach you, and inspire you, God is always there, and He is that Friend. It doesn't matter what you did. You didn't even have to earn it.
Don't Take This Gift for Granted
He loved you enough to say, I'm going to give My life so that you can have access. I'm going to give My life so that you can be made a friend of God. We cannot take this gift for granted. Realize the tremendous, precious gift that you have, and lean into it, because it will bring you joy in troubled times.
Rejoice in it, because it will change those thoughts that are dragging and weighing you down. Be encouraged by it, because this gift will change everything if we keep our eyes on the prize, which is this wonderful new relationship God has given us.
