by Heidi Williams
Ah, the innocent, beautiful sight of new life. A new baby with his tiny fingers and toes, and cute little coos and smiles. Is there anything so precious as the sights and sounds of new life?
Most recently, a dear friend of mine gave birth to a sweet, precious little baby boy. He has a full head of hair and weighed in at just under 8 pounds. His perfect body wrapped in a blanket so tight and, nestled in his mommy’s arms is a picture of such pure love.
Yet even this love is not as great as God’s love for His children. 1 John 4:8 tells us, “God IS love.” The unconditional nature of God’s love is most clearly seen in the gospel—Good News of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection so that we could be saved from our sin.
Reading through the book of Romans, we learn that we are alienated from God due to our sin, and His wrath is being revealed against the ungodly for their unrighteousness. You see, Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrates His own love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” While we deserve death because of our sinful state, God provided the perfect, sinless sacrifice—His Son, Jesus Christ—to take our place, and in turn, we become the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
However, this requires a decision!
We can either choose to accept or reject Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your mouth that you confess and are justified. And it is with your heart that you believe and are saved.”
And like that precious baby, we experience a new birth. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”