“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit”
September 10, 2020
Think for a moment about what it was like for Noah and his family to be in the ark while the waters raged outside and the entire world faced destruction. What would you feel? What would you be glad of? First, that it was waterproof. Second, it held every provision they needed. Thirdly, they were safe in God’s hand. He had shut the door and sealed them inside.
It’s the very same to be “in Christ Jesus.” He is our Ark of safety. God told Noah, “put pitch on the inside and on the outside” of the ark (Genesis 6:14). The word “pitch” in the Hebrew is kapar—and it’s exactly the same word translated as "atonement." To Noah, it was pitch—a tar-like substance. For us, He has said, “Put atonement on the outside, atonement on the inside,” because the ark was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. The water was judgment, but not one drop of judgment could come through that atonement in that ark of safety, which was the Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, we are in Jesus as Noah was in that ark. Just as the storms of God’s wrath beat upon that ark, the storms of God’s wrath beat upon the Lord Jesus. But we are on the inside, and not one drop of judgment can come through.
Read Romans 8:35-39. Reflect on the list of things Paul says will never separate you from God’s love. Give glory to God that your sins have been fully forgiven by the righteous blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Real truth never changes, and the truth about government is that it is God who ordains it, leaders who are responsible for it, and citizens who are accountable to it. The privilege of being called Americans comes with significant responsibilities—to God, to each other, and to the world.