Saturday, March 30, 2013

Romans 4:4,5

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
Romans 4:4,5

In chapter 4, Paul has shifted gears slightly, now properly interpreting the truth about Abraham, his relationship with God, and God's covenant with Abraham. First, Paul explained that Abraham was not justified by works, but by faith. Now, Paul goes into more detail about works vs faith.


Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.

We know, according to Paul, that if we were saved by works, then we would have reason to boast - and this goes directly against scripture. It's impossible for us to be saved by something that would allow us to rob glory from God.

Now Paul lays out another reason we cannot be saved by works - because then we would no longer be saved by grace.
We cannot be saved by grace and works.

In Romans 3:24, Paul wrote that we are justified by His grace as a gift.
In Romans 11:6, Paul defined grace: But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
And, as we have seen previously, in Ephesians 2:8,9:  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. - we are saved by grace, through the gift of faith from God. 

To then say that our effort - our work - has something to do with our justification, is to say that our justification is no longer a gift, but instead wages for our effort. Our justification becomes our payment for our work. Paul clearly teaches this is not the gospel, this is not justification by faith apart from works of the law - Romans 2:28.



And to the one who does not work...

I believe this is a very important line that Paul inserts in this teaching. We must understand that we are not saved by our efforts to be saved - our works have no bearing on our salvation. Going even further now-

Even attempting to earn salvation by our efforts/works is sinful - as this denies the very thing we were created to display - God's Amazing Grace! 

So, when Paul begins to talk about those who really are justified, apart from their works, he begins by describing them as those who do not work - those who understand that grace cannot be earned. 

It's so easy for us as humans to fall into the trap of attempting to earn salvation, or even a better standing with God - we are so accustomed to doing something in order to receive something - true grace is unfamiliar to us. This is when we need to go to the Word, trust fully in what it says, and repent for the things we do that undermine or destroy the grace that God has lovingly displayed!





but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 

Paul continues now talking about those that are justified. There are two points that Paul makes here:
1. those being justified are ungodly.
2. faith/belief in the one who justifies is counted as righteousness. 

It's very important that we recognize those being justified are ungodly. According to Paul, God doesn't wait for us to clean ourselves up, to give up certain sins (or any sins), He doesn't withhold His gift of justification while we try to get into the habit of going to church. 

We cannot clean ourselves up in order to be saved - we should not try. God justifies the ungodly.

When we attempt to clean up our act in order to inherit salvation, we fall into a category that Jesus put the Pharisees in - clean on the outside but full of death and evil on the inside. Salvation is God's miracle on the inside producing fruit on the outside. 

In Romans 5:8 Paul explains that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Christ's blood does not cover us once we have gotten rid of as much sin as possible...Christ's blood covers while we are still lost in sin, freeing us from the bondage of sin and transferring us to a life that is no longer subject to the lusts of the flesh. Without Him living, moving, and working inside of us we cannot even begin to get free from the bondage of sin at all.


To the second point, Paul is reiterating the fact that believing in/having faith in the one who justifies us is what sets us free. 

The only path to justification before God is believing (acknowledging, trusting, following) in Him, and having faith that He has accomplished everything that He promised He has through His Son - the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Any attempt to add to this finished work of God displays our doubt in His promise that faith in Him alone is all that is required for a restored relationship. It's normal for imperfect humans to go through periods of questioning or doubt, our minds our weak - but we must know, believe, and have faith in our hearts that God is who He says He is,  He did what He promises He did, and He will do what He promises He will do...then run with a repentant heart into His arms. 

He will strengthen us, and remove all doubt from our minds!

Pray this week that God will open the eyes of His children, showing us where we have fallen prey to Satan's traps, where we have attempted to add to God's grace. Pray for strength to repent and turn from the sin that robs God of the glory He deserves. We are all being sanctified daily - Amen!

Next Post: 3.4.13


Monday, March 25, 2013

Romans 4:1-3

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." 
Romans 4:1-3 ESV

Paul had just explained that the actual purpose of law that had been passed down to the Jews from generations before was never to provide justification, but instead was to point to our inability perfectly keep the law - thus pointing to our desperate need for a Savior, Jesus Christ.

Now, Paul continues to answer questions that he either knows will be coming or have actually been asked of him at some point as he preached the true gospel.



What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?

