“For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:10-11)
Today, we wrap up our week-long list of all the benefits that come with trusting in Jesus for our salvation from sin and into a new, eternal life in God’s family. And this last one is huge.
Have you ever heard the story of a father and his son, estranged and distant for years and years because of some disagreement, who come back together on the father’s deathbed and make peace with each other. They forgive each other and embrace (and probably cry). They have been reconciled.
We were estranged from God because of our sin. We needed to be forgiven, and that’s what Jesus earned for us on the cross. It was over his empty deathbed that we were embraced by our Father in heaven. The relationship is fixed for all time. Jesus is alive again and we have been reconciled to God.
We are saved, and we will be saved, this verse tells us. Once God has reconciled us to himself, we will not become unreconciled. We will be walking with him forever.
Think: What did you have to do to convince God to “take you back” or reconcile you to himself? Why do you think he took action to make reconciliation with him possible before we even cared about it?
Pray: If you have trusted in Jesus for salvation, thank God for reconciling your relationship with him through Jesus’ death for us on the cross. Thank him that you are saved and will walk with him forever.
Do: Finish your list from this week with one last item: 10) We are reconciled to God forever! Then put the list up somewhere where you will bump into it for a few weeks to be reminded of who you are right now, today, as a Christian.