Romans 3:9-26 (New Living Translation)
All People Are Sinners
9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous— not even one.
11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away; all have become useless.
No one does good, not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
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.
Christ Took Our Punishment
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.
Mike's Thoughts:
There are a few things God cannot do: 1. He cannot lie. 2. He cannot be around sin. The bible says that there is NO darkness in him AT ALL. No matter how good we are there is still a gap of righteous between us and God. The gap may not be that big, but there is still a gap. No matter how big or small we envision the gap to be, it's enough to where God can't be around it. But God still desires to be with us. He created us so that he can be with us. Only God could solve that tension. We couldn't do it on our own. Jesus came to fill the gap. He filled it by making us right and declaring us free of sin.
Prayer:
God, You are good and great. Your love for us is bigger than we can imagine. Thanks that you are our God. Thanks for making us right. Thanks that no matter the size of our gap, you have filled it. Thanks that you let your love for us fill the gap. Thanks that you didn't let our sin come between you and us. --amen
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