What Only God Can Do - Forgive the Fallen and Faithless

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome to the weekday podcast with Pastors Bobby McGraw and Chuck Allen. Bobby and Chuck are diving deep into what Only God can do in a 25 episode series designed to help you discover hope and encouragement directly from God's word. So settle in and grab a cup of encouragement with the weekday podcast. [00:00:22] Speaker B: Well, hey, friend, have you ever been in a situation where you blew it? I mean, like, you really messed up and all you wanted was for someone to step in and help? Well, if that's you, you're in good shape today. Because today on the weekday podcast, this is episode number 12 of what Only God Can Do. And today we're diving into Romans 5, where Paul writes about something that only God can do. Only God can forgive the fallen and the faithless. Romans 5, verse 6 says, While we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. What's interesting is when you begin to break it down, you learn so much. Paul uses the word helpless in the original Greek. It means weak or sick or even without strength. What he's doing is he's describing our spiritual condition. Before Jesus, we weren't just having a bad day, we were paralyzed spiritually. We were dead in our sin. There was no way to fix ourselves. And in that moment when we had absolutely nothing to offer, Jesus stepped in. That's good news, because most of us still try to earn it, right? Maybe if I attend church more, maybe if I give more, maybe God will forgive me. But Paul is crystal clear, forgiveness isn't earned. God didn't wait for us to get our act together. He stepped in while we were flat on our face. Now this reminds me of a story. Years and years ago. I used to help install sound systems in studios, and one day I soldered like a hundred connections. The problem is, I did it backwards. It was a total disaster. I thought the boss I was working for would lose it. I thought maybe he would fire it. But instead he said, let's fix it together. Now that was a great picture of grace. And that's a small picture of what God does for us when we get it all wrong. He doesn't cancel us, he comes close to us. Paul goes on to say in verse 10, for if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son. And I get it, like when you hear that word, enemies, you're like, really? Yes. True. Before Jesus, we weren't neutral towards God. We were actually opposing Him. And yet he forgave us anyway. Think about that for a second. God doesn't just forgive mistakes. He actually forgives rebellion. Even when we ran, even when we ignored him, even when we blamed him, he still came for us. And maybe that's where you are today. Maybe you feel distant. Maybe you've been running. Maybe deep down you wonder if God could ever, ever forgive you. But here's the truth today. Your faithlessness never outdistance God's forgiveness. He doesn't need you to try to earn it. He doesn't need you to try harder. He doesn't need you to come home like a dead phone battery. That doesn't need a pep talk. It just needs to be plugged in. You and I, we need to be reconnected to our power source. And that source is Jesus. So today, take a breath. You're not too far gone. You're not too messed up. You're not disqualified. God is still in the business of forgiving the fallen and welcoming the wanderer. That's what only God can do. Well, today I want to encourage you to swing by our resource [email protected] you can find more devotionals and study guides and questions to help you grow in God's grace. Have a great day. We'll see you back here tomorrow for another edition of the Weekday Podcast. [00:03:34] Speaker A: Thanks again for joining us on today's Weekday Podcast. You can keep digging with our additional resources [email protected] and click on the Resource tab. And please share today's episode with friends and family because we all need a little encouragement. See you next time on the Weekday Podcast.