The Loving Warrior Part 5

"Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." Romans 8:34 (NKJV)

There is so much I could say about this particular verse.  It ties in so well with what I wrote about yesterday.  Even as Christians who should know that we are clothed with Christ's righteousness, we are so easily put to shame for our sins.  True, our sins do have an impact upon our lives, our ministries, and the lives of those around us, but our sins do not define us.  Christ already died for them.  He already rose again never to die again.  And He is already at the right hand of God.  His work of salvation is complete.  We need add nothing to it.

Better still than all of that though is this same Christ who completed His saving work intercedes for us.  He sits next to God and reminds Him that the debt is already paid.  He reminds Him of the promise to bless us with every spiritual blessing, to seal us for the day of redemption, to give us an inheritance (Ephesians 1).  God doesn't need the reminder, but it exists nonetheless.  And in interceding on my behalf, Jesus is so much more capable of expressing what needs to be said than I am.  I have a responsibility, really a privilege, of coming to God in prayer, but where my humanity fails, Jesus and the Holy Spirit take over.  When my words are not sufficient, Christ is sufficient.  When I am so weary I cannot function, God is there.  He hears.  He knows.  He cares.

Oh friends, there is such depth here.  I can never unpack how unfathomably amazing it is to have a God who reached down out of the cosmos and made a way for me to have an intimate, meaningful relationship with Him when I was still His enemy!  My words fail me tonight because I cannot possibly convey how amazed I am by the God of the universe and how much of a sacrifice He made for me.  His infinite, untamable love reached down out of eternity and touched my life because of His good pleasure.  I had nothing to do with it.  Would you dare love someone that much when you knew that person would hurt you time and time again, would cheat on you, talk badly about you, ignore you, scream at you?  I know I wouldn't.  But that is exactly what God did for you and for me, freely, without reservation, without condition.  I no longer stand condemned before my Creator who is powerful enough to disintegrate me at a word.  That's a humbling thought.