Memorize: Evidence of God’s justification
Key Verses: 2, 5, 9, 10-11, 20, 21-24
This chapter centers on the Jews and their need for salvation. They have had so many advantages, and yet so many have not come to faith in Christ. You will notice that Paul use a literary device in order to move his presentation along. He introduces questions and then answers them. It is as if he knows what questions his readers want answered. He asks them on their behalf and then answers them. Each of these questions could be perceived as a weakness, a place where someone could get ‘stuck’ in their journey toward God. Paul anticipates those places and provides an answer that removes the obstacles.
Some people might say that my darkness makes God’s light look brighter so I am helping God out by showing what darkness looks like. Nothing could be further from the Truth. God’s light, truth, wisdom, greatness, purity, holiness…, the list could go on and on, does not need the opposite for His attributes to be known and experienced. We don’t need death to enjoy life. We don’t need sin to know righteousness.
Everyone is under the power of sin, those who have no formal religious practices, those with religion and the most religious. Everyone falls short of behaving as God desires us to behave, behaving in as way that honors Him and is best for us. Paul pulls the rug out from underneath everyone’s feet. We are all sinners. We all know we are, no matter how much we might want to deny it.
But God provides a way for us to be made right with Himself, to get back into His good graces, to be accepted by Him. This state of being right with God doesn’t come by keeping a set of rules, but by trusting Him. This is the way it has always been. God lets us participate in His righteousness. We get credit for doing it right, even though we don’t do it right. We get an “A” on our test even when we didn’t even show up for class! Jesus completely and perfectly fulfilled all the requirements that God had for us. He met the standard. And when we trust His work on our behalf, we get credit for what He did. Everyone can get credit for living a perfect life simply by believing in Him. That belief will radically change us, because we will live lives of gratitude and obedience. What we could never do before, we will be able to choose to do now.
And there is nothing to boast about! We did nothing. He did everything. We trust. He remains faithful. Everyone comes to God the same way: we all must trust His work on our behalf.
The Arnold Journey 