Author: Will

Romans 3:27 – No Bragging Rights

Posted on by Will

Then where is the boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? Of works? No, but through a law of faith.

Truth to Learn

Salvation through faith in the blood of Christ is nothing to brag about.

 

Behind the Words

“Boasting” is from kauchēsis, which refers to the act of bragging or boasting.

The Greek word translated “excluded” is ekkleiō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and kleiō, meaning “to shut.” Therefore, this word literally means “to shut out.” In other words, something has no chance of coming in whatsoever. In sports, we refer to a team as having been “shut-out” if they have been beaten without having scored a single point.

The words “what kind of” are translated from the Greek word poios, which means “of what sort” or “what kind.”

“Law” is translated from nomos, which refers to “a law” or “a principle.” Paul is using it here, as he does in many places, in reference to a principle rather than a specific law.

The word “no” is from the Greek word ouchi, which is a stronger form of the word ou, meaning “no” or “not.” We might translate this as “No way!”

 

Meaning Explained

The apostle now goes on to cement in the minds of the Roman Christians that their salvation is not of themselves through acts of righteousness, but completely through the actions of God. He starts off this verse by asking where any of us can find room for boasting. There is nothing to boast about in having been granted righteousness. Since all have sinned and have failed at being able to justify themselves by obeying the Law, and since all are alike, dependent on the mercy of God, any reason for bragging is, of course, taken away. It is shut out.

That’s what Paul is telling us about boasting or bragging with regard to our salvation. There is no way we can brag about our salvation because bragging has been shut-out!

This boasting is not shut-out by the law of works, but by the law of faith. By this Paul means that we cannot be justified by performing any works no matter how unselfish or self-sacrificing they are. We cannot be justified by keeping the 10 commandments, and we cannot be justified by obeying all the rules or ordinances set-down for us by our church. We simply cannot be justified by this kind of law. In other words, there is nothing we can do to earn righteousness, nothing! It can only come through faith.

Back in verse twenty-two we learned that faith (Greek pistis) means “belief in a truth.” But what does Paul mean by “the law of faith?” This is not a written law or set of commandments, but a principle. The principle here is, “believing in a truth.” That is, the truth that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God who, while completely God, is completely man. The truth that He lived a perfect life, then offered His life as a sacrifice in payments for your sins and mine.

 

Application

It’s easy to boast about all the things we have done to earn something, but salvation can’t be earned. It requires humility to accept salvation and become a Christian. It can’t be bragged about. A humble person doesn’t brag about his humility.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:26 – His Righteousness

Posted on by Will

to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Truth to Learn

God’s plan of salvation draws attention to His righteousness.

 

Behind the Words

The word, “demonstrate” if translated from endeixis, which refers to “the act of pointing something out, especially with the finger.” Thus, it implies drawing attention to something.

“Righteousness” is from dikaiosunē, meaning “the characteristic of always doing what is right (see Romans 3:21).

The phrase “at the present time” is from en tō nun kairō, which literally means “at the now time.” In other words, “right now.”

The word “just” is from dikaios, meaning “someone who does what is right.” This word could be translated “righteous.”

“Justifier” is from dikaioō, meaning “to make someone righteous.”

 

Meaning Explained

At the end of the previous verse we said that the purpose of the entire plan of salvation is to glorify God. Today’s verse tells us how God will be glorified in the plan of salvation. You will recall that we said God can “pass-by” our sins because they will be “covered” by the blood of Christ.

The result of His passing-by our sins is that His righteousness is on display right now. The translation “that He might be just” is unfortunate in that it makes it appear that God might be just, but he might not. That’s not what the Greek text says. A better translation would be “resulting in His being righteous.”

You see, God cannot ignore sin, he must judge it and exact payment for it. The blood of Christ is the payment for our sins and is sprinkled as a covering over our sins. Because this payment is made, God can pass-by our sins and still be doing what is right. It means He is righteous in forgiving our sins.

