Daily Devotional for Thursday, October 13 

Believers’ Position in Christ

In United States jurisprudence, once a person has been found not guilty of a crime, they can no longer be found guilty of that crime. This is the constitutional principle found in the fifth Amendment to the Constitution that no person can be tried twice for the same crime. Once declared not guilty we can no longer be punished for that crime. Even if we did it, we are free from punishment for it! 

God operates on somewhat the same principle, only on a much larger scale. By the blood of Jesus Christ, we too are declared not guilty of our crimes. There is no condemnation, none. We are free from all eternal condemnation, for all crimes, for all time. In our case, our sin is the crime, and God declares those who believe in His Son to be free and clear from condemnation. This is good news because in fact, it is literally the good news of the gospel. 

Does this mean we get a free pass in this life for our actions? Absolutely not. If we think grace is a license to sin, we may not have truly understood it. Worse, we may have not received it. In addition, no person lives in a vacuum. While free from eternal repercussions for our sin, we still have an existence to live on this earth. Our sin may harm us, and it may send out waves that last for years. 

King David is a sad example of this. God Himself said that David was a man after His own heart. There seems little doubt of their eternal relationship. Yet, his actions clearly destroyed his own family and his kingdom. In the warrior Joshua, we see the opposite. Which of these legacies will we leave?

JUST A THOUGHT: What will others remember about our spiritual life? Will they even know that we had one?

Wally Fry