I'm getting ready to leave the hotel in Minneapolis and all morning, I've been listening to some great worship music. I love to sit and ponder and reflect God's beautiful sovereignty in salvation. This morning, I'm thinking about how deeply sheltered we are within God's grace.
Richard Sibbs, a Puritan Pastor, once said, "There is more mercy in Christ than there is sin in us." I don't know about your life...but that is good, good news for mine! Paul said in Romans 5:20, "Now the law came in to increase the tresspass." That means that if you're one of those people who think that because you're a good person that you're going to be okay...this is saying that you're not!
If you want to live by works and simply rely on how good you are...or for most cases...how bad others are compared to yourself...then Paul is saying that when you compare your life to the Law (which is God's standard) then not only will your sin abound...it will increase by that Law.
In other words...if I take something that isn't mine, even if it's little, according to the Law, I'm a theif! If I get angry at someone...according to the Law, I've committed murder in my heart. Even if I lust after a girl, according to the Law...I've committed adultary. Are you getting the point?
So, the Law comes not only to reveal sin...but to add to sin. So here I am, even a pastor for crying out loud, with this enormous list of sin that the Law has increased and made longer. But wait! There's a reason why we call this message of Jesus Christ the Gospel...it means Good News!
You can only appreciate good news when you understand how bad the news of total depravity truly is! The good Gospel news is that of Colossians 2:13-14, "And you who were dead in your tresspasses...God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our tresspasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside nailing it to the cross."
Amazing! That is my favorite Scripture in the entire Bible. The "Record of Debt"...what is that? It's my sin that the Law "increased." It's that long list of wrong I've committed against God. What did Jesus Christ do? He took that long list (my debt of sin) and triumphantly nailed it to the cross with his own hands and feet! What a Savior! What a King! What wisdom! What Sovereignty!
Has your sin (or record of debt) been nailed to His cross? Paul finished up this verse by saying that after the Law inceases our sin..."that where sin did abound, grace did much more abound!" That is the beauty of God!
At some point today, will you reflect and marvel at the amazing grace of God?
Amazed,
Pastor Chad
Minneapolis, MN
"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable aer his ways!" - Romans 11:33
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