Most everyone has seen the “Get out of Jail Free” card that is part of the Monopoly game. Many of you have also likely seen a card adapted from that card that says, “Get out of Hell Free.”
Hell is what most of us have been trained to think of when we hear a passage like:
All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23)
Together with,
The wages that sin pays are death, but God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
We hear in these passages that unless we say a prayer to Jesus, asking Him to forgive us of our sins, we will live a life separated from Him in Hell.
Right? Well, yes, it is right. The problem is that many of us get stuck here. We get stuck focused on our sin, so then all we ever see ourselves as is a sinner. It’s almost like the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ doesn’t matter for us here and now. Does that make sense?
21 Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too. 22 In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22)
In Christ, we are given new life, made new. Jesus doesn’t give you a command that you can’t live out.
34 “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. 35 This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” (John 13:34-35)
He doesn’t tell you to love as He loves because you are “just a sinner.” He tells you to love as He loves because He knows through His work you are made new. Your sins have been washed away. You are adopted into God’s family as His son and His daughter. He knows who you are better than you do, and it’s better than you believe!
Blessings,
Pastor Matt
PS - Come join us for our annual Sportsmen’s Banquet at Mt. Zion UMC on Saturday, March 14th! Tickets are currently on sale through the Church office. Click here for more details.