Now, here’s the best part of this verse, “and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Do you see what that says? Not only is God proven to be righteous by his plan of salvation and the “passing-by” of our sins covered by the blood of Christ, but in doing so He actually is “justifying” us. That is, at the time of our salvation God declares that we are righteous (just like He is). This means that in His record book we are credited with having kept the law and never having committed a single sin. We are declared righteous!

Remember what Paul said back in verse 20? “Therefore by the works of law no flesh will be justified in His presence, for through the law is the knowledge of sin.” We cannot become righteous by keeping the law, but we can be declared righteous by believing in the blood of Jesus Christ. God’s plan of salvation for us is a perfect plan because it provides a way for Him to judge sin and forgive the sinner. Wow! Praise be to God!

 

Application

These last couple of verses are very complex, but they demonstrate how perfect God’s plan of salvation really is. He has found a way to judge sin but forgive the sinner. You are a sinner. Do you believe in the blood of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins? If not, then you are a sinner who will be judged!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:25 – Covered by The Blood

Posted on by Will

whom God set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood as a demonstration of His righteousness, because in His forbearance God passed by the sins that were previously committed,

Truth to Learn

God will pass by our sins covered by the blood of Christ.

 

Behind the Words

The words “set forth” are from the Greek word proetheto, meaning “to place in public view” or “to exhibit conspicuously.”

“Propitiation” is translated from hilastērion, meaning “to make favorably inclined, to conciliate, or to appease.” The only other use of this word in the New Testament is in Hebrews 9:5, where it is rendered “mercy seat.” The use of this word in the Septuagint most often refers to the mercy seat as well. Since the mercy seat is a covering of the Ark, where the blood was sprinkled, it refers to a covering of our sins.

The word “forbearance” is translated from anoche, which refers to “self restraint.”

“Passed by” is from paresin. This word is made up of para, meaning “beside” and a form of hiēmi, meaning “to send.” The most basic meaning of this word, therefore, is “to pass by.” This word is not used anywhere else in the entire Bible.

 

Meaning Explained

This is one of the most power-packed verses in the New Testament. The verse starts off with “whom,” a reference to Jesus Christ. Paul says that He was “set forth” or put on public display as “a propitiation.” As we noted above, this is the word that is used of the mercy seat, which is the covering of the Ark of the Covenant in the Jewish temple. The mercy seat is where the sacrificial blood was sprinkled once a year by the high priest to atone for (that is, to cover) the sins of the people. And this is where God was reconciled to His people on the Day of Atonement every year. Jesus Christ has become our mercy seat and His blood has atoned for (covered) our sins.

 Paul is now telling us that it is through our faith in the blood of Christ that this covering of our sins occurs. And, he is telling us that the purpose of the atonement, the covering of our sins, is to declare the righteousness of God because He passes by our sins. Because He passes by these sins, He does not take them into account because they are covered by the blood of Christ.

Paul says the sins that He passes by are the sins that were previously committed. That doesn’t mean that only the sins of the people who had lived up until the Cross were covered. The point where He will “pass by” sins is at the Day of Judgment (for us, the Bema Seat Judgment). At that point in time all of our sins will have been committed in the past, and through the atoning work of the blood of Christ, He will pass by them.

So this verse is telling us that it is our faith in the blood of Christ exhibited on the cross that will allow God to pass by our sins, thus declaring His righteousness in us, which He credits to our account.

 

Application

The whole purpose of the plan of salvation is to glorify God. So let us do just that. Let us give Him the praise and the glory for it all, with thanksgiving! He is worthy.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:24 – Free Righteousness

Posted on by Will

being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Truth to Learn

Through faith in Jesus Christ we are declared to be righteous.

 

Behind the Words

“Being justified” is translated from dikaioō. This is based on dikaios, which as we saw in verse ten means “meeting God’s standard of always doing what is right.” The oō ending of a verb generally indicates “bringing out something about a person.” The verb is expressed here in the passive voice indicating action done to someone. So, this word means that someone is being declared righteous.

