No Matter - Romans 3
Here we go with the 'they' thing again! Who is Paul talking about now?10 As the Scriptures say, "No one is good – not even one. 11 No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away from God; all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one." 13 "Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their speech is filled with lies." "The poison of a deadly snake drips from their lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "They are quick to commit murder. 16 Wherever they go, destruction and misery follow them. 17 They do not know what true peace is." 18 "They have no fear of God to restrain them."Paul is talking about everyone. In verse 10 he clarifies that he's talking about all of us - "No one is good." Knowing that, re-read the verses above. We (they) sound pretty hopeless.
But, are you ready for the good news? Look:
22 We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. 23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. 24 Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.I got chills when I read verse 22 when it said "no matter who we are or what we have done." YES!
So, Paul is trying to hammer the point into our thick skulls that only because of what Jesus Christ did, we can be saved. It's not complicated. It's not difficult to memorize. It's certainly not difficult to tell others about!
peace,
e