We touched in previous verses on how, by explaining to the Jews how wrong they were in their interpretation of the purpose of the law, Paul was basically "robbing" them of their identity. These people had been faithful to what they had been taught, they had never been forced to question the validity of their belief system. Now, Paul was saying that everything they had put their faith in was wrong.

Paul expands on the topic of the law by now going to Abraham, a very important father figure to the Jews - and even a source of pride and entitlement to them. God had made a covenant with Abraham, setting the Jews apart as chosen people, and - in their mind - excluding all others.

I think Paul makes two subtle, but very important points in this first sentence as he sets up for an extensive explanation of what really happened between God and Abraham, and how wrong the Jews had been taught by their ancestors.

1. Paul uses the word "we" here. He was a Jew as well. He related to the Jews that were no doubt feeling under attack by his teachings. In Galatians 1:13,14 Paul tells of his former passion for the Jewish belief system and his disdain for Christians.

For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

Paul related to the Jewish leaders that he was explaining the gospel to, he had been on their side not too long ago, and he fully understood the confusion and frustration they were feeling.

No false doctrine is acceptable, no matter how long it has been taught. We MUST understand the importance of testing with bible anything teaching that is handed down to us.

Each of us will be held accountable for what we believe as individuals, according to the only pure truth, the Word of God.

2. Paul refers to Abraham as their forefather according to the flesh. He takes this opportunity to eliminate any idea that Abraham was anything more than a servant of our true Father. This was what Abraham would have wanted them to understand, yet they had put him up on a pedestal.

No one -  no leader, no early church father, no church founder, no preacher, no one - should ever become so important to us and what we believe that we put them or their teachings up on a pedestal in place of a relationship with our Father



For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

In this sentence, Paul explains why Abraham (or any believer, every) was not justified by works, his obedience to God. If anyone were to be justified by works (by their effort to satisfy the laws and commands of God), they would then have reason to boast. However, as Paul has written:

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. Romans 3:27

Not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph. 2:9

Not only does any attempt to justify, or prove ourselves before a perfect God completely undermine grace, it provides an opportunity for us to boast...which is an abomination in the presence of our holy, truly righteous God.



For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." 

Now, Paul goes to Old Testament Scripture, which the Jews would have been very familiar with, and interprets it properly
 
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Gen. 15:6

Abraham was not justified because of any work that he performed, but simply because he believed, trusted, had faith in what God had promised him. As we have touched on in previous verses, even this faith that is the foundation and path to salvation, is the gift of God.


Father, thank You for not leaving our relationship with you dependent on us. Thank you for loving us and providing for us a relationship with you in spite of our inability to live according to your perfect standards. Please forgive us when we trip, pick us up, and continually reveal to us sin in our lives that is hindering our relationship with you. We pray for strength to purge these sins from our lives daily, to the praise of Your glory! In Your Son's name, Amen!





Thursday, March 21, 2013

Romans 3:29-31

Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one--who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. Romans 3:29-31 ESV

Paul continues to refute any argument that the Jewish leaders could possible bring to him, as he will do throughout Romans.


Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one

This echoes verse 16 in Chapter 1 of Romans, where Paul proclaims that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe - the Jews and the Gentiles.

There were intense feelings of resentment by these two groups towards each other, going back many, many generations. So for Paul to come in and say that God - who the Jews were sure was their upper hand on the Gentiles - is the God of ALL people, this was sure to ruffle some feathers.

Yet, Paul does not back down from confrontation when the truth about God is being questioned, and he makes sure his explanation is clear - God is one - One God, a God over ALL - Jews and Gentiles.

We should find great peace in the fact that the God who showed so much love, compassion, blessings, and patience to an Israelite nation that continually rebelled in the Old Testament - that same God will shower us with the same love, compassion, blessings, and patience through our relationship with Him today!

We also MUST ensure that we never assume that one denomination has a better standing with God than another based simply on name, or any other man made idea. There is one Church, one Body of Christ, that all of God's children belong to. Each individual church is responsible for teaching the Word of God as it applies to the one Church, the Body of Christ.

As individual churches, we tragically hinder the true Church when we emphasize differences in denominations in place of preaching the foundational truths found in the Word of God alone. 

