We recently moved to a new home. It is smaller than the one our boys grew up in, which is preferable to us in our retired years. It is less house–and especially less yard!–to take care of!

The house is nearly 50 years old. It has, however, been well maintained, and most of the rooms have been renovated. There was only one problem: The main bathroom was far from being new. The vanity and countertop, along with the sink, toilet and tub, showed significant age. In addition, there was no exhaust fan. This meant that every time we took a hot shower, we had to worry about condensation on the walls.

To compensate for the condensation, we had to open the window when we took a shower. This, unfortunately, let in the cold air. And if we opened the door to allow cross breeze to dry the walls faster, the smoke detector just outside the door would start to scream. Oh, our poor ears!

As a result of the condensation from the shower, the plaster walls were beginning to crumble and the paint was bubbling and mildewing. Something had to be done. We would have to renovate that bathroom!

Renovations began about two weeks ago, and we now have a new, modern tub and toilet, with ceramic tile all the way to the ceiling. The trim has been modernized and the exhaust fan has been installed. Unfortunately, the vanity we ordered has only just now arrived, so we continue to wait for the contractor to return to finish the work. We aren’t worried about this, however. Our contractor is one of those rare ones who actually keeps his timetables and promises.

This all reminds me of Moses and the old covenant. Just like we thought our new home would be perfect, when Moses wrote out the commands God gave him, he thought that this is what it would take to be justified with God. Unfortunately, just like we didn’t realize the problems there were with the main bathroom, Moses didn’t have the full picture. Following his laws won’t get us into Heaven: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:19-23 MSG)

The bathroom was defective. So is the old covenant. Why? “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 MSG)

When our bathroom was defective, it wasn’t fun. Only a caring and knowledgeable contractor could make it right. The same goes for the laws of Moses. Only a loving, all powerful God could make it all better: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood–to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished–he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26 MSG)

Remember: Jesus took our sins upon Himself. He, the sinless One, became the perfect sacrifice of atonement. He did what Moses and the old covenant couldn’t do. He died for our sin, and as a result, we can be saved. All we have to do is we accepted His offer!

We now have a perfect bathroom — or we will, as soon as the contractor returns to put in the vanity! What is even more important, however, is that we are saved by Jesus the Christ! Wow! He died for us all. And even if only one of us would have reached out to Him, He would have done it. He would have done it all, just to save…YOU!

The good news is, we are completely restored. There is nothing more that can keep us from Heaven. We have peace. We are completely “renovated”. How does Jesus’ ultimate “renovation” make you feel?

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “When Grace Came Down” devotional series, please click here.)