Thursday, July 16

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020


"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[h] 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, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:20-24)


In Romans, Paul presents a structured argument that points to each person's need for grace and how God delivered that grace through the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Having reviewed the Law (and nature), Paul explains that "the whole world [should be] held accountable to God." (3:19) We are without excuse; we can see from the beauty of nature or the clarity of the Law that God is holy and wholly other. We have fallen short of His holy standard and are rightly deserving of separation from Him.

Critically, the Law did not exist to allow us to achieve self-justification. Rather, as Paul explains, "no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the words of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." The Law therefore reflects reality, like a mirror or an X-ray machine. It allows us to see below our façade of self-righteousness and into the reality of our fallenness. If the argument ended there, we would be deeply and rightly depressed.

Yet, by His grace, God has chosen to intervene, making "the righteousness of God... made know, to which the Law and the Prophets testify." This statement explains that the Old Testament had pointed forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and how He would bring righteousness to those who trusted in Him by shedding His blood on the cross. The word "fulfillment" here brings hope: God made salvation possible, and He completed the terms. We simply receive Christ and receive salvation through our faith in Him.

In vv. 22-24, we understand that salvation stands available for each person, both Jew and Gentile. We have all fallen short of God's holy standard, but we all have opportunity to respond to God's invitation. Please note that we "all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." By "justified," Paul means that we have received a "right standing" before God. By "redemption," we understand that Christ has "bought us back at a price."

Even with this knowledge, we can sometimes struggle to trust God's promise, instead seeking to justify ourselves by perfectionism. God has designed us to live in "dignity" but also in "dependence" on Him. We experience fullness of life when we rely fully on God and rejoice in His love and grace for us.

How does this passage strike you? What implications does it have for your attitudes and actions today?


Lord God, thank You for sending Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to give us fullness of life when we were dead in our sin. Thank You for pointing us to You through both nature and the Law. Give us strength to live in Your strength and in dependence on You rather than seeking to justify ourselves. Give us fullness of joy today as we experience Your Presence. In Jesus's Name, amen.



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