The more we attempt to separate ourselves as individual churches, the more we display to the world confusion instead of unity.



 who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

The way I interpret this, Paul uses a play on words here to prove two points.

Point one - justification by/through faith basically imply the same main point - Jews and Gentiles are both justified based on faith, apart from works (as he explained in 28). This has been made very clear, and there are no arguments that can successfully discredit this truth. 

Point two - this has to do with the Gr meaning of the words "by" versus "through".
It seems that "by" denotes the origin of something, where something comes from - and "through" denotes the channel of an act, how something happens.

Faith is described as the origin of our salvation, where our salvation starts or comes from - as well as the channel, the continuous act by which we are saved.

I believe Paul could have switched the words "by" and "through" without changing the actual point - because we know we serve the One God of all people, the requirement of faith is the same for all people - the truths about salvation do not change from nation to nation or people to people. 

These definitions are so similar, and both imply that our justification is based on faith alone. Yet, the two definitions seem to offer depth to this faith.

This is how I interpreted this, I would love to hear other thoughts on this!



Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

This is so important, this helps clear up a lot of issues - especially for those who struggle with the feeling that there must be some requirements other than faith for salvation.

There is a pretty good chance any Jews reading this letter weren't too happy with Paul right now. Over and over he has destroyed their belief that all the things they were "doing" amounted to NOTHING when it came to salvation. 

I can understand their frustration - they were doing what they truly felt was right, obeying the law they had been given. They had even added more laws to ensure the didn't trespass the law they had been given. For the most part, this was done with the desire to serve God the right way, by "doing" the right things.

Then Paul comes along and says that's all completely wrong, he robbed them of their entire identity. How could this be wrong? This is what their entire life was built around, this is who they were, this is the only thing they knew. Their question had to have been: 

"So what are you saying Paul, that we overthrow this law that we have been given, and embrace this new 'justification by faith' thing you and your friends are preaching?"

To which Paul replied: "By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law."

Paul wasn't teaching that the law no longer applied, or that the law had changed. He was telling Jews that they were abusing the law by using it in a way that it was never intended to be used. 

The law was NEVER able to provide salvation. The law, from the very beginning, was ALWAYS meant to display our inability to perfectly keep it, and in doing so point us to a Savior that WAS ABLE to perfectly keep it - and then impute to us that righteousness. 

So Paul could say with full confidence - we never teach to destroy the law. It was given for a specific purpose from the very beginning, and that purpose remains to this day - to prove that without a perfect Savior, we will never measure up to the perfect character of our God, and will never enjoy a restored relationship with Him - which is eternal life...SALVATION!


Thank You, Father, for clearly laying out these wonderful truths through your faithful servant Paul. Help us to see clearly, open our eyes so that we could be freed from any bondage that we are in due to misinterpretation of Your Word. Please reveal to us the true meaning of all that You have recorded in Your Word, that we may better know you, and as a result better serve you in a way that would most glorify You alone! Forgive us for continually robbing you of the glory only You deserve! 
In your Son's Name, Amen!

Next Post: 3.24.13








Sunday, March 17, 2013

Romans 3:27,28

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 
Romans 3:27,28 ESV

Paul, after explaining the amazing truth - what was done for us on the cross by Jesus, God being just and the justifier, now deals with the issue of pride, or boasting.

boast: Gr word indicates glory, or glorifying something or someone. English dictionary refers to speaking with pride about something or someone, being proud of a possession, a cause for pride.

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. 

Paul is blunt, and to the point:
 There is no room for human pride in the presence of Almighty God.
Pride is a serious issue that every person must deal with, and it must be prayerfully sought out and purged from our lives as believers continuously and fervently. It occurs on so many levels and in so many areas of our life, that I believe while on this earth we may never be completely free of it. 

When we allow for pride, we imply that something we have done is about us. It's important to remember that anything good we do is God working through us, and not of ourselves. All glory must be completely directed to God, we are to absorb none of it. 

Paul tells the church in Corinth - full of proud, sinful, carnal believers - that any boasting we do, any glorifying that takes place, is to be in the Lord, not ourselves (1 Co 1:31). The Lord is the only One who is to be glorified. 

Paul is clear in his delivery:
There is no room for human pride in the presence of Almighty God. 
We MUST get this! Paul is destroying any idea that we have anything to do with all that has been given to us...we are COMPLETELY reliant on God for all that we have! 



