Scripture: Romans 3:21-31;
Galatians 3:23-29
So far, our study of the book of Romans seems to be
focusing on the sin that is revealed to us through the law. And even though Israel would object, we have
also seen that sin and the resulting judgment are no different for the lives of
Jews than it is for the gentiles.
Believers and non-believers alike will have to go through God’s
examination of how their lives have been perfected, or not, through the law
that has been given for all people.
Paul’s focus seems to be focused totally upon our
response to the law, and very little to faithful living! But as Christians, we should all know that
the law of God plays an important part in determining just how devoted we are
to the ways of Jesus Christ. We seldom
apply the term “law” to the teaching of Jesus, even though His “commands” are
exactly that – the call that God has placed on the heart of each and every
person who ever lives on the face of this world.
So today, we begin to read of Paul’s thoughts on
righteous living – where it comes from, what it does for our lives, and where
it is able to lead us - throughout this life and beyond.
Read
Romans 3:21-26
This
passage begins with two powerful words – “But now”. Their implication is that with the coming of
Jesus, along with all that He taught and all that He has done on our behalf,
everything that had been important in the lives of the people of earth has
changed for the better! And as we read
the words that he offers to us, we discover that a tone of excitement and joy
begins to immerge in the apostle’s writing.
In reflection of last week’s concluding verse, we read “… 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.” The part that the law plays in our lives
today is not that it brings with it a holy life and eternal salvation, but that
it opens our eyes and hearts to the presence of sin in the world, and the
effects that our own sin has on the life that we are living!
And
how is this realization brought to our attention? It is through the love and faithfulness of
God, and becomes ours when we turn our faith and trust away from the
lies of earth and toward the hope that is in Christ Jesus! So it appears that without faith and trust in
the Lord, realization of the sin that perverts the relationship that we desire
with God, will never open our eyes to the depravity that is controlling, and ultimately
destroying, our life!
And
again, Paul makes the point that are no differences existing between believers
and nonbelievers, that we have “all sinned and fall short of the glory of
God”. But the second part of his
proclamation is that all can be justified, or made whole again, by God’s grace
for all who have given their lives to Jesus Christ. Jesus is our atonement through the shedding
of His blood at Calvary. The blood sacrifice
that He made at Calvary on our behalf, that penalty of death that rightly should
have been ours, becomes our reparation from the effects of sin through divine
mercy.
This
is a gift through faith that can come to us in no other way except through the
sacrifice of the only one who is fully God and fully Man. Let’s think about that for a moment –
we have been absolutely freed from the consequences of our own sin, simply
through faith in the intercession of Jesus, the only Son of God, who gave His
blood in exchange for our life, at Calvary.
And if that doesn’t shake any doubt that you still have, nothing ever
will!
Read
Romans 3:27-31
In 1Corinthians 1:28-30, we read that God through Jesus, took the lowly and
despised things of earth upon Himself so that no one could boast about what
they had done on His behalf. No one will
ever be able to match the gifts that Jesus has willingly brought to our lives.
And
what benefit will good works ever bring to our lives? What can strict adherence to the law do for
us? Nothing that faith in Jesus will do a thousand times better!
The
problem is that we will never be able to keep each and every command that is
handed down to us, and our failure to keep even one will be our complete
downfall. Faith in Jesus, God of Israel
and the entire world, is the only hope of overcoming our failure to be good in
every other way. This will never negate
the importance of doing the best we can of course – keeping the commands of God
must still be a priority for us, but it is only faith that will compensate for
our failures and sins.
Read Galatians 3:23-29
Here
we read about the initial purpose of the law that had been put in place for us
– that it would, at least, keep us moving in the right direction until the day
we would come to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. And the closer we come to understanding the
law, the closer we come to knowing and seeking a relationship in Christ. You may be wondering just what there is in
the law that would be able to do this?
Consider John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world that He
gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but
have everlasting life. For God did not
send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through
Him.”
How
about Exodus 20:1-17, that passage we know as the Ten Commandments?
Never
put any god of the world ahead of the one true God; and never make idols to
receive your worship; never speak evil against God; and always set aside one day
each week to bring honor and praise to the Lord.
How
about the seven “I AM” sayings of Jesus? - … the Living Bread (John 6:51); … the
Light of the world (John 8:12); … the narrow Gate (John 10:7);
… the good Shepherd (John 10:11-15);
… the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25-26); … the Way and the Truth and
the Life (John 14:6); … the true Vine and you are the branches (John14:4-6).
These
commands, among many others, set our vision on Jesus, and the more we accept
the word of God for our lives, the closer we move toward faith in the Lord, and
the further we move from the hope that we initially had in the law. But this also shows us that we can never
believe and honor Jesus while ignoring the commands that God has given us! They are inseparably linked together.
If
you have yet to come to a saving faith in Christ, continue to delve into the
message that God’s complete word holds for your life, and soon you will see
Jesus come alive right before you. For
each truth that you discover about Him, your ears will open just a little wider
to the call He has placed on you. In Revelation3:20, we read Jesus’ words – “Here I am.
I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in …”
Have
you heard Jesus knocking on the heart strings of your life? Have you opened the door to allow Him to
become the eternal promise that you have been looking for? If not, isn’t it time that you did?
