Fallen, But Justified By Faith
As children, we were all pretty much programmed to justify ourselves when we were confronted about something we did that was wrong. Our defense?… “it wasn’t my fault!” But the apostle Paul makes it plain in Romans 3:21-30, that every one of us is guilty of sin and our guilt is indefensible. Our one hope of receiving God’s grace and forgiveness is through faith in Jesus. In Jesus, we are justified and pronounced not guilty! I pray that you will cherish the forgiveness you have received from God and truly appreciate the awesome magnitude and impact of His saving grace. Amen.
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, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3:21-24) Paul tells us that except by following God’s law perfectly, believers receive God’s righteousness only through faith in Christ. Furthermore, God’s righteousness is available to Jewish and Gentile believers alike. Paul establishes the fact that everyone (Jewish and Gentile) has sinned and stands in need of God’s grace. And by God’s grace believers are justified (allowed to be in the presence of a righteous God) and redeemed (bought back from sin and Satan for a price). All of this was given to us freely because of Jesus’ sacrifice…. it didn’t cost us anything l, but it cost Jesus everything!
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. (Rom. 3:25-26) Jesus’ sacrifice in the cross atoned (made amends/reparations) for our sins. God held back (forbearance) from invoking the ultimate punishment on us for our sins
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. (Rom. 3:27-30) Because it was Christ who sacrificed to pay our sin debt and it was God’s grace that forgave us, and because we received freely what we were never able to obtain for ourselves, by following the law perfectly. Paul therefore asks rhetorically, if any believer can boast about their salvation as though they achieved it by their own power. His answer to his own question is…. No, we can not boast, because we are only saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, not by our own works. And that goes for Jewish and Gentile believers alike. We are all saved by the same faith in Jesus.
All have fallen short of the glory of God… That statement describes every one of us, and our verdict of being guilty of violating God’s law and righteousness. We are born into sin and try as we might, sin is inescapable for us under our own power. We want to live to the glory of God as His law tells us we should, but we keep falling short. It is an impossible situation for us, but it is the exact reason that Jesus came and sacrificed Himself on Calvary’s cross. God’s grace toward us made it so that through faith in Jesus, we are justified and deemed righteous in His eyes. It is an inescapable fact that we are all fallen and found guilty of our sins. But for all who have faith in Jesus….Thank God we are now justified and forgiven!
Blessings, Rev. Glenn
“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 3:22b-24
