So what does it mean that through the redemption of our sins by the cross, that Christ also brought blessing? This is what I learned.
Psalm 32:1-2, "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
It is such a powerful statement that Paul repeats it again in Romans 4:7-8. Paul then goes on to say, "[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." Romans 4:25. Romans 5:1-2 reads, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand..."
We are blessed with forgiveness, our sins covered over! Life!!! Because Paul a little later reminds us, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23.
And with life through Christ we are also blessed with peace, as the above scripture says, "we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ." Peace is an extravagant blessing! How often is it that peace is what we long for most in the midst of trouble or stress?
So that is a lot! More than enough, for certain... but it's not all! "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will-- to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." Ephesians 1:3-8 [Bold & Italics added by me for emphasis.]
We are blessed with every spiritual blessing! That goes beyond the scope of our imagination... He then says we received the blessing of "His glorious grace," and "all wisdom and understanding". The blessings are beyond measure, y'all.
Christ bestowed on us all of these blessings in His sacrifice... and He calls us to share these spiritual blessings with the world.
Paul says of this, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesian 5:1-2
Christ Himself says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20
This week was about acknowledging Christ's blessings and gifts and not just taking them and moving on, but using them as He called us all to. There was a song this week, that seemed to continually replay in my head and on my iPod, at the most random times. It is a song by John Waller called The Blessing. And it says it so well:
John Waller - The Blessing
From the album The Blessing
Chorus:
Let it be said of us
While we walked among the living
Let it be said of us
By the ones we leave behind
Let it be said of us
That we lived to be a blessing for life.
Let it be said of us
That we gave to reach the dying
Let it be said of us
By the fruit we leave behind
Let it be said of us
That our legacy is blessing for life.
This day
You set life, You set death right before us,
This day
Every blessing and curse is a choice now
And we will choose to be a blessing for life.
Let it be said of us
That our hearts belonged to Jesus Let it be said of us
That we spoke the words of life
Let it be said of us
That our heritage is blessing for life.
For your Kingdom, for our Children
For the sake of every nation.
So in conclusion, in His unfathomable sacrifice for our redemption, when He took our sins forever, Jesus wrote blessing into our lives!
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