What would it be like if we came to agreement with God? How would that look?
Can you imagine a time when you and God are so in sync that your life is transformed into a powerful relationship that transcends anything worldly and invites the supernatural?
The reality is that this is more than possible. It actually becomes a fact when we accept His offer of eternal life. That potentially amazing life begins the day we say yes to His gift.
Free gift
Think about a gift. Is it something that we have to earn, or purchase, or even deserve? No. The nature of a gift is that it is gratis. It costs us nothing. The cost is to the Giver (Eph.2:8).
God is, right now, offering us the free gift of salvation. It is afforded to us through His grace, that is, His divine favour towards us. “You mean, even though we have rebelled against His will He yet favours us?” Astonishing as this sounds, it is true.
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
He died for us even though we were children of disobedience, steeped in rebellion. Yet He pours out His favour towards us with a view to saving us out of the rebellion.
Of course, this has to be true. He has to give His life for us while we are yet sinners (Eph.2:1). He would not need to die for a righteous person, only for a sinner (Rom.5:6-7).
Some people say they are not worthy of salvation and so determine that they are unsalvageable. It is true that none of us deserves forgiveness or salvation, but that is the point. He died for sinners, not for saints. He died so that sinners could become saints.
He took our sin upon himself to release us from its hold. It is only the sinner who qualifies for salvation. Think about it.
The thing is, though, that there was not a single person on earth, now or then, who was righteous (Rom.3:10). All had sinned (Rom3:23). That is why He came to save the whole world (John 3:16).
The benefit of salvation
Salvation leads to full and total forgiveness, making us completely guilt free in His sight. Following salvation we owe Him nothing but our gratitude. If anything we are debtors to spreading the same level of love He pours out on us. Our personal debt is paid. The slate is wiped clean. The penalty for sin erased.
There’s more. When we accept the free offer of eternal life, we come into covenant with God. That covenant is an agreement written in blood. The blood of Jesus.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence…
Ephesians 1:7-8
Furthermore, His blood brings us into a better agreement with God based on better promises (2 Pe.1:3-4). He has given us everything we need to live a fulfilled life in Him.
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
Hebrews 8:6
A better covenant. This is the New Testament, written in Christ’s blood. Traditionally a covenant was sealed with the blood of each party who came into the agreement.
The exchange was that of rights to one another’s goods and property, access, a step into a relationship as close as a true blood bond between relatives, between parent and child, between siblings. The idea is that “What is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine.” Surely we receive the better part of the arrangement.
It is an act of giving one thing and receiving another. He gave His life to recover ours. We exchange our life and rights for His. Everything He has becomes ours. Everything we have is His. That is the nature of covenant. That is the extent of the agreement. We are given full access to the kingdom of God. We can approach His throne boldly (Heb.4:16).
There’s even more. We are justified, that is; we are made guilt free by His blood, through the new covenant. WE are made clean in His sight. We are given access to Him through faith.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1
So, yes, it is our faith that receives the grace that leads to salvation and brings us into the new covenant. We are in agreement with God and He brings us into this agreement through His Word, His will, that is written for us so that we can know exactly our rights in Him.
Coming into agreement with God is the greatest thing anyone can do, and will change our lives literally forever. It is the beginning of the journey, not the end.
It brings us into permanent relationship with God through His Son Jesus. His blood shed for us. Our part is to continue with Him and allow that agreement to become our new lifestyle. Then we will see the fruit of the agreement, in this life, and in that to come.
