Easter: Our Faith Perfected
Hebrews 12:1b-2a
…let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith…
22,114,629 brackets have fallen.
If you have no idea what that means, then let me explain. It is March, and time for March Madness, the 64-team men’s college basketball tournament that determines the national champion. People all over the country have an opportunity to complete a tournament bracket in hopes of predicting the winner of each game, and ultimately, the winner of the championship game.
During the first week of the tournament, there are 64 teams but by the end of the first weekend, only 16 teams are left. By the end of the second weekend, it will be down to the final four! My family makes a fun tradition of completing brackets with the hope of casting the winning bracket. What’s at stake? Bragging rights, and sometimes dinner for the champion. It is all for fun!
Now, back to that staggering statistic.
According to ESPN’s bracket tracker at the time of writing, 22,114,629 brackets have fallen. It also says this: “0 Perfect Brackets Remaining!” Let that sink in for a moment. There are no perfect brackets, absolutely zero! To say it another way, no one has predicted the winners perfectly! That is astounding.
If there were a perfect bracket tracker for life, guess what? It would show “0 Perfect Brackets Remaining!” Just as there is no perfect basketball bracket this year, there is also no perfect person.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
That word “all” means all! Everyone sins; there is no perfect, sinless person. We were born sinners because we inherited a sin nature from our parents and we all commit sin. We all lie, steal, cheat, are greedy, lustful, and on and on I could go. We are all sinners. And because we are all sinners, all of us will be judged. We all sin and therefore our sin cost us something. It cost us death, separation from God.
“The wages (cost) of our sin is death…” (Romans 6:23, italics added)
So if no one is perfect and we deserve judgment because of our imperfection and sin, then what are we to do?
I am so grateful that Someone did what I could not do for myself and His name is Jesus. Jesus, God’s only Son, paid the debt, the cost for our sin. He did that by dying on the cross. The reason Jesus could pay the price is very important. He lived perfectly. He lived a perfect life. There may be no perfect brackets in basketball this year but there was one perfect person, one sinless person and His name is Jesus.
Now here is something wonderful, according to Hebrews 12:2, our faith is perfected by Jesus.
We are not perfect, we are sinners. But through the innocent blood of Jesus, through His death and burial and yes, through the empty tomb, we are made perfect. We have never and will never live a perfect life; but through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are made perfect in God’s eyes.
Do you ever get frustrated because you strive for perfection and yet always fail?
There is something you need to know. You can quit trying! Our attempt at perfection is an act of pride and arrogance, thinking we have it in ourselves to accomplish it. Easter is the blessing of knowing that our sin is forgiven and our faith is perfected! We don’t have to rely on our striving or our futile attempts at perfection. Our faith is perfected in Christ Jesus alone! He is “the author and perfecter of faith.”
The Bible teaches us that we are imperfect and in need of a perfect Savior. This Easter, glory in the cross, glory in the empty tomb, and glory in the only One that is perfect, Jesus. And rest in His perfect love. The way you receive His forgiveness and the way to be made perfect is on display this week, it is through the cross of Chris. If you know Him, rest in His perfect sacrifice. The only way to Jesus is through faith. Trust Him alone to save you.
I pray you will have a perfect Easter looking at the perfect Savior, Jesus!