CHILDREN OF GOD
Carey Madding
Today's Scripture: “For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:19, ESV
Theme: Just as we inherited sin nature from Adam, we can inherit righteousness and eternal life from Jesus.
NURTURE OR NATURE?
As I’m sure you already know, we become an awful lot like the people who raised us. Some inherited traits are great; some are destructive. Some are genetic, and some are learned behaviors. Like my dad, I must be in front, the “bird dog” as we walk through the mall or the airport. Mike was once gently rebuked for not opening the car door for me. He replied with a laugh, “I’d have to race her! She’s not going to wait around for me to get there and open the door for her!” I also learned to sulk a little instead of dealing with conflict as I watched my parents. I have since learned better ways to reconcile, but my “fighting style” was something I watched, adopted into my own marriage, and had to consciously change.
Just as our tastes in food, our addictions, and our talents may be inherited, we inherited a sin nature. Every person is prone to sin. That doesn’t mean every person is bad; we all have good in us. But none of us are perfect. If you don’t believe it, watch a toddler. Though they may never have been spanked, they know how to hit. Their favorite words are “mine,” “don’t,” and “no!” We are born selfish and must deal with the sin nature of Adam every day of our lives.
IS GOOD ENOUGH GOOD ENOUGH?
Changing our actions is part of maturing. Over time, many people both in and outside of the faith learn to be polite, wait for others, not grab their food and start eating before others sit down, and discuss things calmly. Yet though we may look better on the outside, our insides are still sinful. We can choose to be calm and polite because the other person is our boss and has the power to terminate our jobs. We may be generous … because we need a favor from the person or want them to be in our debt. As we age, our outward actions are not typically the problem. Our attitudes and motivations harden into selfishness, or judgmentalism like that of the Pharisees. No, good enough for others looking in is not good enough for God’s holy standards.
THE WAY TO HOLINESS
The only way to be holy is to accept the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice. Once we choose to believe that He is enough, He clothes us with His righteousness. We become holy, because of Him. When God looks at us, we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and we are holy. It’s not a ruse. We’re not wearing costumes. It is a mystery that we become holy: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV). We have become righteous, inherited it through belief in the Name of Jesus.
Make It Personal: Can you see your own sinfulness? I can. It’s important that we recognize we are sinners, even if we are saved by grace. No one deserves heaven. But it can be ours if we appropriate the righteousness of Christ. Just as we inherited sin along with DNA, we can be inheritors with Jesus, gaining heaven, holiness, and His perfect relationship with God.
Pray: Lord, help me remember and repent of my sinfulness. Your gift and grace are no excuse for continuing to choose my fleshly desires over Your commands. But Lord, also help me not sink into despair or self-loathing. You have made me righteous. You have made me holy and beautiful in Your sight. I thank You and want to show You my gratitude with all that I am and all that I have! In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Read: Galatians 2:20; Titus 3:4-6; Isaiah 61:10
Weekly Memory Verse: ‘Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6, ESV