Daily Word of Grace # 90 (July 20, 2020)
Between graduating from college and beginning parish ministry I worked as a bank teller for several months in Alexandria, Virginia. I learned very quickly that people are passionate about their money, and want to make sure their deposits are entered into the right account, understandably so. The vast majority of customers were immigrants from other countries and spoke very little English, but fortunately the head teller spoke several languages. She bailed me out many times when I could not understand what a customer was asking. In his Letter to the Romans Paul describes God’s righteousness as being “reckoned” to us through faith, citing the Old Testament patriarch Abraham as an example: “his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him,’ were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification” (Romans 4:22-25). The word “reckon” is an accounting term and means “to credit to your account.” In other words, through faith (or trust) in Jesus our Lord we are not only forgiven of our sins, but God’s righteousness is also credited to our account. In other words, if God sent you a bill for your sins (scary thought), it would read, “Amount owed: $0.00…Minimum payment due: $0.00.” God’s grace has already been deposited into your account.
Love and Prayers,
Dave