ALL FALL DOWN
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Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, fill my heart to overflowing with the truth of the gospel; help me to share its life-saving message with others.
Read ROMANS 3:9—20
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Romans
Romans 3
9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.
10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Reflect
Quietly repeat these words from Psalm 16:5 and let their truth seep into your soul. ‘Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.’I remember listening to a radio program in which a rather well-spoken woman was asked for her reaction to an evangelistic talk she had just heard. In a scandalized tone, she complained: ‘It was awful. He called me a hopeless sinner!’
Sin is not a popular word in today’s world. Today’s reading, however, allows no escape route. No one has lived a perfect life (v. 12), and consequently, no one has right standing before God (v. 10). There are undoubtedly many and various ways to fall short of the life God desires for us (vv. 13—18), but in one way or another, everyone has fallen.
Is it because people are bad? No. It’s because they are gripped by something bad: sin (v. 9). In the grip of this relentless, malicious power, ultimately, all people fall.
So, are we stuck? No! Spoiler alert: sin has been defeated. ‘For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin’ (Romans 6:6). Sinner? Definitely. Hopeless? Definitely not!
Apply
Make these hymn words your own prayer today: ‘I want the Spirit’s power within / Of love, and of a healthy mind / Of power to conquer inbred sin / Of Love for Thee and all mankind…’*
Closing prayer
Spirit of God, please help me to hear your voice; confirm the faith that has been given to me and inspire my heart to do God’s will with love and power.
*‘The Indwelling God’, Charles Wesley 1877
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