Righteousness and Faith

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Opening Prayer

Teach me, Lord, how to be confident without being arrogant, sensitive without being overwhelmed. I stand before You now.

Read Romans 3:9-20

^[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.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

Think Further

Paul’s argument uses the rhetorical device known as “diatribe,” raising the questions of imaginary hecklers and responding to them. Gentiles are without excuse (1:20). Moralists are without excuse (2:1). And the Jews are just as guilty. After fulminating against the sins of others, Paul turns the table on the Jews, stringing together a number of quotations from their own Scriptures (linked by a theme of corrupted body parts) to bring home to them that they, too, are without excuse (19). He uses the technique also used by the prophet Amos (see Amos 1:3—2:5), and by Jesus in his parables, of inviting us to criticize others before we realize that in so doing we have criticized ourselves. His message punctures our pride.

We may get an interesting glimpse here of what went on in places like Athens. Paul was well equipped to debate with their leaders. Not only did he possess the debating skills, but he could also draw on his own experience as an ardent Jew. He was well aware of the many privileges he enjoyed as a Jew but, whereas in his former life under Judaism he had relied on his credentials, now that he knew Christ he regarded them as liabilities. They stood in the way of his identifying with the Christ who loved him and gave himself for him (Gal. 2:19,20).

Now the covenant justice of God has been displayed in and through Jesus Christ. Pleasing God is no longer a matter of keeping the Law. A completely new “law” has come into existence. Moreover, it has done so while God, acting through Jesus, has remained faithful to the Old Covenant. The New Covenant is for everyone, both Jew and Gentile, providing a new start for everyone, since God is one.

Apply

Are you pressing on to win the prize (Phil. 3:13,14)? What might you have to consider “loss” to know Christ better?

Closing prayer

Loving Father, thank You that the ground at the foot of the cross is level. Thank You that I can be made new in Christ.

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