ROMANS 5:1-11

Romans 5:1-11

  ^1-2By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.  ^3-5There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
 ^6-8Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
 ^9-11Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!

Once we, through faith, receive the free gift of GOD...which is salvation...we can then know "peace with GOD". We can know that GOD has forgiven our past and HE no longer will hold it against us. That's a good feeling!  But not only that. You have to understand that from here on out...life as you once knew it is gone. A thing of the past! It's a whole "new ballgame" so to speak. Instead of being scared that you will go to hell you can know for sure that you will be going to Heaven. You will spend eternity with GOD!! Before becoming a Christian I always hoped that I would somehow be able to find GOD and reach heaven. Now, that is a reality. Because of the grace of GOD we have been set free! That is something to praise and thank GOD for daily. 

Before we get there we have to realize that "life" still happens for us here on earth. Within that life there can sometimes be a lot of trials for us...Life problems. But that's okay now. We have help to get through them. GOD is there with us through all of them. In fact, in the midst of our problems we "expectantly" wait to see just exactly what HE will do! HE gives us strength to go through life, good or bad. The stuff we go through helps us to build a GODLY character. GOD pours HIS love in to us, and helps us, through HIS HOLY SPIRIT. We learn to rely more on HIM and less on us.

We need to remember that before we ever knew HIM, CHRIST died for us. HE didn't wait for us to realize our need for HIM. HE knew that we were going to need GOD's grace and mercy. We are helpless to help ourselves.

Now that we have been redeemed, and made righteous, we have an exciting new life. We are friends with GOD!! We can live with joyful confidence that one day soon the LORD is going to come back and make everything right. GOOD is going to triumph over evil!!