Truth 1: Our right standing with God is not transactional.

Christian, are you struggling with doubts about your salvation or seeking reassurance? Shift your focus from yourself to Jesus. Together, let’s ponder three key truths about Jesus and his Salvation. We'll focus on the first one today: our right standing with God through Jesus is not transactional.

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned …But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many." (Roman 5:12&15, ESV).

It is easy for us to perceive our relationship with God in transactional terms. In human society, we operate on a principle of exchange: we earn wages proportional to our work and we pay for goods and services. Even our gifts often carry an expectation of reciprocity. The Bible describes sin in similar terms.

Sinners Receive The Due Wage of Death

When sin entered into the world through Adam and Eve, it “led to the condemnation of all men” (Romans 5:12). Sin infected everything, down to human DNA. Not only did we inherit this sinful nature but each of us has also committed sins against God. As a result, we are all under condemnation, receiving death as the rightful consequence of our sins. ‘The wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23, ESV). 

Believers Receive The Free, Undeserved Gift of Overflowing Eternal Life

“For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17, ESV)

In contrast, God's gift of salvation through Jesus is not a wage. It’s not earned or deserved; it’s given freely and abundantly. The righteousness of one man, Jesus, led to the justification of many — even though none of us has any righteousness of our own. It is given us by grace through faith. This grace is not only sufficient but grows exponentially as sin increases. It covers our every sins, past, present and future. Our (many) sins cannot outpace or outgrow the grace of God in Jesus. We will explore this further with the second truth next time.

For now, ponder this: “the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many”. Yes, it abounds for you and I.

Voiceover: Aymone Kouame | Background Music: ‘No.7 Alone With My Thoughts’ by Esther Abrami.