Daily Scripture
“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. 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.”
Romans 3:23-26
Daily Devotion
Even though most of us have heard these verses over and over again, it's an important reminder of how we graciously have the opportunity to enter into a life with Christ. It’s also a great set of verses to walk through when sharing the gospel.
“For all have sinned and fall short…”
It’s impossible to list all of the ways that we fall short of the glory of God. It’s essential to remember that sinners are all the same…the murderer, the thief, the gossip, the liar. Ultimately, none of us would ever come close to earning God’s love on our own accord. We are all deserving of His wrath. When sharing the gospel with an unbeliever, it’s important to reiterate that even as Christians, we can make messy mistakes. That’s why it says “all.” There isn’t an exception, because we are all naturally sinful beings when we aren’t keeping God in the center of our lives.
So what now? Do we just settle for being sinful? No way! There is hope. The verse states that we are justified by His grace and that we can find redemption through Jesus. Being justified means to be made righteous in the sight of God. We’ve already established that we can’t be righteous on our own. Hence, why God sent his son Jesus to come die for us. We are redeemed, meaning we can be saved from our sins if we surrender to Jesus.
“Propitiation by his blood”
The punishment for sin is death. We are deserving of being on the cross, but Jesus took our place though he never once sinned. He made the ultimate sacrifice for the atonement of our sins.
How can God both be “just” and a “justifier?”
To be “just” is to act on what is morally right and fair. What’s fair is sending every sinner to hell. BUT He is also the justifier, meaning God gave a way out of hell, a pardon. A way through His son Jesus!
When reading these verses, I think of the song “Should’ve Been Me” by Citizen Way. It says “Should’ve been me, should’ve been us, should’ve been there hanging on a cross. All of this shame, all of these scars, should’ve been stains that were never washed….I guess it just leaves me saying thank God, leaves me saying thank God for the should’ve been.”
God, thank you for sending your son to die on the cross for our sins. We continuously fall short, but you keep freely giving us grace. It should’ve been us punished to death, yet you spared us. Thank you Lord for loving us despite our mistakes and for making us righteous. I pray that we share this good news and hope with others, so they no longer have to live in shame but can be justified and redeemed. We love you and pray all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Elise Jones