Romans 3:21-26
But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.
In today’s culture – especially in an election season – everyone is concerned about justifying themselves to anyone who might listen. We want to be listened to, we want to be in the right, and we want to prove ourselves to one another. In my household we have three girls competing for our attention who consistently want to convince my wife and I that it was not their fault that any particular wrong had been committed. And what is more, if justice is administered – boy do we hear it: “That’s not fair!”
Oddly, we as adults struggle in a similar way. When we talk about sin in our culture we can get bogged down in what is sin and what is not. We may even highlight a wrong and treat that sin differently than others. What I have learned over many years of ministry is that that is a grave mistake. If I am going to judge a particular sin more harshly, I first must consider any plank I have in my own eye ever realizing that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So often times when we sin we convince ourselves that we are unworthy and we may even convince ourselves that the action was not all that bad.
I wonder though if we haven’t gone about this all wrong. Although sin is harmful, what if it is actually designed to lead us to God’s kindness? What if our inability leads us to the Lord’s ability? What if our weakness is where He is made strong? The next time you find yourself struggling, facing tribulation, or even have found yourself to have already sinned may you realize that this does not define you. Accepting Christ Jesus as Lord is what defines you. He has already justified you. He lived the life we could not, died the death we deserved, but on the third day rose again. May we live into not just a future reality – but the current reality of being raised in Christ’s resurrection.
