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[i] 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.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.[j] 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
5 comments:
Almost daily I thank God for His loving grace for accepting me and my faults though clearly undeserved. What a great overview.
Blessings
cas
"Yet God..."
2 of the most powerful words in scripture.
i have been reading "Facing Your Giants" by Max Lucado -- about the life of David. he focuses on these words in his chapter called "Dashed Hopes" (i chron 28:1-4). David "had intended" to build the Lord's temple and had even "made plans / preparations" to do so... except God had different plans ("yet God" in v4). ultimately, David was able to set aside his disappointment and trusted God's re-direction.
the context is a bit different than today's passage from Romans, but still emphasizes that the Lord's plans are perfect...
I have a friend named Elvis (no kidding!) from Albania. He is a Christian convert from Islam, and this is the passage that led him to Christ.
Islam is very much like Judaism - both strive to reach God through good works and keeping the law. Romans blows that ship out of the water! Thanks to God!
"Elvis has left the mosque"... priceless.
The power of God's work and the timeless wit of JLT in one blog? What could be better?
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