free gift

In Romans 5 we see the two adams portrayed...the first Adam had one act that brought death, the second, Jesus Christ, brought life (restored life) through one act. The Christian faith is distinguished from any other religion in that its God took on flesh, an Almighty God taking human form. Other religions may be ashamed of their god(s) for doing this, a disgrace to the throne. But God saw fit to form His creation out of nothing (the greatest artists still have no comprehension of the depth of this claim) and to place Himself in deep relationship with His creation. His is a kingdom of restoration and reconciliation, one that has a destination ahead.

Jesus' life, death, and resurrection have implications for those who have faith and believe. Our sins are placed on Jesus in THE sacrifice, and His righteousness is credited to us as we stand before God. We are much worse off than we imagined, yet we have received the gift of justification beyond our imagination. Over and over again we are told this is a free gift...because we immediately try to take credit for anything good on this earth (or we desire to make it so). We are no longer hopeless, seeking to live up to something we are not and never can be...indeed we have hope and rest in the hope of the claims of the Gospel.