Day 25: Beauty of the Gospel

Read: Romans 5:6-11

I never had the chance to meet my great-uncle, because he died in the Vietnam War. Uncle Mike was an amazing guy. He cared about others and wanted to make sure they were taken care of. He was young, bright, and with a promising future ahead. One day, in the midst of a fight, there were grenades being launched, and Uncle Mike saw what was going to happen. Who knows what went through his mind at that moment? But he didn’t hesitate to throw himself on top of the grenade. He died when it exploded, but in using his body as a shield, he saved the lives of the soldiers around him. His heroic act was for the greater good of the people he fought with, and through his sacrifice, others lived.

In Romans 5:6-11, Paul talks about how Jesus died for all people. My uncle’s sacrifice dying for his friends is a touching story, and yet it is so much more significant that Jesus died for all of us. This is more meaningful in the light that the death of Jesus took on every evil that the world has ever committed. Every violent act, darkened heart, and evil thing was nailed to the cross when Jesus died. This is both incomprehensible and overwhelming to try to actually think about.

As someone who has been a Christian for a long time, I can lose sight of why that is significant. Yes, Jesus died for our sins, but I’ve heard that since I was a young child. Maybe you are in a similar spot, or maybe it’s much newer to you. Either way, it’s so much richer and deeper than singing about a Cross and a tomb on Sunday.

Jesus’ death was the perfect sacrifice for us, it gave us a way to have a relationship with Him. We are made fully right with God, restoring us from darkness of depravity to newness of life in Him.

As noble and sacrificial as my great uncle’s death was, it didn’t even come close to touching what Jesus has done. He loves us so deeply that we get to come before the God of the universe and have a deep, loving friendship with Him. May we not lose sight of that beauty!

Do you find yourself needing to be reminded of the beauty of the gospel? Think about the sins you’ve been affected by in your life. Christ took them all! Rest in His eternal hope, and thank Him for the relationship that has come out of His perfect sacrifice.