As we know from experience and as we have heard the past few weeks, things are not the way they are supposed to be. Genesis 3 tells us how sin came into the world and it tells us of the destruction that came with it. The greatest damage in our fall into sin was done to our relationship with God. We rebelled, became enemies and our fellowship was broken. The question every soul longs to know is, “How can it all be made right again?”

God answers this question in the living, dying, and rising of His Son, Jesus Christ. “For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). On the cross Jesus took on our sin and gave to us His perfect righteousness. Because of this we have been made right with God. We have been forgiven, justified, and restored. The Westminster Shorter Catechism answer 33 explains it this way, “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein He pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”

This God-given justification is an abundance of grace for all who put their faith in Christ. As if our justification wasn’t enough, God promises even more! Romans 5:1-5 tells us that because of our justification we also have peace with God, access into His grace, joy in our suffering, and God’s love poured out into our hearts. Take a moment to take these things in! Drink deeply of God’s goodness and grace to you! And then go and live everyday of your life out of these riches of His grace.