Romans 3

We now come to Romans chapter three. It seems like from this chapter all the way to Romans chapter eight we are given a wonderful picture, a grand presentation of all that God has done for His people. Romans 1 and 2 has shown us that man is under God's wrath, it is a wrath that punishes sin, and because we all are sinners we all fall under that wrath.  Romans 3 indeed, opens telling us that their is none righteous no not one. Not one person who has ever lived or will live does God count as righteous (except Jesus Christ). Humankind has a big, big, problem that is it has no righteousness that can appease God's wrath and turn it away.  But, what happens? God acts, God intervenes, God helps us. This is the gospel, the good news. God provides - that is the good news - God provides. Humans are under God's wrath because they are unrighteous, they are sinners. God provides righteousness, but it is not just any righteousness, it is His own righteousness.  The main point we should understand when we see God providing to save His people is that it displays two things : (1) the enormous separation that sin/unrighteousness places between sinners and God. The separation is not because of the level of sin that is done, the vastness of the separation is because of who God is - He infinite Glory, Majestic, Holiness has been assaulted, and because He is so weighty, so radiant in splendor and grandeur an eternal gap comes between the sinner and God. (2) God's providing for us also shows that we can not help ourselves. Sinners can not do anything that can bridge that vast separation between them and God. How can an unholy, wicked, finite creature do anything that a extremely holy and infinite God would, or could accept, there is nothing, sinners can do to appease God's wrath, and that means that all must go to hell. Sinners are hopeless and helpless, under the burden of their sin.

God, however has the last word. He provides His own righteousness to bride the gap that sin/unrighteousness created. We also must understand that that is the only righteousness that can bridge the vastness of our separation from God, again because of who God is.

Romans 3:22-24 :  The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 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.

Those are wonderful words for sinners to behold. Those words proclaim our freedom from the slavery of sin, from the wrath of God. Jesus Christ was 100% man and 100% God, as a man He was offered up in death as a sacrifice to God for all those who would believe, and as God He was able to bear an eternity of God's wrath and come out of it alive, justifying all those who the Father gave Him.

God presents to us clearly in the Bible the wrecthedness of sin, we tend to look at it from our perspective, all the cruelty, violence, rape, murder, abortion, hatred, and evil of every shade and degree that we see each day. And yet in spite of that, we can have a measure of peace and good, trusting in the Lord.

I must say that our assaults against God when we sin do not change God, He is unchangeable, we can not rock His throne, or diminish Him in anyway by what we do or do not do. He is God firmly settled in His eternal power and majesty. Satan who has much, much, more power than we do, was kicked out of heaven and doomed for hell after his assault on God's dominion.  We need to see that all that happens in the world, all the bad is a consequence of the world being a fallen world, a sinful world, and again, in spite of that we still see the beauty of creation, we still can enjoy fellowship with other Christians and we can have great moments of joy because we belong to Christ and seek to obey Him and please Him. God provides each and every day, His blessing are new each and every morning. He covers us in His righteousness, and nothing can get through without His purpose and will, and we need take it as His providing the means for us to grow up into Christlikeness.

We are thankful Father, that your plan of salvation is as firmly settled as your dominion over all of creation is. We are thankful that your righteousness covers us and that your wrath for us was taken by Christ, we are thankfull that your Spirit is in this fallen world, providing salvation, conviction of sin, blessings through painful experiences, soothing hearts that cry out to you for peace, forgiveness. We bow our hearts before your Majesty, Lord, knowing that your help is always just a prayer away. Keep our hearts aflame for your glory, in Jesus name we pray. Amen