“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1

Devotion: 

I used to run. And what I mean is, I ran in a few half-marathons. In no way would I consider myself a “runner!” But, I did have an aha! moment about God while training for the Memorial Marathon in OKC once. 

I loved running in the cold, because when you run in those temperatures, you can't feel anything—especially the pain! As I began my long runs (for me, eight to ten miles), I’d gauge which way the wind is blowing. I’d start the beginning of the run with a headwind. It would be a struggle running against the wind, but my thought was that I should be fresh and not as tired. Then, about halfway through, I would turn around and the tailwind would carry me home. It’s a terrible way to train, by the way.

It was a January evening, about the time winter started ramping up, and it was freezing. For whatever reason, I started my run going the wrong way. I began with the tailwind. I was flying! Setting personal bests at every mile. I could not believe how ready I was for the big run. 

Then, I turned around to head home. That’s when I realized I made a huge mistake: a bitter north wind blasted me in the face and I could barely move. I was five miles from home and not sure I was going to make it. Every step forward was double the effort and I was literally running in place!

That’s when it hit me. Aha! This is the Gospel!  

Maybe I was just praying for God to intervene in the moment and take me home, but what I realized was as powerful and helpful the tailwind was, it was equally brutal and devastating as a headwind. In other words: The “gooder” the good, the badder the bad!

The Gospel is the Good News. That’s the literal translation. If I approach the Gospel like I had in my past by saying, “Well, I’m not that bad. There are plenty of people worse than me!” or “I try my best and God knows I’m sincere,” I’m downplaying my bad condition. Romans 5:1 says we now “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” If we now have peace, that means we previously did not have peace with God. 

The Bible calls it enmity in James 4: “Friendship with the world means enmity against God.” Being enemies with the creator of the universe is bad news for sure! Ignoring that fact is like saying Jesus dying on the cross in my place was a kind gesture or a decent act because I’m a pretty great guy as it is. Jesus just gave me a boost.

But it’s so much more than that. It’s a rescue mission for all of us who put trust and hope in the Prince of Peace who reconciles us to God (2 Corinthians 5:18). No matter how good I think I am or how much effort I put forth, if I do not commit my life to follow Jesus as Lord, then I will be friends with the world. There is only one throne, and it belongs to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus did not come to tell us how to live a better life, or to tell us how to treat others. Jesus’ mission was not to help the poor and heal everyone who is sick. His mission was a rescue operation—something only God himself could do. And that is the Goodest News of all! 

Matt Cartwright

Director of Communications

Matt Cartwright is Director of Communications at Crossings Community Church. 

Resources: 

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