From ‘Born That Way’ to Born Again

In Romans 1, Paul cryptically tells how man in his rebellion was given over by God to every kind of hideous evil endeavor.  Self-righteous Jews and pagan Gentiles alike are brothers in wickedness and guilty before God.  The list is long and ugly.  And the list belongs to us.  The Scriptures further implicate us and announce that we are without excuse and even though we might search for escape clauses and loop holes (e.g. 'Hey I was born that way!') doom remains our dreadful course.  But then comes the Good News: Jesus came to make things right.  We were among those given over but He came to win us back.  Though we were indeed 'born this way' Jesus shed His blood that we might be born again to a new life in Him.  Romans 3:22b-24 summarizes this bad news/good news story well: "There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (NIV)  Glory be to God!  Jesus came to rescue, save, redeem, justify, reconcile, emancipate, adopt, and transform!  Came to do that for whom?  Came to do that for us!