The word translated “freely” is dorean, an adverb based on the noun dorea, which refers to “a gift.” Hence, dorean means “gratuitously” or “as a free gift.”

“Grace” is translated from charis, which refers to “a favor done without expectation of anything in return.”

The word “redemption” is translated from apolutrōsis, which is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from or away from” and a form of lutron, which means “a ransom that is paid for someone.” It denotes the rescuing of captives (sinners) from captivity (sin) through the payment of a ransom (Christ’s blood) for them.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul now continues on his statement of justification by faith, declaring to us that even though we are all sinners and have come short of God’s glory, we can be declared righteous (justified). Since we are all sinners, we need to be redeemed. So what does this mean? The fact that Paul used apolutrōsis instead of simply lutron implies that not only was a ransom paid for us (the blood of Jesus Christ) but, having paid that ransom, He also took us away from the captor (sin).

Here’s a deeper explanation of what this verse says.

Because of the faith spoken of in verse 22, because we believed in the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, even though we are sinners, we are justified (declared righteous by God) freely (without payment on our part, simply as a gift) by God’s grace (a favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God) through the ransom that was paid for us by Jesus Christ (His blood), and we have been taken out of our captivity to sin.

Wow! Read that again!

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul said almost the same thing in a slightly different way:

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

 

Application

Paul has shown us that there is no way we could earn the righteousness that we need to stand before Almighty God. He has also shown us that we can obtain that righteousness for free, simply by believing in the blood of Christ.

If that doesn’t drive us to our knees in praise and adoration, nothing will!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:23 – Sinners All

Posted on by Will

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Truth to Learn

Every one of us has committed sin. As a result, we don’t meet God’s reputation.

 

Behind the Words

“All” is translated from a form of the Greek word pas, which means “all, the totality, the whole.” It does not mean generically all (all peoples) but specifically all (all people, every one).

The word translated “fall short of” is hustereō, which means “to be behind or under either in place or time.” What Paul is saying is, because of our sins we don’t have the same glory as God and, therefore, are not worthy to be in His presence.

“Glory” is translated from doxa, which primarily means “thought or opinion, especially favorable human opinion, and thus in a secondary sense it refers to reputation.”

 

Meaning Explained

We left the previous verse having declared that God’s righteousness is only given through faith in Jesus Christ and it is given to all who believe. It is this faith, believing whole heartedly in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross as a substitutionary payment for our sins, which causes God to declare us righteous.

But what does the phrase, “For there is no difference,” mean? In our study of the previous verse we showed that the Greek word that this is translated from is diastolē, meaning “a distinct difference.” Paul has been talking to the Jewish Christians in Rome who were still putting their hope in their righteousness obtained from obeying the Law. But Paul has shown them that there is no righteousness obtained by obeying the Law. The Law only produces sinfulness. He has shown that this sinfulness applies to all, both Jew and Gentile. All have gone out of God’s way and have become sinful by following their own path. Paul’s closing phrase in the previous verse coupled with this verse shows that he is talking about the fact that there is no difference, no distinction, between the righteousness of Jews and Gentiles.

The reason that there is no distinction between the righteousness of Jews and Gentiles is, “for all have sinned.” In other words, Paul is saying that every person on the earth (except for Jesus Christ) has committed sin and, therefore, is unrighteous. And, because each and every one of us has sinned, we fall short of God’s glory. That is, we don’t measure up to God’s reputation. You may recall that in verse ten we learned that we are all unrighteous. That is, we don’t measure up to God’s standard.

Recognizing this fact about ourselves is the first step in what has come to be called the Romans Road to Salvation. In order to be saved a person must first recognize their need for salvation and they need it because they are a sinner.

