Romans 3:21-26

It really doesn't get much better than that, does it? I love this passage...such a great way to start out the day!!!

What is the main point of the passage? The main point of this passage is everything!!! It is what our future hope depends on. The problem: ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...every one of us. It started with Adam and Eve - they chose to throw away the glory of God that had been created in to them...every one of us has followed suit since then. So God being infinitely patient and just, chose not to destroy every living human...instead He waited for the perfect time to personally step into human history. Jesus came and lived out the glory of God in the flesh...He made himself the atoning sacrifice for our sins, so now ALL who believe will be made righteous through his death. ALL...isn't that such a glorious word here!!! ALL sinned and now ALL who believe will be forgiven. Thank you God for this powerful reminder today.

What part of this passage speaks most deeply to you? Is it cheating to say the whole thing? I have pretty good company on this one...Martin Luther (yeah, that one) considered this to be the central passage of the entire Bible! I think if anything really jumped out at me the most, it would be verse 22, where Paul writes, "...the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe for there is no distinction." No matter who you are...no matter what you have done...if you are willing to admit that you cannot save yourself and believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ...you will be made righteous...you will be saved! Such a comforting and powerful verse!

What kind of questions do you have about this passage? I don't really have any, but there was one thing I needed clarification on when I first started reading this verse years ago. What does the word propitiation mean (As used by the ESV)? It is a word that was borrowed from Greek language and culture...it literally meant "to turn away the anger of the gods." Greeks would sacrifice various things to their pagan gods in an effort to turn away the anger of gods that didn't exist. It is tragic to think that they were sacrificing and crying out to unmoving statues and changing nothing in their lives. However, Paul grabs hold of this word and redeems its meaning through the death of Jesus on the cross. God being purely good cannot do anything but go to war against evil...His very existence is the destroyer of evil. So God being patient and loving removed Himself from our presence so that we might one day be given the opportunity to once again be connected to Him through the salvation He was working out. God came to earth in the flesh as Jesus Christ, lived the perfect life (showed us what life is really supposed to look like) and then offered himself as the propitiation for our sins. He sacrificed himself to end the conflict between God and man. With our sins removed and righteousness given to us, we once again are able to enter into the presence of God and actually house the Spirit of God. Is that amazing or what?

What do these verses challenge you to do, and what steps do you need to take to follow through on that challenge? I am really challenged by verse 22 that I mentioned earlier. If this righteousness is made available to everyone who believes...then I have some work to do! Do I live every day of my life understanding that the people around me are being invited into this incredible relationship of freedom by God? Do I keep my eyes open and look for opportunities to share the truth of this amazing love to the people around me who desperately need it? I passed up on an opportunity to have a discussion about faith with a waiter the other day, because I was unsure of what he would think about my question to him (He had actually opened the door by saying he was "irreligious" - I wanted to ask why and didn't). If I truly take the truth of this passage seriously, I will not let something like sudden social anxiety keep me from trying to open a door for someone. Faith is truly backed up by the way we live our lives and I need to live out my faith more evidently.