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
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