By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.

Here, Paul compares a law of works to a law of faith. We know, by what Paul has previously written in Romans, that the law of works has no power to save - it can only point us in the direction of salvation. 
This is the first time that Paul brings up the "law of faith", and I think this is important. There is a command, a requirement, a law in order for salvation to take place. The only and only thing that is necessary for salvation is faith - faith in what was accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ - faith that we are accepted not by what we do but by what Jesus did - faith that God is Himself faithful in all that He has promised. 

There is no salvation without faith in Christ alone as our Lord and Savior. 

Thus the law of faith, the requirement of faith alone - for our salvation.

Now...are you ready for the good news? We cannot muster this faith on our own, we are not capable of producing or maintaining the saving faith that is spoken of in the Word of God - so God yet again provides the solution to our problem:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph 2:8

The faith that is required for salvation is itself the gift of God. Not only is salvation a free gift, an act of grace from an all loving God, but the one requirement for that salvation is provided as a gift as well - not dependent on us, not by our own doing!
This, as well, allows NO ROOM for boasting. We don't even have opportunity to boast, as none of our works has anything at all to with our salvation!

Hallelujah, thank you Father!



For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 

In this sentence, Paul reinforces that our salvation has NOTHING to do with works - our salvation has NOTHING to do with our effort. If we are to believe that Paul was inspired by God in writing this text, and that all of Scripture is God-breathed, then we must agree completely with this statement:

"one is justified by faith apart from works of the law"

"works of the law" covers any and every thing that we could ever attempt to add as a requirement for salvation. Sinners prayers, baptisms, church attendance, self sacrifices, giving, tithing, reading of God's Word - these can be good, when they are done as acts of obedience, as an expression of our love to a Father who has shown and given so much - but they CAN NEVER play a part in our salvation. 
Our salvation is not faith, working alongside our efforts. No, Paul clearly states here that our salvation is by faith, APART from any works or efforts we could ever muster. 

This is a good thing, considering - as we have touched on before - even our righteousness is as filthy rags before our Father (Isa 64:6)...I will let you dig in and find out what exactly "filthy rags" is referring to...it paints a pretty vivid picture of what type of "good" we are actually capable of.

Take time to thank God that He provided everything needed for us to enjoy a restored relationship with Him, not dependent on us - as that would have left us in a very ugly situation. 

Please share any insight on these verses as you feel led! 

Next Post: 3.21.13


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Romans 3:25a,26

This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 25a,26 ESV

The first thing to notice here is the last part of verse 25 and verse 26 are referring to what was just explained. In verses 23, 24 and the first part of verse 25, Paul had laid out the foundational truth of the gospel: we have all sinned, we have all fallen short of the glory of God, we are all justified freely by grace, through redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whose blood is a propitiation (appeasement), for our sins - and this is to be received by faith.

So, what was God's purpose for creating man, allowing him to fall and take on a fractured, broken, sinful nature, all with the plan in place to crush His Son on the cross to satisfy the just penalty for that sin that we preferred?

This was to show God's righteousness

This is the purpose of the gospel - as Paul described in Chapter 1 verses 16 and 17 of Romans:


For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." 

Within the gospel, we see Gods righteousness revealed. What is righteousness?

Righteousness refers to character - and in the case of God (who is the only one truly righteous) - it refers to perfect character, genuine, upright, holy, fair, and impartial.

The gospel, Christ living a perfect life, then going to the cross as the perfect Lamb on our behalf, was to show God's perfect character, perfect mercy, and perfect grace! We need to be on our knees in broken thankfulness!

Father forgive us for ever taking our eyes off of your perfect righteousness and making this about us in any way...its all about You Lord.



because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 

forbearance:  self restraint, tolerance

I believe Paul is describing here God's patience with us and our sin. While God cannot overlook or ever be in the presence of sin, He does show forbearance as part of His righteous character - meaning He does not destroy us and send us to eternal damnation on the spot due to our sinfulness (which is what we deserve). Instead, He patiently gives us time on earth to be drawn to Him - again we need to be on our knees in broken thankfulness! 

I would argue that this forbearance is not only shown by God towards the lost, but also towards us as believers. Our purpose as believers is to live a life that points to God - we die to ourselves, we draw close to God, and we long to become more like Christ so that the world will see God's righteousness, God's glory, through us. Yet, we realize that we continually fail at this as God reveals areas of our life that are not giving Him the absolute glory that He deserves. 

