Forgiveness is free. Forgiveness comes to us totally and completely. There is no such thing as partial or gradual forgiveness. It doesn’t come by inches. You’ve either got it or you don’t. Get this. You can have it today – 100 percent, and start again.
God will give as much grace as we need to work through the mess we’ve created, as much mercy as we need to experience full and complete forgiveness, as much power as we need to turn our lives around. God will give us as much peace as we need to overcome our fears and as much acceptance as we need to be free from guilt.
Griffith Thomas wrote: Even the smallest circumstance in life has its meaning, and it may be said, literally, that we do not know the profound significance of many of the simplest details of daily life. Happy is the person whose eyes are open to see the hand of God in everyday events. To that person, life always possesses a marvelous joy and glory. Though a circumstantial case could be made that God had deserted him, Joseph kept himself free from fret, strain, hardness, and despair. Consciousness of God made all the difference.
Could you summarize Christianity in one simple sentence, 15 words or less? Here’s my simple sentence: The heart and life of Christianity is confessing Jesus as Lord. Romans 10:9a is usually discussed in an evangelistic context due to the second part of the verse. However, Romans 10:9a impacts, not just the moment of conversion, but all of life. Confessing Jesus as Lord is a daily exercise for the believer, an exercise that keeps us perennially connected to the presence and power of God.
As a ten-year-old child, I loved cars, especially the 1987 Lamborghini Countach. I once saw a Lamborghini Countach in the garage of a neighbor who lived next to my dad’s parents. That car met all the expectations of my heart and mind. However, the man who owned it rarely drove it. For all practical purposes, that car was only for show.
Then it occurred to me that many believers go at Christianity like that Lamborghini Countach. They never get their Christianity out on the road of life, but treat it as a show car only.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul makes the statement that all of Christianity hinges upon one event and if this event were to be proven false, Christianity would not only be useless and untrue, but it would be the laughing stock of world religions. That event is Jesus of Nazareth’s physical resurrection from the dead. The text of this sermon, Romans 10:9, tells us that belief in the resurrection of Christ is necessary for our salvation. Do you know why the resurrection matters? Do you truly believe it happened and are you prepared to defend it against objections?