Unlimited: We Boast in God
Sep 12, 2022 695
Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (Romans 5:11).
Paul’s epistle to the Romans tells us that we should never boast in our works, however in this chapter he tells us that there are two things in which followers of Jesus should definitely boast. Earlier in the chapter, Paul told us that we can boast in the hope of the glory of God (5:2). Now he gives us a second thing in which followers of Jesus can also boast. We boast in God because of the reconciliation we have received through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Reconciliation means “to bring together again.” It occurs when there has been a dispute between two people, and it is resolved so that they are able to be united again. In this context, Paul is saying that we have been reconciled with God through Christ’s resurrection, and we accept this reconciliation through faith in him.
We boast in God because of the reconciliation we have received through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is an interesting reason for boasting, because boasting usually is defined as having to do with something we have done. However, our reconciliation with God is none of our doing. It is all through Christ. Even more than this, Paul tells us that this occurred in the simple, past tense. It refers to a single action completed in the past. We don’t hope for reconciliation. We “have now received” reconciliation, because Christ has risen from the dead.
Spiritual Application
Are you sometimes tempted to boast? We’re often not aware of it. What do you boast about? How can you boast less about yourself and more about Christ and the Gospel?
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