Page 117 - First Steps 2023

“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.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

“But where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans
5:20).

That banker—kind as he is—lives in a world of absolute justice. You
borrow money, you pay it back—with interest. Actions have consequences.
Maybe you get a pass once, but that’s it. No second chances.
But Jesus isn’t like the banker. Jesus continues to forgive debt.
Grace being grace, you can’t buy or earn it. There’s no negotiating for
it, or somehow stealing it.

• Every person will run up their debt
Paul describes the problem this way: “For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

That’s everyone—including people who think doing good deeds is

enough to please God. They’re wrong. Sin destroys relationships, includ-
ing a relationship with God, and no amount of good deeds erases sin
from our lives.

• God has a solution for debt…and his name is Jesus

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

When we accept Jesus as our Savior—and he’s the only one who can
rescue us from sin and restore our friendship with God—we’re saved.
That means our sins are forgiven—our past, present, and future sins.
It means we have a restored relationship with God through Jesus and
a path toward restoring our personal relationships, too.

The world needs Jesus, for in Christ there is peace! That is why we
tell the story of Jesus.

116