 

Application

According to the Apostle Paul you are a sinner, not “were a sinner” but “are a sinner.” Because of this fact you don’t measure up to God’s standard or God’s reputation; you are unrighteous. But, you can be declared righteous and measure up, through faith in Jesus Christ. You may be a sinner, but you can be saved through faith in Christ.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:22 – Through Faith

Posted on by Will

and the righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ, toward all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Truth to Learn

You can’t earn righteousness, but you can receive it.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “faith” is the Greek word pistis. This is derived from the verb peithō, which means “to persuade” or “to win over.” Therefore, pistis describes the result of having been won over or persuaded. In other words, it means “faith, conviction, or belief in a truth.”

The expression “of God” is a translation of the word Theou, which can mean either “of God” or “from God.” Hence, we can say that the righteousness that comes by faith belongs to God and He gives it to those who believe.

“Difference” is from the Greek word diastolē, which is derived from the verb diastellō, meaning “to separate” or “to set apart.” Diastolē represents the state after the action, in other words, “a distinct difference.” In 1Corinthians 14:7 this word is used to describe distinctly different sounds of a musical instrument.

 

Meaning Explained

The righteousness needed to stand guiltless before the Judge of the entire world cannot be obtained by obeying a set of rules, no matter how perfect those rules are and no matter how sincere we are or how hard we try. The Old Testament has declared that all of us are sinners. None of us is righteous, no not even one of us; not me, not you, not your pastor, not even the Apostle Paul. I like the way the prophet Isaiah said it:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy rag; we all fade like a leaf, and like the wind our sins take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

In yesterday’s verse Paul introduced a new concept, one that isn’t really new, for it was written about in the Old Testament. Namely, it is possible to obtain the righteousness of God, but it is obtained totally apart from the Law. We can’t become righteous by obeying all the rules or by doing good deeds.

This new doctrine of “justification by faith” is now plainly declared by Paul. There is righteousness apart from the Law, “the righteousness of God,” but this righteousness comes “through faith in Jesus Christ.” That is to say, we can’t earn the righteousness necessary to meet God’s standard of behavior, but we can receive it from God by believing in Jesus Christ.

Paul also tells us that this righteousness by faith is granted to everyone who believes. You don’t have to be born into the right family. You don’t have to be a member of a church. You don’t have to take religion classes. You don’t have to be wealthy. All you have to do is believe.

We will talk about the last phrase of this verse when we talk about the next verse, with which it rightly belongs.

 

Application

Do you want to stand before the Judge of the earth with the same righteousness as Jesus Christ? You can! And, you don’t have to earn it. You certainly don’t deserve it. Nonetheless, you can have that righteousness, through faith in Jesus Christ.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:21 – Righteousness Without Works

Posted on by Will

But now a righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Truth to Learn

There is a righteousness, which the Old Testament declared, that does not result from obeying all the rules.

 

Behind the Words

“Righteousness” is from the Greek word dikaiosunē, a form of dikaios, which we looked at back in verse ten. Dikaios refers to “meeting God’s standard of behavior.” The sunē ending means that this is the characteristic of someone who has met that standard. That is, someone who has obtained “righteousness.”

The word translated “revealed” is phaneroō, which is derived from the verb phainō, meaning “to shine the light on” or “to cause to appear.” Therefore, phaneroō means “to make something apparent” or, as it is translated here, “to reveal.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, indicating an action that occurred in the past, but with an ongoing effect, the emphasis being on the ongoing effect.

“Being witnessed” is translated from a form of martureō, from which we get our English word “martyr.” This word means “to be a witness.” Throughout the history of the church, during times of persecution many people have forfeited their lives because of their faith in Christ. We refer to these people as martyrs because their death was the witness of their faith.

 

Meaning Explained

In the last verse we said that no one is righteous before God by obeying a set of rules, period. This would have come as a major affront to any devout Jew whether they had become a Christian or not. To them, obeying the Law was how anyone became acceptable to God.

