The Good-O-Meter

One of my Facebook friends (thanks, Roger!) sent me a link to the above clip this morning. It perfectly illustrates God's offer of grace in sending His Son to die on a cross for our sins. Stop for a minute and imagine how your "sin/good deeds" file might read on judgment day. The bottom line is that we all come up short. Romans 5:8 reminds us, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Immediately, I am drawn to two words in this verse: "while" and "still." When I looked up the word "still" in the Greek, I found this translation: "yet, still; of a thing which continues at present, even now."

Take a minute to say the verse and insert the translation above:

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were (yet, still; of a thing which continues at present, even now) sinners, Christ died for us."

Amazing. Somehow, reading it that way, leaves me breathless over the offer of God's grace. As one who resisted Christianity for many years due to a belief that I would never be "good enough," I can relate to the skepticism that many feel over an offer that seems at face value, too good to be true. There must be a catch, right? The only catch is believing God at His Word and accepting His offer of grace and forgiveness. This is what sets Christianity apart from all other world religions. God meets us where we are ("even now"), rather than require that we clean up our lives before we approach Him. Besides, we can't wipe the slates of our lives clean on our own. We need a sinless Savior to stand in for us on judgment day.

My favorite part of the clip is where Christ takes the place of the "sinner saved by grace" and steps on the scale on his behalf. The revelation of God's undeserved love "while we were still sinners" is what motivates us to change...or shall I say, "clean up our lives."

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21)

Have you been "made right with God through Christ?" If not, make your peace with Him today. Jesus is waiting to take that file folder out of your hands and step up on the scale on your behalf. What do you say?