Accepting Our Need for Christ
Have you accepted the reality of your sinfulness? Are you willing to admit that because of you Jesus died on the cross? Or do you deny your need for Christ?
We would like to think we are not sinners. We would like to think it’s not our fault that Jesus died on the cross. But we could not be further from the truth. If we do not accept this fact, we are living in a lie. Then we either live in denial or despair. But we do have another option.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. (Romans 5:6-11, NLT, emphasis added,*)
Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. When we admit our sins, beg pardon and receive the gift of grace, we truly are reconciled with God. Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we can have this wonderful new relationship with God. And this enables us to accept the reality of our sinfulness and stop denying our need for Christ.
We don’t need to become depressed when we look at our sinfulness because we know the Redeemer. We don’t need to be in denial when it comes to our dark side because we know the One who makes us whole.
Brennan Manning has written “Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor within; the former raged against him.”
Judas was as sinful as Peter and you and me. But he did not know Jesus as his redeemer and he despaired. This can happen to all of us if we don’t know grace. We all need Jesus to have hope.
Peter denied Jesus three times but he new Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Peter did not deny his sins. He repented and was made whole by God’s grace.
We are all sinners. But good news is: God sent Jesus to die for us already while we were still sinners. We are utterly helpless, we can’t redeem ourselves. We need Jesus.
If we don’t admit our sinfulness, we are either in denial or despair. But if we can admit our sinfulness and need for Christ, we are in for grace and more grace, life and more life.
That’s why we spend Holy Week in quiet adoration. And by Easter morning we will shout from the roof tops: Jesus is our redeemer! Hallelujah!
Gracious God,
Your love is so astonishing.
We can’t comprehend it
but we praise you for it.
Thank you for redeeming us.
Thank you for saving us
from both denial and despair.
Deliver us daily from sin’s dominion.
Heal us and make us whole.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: Have you accepted your sinfulness? Have you accepted Jesus as your redeemer?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you embrace grace day after day!
* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses to Biblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.]
Image courtesy of Joe Cavazos, design Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Unite the Bloggersphere , Three Word Wednesday and #tellhisstory.
4 thoughts on “Accepting Our Need for Christ”
:))) GRACE, GRACE, MARVELOUS GRACE!!! <3
YES!!! Thanks, my friend. Abundant blessings to you!
“Jesus is our redeemer! Hallelujah!” Such AMAZING Grace. I hope you had a blessed Easter. As always, thank you for sharing with TWW.
Yes, Jesus is our redeemer and he lives! Easter is such a wonderful time of year. Thank you, Beth, we have a very blessed Easter. I hope the resurrection joy empowers you greatly. Abundant blessings to you and yours!