Revealed Glory - Part 2

WELCOME

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”—John 1:14

Have you ever had to step in between two of your players who were in conflict with one another? What about dealing with a belligerent parent who is angry at the perceived lack of playing time for his son? In this moment of conflict, what is desperately needed is reconciliation. To reconcile is to bring separated parties back together, particularly in the context of relational conflict. Reconciliation is the underlying theme, the “why” behind God’s glory appearing in the coming of Jesus to dwell with us. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself.” When we behold God’s glory in Christ, and when we receive the forgiveness offered, we become relationally reconciled to God.

WORKOUT

Read Romans 5:6-11.

As we follow the logic of Paul’s argument here, we find astonishing truths about God’s motivation and the means of our reconciliation with Him. First, we find in verse 8 that God’s motivation is love. “God proved his own love for us, that while were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Notice the nuance of Paul’s argument, beginning in verse 6: before God’s loving intervention, he describes our state as “helpless,” and in verse 10, he refers to us as God’s “enemies.” His argument moves from greater to lesser: the odds are slim, but it’s possible someone might die in the place of a just person; someone may dare to die for a good person; however, we were neither just nor good. We were God’s helpless enemies, stuck in sin. Yet, God sent Jesus on a rescue mission to die in our place. That’s the measure of God’s love for us!

• What does it mean that we were God’s enemies?
• When you consider the extent of God’s love, how does that make you feel? How do you respond?

Within Paul’s argument, we also find the means of reconciliation: Jesus’ life and death for us. Before Jesus, we were God’s enemies, stained by the sin of our rebellion against God, guilty of the wages of sin: death and judgment. But in Christ, we have been “justified by his blood.” In the cosmic courtroom of God’s justice, we have been declared “not guilty!” But how? Jesus is our substitute; he has given his life instead of ours. Blood represents life, and Jesus’ perfect life is a covering for us. As the old hymn says, “We have been washed in the blood.” It’s a gruesome thought, but that’s the reality of our situation. The wages of sin are death (Rom 3:23), and sinners must die. By living the perfect life we could never live, and dying the death we deserve, Jesus has broken the power of sin. In His resurrection from the dead, He has broken the power of death, which is why Paul can say in verse 10 that “we will be saved by his life.” The future for the believer is not death; it’s the promise of a physical resurrection to a new life at the end of the age.

• The concept of blood sacrifice can come to us as extremely outdated and even repulsive. In your words, why do you think Jesus had to die?
• Do you have a relationship with God through Jesus?

WRAP-UP

Notice Paul’s conclusion in verse 11: “We also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The word for boast here is defined as “to glory on account of a thing (Blue Letter Bible).” God’s glory is revealed in his plan of reconciliation, and when we come into a new relationship with him through the work of Jesus, we boast in (glorify) God. The work of Jesus moves us from idol worshippers fixated on our interests and achievements back to our created purpose: to reflect the glory of God. We’ll get the chance to explore more deeply what this means in our next session together.

God’s Glory Reconciles: When we turn to Jesus in faith, we move from God’s enemies, worshipping idols and our own glory in sin, to beloved and restored children of God.