Posts from September 2022

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)   Part Two: The Grace of God. We are not justified by our works but by the Grace of God. Such a great truth is hard to embrace at first. We like feeling good about ourselves, so when we are doing well, we give ourselves credit. The problem is that when…

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)   Part One: The Universality of Sin Everyone is a sinner, and everyone needs grace. This is a foundational truth of the kingdom of God. The Jewish believers to whom Paul was writing considered themselves righteous because they were the recipients of the laws of God. Paul is making clear that…

The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. (Romans 3:22)   True righteousness is not what you might initially think. We tend to assume that righteousness is moral goodness that stems from our decisions. We believe that if we make good choices, then we are righteous, and if we make bad choices, we are not. But the righteousness God is looking for is not merely an adherence to external laws. Hypothetically, a person could…

But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. (Romans 3:21)   What does “apart from the law” mean? How can we possibly obtain righteousness apart from the law? The best illustration for this is in the way we raise children. When children are young, parents impose regulations for their safety. Children do not yet understand the dangers of the world and need laws to keep them safe. Yet…

But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:21-24) Here is the central idea of Paul’s letter to the Romans, that…

For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That person’s praise is not from people but from God. (Romans 2:28-29) Where is the source of true religion and genuine faith? Does it come from our external practices or from within? The Jewish people to…

You then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? (Romans 2:17-21) It is easy to offer other people instruction; it is not so easy to instruct yourself. It is easy to criticize others for their faults; it is not so easy to deal with your own faults. We tend to point to the flaws in others to deflect attention from our own shortcomings, an inclination that has been encoded into our spiritual DNA since the dawn of creation. If you…

For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. (Romans 2:13) God desires us to put his Law into practice. So what is the Law? The Law is simply an expression of the character of God. We need the Law because we are fallen creatures with a fallen nature and do not intuitively embody God’s character. Our natural disposition is opposed to God’s character and will. Without the law,…