Made Right with God - Romans 3:21-26

Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast. My Bible Reading Plan for this week included Psalms 53-72 and Acts 27:26-Romans 4. I was drawn to Romans 3:23-26 because in these verses, the Apostle Paul describes something very important to humankind, how to be made right with God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When we observe the Lord's Supper, we shudder at the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ endured on the cross for our benefit. Thanks be to God that we are made right with God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup Podcast. The title of my communion meditation today is "Made Right with God." I read from Romans 3:21-26. All quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

My Bible Reading Plan for this week included Psalms 53-72 and Acts 27:26-Romans 4. I was drawn to Romans 3:23-26 because in these verses, the Apostle Paul describes something very important to humankind, how to be made right with God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When we observe the Lord's Supper, we shudder at the suffering our Lord Jesus Christ endured on the cross for our benefit. Thanks be to God that we are made right with God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome is heavy. He combines his great learning while being educated under Gamaliel with His revelations from Jesus. He writes this letter to those residing in Rome, part of the civilized world and home to the educated. Thanks be to God that we have the Holy Spirit as our Teacher! In Romans 1:16-17, Paul tells us how the Good News can make us right in the sight of God. The NLT commentator informs us that the phrase, "being right with God," has its origins from the law court; it does not mean, "makes us good people;" it means to "put us in right standing before God." Anyone who has become a Christian can affirm that God did not make us a good person, but we can all trust in God that He has made us right in His sight through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul explains to us why the Good News is the Good News. He writes in Romans 3:24-25, "Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood." When we meet together to partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we are remembering Jesus' sacrifice for us. We also affirm our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; it is because of Him that we are made right in the sight of God. This fact gives us great confidence in our daily lives! There is no other place I would rather be than to be right in the sight of God! Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father. How great is Your grace towards us who have faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ! We do not deserve it, but we gladly accept this gift of grace from You. Abba, Father, You are fair and just as the Judge of the living and the dead. In Your court, You have declared that we are made right with You when we have faith in Jesus and accept His sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. We are forever grateful. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!