Day 35: Romans 3
In today’s reading, Paul uses a sobering series of Old Testament quotations to show his readers that “there is no one righteous, not even one” (v. 10). In the Bible and in our world, not one person is without sin. Regardless of upbringing, church involvement, faith, or personality, no one is able to reach God due to the wrong they have done. Each one of us is guilty of wrongdoing; Paul writes that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (v. 23). This propensity towards sin goes to our very core; indeed, when people try to justify their imperfections, they might say, “I’m only human” - meaning that to be human means to be imperfect.Some might argue that we need to embrace our imperfections and simply try to be the best version of ourselves. We might even find that when we compare ourselves to others, we aren’t nearly as bad as that person. But the truth is this: God is perfect and ultimately holy, and our sin prevents us from ever reaching him. Even the Old Testament laws point toward this; not only could the Israelites (and by extension, us) not keep the law, but the very existence of the law reminded them of how sinful they were (v. 20). No religion, philosophy, or set of good deeds would ever be enough to reach God. All of humanity was hopelessly lost.
But then we come to a great shift in v. 21: “But now…” Because people could never reach God, God has made a way for them and has testified to it all throughout the Law and the Prophets. He has provided a righteousness “through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (v. 22). All have sinned and all may be justified through the grace and redemption that came through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Paul refers to Jesus’ sacrifice as a “sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood” (v. 25). Since the time of the Old Testament sacrifices, the blood of one creature was taken in place of another. And so here with Jesus. The sin of humanity was a debt that needed to be paid, or else God was not just. He could not let all of the evils of the earth simply slide by. But instead of requiring us to pay the penalty of death (see Romans 6:23), God took the sacrifice of Jesus in our place “to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (v. 26). What a beautiful and transforming gift of justice and mercy!
Questions for reflection and discussion: What is your reaction to the list of quotations in vv. 10-18? Do you consider yourself to be among the people that are described here? How has God provided a solution, and how does this reflect both his grace and his justice?
