Just Demands

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3: 21-26

One thing I’ve discovered as I’ve grown as a man is how to assess value. If there is no cost, then there is no value. This line of thinking is routinely short-circuited when the person who receives the benefit does not pay the fee. Just because it didn’t cost you something, doesn’t mean it didn’t cost someone else. One thing we learn from the Advent of Jesus Christ is the value of our freedom.

His coming revealed God’s just demands. Our sin had a cost, and those who put faith in Jesus are accepting that He paid the price on our behalf. There is no shortcut around what price was to be paid. If there were, would Christ have offered up His life? The grand entrance of God as man teaches us that God knew the demands and our inability to fulfill it. Our value is represented in the coming of Jesus.

DO THIS TODAY: Reflect on the cost paid by Christ on your behalf.