Now Paul is about to introduce the doctrine of justification by faith, but he had to show first that justification couldn’t come any other way. He says that the only true righteousness, the righteousness of God (or from God), a righteousness not resulting from obeying the Law, has already been revealed. Not only has it already been revealed but it has been witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets.

Paul is telling these Jewish Christians that their own Scriptures have testified against them and declared them all to be sinners. Also, he is telling them that the Scriptures have testified about a true type of righteousness which only comes from God.

In the next verse Paul is going to tell us that righteousness can only come by faith. He will also show that it’s not just any kind of faith and not faith in just anything.

And in the coming chapters of this letter, Paul will illustrate how the Old Testament declared and witnessed to this saving faith apart from the Law. He will use Abraham as his primary example and will show how Abraham was not justified (declared righteous) by God because he was obedient, rather he was declared righteous because he believed the message that God gave to him. Here’s one verse that Paul will quote from:

And he believed in the LORD, and He credited it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

Abraham was not righteous because of any works he did. He was righteous because God declared him to be so.

 

Application

Do you want to stand before God as a righteous person? If so, then God must declare you to be righteous. He will only do that if you believe the truth about Jesus Christ; He is the Son of God and He died on the cross to pay for your sins.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:20 – Good Deeds

Posted on by Will

Therefore by the works of law no flesh will be justified in His presence, for through the law is the knowledge of sin.

Truth to Learn

No one can do enough good deeds to be saved.

 

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from the Greek word dioti, which is a compound word made up of dia, meaning “through” or “by” and hoti, which means “that.” Hence, dioti basically means “through that, because of that, or for this reason.”

The word “works” is from ergon which means “a product of labor, a work, or a deed.”

The word translated “flesh” is sarx, which literally means “flesh of a living creature.” It is used here to denote all of mankind, both Jew and Gentile.

“Justified” is from dikaioō, which means “to declare someone righteous” or “to make someone righteous.”

The phrase “in His presence” is translated from enōpion. This is another compound word. It is made up of en, indicating a static position (in, on, over, etc.) and ops (a derivation of optomai – to see) which refers to “sight” or “eyes.” So, literally this word means “in His sight,” though it is often translated “before Him” or “in His presence.”

The word translated “knowledge” is the Greek word epignosis, which means more than simply knowing something. It means “to recognize and understand something” or “to have full knowledge of something.”

 

Meaning Explained

Remember that whenever we see a “wherefore” or a “therefore” we need to see what it’s there for. In the previous verse we learned that the Law was given so that all those who tried to obey the Law would be found guilty before God without excuse. Therefore, that is, in light of this fact, because of this… “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His presence.” 

What Paul is saying is that justification before God cannot be obtained by obeying any set of rules no matter who made the rules. Why? Because it is through rules (Law) that we recognize sin and sinfulness.

If you recall the account of the temptation of Adam and Eve, up until God gave them the command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were without sin. If they had eaten of the tree before they were told not to, they would not have been sinning; but due to the fact that they had been commanded not to, it suddenly became sinful to do so.

What Paul is telling us in these verses is that we cannot become righteous by following any set of rules, whether God-made or man-made. How then can one become righteous before God? Is it impossible? Paul is going to begin telling us in the next two verses.

 

Application

Just because we can’t be declared righteous through doing good deeds doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do them. We ought to do them out of obedience and gratitude. In other words, we can’t be saved by doing good deeds, but once we are saved, we should do them because we want to, not because we have to.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:19 – Guilty!

Posted on by Will

Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be guilty before God.

Truth to Learn

None of us can live without breaking the rules, not even one.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “guilty” is hupodikos, a compound word made up of hupo (hypo), meaning “under” and a form of dike, which means “judgment.” Hence, it means “under judgment, guilty, or condemned.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul is talking to the Jewish Christians in Rome who were proud of the fact that they were descendants of Abraham and proud of the fact that the Law and the Prophets (the Old Testament) had been entrusted to the Jews. They were believers in Christ, but they still believed they needed to obey the Law.

