Guilty to Redeemed

Romans 3:23-26, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption, which is in Christ Jesus. Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God, He passed over sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” That we might understand the significance of these verses. We have all sinned and fall short of God’s glory. We have the assurance that through faith in Jesus that God refrained from enforcing punishment. Jesus was publicly crucified to gain the favor of God, to exchange payment for a debt we could not pay, and He did not owe. Our verdict was guilty. Romans 6:23, “for the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We aren’t given a “not guilty” verdict because we are guilty, the evidence is clear. Instead, we are given a chance to be redeemed through the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins. Jesus became the one to regain favor to God for us. He is our exchange and payment for our debt, our Redeemer. God demonstrated His righteousness to refrain from collecting our debt of sin by offering the free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. We were on death row, on our way to pay the price for our sins. We were guilty. Yet, God in His righteousness chose to forebear collecting the debt, by giving us His Son in exchange for our sins. He passed over the sins previously committed to be remembered no more. The blood Jesus shed wiped away our sins. He is our justifier, the one who gave His life that we may have eternal life. The one who cleared the debt, our Redeemer. Jesus’s resurrection shows the power of the redemption. Death was not victorious. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. The exchange was made for us and the grave did not hold Him. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, “O death where is your victory? O death where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Job 19:25, “And as for me, I know, that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on earth.” Yes, I know my Redeemer lives and the power of the blood of the Lamb restored God’s favor to me through faith in Jesus Christ. I was guilty but now I am redeemed!