A Sinner Saved by Grace

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
    There are some things in life that tend to draw you closer to God more than others.  I have heard of what is called “foxhole religion” where when the bombs are falling all around you, there is a natural tendance to cry out to God for help.  The same thing can happen today but in the course of natural events of which we have no control.  Hurricane Agnes swept through the Washington, D.C. area and dropped a lot of rain.  Our little sump pump was doing he best it could and I was trying to bail out the water and put it into the wash top next to the washing machine. Then, a hole blew out in the wall near the drain pipe and water began rushing in.  I abandoned the bailing idea and we went up to the living room and began to get on our knees and pray.  The water was rising in the street and if necessary we could crawl out on the roof from the second floor.  We prayed that the house was the Lord’s and that His will would be done.  We just asked for safety for the family.  The rain stopped and we ended up with about two and a half feet of water in the basement, but the house was sound and safe.

     The above passage reminds me of that situation as I was not a Christian at that time, but was going to church  and thought  I was okay.  I thought I was getting my life together to please God, but it wasn’t happening.  It didn’t take place until April of 1972, the 29th, at around midnight.  I remember it well.  My life was not a complete mess, but I knew I wasn’t right with God at that time.  When salvation comes, you don’t have time to fix up your life first whether you are in a foxhole, in the middle of a flood, or a hurricane, or floating in a storm in the South Atlantic ocean.  The repentant thief on the cross next to Jesus didn’t have time to get his life in order, but was accepted as he was, a sinner saved by grace.  The above passage illuminates the fact that “while we were yet sinners”  Christ died for us.  He didn’t require a cleaned up soul, but just one that was willing and obedient to the heavenly call.  The changes can then come later, one by one as God chips away at our life everything that doesn’t look like Christ.  So, praise God that He is still working on us day by day and someday our standing and our state will be together as we stand face to face with Christ our Savior.