Romans 3:23-24 Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives.
24 [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, Amplified Bible (AMP)
In yesterday's verse we considered how it was written in the Old Testament that there is "none righteous, no, not one". None of us, in our own power, through our own works, be able to stand before God in right standing because of what we have done. Today's verses from Romans 3 confirm this in that we have all sinned, fallen short, missed the mark of the honor and glory of God.
Left on our own, to ourselves in our power, this would be a hopeless situation. But, God's merciful, wonderful, matchless grace exceeds our sin and our guilt. Thanks be to God that there is grace, there is forgiveness and there is a righteousness, an ability to be in a right standing with God based on the work of Jesus Christ.
Of this grace, John Piper writes, "Grace is not only God's disposition to do good for us when we don't deserve it - undeserved favor. It is also a power from God that acts in our lives and makes good things happen in us and for us.....So grace is active, present, transformative, obedience enabling power. .... Therefore this grace which moves in power from God to you in a point of time is both past and future. It has already done something for you or in you and is therefore past. And it is about to do something in you and for you, and so it is future - both five seconds away and five million years away."
As the old hymn "Marvelous Matchless Grace" as "will you this moment His grace receive"? It is available to "all who believe" (v.22).
In Christ,
Mike
Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Romans 3:21-25
New King James Version (NKJV)
God's Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
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