Tag: Romans 3

A Pretty Awesome Formula

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 15 & 16

Poetry: Job 35

New Testament: Romans 3

Remember that time that you held an imaginary debate or argument in your mind with either an imaginary figure or your spouse, coworker, boss, or friend?  We have all been there before.  Evidently, Paul has been there before as well.  Except this time, Paul records this imaginary debate in Romans 3.  How exciting! 

Romans 3:1-8 gives the impression that Paul is debating an imaginary figure on how the Jews fit into the bigger picture.  Paul’s conclusion to this mini debate is that the Jews are not better off, “For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,” (Romans 1:9 ESV).  There we have it.  All of mankind is under sin.  This conjoins the Jews and the Greeks together.  If you don’t believe Paul, no need to worry.  Paul has plenty of ammunition to help prove this point.  Paul quotes a number of scriptures from the Old Testament in the following verses to bring home this point.

After Paul’s introduction, his letter to the saints at Rome has been rather gloomy thus far.  However, verse 21 is where we start to see a shift.  Paul recognizes that we are all under sin… “BUT NOW…”.  This is where it gets fun!  This passage in Romans 3:21-31 can preach!  Essentially, this is a teaching on the doctrine of salvation, as the righteousness of God is revealed through faith in Christ Jesus for all who believe.

Many are able to quote Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Paul is only halfway through his sentence when we have a verse break.  Don’t forget about verse 24: “And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”    Paul compares God’s grace to a gift.  Whenever you are given a gift from someone, you have two choices: you can receive it and open it or you can deny the gift.  I have many memories as a child of receiving gifts from my parents for Christmas, my birthday, or other special occasions.  Not once did I ever reject a gift that my parents gave me; I openly received the gifts every single time.  Nearly every child receives the gifts they are given without a second thought.  We need to mimic the attitude of a child here and gladly receive God’s gift of grace with open arms.  How do we receive God’s grace?  Well, fortunately for us, Paul tells us exactly how to receive that grace in the following verse.  Paul tells us that it is “to be received by faith,” (Romans 3:25).

Paul crams a lot in this short passage to conclude chapter three, as he talks about our salvation.  You can sum up Paul’s discussion in the following formula: sin + grace + faith = justification.  Paul will later reveal to his audience that the justification leads to eternal salvation. For you math nerds out there, that’s a pretty awesome formula.  For those of you not interested in math, trust me, that’s still a pretty awesome formula.

As we go through our lives, let’s remember to keep our arms open wide ready to receive God’s free gift of salvation.

-Kyle McClain

Reflection Questions

  1. Have you ever rejected a gift given to you? Have you rejected or gladly received God’s free gift of salvation? Who do you know who might need some more information or encouragement to receive this gift?
  2. How would you define and describe each of the words in the following formula: Sin + Grace + Faith = Justification. What is the importance of each one?
  3. In the gloomy moments of your life, how can Romans 3 lift your spirits and bring joy, hope and peace?
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Hopelessly Lost – Until…

Romans 3

May 19

In continuation from chapter 2, Romans chapter 3 describes the dire predicament we, the human race, find ourselves in. We are hopelessly lost, together guilty of every evil. And not one of us is truly good. Not one of us is righteous, not one of us deserves to be saved. 

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20

These verses are pretty devastating. Ever since Romans 1:18, Paul has been making it clear that this world is in a gruesome state of being. Jews and Gentiles alike, we all are held accountable for our actions, and we all fail miserably at living up to God’s standards.

 But then comes the good part. The system God put in place doesn’t require us to earn anything. We couldn’t possibly earn the gift of salvation on our own. That’s why it’s a gift. Salvation and a relationship with our Father is not something we get for being good – no one on earth is “good,” not by God’s definition. 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 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 3:23-25

This is such a powerful verse. Jesus is the only way to righteousness, eternal life, and ultimately, God. And we can only accept Christ (and God’s gift He gives to us through Christ) by faith. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And in Acts 4:12, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, declares, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 1 Timothy 2:5 also lays it out pretty clearly, saying, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” The list goes on and on. God clarifies in abundance throughout His word that as messed up as we are, He wants us to be saved, and Jesus is the way He’s given us to receive salvation. It’s not by our own goodness or worthiness, for none of us are good or worthy. 

As one final note to think about today, this ↑ does not in any way contradict what the last couple of chapters have expressed. In order to accept this gift, we also have to live in accordance with God’s word. Obedience displays both our appreciation and acceptance. Constant disobedience and rejection of God, neglecting the whole repentance part, only stores up His wrath for the day of judgement (Romans 2:3-11). It is such a joy to be loved by a God who so tremendously desires to have a relationship with His children, and provides an amazingly in-depth book of guidelines to receive His promises and live both now and forever in fellowship with Him.

Discussion Questions:

  1. As discussed in verses 5-8, how does our unrighteousness show the righteousness of God?
  2. Is the idea that evil is justified if it brings about good a biblical idea? What would Paul’s response be? 
  3. If the gift of grace is free, then why must we accept it and live for a purpose greater than ourselves?

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Guilty, but Justified

Romans 3 23 and 24

Romans 3

In the first 2 chapters of Romans, Paul talks a lot about our actions, and our failures.  Since we have all sinned and failed, these two chapters by themselves would paint a very bleak picture for each of us as individuals.  Thankfully, even though these contain very important teachings, they lead to much more.

Everyone of us is guilty under the law.  Romans 3:9-12 gives us a clear picture of this:

“What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;  as it is written,

‘There is none righteous, not even one;
There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.’ “

So, where does this leave us?  We are all guilty under the law.  We need something else.  We need grace.  This is exactly what we are offered. Verses 23 and 24 say:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

This grace is offered freely to all of us if we accept it and follow Christ.  So, while we strive to follow God’s commands, and honor Him in all that we do, there are times we will all mess up, and therefore the law cannot justify us.  The law condemns us.  God has given us another way out through Jesus.  We have to accept the gift, and follow Jesus throughout our life.

-Andrew Hamilton