God is faithful and patient, His shows His forbearance towards His children - helping us, molding us, lifting us up when we stumble - so that His righteousness is displayed all the more! Thank You Dad!



It was to show his righteousness at the present time

Paul declares again, for the second time, that the purpose of all that God has done, is to display His righteousness. We need to take note - Paul must have thought it was crucial that we get this - laying it out twice in two verses. 

We cannot be caught up in thinking that this life is just about where we are or are not going when we die - that is a side note in the bigger, and much more important picture of God's perfect and holy character, God's righteousness being displayed through us as we walk as lights in a dark, dark world. 

Paul adds here "at the present time" - which refers to Christ coming, and fulfilling the Old Testament laws and prophecies - which were types and shadows, all revealing the righteous character of God in some way, but not completely and perfectly - as Christ did at this "present time." 



 so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

just: (similar to righteous) given or rewarded rightly, deserved punishment or reward

justifier: rendering, causing or becoming our punishment and/or reward.

It's obvious throughout Romans so far that we do not deserve a reward, so God being just, gives the deserved sentence of condemnation to the lost. But what about those of us described in this verse, "who have faith in Jesus"...

God, being the justifier, has caused His Son to become our punishment, so that God could justly declare us righteous, innocent and holy through His Son! 

We cannot take this "Great Exchange" lightly. God is not able have even the slightest sinful thought in His presence.  For us to be able to come to a restored relationship with Him, we needed a perfect lamb - sinless and righteous - to both pay the penalty for our sin, offering complete forgiveness, and giving us a perfect righteousness that we could never obtain...ever. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 - 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The only way we can be in the presence of God, both now on earth and forever in heaven, is if we have complete forgiveness and perfect righteousness...which has been given to us through His Son!

I have touched on this several times throughout this post because I believe that we as Christians (myself first and foremost) do not fully grasp this "Great Exchange", that Jesus became something that His Father had to turn His back on, and this pleased the Father, to crush His Son - it satisfied the penalty. Pray that God would never stop revealing to us the depths of this amazing act of grace and mercy!




Sunday, March 10, 2013

Romans 3:24,25a

and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Romans 3:24,25a ESV

In verse 23, Paul had just reminded us that all people have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God - paralleling what he has also said previously throughout Romans, that all men are condemned in their natural, lost state.

In these verses today, Paul provides the answer to the problem that we have as lost humans. These verses also give us a clear, biblical answer to the question that has been "debated" for many, many years throughout history: "What is salvation, and how do we obtain it?"

Keep in mind the audience being addressed are "all people that have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God".....
  
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

"by his grace as a gift" is translated in the KJV "freely by his grace" - these do not differ in their meaning, both declare free grace, a gift of God.

I think it will help to make sure we have a solid understanding of the key words in these verses, words that we sometimes read over without really understanding the depth of what they mean.

justified: to render just or innocent, free, be righteous, to acquit.

grace: unmerited favor, a gift that can't be earned.

through: denotes the channel of an act, how something is provided.

redemption: ransom paid in full, salvation, deliverence

With these definitions, we can read verse 24 with a deeper understanding of what is being said.

We are justified   (we are made just, innocent, and free, we are acquitted of our guilt)   by His grace     (by the unmerited favor of God, that can't be earned)   as a gift, through   (this indicates the path through which the free gift of justification is offered)   the redemption   (the path to justification is through a ransom that is paid in full)   that is in Christ Jesus   (this is where our redemption lies, he paid the ransom we couldn't afford).



whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith

In this first part of verse 25, Paul is talking now about Jesus Christ - the one in which our redemption lies. Again, there are some words that we need to fully understand.

put forward: to place before, to exhibit/display, to propose

propitiation: atoning victim, to appease/satisfy

to be received by: same Greek word as "through" in verse 24, channel of an act.

faith: assurance, belief, reliance.

These definitions now offer a clear understanding of what this first part of verse 25 says:

whom God put forward   (placed before us, exhibited to us)   as a propitiation   (as an atoning victim, whose purpose was to appease/satisfy God's wrath in our place)   by His blood, to be received   (the path through which we can receive this propitiation)   by faith   (declares the only way Christ's blood applies to us,  if we have assurance, believe, and rely on the fact that it is the only means by which we are saved).

