Theology for Everybody: Romansنموونە

Paul is going to use four terms that are loaded with meaning: sin, justified, redemption, and propitiation. Some people will ask, “What do we need these big words for?” God gives names to things He cares about, just like we give names to people and objects we care about. Certain doctrines are important and precious to God, so He names them.

Verse 22 says, “For there is no distinction.” We have many distinctions: Republican, Democrat, black, white, young, old, rich, poor, American, not American, etc. God says, “All I see is a bunch of sinners.” There’s no distinction. God says, “Sinners and Savior.” Those are the only two teams.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift” (vv. 22–23). Some people say, “Christianity is too easy. All you must do is accept Jesus.” It’s actually really difficult because you have to be humble. It’s not about what we do for God but what God does for us. That’s how we get saved.

"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. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (vv. 24–26).

First, Paul talks about sin. We are sinners by nature and choice. Sin includes our thoughts, words, deeds, motives, and actions. When Paul says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” we tend to think in terms of competition, not perfection. Competition means we find people who are worse than us and compare ourselves to them. This is why we like to talk trash about other people, especially if they’re well-known. It makes us look better by making them look worse.

But God’s standard is not one of comparison but of perfection. Jesus says, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We’re not to compare ourselves to others. We are to compare ourselves to Jesus Christ because He shows us what a normal human life should look like. Jesus never sinned. He was altogether perfect in every way. For us to get into the Kingdom of God, heaven, it’s like jumping across the Grand Canyon. Some of us may jump a little farther than others, but nobody can jump far enough. We all fall short.

Then Paul talks about what it means to be justified. If we’ve all fallen short, how could God, who is just, accept unjust people? How could he accept us when we have fallen short? How does this work? Paul says God is just, God is the Justifier, and God makes us justified. This is a legal declaration of righteousness before God. The terminology comes from a courtroom setting, which means that we are not perfect, but God gives His righteousness to us. This is called imputed righteousness. God imputes the righteousness of Jesus Christ to us. Jesus gives you His righteousness as a gift, which means grace is received by faith.

You have only two options: you work for God, or God works for you. If you believe what you do for God saves you, that’s called works. If you believe what God does for you through Jesus saves you, that’s called grace. When we come to God, we come emptyhanded. Jesus did everything for our salvation. It’s received by grace through faith in Him.

God renders a guilty verdict to us, and then He resolves our biggest problem—the sin problem. There was a legal case some years ago when a couple defaulted on their rental contract. They didn’t have the money, so they fell short of meeting their payment obligations. This continued for some months, and the property owner started eviction proceedings. The couple understood that, considering the law, they were guilty. Justice said that they could no longer live in the residence if they couldn’t pay the money stipulated in the contract. The judge was just and gave a guilty verdict. Then he went back into his chambers and took money out of his own personal account. The amount was the total the couple owed. The judge returned to the courtroom, handed the money to the owner, and said, “I’m paying their debt in full.” He was just, he declared them guilty, and he justified (paid) their debt.

That’s what Jesus did for us. He said we were guilty and then went to the cross and paid the price in full. Not only is He just to judge us, but he is also the Justifier who saves us. This is why we love Jesus.

(Continued on Day 85 ...)

Today’s Reflection

How does it make you feel to know that Jesus not only judges you but also justifies you?