1 Peter 3:18 – “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit”

I love this one verse of scripture, because it is rich with the gospel.  Are you struggling with your sin, and wondering whether or not God would accept you, perhaps even trying to “get your life in order” before you come to God?  What does God tell you here?  Christ suffered for the unrighteous, that HE might bring us to God.  Christ didn’t die for people who had it together, Christ died for sinners.  Those same sinners could never come to God (without fearing the wrath of God’s judgment), but Jesus brought us there clothed in His righteousness.

This work of God is not ongoing – it happened once, at an appointed time 2000 years ago, and it is finished. God can never love you more, and He can never love you less than He already does.  In Jeremiah 31:34 – God tells us – “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”  If you love God, if you have believed on Jesus for salvation, and the Spirit of God dwells within you, God does not see your sin.  There was a time when God did see your sin – it was put on Jesus on the cross, and the infinite wrath of God was poured out on Him.  Your sin was put to death in the flesh of Jesus.  Your righteousness was displayed and is secure in the resurrection of Jesus.  Just as our sin became Jesus’ sin, His righteousness has become our righteousness.  In Christ, your sin is forgiven, and your Father loves you perfectly.

We are quick to forget these precious truths of the gospel.  My exhortation is to look to Jesus and find your rest in Him and His finished work.  Maybe you need to write this verse down on a sticky note or on a piece of paper and leave it in a place where it can remind you of your hope in Jesus regularly.  Maybe it’d be helpful to memorize and press this truth into your heart.  God loves you, and is for you – more than you know.

Grace and Peace,

Adam