Romans 3:19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
observation
How many times have you jumped on your kids about something and had them tell you that they had no idea that they were not supposed to do something? You hear adults use it too, it is real useful when your spouse or your boss is getting after you for something, just tell them “I didn’t know, you never told me” and all of a sudden the blame is going the other direction.
That’s what Paul says in verse nineteen about the purpose of the law, it was given to us so that we can’t say that we didn’t know what God expects of his children, you wouldn’t have a clue how much that you need a Savior if you didn’t know how far off the target that you are.
You know when you make the rules for your children that they are never going to perfectly follow those rules, well guess what, God knew from the beginning that we were not going to make it to heaven without his intervention.
Romans 3:23-24 Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous.
You couldn’t try hard enough to get to heaven and so God gave us “undeserved kindness” and made a way for us to have access to him and now through faith we actually have a greater ability to live a life that is pleasing to God through our helper the Holy Spirit. But don’t start to think too much of yourself and let pride jump into your life, all because you may live a life that follows God’s rules better than you used too, that isn’t because of your ability or goodness it is nothing for you to be proud of.
Romans 3:27-28 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
God sure knows how to take care of his children and he knows how to teach them right from wrong, us parents could learn a thing or two from him.
application
If I start to feel pretty good about how “good” I am then I need to remember that I still need God’s help and I need his grace. His help because that’s the only way that I can do anything good and his grace to fill in my rough spots because I will not be perfect until he takes me to heaven.
prayer
Thank you Lord for providing for me what I could not do for myself, help me as I strive to follow your commands and live for you, but don’t allow me to become proud when I start feeling good about how I am doing.