Paul took a lot of time driving home the point of man's sinfulness in the previous chapters. We need to realize who we are in our natural, lost state. We are purely evil, unbelievably arrogant, hopelessly pathetic creatures - content to flail around in the darkness of our own sinful lusts.
When we realize how evil we were, to the depths of our heart, mind, and soul - we can't argue what we deserve. Yet, God responds in mercy, offering us the opposite of what we deserve -

He declares us innocent of our sinfulness - justified - by an act of pure grace, that has nothing to do with anything we did, are doing, or will do, but is instead offered freely, as a gift. This free gift of acquittal is offered through a ransom that has been paid.

We must not forget that, while our justification is free to us, acquittal for our sins comes at a very high cost - it's a payment that we could never afford.

Jesus Christ was our ransom, He paid in full the debt for our sins that we could never afford. He was put forth to shed His blood, to satisfy the just anger of our Father over our sinfulness. Oh, what a wonderful, sad, amazing, sorrowful thing this is! And how does this ransom become applied to our debt? Through faith, believing, relying on the truth that this amazing sacrifice - made on our behalf - is sufficient alone to wash us white as snow in the eyes of our Father. 

The ransom is paid in full!

The song "Amazing Love" has some amazing lyrics that really lay out the gift we have been given. 

I'm forgiven, because you were forsaken
I'm accepted, you were condemned
I'm alive and well, you're spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

Amazing love, how can it be
That you my king would die for me

How many kings would be publicly humiliated, tortured beyond recognition, then killed, in order to set their people free? That takes amazing love!

Our problem laid out in verse 23 was that we are all condemned, due to our sin. The answer to this problem is that God provided to us, as a gift, justification through the redeeming blood of Christ - we simply need to have faith that the blood of Christ has the power to do what God says it does!

The clear, biblical answer to the question: "What is salvation, and how do we obtain it?" is laid out in these verses as well. Salvation is being justified, being redeemed, having our ransom paid in full by our Savior Jesus Christ, so that we can have a restored relationship with our God - both now and for eternity! It is obtained by faith in His blood alone!

It's important that we continue step back from our busy schedule and look at what God has done in light of who we were. The more we understand who we were, and the more we understand the power of the sacrifice made for us, the more we will live our lives full of gratitude - desiring to give God the glory He deserves for the mercy and grace He displayed!

I would love to read any thoughts on these powerful verses!

Next Post: 3.13.13





Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God  Romans 3:23

This is a very short verse, yet it is packed with important truth. We see, as Paul has been saying all along, the universal sinfulness of man, as well as what that sinfulness results in.


for all have sinned

This fits Paul's theme throughout Romans so far. All men are guilty of sin, it doesn't matter how "good" we try to convince ourselves we are...we are still fallen sinful creatures with a heart and mind that enjoy and pursue sin.

I read somewhere that the one sin that condemns every lost person to hell is the refusal to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I thought that was important, because as we try to justify ourselves in our lost state, it's easy to feel that we aren't as bad as the next person.

 Apart from being covered in the forgiveness and righteousness of Christ, we are condemned by the sole sin of rejecting Him!

I believe that those who have a knowledge of what is available to them through the blood of Christ will suffer a much worse punishment, as they will realize - in the midst of their eternal torment - what they had in front of them that they simply refused to acknowledge.

This breaks my heart, for all who do not know Him - come to Him! Pray to Him to help you see, He will open your eyes and convert your heart - He wants you to know Him! He wants you to experience the love, joy, and peace that comes through a relationship with Him - this is why He made you - to know Him!



and fall short of the glory of God

I believe this line sheds a lot of light for us. First of all, we can see that - due to our sin - we have fallen short of something, that being the glory of God. What is the glory of God? What does it mean that we "fell short of it"? Is this something that can be accomplished if our heart is converted, or do we always fall short of it? 

I believe the glory of God in this verse can be looked at two different ways. I think they are both biblical, I think they are intertwined, so I believe they both apply. First, however, we need to know what "glory" means. 

glory - Greek word means dignity, honor, worship, and praise. (also interpreted praise elsewhere)
glory - English dictionary - adoring praise, worshipful thanksgiving, great praise and honor  or  
                                             a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity.

