August 7th, 2014

An excerpt from Ann Voskamp's blog, A Holy Experience. 

When I started following Jesus, and grace hit me on the head like a ton of bricks, I still struggled with letting it permeate every last part of me.

I still thought I had to attain a certain spiritual level of awesomeness before I could really receive grace.

That was until I read Roman 4:5, which I’d read plenty of times before, but that particular night God made it jump out of the page (He has a funny way of doing that at times, huh?): “and to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” Romans 4:5

Have you ever sat in the weight of that scripture?

Have you ever realized just how scandalous that verse truly is?

Sometimes in our sanitized, sterile, flat readings we can miss out on the completely explosive language the scripture writers are using to get their point across.

It says God justifies the ungodly.

Or in other words, He makes right  — the ones who aren’t right.

He makes holy the filthy.

He purifies the impure.

He calls the wicked blameless.

He justifies the ungodly.

What’s funny is usually if we are ungodly — we hide.

Hiding, is a natural response to sin, just like our long ago parents who once hid behind a bush and covered themselves with fig leaves. But in that same story, God’s heart has been the same. He cries, “Adam, where are you?”

Now, let’s be honest, God is God so I doubt He is really wondering what bush they hid behind.

It’s a call. A beckoning. A plea of the heart—where is my son and daughter? When will they come home?

And it’s true in this verse too, God doesn’t hide whatsoever what He is in the business of doing.

He boasts as bright as the sun that He makes right those who deserve the opposite. In a weird way it seems the only qualification for us to be justified is to be ungodly. How weird is that? It’s like God is saying the only way to qualify is to admit you don’t qualify.

What’s interesting though is what precedes that verse.

To the one who does not work.

Now, let me clarify working isn’t a bad thing. Discipline is not a bad thing.

But in regards to salvation it is a terrible thing.

You can’t work no matter how hard you try. Any amount of work we think we can add to the Cross of Jesus is in essence saying “Jesus, you’re cross wasn’t enough.”

How beautiful is that though?

You don’t have to try harder, you don’t have to be better, you don’t have to do more, you just have to stop working and TRUST in the one who justifies the ungodly!

Do you struggle with porn? Do you think you always have to give up your body to be loved? Are you addicted to the praise and approval of others?

Jesus says CUT THAT OUT! Stop working and trust in Him, who justifies the ungodly.

You don’t have to hide your filth, you don’t have to hide your scars, you don’t have to hide your shame –  because He justifies the ungodly.

Grace is a call to come out of hiding, because God, not us, makes us right and changes our heart.

How does the verse end though? It says if you don’t work, and trust in Him who justifies the ungodly, then your faith is counted as righteousness.

The minute you trust in Jesus your standing becomes His standing.

You no longer represent yourself but Jesus represents you.

Your faith is “counted” as righteousness. It isn’t earned. It’s counted.

When you trust in Jesus, God then looks at you the same way He looks at Jesus. If you are in Jesus He looks at you (even when you fall and mess up) and says “pure, spotless, blameless, perfect, holy, my son, my daughter, you’re free!”

That’s what changes a heart.

That’s what stirs us to worship.

That’s what changes someone’s life.