Last week we defined the term “justification by faith.” Justification means to be counted righteous by God, or to be declared to be in a right relationship with God. You’d think we’d earn right standing with God by our hard work, good deeds, or religious participation. But Paul makes a completely different argument. He says that we are declared to be right with God through our faith in Jesus. Crazy, right? We’re saved by faith alone.

Last Sunday we also saw that justification by faith produces something - we are at peace with God. We have a settled and secure relationship with God because we have been declared to be in the right with God based on Jesus’s work, not our work. No more looking over our shoulders wondering if God is against us.

This Sunday we continued in Romans 5 and see another attribute of justification, a resilient hope.

Last week’s joint service with Comunidad de Fe was incredible. I was personally encouraged by being able to worship alongside our Spanish speaking brothers and sisters and by Pastor Abner’s message from 1 Peter.

This Sunday we are back on track with our journey through the storyline of the Bible. There is tension in the church in Rome between Jewish and Gentile believers. In his letter to the Romans, Paul addresses the tension by showing that both groups have the same deep need for a savior and points to the only means to salvation, faith alone in Christ alone. As we will continue to see right doctrine (which just means teaching) practically impacts our lives and our relationships.

The 2024 presidential election is just around the corner. Political ads are at a fever pitch. We cannot turn on the tv, listen to the radio, or surf the internet without a bombardment of political propaganda. Each ad seemingly indicating that either a candidate is the savior we need or that their opponent will bring destruction to our nation. This campaign rhetoric is not new though, it seems for at least the last decade or so this is the new standard. That every four years our country faces a new existential crisis. In reality, things have not changed that much. Yes, prices may be higher, and the culture is shifting, but these are regular occurrences that happen every decade or so. If we are honest, for most, life is not that much different. Yet, we are being sold political saviors to rescue us from the coming storm. Scripture tells a different story though. The story of a broken world, one where the only true savior is Christ alone. Join us this Sunday as Pastor Mike reminds us how we can rest in our faith in Christ alone.