Daily Bread

Claim and Believe – Romans 8:1

This verse is just almost exactly the same as John 3:16-17. God keeps on repeating these kinds of thoughts and statements for us to understand and to be reminded that there are only two options we have. There are only two options we can choose from before we can really say that we are living. Either are you in Christ or you are not?

We may think that this is a very easy question. We can just answer that we are in Him but is Christ in us? We have to understand that it is not enough that we claim that we are in Christ because claiming doesn’t mean we believe. It is just like claiming a lost and found item even if we really don’t own it. 

Our salvation is also like that. We sometimes think that claiming salvation will save us already. Shallowly claiming that we are in Him without believing is not saving us. We are just like saying yes without even understanding the depth of it. God said in the verse that there will be no condemnation to the people who are in Christ doesn’t mean that shallowly claiming we are in Him counts us in. 

God wants us to understand that we are in Christ when we truly believe and understand what He did on the cross for us. We should claim and believe instead of just claiming. Claiming we are in Christ must come with believing. Being saved is indeed through our faith in Jesus Christ. God has planted us seeds of faith in our hearts so that we will not have a hard time believing in Jesus Christ. 

However, it is very visible also into this verse that there are only two options. Either we are in Him or we are not. If we are in Christ Jesus then there will be no condemnation for us. Jesus died on the cross for us already and has received the condemnation we rightfully deserve for our stead. He already took all the wrath of God, died and defeated death when He rose again. Claiming, believing and putting our trust in this Gospel will make us a brand new person and we will start living our lives Christ-like. 

We should also be warned that true faith in Him will really manifest in our lives and will really make us new creations so if we are still living our lives as our old self, we should assess ourselves again. Are we really claiming and believing that we are in Him? Or are we just claiming without believing? We don’t want to be impostors who claim that we are heirs but we truly are not. 

Again, we are all entitled to become children of God for Christ’s death made us sons and daughters of God through the adoption process made possible by the shedding of the blood of Jesus. However, we should also be warned that we sometimes claim we are God’s children but we are living as illegitimates (Hebrews 12:7-12). Therefore, let us always remember to claim and believe. Claiming that we are in Christ and truly believing that we are in Christ. 

The second option is that we are not in Him. If we are not in Him then there will be condemnation. Again, it is just only through Jesus Christ that we can escape the condemnation and wrath of God. He is our scapegoat that was sacrificed for our forgiveness. God has already forgiven us and has welcomed us into His kingdom and has promised us eternal life through Jesus Christ. It is only through Him. 

Therefore, if we are in Him, if we truly believe that Jesus Christ died for us and has saved us from our sins then there is no condemnation for us. The salvation Jesus Christ is offering is for everybody and if we only believe in Him we will be saved. After this, repentance will follow that will allow us to fully submit in God’s will and to let Him lord our lives. It will then allow God to fulfill His promises in our lives as we continue to live our lives with Christ being our center. As we live with Christ being our center, it will then manifest in our lives, we will become a new creation and we will then be able to love our neighbors just as God loves us. 

May we always remember this and be reminded that we will no longer receive condemnation because we are in Him. We will no longer receive the wrath of God even if we deserve it because Christ already took it all for us. Let us always remember to hold on into this promise and also continue to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ through meditating on His Word. 

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