May 25, 2008

Some kinds of doubt – self-doubt – are healthy. But it is unhealthy for us to doubt God and his promises; we end up hedging our bets and trusting in things less secure. Not only that, but our doubting God is sin, unbelief. In this passage, Paul presents one of his strongest logical arguments for our assurance of God's saving us and keeping us. Paul anchors our assurance in the objective work of justification and reconciliation that Jesus accomplished at the cross. He has accomplished the most difficult thing in bringing us justification and reconciliation through his death. We can be confident that the one who declared "It is finished." will continue to preserve us! As a result, we rejoice, and we boast in Christ; we do this by looking backward on what he has done for us, by looking forward with confidence in his faithfulness and promises, and by living today in light of our certain hope.