Beyond the Weekend

October 5 | Reconciliation

October 5, 2015

Text: Romans 5.6-11

The entire Bible is the story of God rescuing his creation. In this rescue drama, God is always the one to move first. From God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt to the descending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God lovingly takes the first steps to rescue and redeem his people. The centerpiece of this grand reconciliation story is the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus not only showed perfect love for all humanity, he did it first.

The Apostle Paul put it this way, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5.8). While we were enemies of God, he sent his only Son to bear our sins that we might be brought into his glorious family. As Pastor Jeff Manion puts it, through Jesus we are “picked up, brought home, and adopted as sons and daughters of God.”

This week, as we continue the conversation about loving our enemies, remember that this kind of love was first demonstrated to us in the cross of Jesus Christ.

Take a minute to answer this week’s One Big Question: Why is loving your enemy central to being like Jesus? Be sure to discuss this with your small group or a close friend as we begin to model the same kind of love Jesus has shown us—even to our enemies.

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