Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

Jesus Christ paid your debt {No Matter What Monday}

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It’s happened to me twice now, and each time was surprising and impactful. I’ve pulled up to the Starbucks window and found out that my (grande, non-fat, one-pump-caramel) latte was paid for by the driver in front of me. It feels strange to receive my drink without giving anything to the cashier. I accept the gift of a free latte because someone I don’t know paid the debt I owed. 

It’s a beautiful picture of the gospel. Romans 8:1 tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” 

Condemnation is not a word we like to discuss. But God’s Word is clear that we are all sinners, and our sin deserves God’s punishment.  

So how can Romans 8:1 say there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus? Has God decided to look the other way? Did He change His mind about sin? Is He just being nice? 

There is now no condemnation because Someone else paid for our sin. 

On the cross, Jesus took the punishment our sin deserved. God is fully satisfied with Jesus’s sacrifice and will not demand payment from those who are in Christ. Our debt has been paid. We freely receive the gift of God’s grace. 

As we drink deeply of His grace, we are set free from trying to convince God and others that we’re good enough. We don’t have to keep looking around, hoping to be a little better than the next guy. We don’t have to keep striving, hoping the good works will outnumber the bad. 

This month we will be looking at benefits we receive from Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. One of the many benefits we receive is this payment of a debt we could never pay on our own. I can’t wait to explore others with you in the coming weeks! 

No matter what you face this week, Jesus Christ paid your debt.

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The Light Shines {No Matter What Monday}

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My daughter calls out as I start to leave her room: “Don’t forget the closet light, Mom!” This part of her bedtime routine is just as important as the kiss on the forehead. She hates being alone in her room at night—being alone in the dark would be unbearable.

As adults, we have our own versions of being scared of the dark. What dark struggle, question, doubt, or fear are you facing?  Are you searching along the wall for a light switch, for anything that might dispel the darkness? For answers, comfort, resolution, or restoration?

Isaiah 9:2: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

God’s people in the Old Testament walked in darkness for centuries. They awaited the Messiah, a Savior who would rescue them from the darkness of sin and death. They clung to a promise without understanding what it meant or how it would be fulfilled. How could God possibly unravel the mess caused by evil and sin?

In John 1, we see that Jesus Christ is the answer to life’s darkness. He is the light that those walking in darkness so desperately need.

John 1:5, 9: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

The true light is here, breaking through the darkness. In Christ, we have everything we need to battle fear, sin, questions, doubts—even death. The darkness of these struggles cannot overcome His light. The light of Christ guarantees that the darkness will never win. He brings forgiveness for our sin, power for our struggles, and comfort for our troubled hearts.

No matter what you face this week, the light of Christ shines in the darkness.

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God’s Verdict is Secure {No Matter What Monday}

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They are the words every child swears they will never say to their kids, and they are the words most parents have said to their child: “Because I said so.”

When a parent says, “Because I said so,” those words are meant to end the argument. Why? Because the parent has the authority. The parent’s words have power. They ultimately win out over the protests and questions of the child. When spoken in love, these words remind children that their parents care for them, and the children can trust their parents to do what’s best for them.

God also says, “Because I said so.” If you are in Christ, you are forgiven and secure—because God said so. God has justified you because of Christ’s death and resurrection, and no one can argue with His decision.

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:33-34)

Paul just finished reminding us in the previous verses that God is for us and has provided His Son as a sacrifice to redeem us. Now he has us in a courtroom. Charges are being brought by an accuser. A judge will decide whether to condemn or acquit.

Your accuser brings a charge against you to the Judge’s bench. Maybe there’s a crowd forming, each person walking down the courtroom aisle with a charge in their hand, as you sit at the defendant’s table. But when your accusers get closer, they see someone sitting next to the judge. Jesus is there, showing His nail-pierced hands and feet.

God has already declared you righteous because of Jesus’s righteousness. The charges evaporate in your accuser’s hand. Not even Satan himself can bring a charge against you. You’ve been declared righteous—you’ve been justified—and when God said, “Because I said so,” no one gets to argue further.

Christ Jesus died for you. He was raised for you. He sits at the Father’s right hand, interceding for you as your advocate. You’re not sinless, and there will be consequences for your choices. But there won’t be condemnation. Your verdict is secure, because the sentence for your sin has already been served by your Savior.

No matter what you face this week, God’s verdict is secure.

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Our Savior Became Sin {No Matter What Monday}

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Our Savior became sin. Biblical encouragement, Scripture, and devotionals for women.

As I stand at the bathroom sink fixing my hair and makeup in the morning, my dog often torments me by curling up in the empty space I just left in my bed. I long to return to that spot—I’m not a morning person—and it makes me crazy to see him lay his little white head on my pillow and doze off.

Most days, I wish I could trade places with him. His life seems so easy: sleep, eat, repeat. But then I remember that he eats the same thing every day and has to go outside to use the bathroom, even in frigid temperatures and thunderstorms.

As we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ this week, let’s remember that He is the One who traded places with us. Our Savior saw our hopeless condition—we were sinners who could not save ourselves. He humbled Himself to take our place on the cross, so that we might have a place with Him forever.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Christ became sin for our sake. In this passage, Paul is talking about reconciliation—specifically, how sinners are reconciled to a holy God. Christ took the punishment for our sin so we could be reconciled to God. Paul says He “became sin,” receiving what our sin deserved.

Christ became sin even though He was sinless. If He had sinned even once, the punishment He received would be His own. Only a sinless Lamb could trade places with us and take our place on the cross.

Christ became sin so that in Him we might receive righteousness. My kids and I call it “The Great Swap.” On the cross, Christ took our place and received the punishment our sin deserved. In exchange, He gives us His perfect record of obedience–His righteousness. We receive what Christ has earned: right standing before a holy God and eternal life with Him.

This Great Swap is the good news of the Gospel: those who are in Christ look at the cross and see their debt fully paid, their sin forgiven, and the righteousness of Christ given to them.

No matter what you face this week, our sinless Savior became sin so sinners might receive His righteousness.

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