Now Comes the Good News

Hey, welcome to Sunday. If you've joined me through Fresh over this past week, you'll know that I've been banging on about the somewhat depressing subject of … sin. Well, today it's time for some good news. Yep, I've very deliberately used the word "sin" rather than shortcomings, failures or foibles, because that's the word God uses for it. It literally means to miss the mark - and it's something that He takes very seriously indeed. Romans 6:23 When people sin, they earn what sin pays—death. "Sin" here doesn't merely refer to doing the wrong thing once or twice, but rather a power, a condition that besets the whole of humanity. You, me and everyone else; we're all in the same bucket. And just as Roman soldiers earned their daily rations, sin dishes out rations too: death, both physically and through eternal separation from God. But I've only shared the bad news part of that verse so far. Here's the second part, the good news part: Romans 6:23 But God gives his people a free gift—eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Though sin ruins our lives, Christ redeems. The cross breaks the power of it, it restores our relationship with God, it offers a new life of freedom. Look, sin may always appear attractive but it ultimately leads to destruction. It ruins lives—not because God's cruel, but because sin cuts us off from the very source of life: God Himself. But the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, is that no sin is too great for God's grace, God's mercy, God's forgiveness. That's not just Good News, it's fantastic news! Jesus. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.