Paul has just completed a number of quotations from their Scriptures which clearly show that all men are sinners; no one is righteous in God’s sight. The logical argument from a devout Jew would be that they are righteous because they obey the Law. Paul understood that attitude; he felt the same way before his conversion. Here’s what he said about himself:

I am indeed a Jew, having been born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, having been taught according to the exactness of the law of our fathers, being a zealous one of God as all you are today. (Acts 22:3)

Gamaliel was a Pharisee, one of the ruling Sanhedrin, a Doctor of the Law, and honored by all the people as one of the greatest teachers of his time. So you can see that Paul was well aware of the attitude that would pervade those devout Jews even after they became Christians.

Therefore, he now shows them why their reliance on obedience to the Law is pointless. Those things that are delineated by the Law are spoken to those who try to obey the Law for one reason,

that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be guilty before God.

In other words, Paul is saying that the purpose of the Law is to condemn all those who try to keep the Law. “But that doesn’t make sense,” you may say. “Why would God give the Law to mankind knowing that no one could keep the Law?” Paul will answer that question in the next few verses.

For now I want us all to recognize that none of us is righteous by keeping all the regulations and requirements of whatever church we belong to. Churches today have become very much like the Pharisees of Christ’s time. They imply that you have to obey all the rules and requirements of The Church, become a member, get baptized a certain way, say the right kind of prayers, or worship the proper way, and God will usher you into heaven because you’ve done the right things.

Paul says that’s baloney!

 

Application

Are you relying on following all the rules of your church or keeping the Ten Commandments in order to get to Heaven? If so, Paul says you’re in for a big shock when you stand before God on the Day of Judgment.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:18 – Fear God

Posted on by Will

There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Truth to Learn

It is good to fear God.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “fear” is the Greek word “phobos” from which we get the English term “phobia.” It means, as it has been translated, “fear” plain and simple.

“Before” is from apenanti, which is a double compound word made up of apo, meaning “from,” en, which refers to a fixed position (in, at, on, over, etc.), and anti, meaning “against” or “opposite.” A literal translation might be “from over against,” it is an idiomatic expression meaning “directly in front of.”

 

Meaning Explained

This verse is the last in a series of quotes that Paul makes from the Septuagint. This one comes from Psalms 36:1. Paul uses this to show a third result of rejecting God. He has already mentioned two of the results to expect when one has turned out of God’s way and has gone his(or her) own way; destruction and misery are in their pathway, and they have not known a pathway of peace. He now states the third: they don’t fear God. That is, they are not afraid of meeting up with God on the pathway they have chosen.

“But,” you may say, “I thought that God was a God of love and compassion. Why should anyone fear Him?”

Yes, He is a loving and compassionate God, but He is also a God of justice, which means that He will judge sin because He must. Jesus also taught that we should fear God. Here’s what he said according to Matthew’s gospel account:

And do not fear those killing the body but not being able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him being able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Throughout the Old Testament we see the expression “the fear of the Lord” used to describe those who recognize His exalted position and their own lowly position. To a Christian, the fear of God is an expression of awe and reverence for who He is and what He has done. According to Scripture both knowledge and wisdom begin with the fear of the Lord:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge  (Proverbs 1:7a)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom  (Psalms 111:10)

Those who have no fear of our almighty, righteous God are not restrained from committing sin. It also means that they won’t submit themselves to Him and they won’t receive His free gift of salvation offered at the cross. As a result, at the Great White Throne judgment (the judgment of unbelievers) they will be judged for their sins and they will be cast into the lake of fire; no ifs, ands, or buts! Throughout this entire passage Paul is saying that this is the destiny of all men who reject God’s grace. There is none righteous, not even one (not even you).

 

Application

If we fear God and we have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior then we know that His wrath against our sins has been satisfied at the cross. That doesn’t mean that we should fear Him any less. Rather, out of reverential fear we should humbly submit to Him, seeking His will rather than our own. Or, as Solomon said,

Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved