God Has Given You An A+ By Pete BriscoeSample

The finished work of Christ

It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.—A common phrase... spoken only to losers 

The Bible isn’t all good news. The book of Romans, for example, is brutally honest about our starting GPA in life. In chapters 1 through 3, Paul dishes out the evaluation: We all start with an F. It doesn’t matter if you’re a religious person, a totally hedonistic person, or a really judgmental person; every single person starts with an F because sin has separated us from God. 

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... (Romans 3:23) 

But then, chapter 4 and 5 of Romans describe the stunning way we get an A. This is the cram sheet for the most important exam question in all eternity, and this is the stunning answer: 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2) 

You get the A not by your works. It’s by trusting in the finished work of Christ. We “make the grade” with God by totally different standards than the way the world judges us. And I’m telling you, this higher truth is one of the indispensable keys to unlocking a life of freedom. 

Holy Spirit, I stand in Your grace, by faith, ready to face this day. I celebrate God’s glory and the hope grace gives right now. Set me free to dance with Christ because of what He has done. Amen.