by Brad Jolly

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:6-8

We all like a good rags-to-riches story.  Someone comes from nothing and rises to unprecedented significance.  There have been many books and movies telling these kinds of stories.  In our innermost being we long for the broken to be restored, the poor to become rich, the undeserving to have everything.  Most of these kinds of stories or movies are fiction, but God has a story about you and me, and it is both true and the greatest rags-to-riches story ever told.  And did you catch the part where I said that it’s true?

We were the broken, the poor, the undeserving.  These are sad and pitiful statements about us, but it gets worse.  We were also enemies of God.  The Bible describes us like this:

As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one.

No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.

All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.

Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.

Snake venom drips from their lips.

Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.

They rush to commit murder.

Destruction and misery always follow them.

They don’t know where to find peace.

They have no fear of God at all.  Romans 3:10-18

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Colossians 1:21

While we were enemies of God, separated from him by our evil thoughts and actions, God sent Christ to reconcile us to Himself through Christ’s death on the cross.  But not only was God willing to forgive us and reconcile us, he went even further and adopted us to be sons and daughters of Him.

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  Ephesians 1:5

and

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:15

God has taken His enemies (you and me) and made us His children, He has given us “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”  Ephesians 1:4

My friend, if you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you are part of the greatest story there ever has been.  You are no longer an enemy, but you are a son or daughter of God Himself, thanks to Christ.

Praise God for this wonderful truth, and be sure to share it with someone who doesn’t know Christ yet.