Since everyone was included in Adam's sin, everyone was included in Christ's righteousness!
Since in Adam all died, in Christ all are made alive!
Believing this good news that He saved us from sin and death allows us
to relax and enjoy the journey home that we are guaranteed to complete!
Our spirits are already there, seated with Him in the heavenly realms,
and our bodies are sure to catch up -
the Holy Spirit within us testifies to this very fact and guarantees the
redemption of our bodies, guarantees that we'll be resurrected with
glorified bodies!
Believing doesn't make any of this true or
make it happen...believing allows us to relax, rest and enjoy the
reality we've been brought into already, the relationship we've been
included into already - Jesus has picked us up out of the gutter of sin
and death and put us on the Father's lap in heaven, in union and life!
We can be at peace and have joy, enjoying wonderful and unhindered
fellowship with God as we walk through life together..
We are
saved from the heartache of thinking He is far away or angry or
punishing, saved from fearfully withdrawing from Him and trying to
navigate life alone, saved from the emptiness of thinking we are
unwanted and unloved, saved from trying to fill the need for
unconditional love with unsatisfying and hurtful things, saved from
feeling we must earn approval and saved from fear that something we do
will bring rejection, saved from bondage to the LIE that says we are
inferior and alienated - because we have been shown the truth - we are
loved, we are approved, we are accepted, we are embraced, we are SAVED!
We have found out who He is and who we are.. We don't have a punishing
God, we have a forgiving and restoring God.. We aren't unlovable
rejects, we are beloved children.. We aren't trapped and hopeless, we
are rescued and free!
Now we don't have to go through this
life afraid of death, afraid of God, afraid of punishment, afraid of
rejection, afraid of anything! His perfect love casts out all the fear
of torment or punishment, because we find that He is LOVE that saves,
not HATRED that retaliates! "With God on our side like this, how can we
lose? He who did not spare His own Son, but freely gave Him up for us
all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things! Nothing
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!" (from
Rom.
What a wonderful God, and what a wonderful salvation!
