"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 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, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:19-26
Can anyone be saved by doing good works? by living a good life? by obeying God's commandments? What does God say in His Word?
Consider the Scriptures quoted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:10-18:
"There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one."
"Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit";
"The poison of asps is under their lips";
"Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
And the way of peace they have not known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
The Bible makes clear the fact that all people have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (v.23). Not a single one of us can be saved on the basis of our own life or works.
It is as the Bible tells us: "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
How then can we be saved? God, in His Word, gives us the answer: "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe" (v.21-22).
There is a way to be counted righteous in God's eyes for those who have sinned and do not measure up to God's perfect law. It is a way to be saved apart from our own perfect obedience to all of God's holy commandments. It is a way described in the Old Testament Scriptures, as well as the New. It is "the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe." It is righteousness imputed to those who trust in Christ Jesus and His holy life and in His innocent sufferings and death on the cross in our stead.
And it is a way of salvation available to all people. "For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ..." All have sinned and have come short, and Christ died and made atonement for all -- that God might be just in forgiving the sins of those who trusted in Christ before He came into this world and also in forgiving the sins of those who now look to Him in faith for pardon and forgiveness (cf. v.23-26).
The only way to be justified, forgiven and accepted by God is through faith in Christ Jesus "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, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
Are we righteous before God on the basis of God's law? No, we've all come short and stand guilty and condemned by God's law! Can we still be righteous in God's sight? Yes, through faith in Christ's perfect obedience to God's law in our stead and in His blood shed for us on the cross!
God, grant us such faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. To freely read more of Moll's devotions, visit. https://www.goodshepherdonline.org. Moll may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.]