“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Romans 5:10-11 KJV)
Friendship with God isn’t something we earn or deserve, it’s a gift purchased for us by the blood of our Savior. The wages of sin is death, so in order for us to be alive to God someone had to die, and because of the Father’s great love for us, His only Son was sacrificed in our place to allow us to be one with Him. That’s “at-one-ment” in a nutshell.
The word translated “atonement” in the verse in Romans above means “reconciliation.” Think of a bank teller who at the end of each shift must reconcile the amount of money in their drawer with the amount of money that came in and went out. The word paints the picture of an exchange and literally means “adjustment of a difference.”
So, in much the same way as the bank needs to reconcile their intake and output of cash, and if it doesn’t equal, someone needs to make up the difference, so it is with our “balance owed” to the Lord for our sin debt. That’s why it’s always funny to me when someone thinks their personal goodness will be enough to earn them a place in heaven.
It took the shed blood of the only perfect human being who has ever lived to pay the penalty for my sin and yours. There’s no possible way that anyone, ever, could pay the penalty for their own sin. How do I know that? Because the Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
Yet, amazingly, there are still those who want to try to be good enough to please God; they want to subsidize their “heaven” account with good deeds. Rob Turner gave an interesting analogy when he wrote: “Trying to atone for your sin is like scooping out the ocean with a teaspoon. Which do you want to hear? ‘Get to work’ or ‘it’s already done’”?
The miracle of new life in Christ is only possible by faith in His completed work on Calvary. Apart from the blood of Jesus there is no hope for anyone to make it to heaven. How do I know that? Because Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”
Perhaps the simplicity of the process of becoming a child of God has people confused. Could it be we think it should be harder? More dependent upon us? Salvation from our sin is as easy as confessing our sin and placing our trust in Jesus, but walking with Him is anything but easy. Think of the original 12 disciples. Other than Judas who betrayed the Lord and hanged himself, 10 of the remaining original disciples were martyred. Only John died a natural death.
The truth is, following Jesus will cost you your life. Hear His words in Mark 8:34-35: “Then, calling the crowd to join His disciples, He said, ‘If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.’”
So, what will it be for you? Trust Jesus and give your life in His sacred service, or try to earn your own way to heaven? As for me – don’t cry when I die – I’ll be with Jesus!
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 