Romans 3:3-18
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:
“So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge.”
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is 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.”
Kurt Holm
The Creek Covenant Church – Walnut Creek
Observation: Lord, I’m reminded that none of us are innocent of unfaithfulness or sinfulness; there is no way around it, no way to minimize it, no way to rationalize it.
Action: Lord, I will not take Your grace for granted today. I will name my “respectable sins” (those that are socially acceptable) and turn from them. Thank You that my faithlessness cannot cancel your faithfulness.
Observation: this phrase – “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” I am reminded I actually hear in conversation put this way, “If there was no evil we would not know what good was, evil is necessary for good to be seen.” It strikes me as the way it was in the Garden. Everything was good, but one thought what was not known would make all better. It was a lie.
Action: Today as you speak things to me – I will not compare or test – I will just say, “Yes.” I really don’t need to prove You are good. I really don’t need to win a personal rational argument with myself to observe You are good. Today I will simply say Yes.
Observation: God is God and I am not. I am worthy of His judgement and yet He abounds in grace and forgiveness.
Action: Today I will thank God continually for His grace and for making a way back to Him through Christ.
Observation: Without Jesus I am a “no one”; no one righteous, no one who understands, no one who seeks God, no one who does good.
Action: I will take time to thank God for all he has done to make me a someone with Jesus, his very own child. Thank You Jesus!!!
My God given brain tries desperately to figure it all out – inspiring debates/questions as above in Romans.
I’m reminded
“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
I am not His by way of a reached understanding or rationalization; I am His.
Maybe the concept of partnership with God in what He’s doing in His world always tends to drift towards the framework through which we understand our human partnerships and we get a little too big for our intellectual britches so to speak. But Christ, who we are aiming to become like through sanctification, did not consider equality with God something he should concern himself with.
Father, help me to submit more of myself to the refining process of becoming more like Your son; spending less time idling in thought about how it all works and more time practicing trust that You’re working for the good of me who loves You.