AM I RIGHT WITH GOD?
READ Romans 4: 1-12
REFLECT
There are times when I struggle with doubts in my Christian life. “Am I still right with God?” I wonder. In comparison to others, I am not Christian enough and I don’t do enough to show that I am Christian. I wonder about the certainty of my salvation – “Am I truly saved?” At the end of a difficult day, when I have not felt good about the choices I have made or the way I have acted, I think that I have lost my chance at heaven. “How could I be worthy of a place in God’s domain when there are others who are more deserving?”
Take Abraham, for example. He was appointed by God to be father of the Jewish nation. He was considered to be a friend of God. How could I compare to such a great man who did such great works? Yet, in the passage from Romans 4, Paul writes that Abraham did nothing to earn God’s love, grace or favour through his own actions and therefore, had nothing by which to boast. It was by faith alone that Abraham was saved. When Abraham heard God’s promise that he would build from his family a great nation, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Because he put his faith in God, God declared Abraham righteous – he was saved.
“Romans 4: 7-8
7Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
At the end of the day, I have to remember that my salvation is based on my belief that my sins and transgressions are forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I cannot be made righteous by any works of my own or by any ritual or ceremony. I must simply believe that God saves me because of my faith in His promises and His son. And this is a blessing that all can receive – we all can be made righteous in God’s eyes, just like Abraham.
BOTTOM LINE
No works or ceremonial acts will justify me in the eyes of the Lord. Only through faith in Jesus can I be made righteous before God.
LIVE
Believe in God’s promise of salvation; have faith that my sins are covered and my transgressions forgiven and know that I am as deserving of a place in heaven as Abraham.
PRAY
For the faith to believe in God’s promise of salvation and reassurance that my sins are forgiven.
Jen Stegenga
