You have peace with God because of Christ's sacrifice for you.
Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV)
CONTEXT: Mary has just informed Joseph that she is pregnant through the Holy Spirit, and Joseph understandably is dubious and plans to quietly send Mary away.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 21: The Atonement
We believe
that Jesus Christ is a high priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek—
made such by an oath—
and that he presented himself
in our name
before his Father,
to appease his wrath
with full satisfaction
by offering himself
on the tree of the cross
and pouring out his precious blood
for the cleansing of our sins,
as the prophets had predicted.
So he paid back
what he had not stolen,
and he suffered—
the “just for the unjust,”
in both his body and his soul—
in such a way that
when he senses the horrible punishment
required by our sins
his sweat became like “big drops of blood
falling on the ground.”
He cried, “My God, my God,
why have you abandoned me?”
And he endured all this for the forgiveness of our sins.
Therefore we rightly say with Paul that
we “know nothing but Jesus and him crucified”;
we consider all things as “dung
for the excellence of the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We find all comforts in his wounds
and have no need to seek or invent any other means
to reconcile ourselves with God
than this one and only sacrifice,
once made,
which renders believers perfect
forever.
This is also why
the angel of God called him Jesus—
that is, “Savior”—
because he would save his people
from their sins.
Summary
You go to work because there are certain benefits that you receive, whether it be insurance, mileage expenses, vacation time, etc. As we take a look at Christ’s sacrifice for us and the salvation He gives through His blood, we see there are benefits we receive.
Yesterday we took a look at how Christ’s “one and only sacrifice…renders believers perfect forever,” seeing how God will complete the work He has begun in us. Today, we turn to another benefit we receive from Christ’s sacrifice, and a very important one at that.
In the beginning of Matthew, when the birth of Jesus is announced to Joseph by the angel of the Lord, the angel tells Joseph what he is to name the child to be born: “... you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
The closing part of Belgic Confession Article 21 takes up this verse, stating: “This is also why the angel of God called him Jesus - that is, ‘Savior’ - because he would save his people from their sins.” Through our Lord and Savior’s sacrifice on the cross for us, He saves His people from their sins and so reconciles us to the God we so willfully rebelled against, giving us an amazing and gracious gift - peace with God!
Dig Deeper
Peace with God is truly an amazing and gracious gift, an amazing benefit that we receive from Christ’s atoning sacrifice on our behalf.
Because of mankind’s rebellion against God, our relationship with Him had been broken by sin, we stood condemned. But God, out of His great love for us, sent His only eternally begotten Son to reconcile us to Himself through His precious blood shed on the cross, giving us peace with God.
Now, as a believer, you have been washed with Christ’s blood, you have been clothed with His righteousness, and you have been adopted into God’s family. This God whom you now have peace with through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, you can call Father, your Heavenly Father!
Perhaps there are times where you feel like you’ve messed up too much, or where you feel like you don’t belong. In regards to the first, of course you need to repent, but also remember as David writes in Psalm 103:8-13 how God is “merciful and gracious,” how “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him."
When you feel like you don’t belong, look to your Heavenly Father with whom you have peace through Christ, and remember His love and care for you, ever resting in His loving arms.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who sent His Son, born of a virgin to save His people from their sins;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for giving you peace with Him, and pray that you'll remained focused upon it despite the ups and downs of life;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 3