I believe to "fall short of the glory of God" means that we:
1. do not give Him the dignity, honor, worship, and praise that He deserves. 
2. will not enjoy His glory, his splendor and magnificence, by being in His presence. 

If we fell short, something else must have been expected - the glory of God is our purpose...and this is the reason God created us - for His glory. So that we could praise and worship Him in thankfulness, and one day be partakers of His glory by being in His presence. 

In our lost state, we do not praise, honor, or worship God - in fact we idolize the temporary things of the earth, and we prefer praise and be praised by mortal men!

and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Romans 1:23 ESV

for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. John 12:43

I am continually amazed at man's need to feed his ego. As Christians (I include myself in this), it seems that even with the presence of the Holy Spirit, we continually need praise and confirmation from others to feed our ego - we truly are a proud species. It's wonderful to know that the Holy Spirit is faithful to convict us, but we must be aware of how deep this need to be lifted up goes, so that we can continually dig at it and purge it. 

The only acceptance and confirmation that we should truly crave is from God, and that is available in full through His Son. 

If we were created to glorify God, we need to make sure that we make His glory our priority as His children. All pursuits of praise from man are sinful, and remove our eyes from God.

It's amazing to know that this is the reason that He created us - to worship Him and one day be with Him, in His presence forever! This purpose of our creation is stated over and over:

so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Th 1:12 ESV

who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Eph 1:14 ESV

 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Php 1:11 ESV

We are God's creation, created so that He could be glorified through us. Along with our need to feed our ego, as humans I believe we are incredibly selfish as well. Because of this, I think it's easy to fall into the trap of using God's offer of salvation for things other than His glory - namely keeping ourselves out of hell. 

Salvation through Christ does keep us out of hell, but that is not the point. If we start to believe that the main purpose of our serving God is to stay out of hell and/or make it to heaven, it all becomes about us - where we are going, how we are going to be affected, and how do we get there.

Our main, and only, purpose is to glorify God through praise, honor, and worship out of thankfulness for restoring us to a relationship with Him. Not experiencing eternal torment, and being able to experience heaven are amazing benefits that are a part of this restored relationship. 

We need be asking God to use us for His glory, and then spend 100% of our time and energy pursuing this.

We can't be concerned about whether or not we will "make it" to heaven - because in doing so we immediately take our eyes off of God and focus on ourselves - and we have transgressed the first commandment, we have become our own god...and we have "fallen short of the glory of God".


"The glory of God" in verse 23 can also mean to be in the immediate presence of His splendor and magnificence, which all of His children will be one day. I believe this is closely intertwined with our praise, honor, and worship of Him. As His children we spend our lives praying to be used in a way that would effectively honor Him - we praise Him - we worship Him, and we can be confident that one day we will be in His glorious presence!

As lost people, without Christ, we have no desire to honor, worship, or praise Him, and we have no hope of ever rejoicing in the presence of His splendor, magnificence, and pure glory. The only time any lost person sees God face to face, it will be accompanied with complete dread, fear, and regret...


God created us to glorify Him, and this is why we are called to step out and share the gospel message wherever He places us. He is glorified, He is praised, He is honored when lost souls are converted to a right relationship with Him. 

This is our purpose - let's live it!

Next Post: 3.9.13





Sunday, March 3, 2013

Romans 3:21,22

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:  Romans 3:21,22 ESV

If there is one word that describes Paul's underlying theme throughout the vast majority of his letter up to this point, I think it could be death.

He has addressed both Jews and Greeks, explaining how each is equally and justly condemned to eternal death - no matter how good the works, no matter extreme the passion, no matter how ignorant anyone may be to the gospel - we are all completely and utterly sinful in our lost state...

And, (without a miracle) we will continue to love the sin that blinds us from seeing our condemnation all the way to hell!  

This doesn't paint a very hopeful picture of  humanity, so why does God instruct Paul to spend so much time describing the despair, the evil, the sinfulness of the human race?

If we don't have a correct, biblical understanding of our sinfulness - in light of God's righteousness - we will never have a correct, biblical understanding of our need for a Savior, we will never be able to grasp what was accomplished on the cross,  and - as a result - we will rob God of the glory He deserves.


