I heard a very thrilling sermon in my younger days that when I become a Christian, I start with a clean  slate. All my sins are forgiven and I get to start out brand new! No longer will I have to be laden with guilt and remorse, which was wonderful! A clean sheet of paper!

But now I realize that that is only half the truth. The full truth is even better! The full truth is that not only am I forgiven of evil things I have done, but also am given the credit for all the good things I have NOT done that Christ has done for me!

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10

“We shall be saved by his life,” why? Because Jesus gives us the life He has earned for us to us. So that not only do we appear as if we have never sinned but also that we have done perfect righteousness before God. That is what is meant by being justified. It is a legal term that means we are “declared” righteous. It does not mean that we are actually righteous. But in spite of being sinners, God pronounces that we are righteous. So, even though we are far from being righteous, God sees us as righteous.

Imagine standing before a judge, knowing that we have committed the crime and fully expecting to be sentenced. But the Judge says, “Not guilty!” And then He adds, “Righteous!”

Can you believe it? The Judge of the universe, who knows every single thing we have ever done, said, and thought, thinks we are righteous! He delights in us in spite of how we have lived our lives in the past. Why wouldn’t we want to live for this God?

If your heart is not thrilled by the love of God today, take some time this weekend to think deeply about the Father’s love. Think about someone you love the most and how far you would go to protect and sacrifice for that person. Then, think that God loves you even more than that!

PH