Vital signs- Tuesday, July 20th, 2021

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.’”

(Romans 4:8)

You’re not saved by joining a church, by keeping the Ten Commandments, by obeying the Golden Rule, by getting baptized, by giving your money, or anything else. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift for the guilty.

When you put your faith in Jesus, God writes down by your name, “He (or she) is righteous.” Do you know what the word impute means? It means to put on your account. God put righteousness on your account. He imputed it to you. You didn’t earn it and you don’t deserve it. But when you put your faith in the crucified Son of God, God imputed righteousness to you. It’s then we have a passion to serve/work out of a love for God.

• When are you most tempted to believe you have to work to earn righteousness before God?

• How have you tried and failed to earn God’s favor?

Stop today and take a moment to reflect on the reality that God has put His righteousness on your account through Jesus.