Now, to verses 21 and 22 of Chapter 3. After having our eyes opened to just how sinful, evil, and desperate we are in our lost state, we come across two of the smallest, yet most powerful words in the Bible:

But now

There is something else Paul has to tell us, apart from condemnation! That's not the end of the story! These two words ... "but now" ... shift the entire theme of the letter. Now it's about something other than condemnation! We should rejoice, praising God that He didn't leave us to be the people described in the first part of this letter. He has something much, much more amazing planned for us!



the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law

This is what the "but now" is all about. Previous to Christ coming to earth, God gave the Jews laws and regulations to live by. These things pointed to the righteousness of God by revealing His perfect and holy character. They revealed sinfulness through the inability to perfectly satisfy the commands.

Now, God has revealed His righteousness in a different way, apart from the law. This was extremely important for Paul's Jewish audience. After destroying their belief that their attempts to keep the laws that God commanded would somehow result in salvation, Paul is giving them the correct (and only) way to enjoy a relationship with God - and salvation.



although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it

Paul's point was not to discount the purpose of the law. The law in itself pointed to the righteousness of God, as did the prophets. They all pointed to the day when God's righteousness would be revealed not in words and commands, but in the flesh. This was the truth that the Jews had been tripping over:

Salvation is not about keeping written commands - Salvation is about recognizing, believing, and trusting in who Jesus is and what He accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection!  

It was always about Christ - always has been and always will be!





the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

This is the righteousness that is revealed. It is of God - He is the source - and it available through faith in Jesus Christ! This is an awesome, biblical truth. The perfect righteousness of God is available to us - the evil, sinful, condemned people described earlier in Romans! This is how God responded to our love for anything and everything other than Him - He made true salvation available to us!

When we put our faith in Christ alone, we are credited with the righteousness of God - He sees us as as truly righteous, apart from anything of ourselves! The righteousness of God is available to us, and God wants to wrap us in it - so that when He sees us He sees the perfect righteousness that was lived out by His Son, for His children!

The only way we can experience a relationship with God, and eternal life with Him, is if we are completely covered in His righteousness. 
This is what the laws and prophets all pointed to - this is Salvation!

The righteousness that was revealed as unattainable is available!  Hallelujah!


For there is no distinction

Just as all are condemned, with no favor given to a particular race, nation, or denomination - there is no distinction in who God has made His rightesousness available to. All people have had His righteousness, and forgiveness, made available to them! 

What an awesome, powerful, loving, selfless God - full of grace and mercy! 


As children of this amazing God, we need to recognize our tendencies to rob Him of the glory that only He deserves. We all have our own idea of what a Christian should look and act like...but, when we attempt to add rules or laws, even commands laid out in the Bible, to salvation - we begin to discredit the work that Christ fully accomplished and finished.

It's easy to fall into the same trap that the Jews did - God gave us commands, so we begin to think that as we keep them we are somehow gaining acceptance from Him. The only way to be accepted by God is through faith in Jesus Christ - and that acceptance is full and complete, there is no way to become more accepted by God.

We can't put the cart before the horse, we can't attempt to live a life of good works in order to obtain a relationship with God.

No amount of church going, praying, reading, giving, or any other noble thing will allow a condemned sinner to become anything other than condemned sinner!

Our life will point to God, and bring Him glory by good works that He creates through us, as we draw close to Him, as our relationship with Him strengthens, and as our love for Him grows. As mentioned before, we need a proper understanding of what was accomplished by Christ through His life, death and resurrection in order to understand what God is offering to us.

Doing things in order to gain acceptance from God is an attempt to use the law for the very thing Paul says it cannot do - salvation. The law that reveals God's character can and will reveal our need for salvation - but never has and never will offer an answer within itself for that need.


Laws and commands can only point to the answer - Jesus Christ! 

We will see, as we move through Romans, how complete the work of Christ is, and how we should live - not to gain God's acceptance, but instead in thankfulness of His acceptance!


It's important that we all pray for God to give us a solid understanding of who we were before Christ, how much we loved our sin, and who we served. We also need to pray for a solid understanding of what Christ accomplished for us. We are here to serve and glorify God, and every bit of the Bible helps us better understand how to do this! 

Please share any wisdom and insight you may have if you feel led to do so!

Next Post: 3.613