Romans 3:19-28 (NRSV)
Read Romans 3:19-28 on biblegateway.com
Verse 19Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. Verse 20For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Verse 21But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, Verse 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, Verse 23since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; Verse 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Verse 25whom 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; Verse 26it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Verse 27Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. Verse 28For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.
Devotion
I am an Eagle Scout and am proud that I accomplished that high rank in scouting. I am proud of it now as an adult, but as a youth it sometimes felt like a burden to live up to my parents' expectations. I was told that I had to do this to set a good example for my brothers and sister. When I was tired of working on merit badge after merit badge, and I wanted to quit, my parents kept pushing me further. It was their persistence, perhaps more than my will, that finally got me to the goal.
Earning the highest rank in scouting is no easy task. It was grueling, exhausting, and sometimes I just didn’t want to follow it through. How much more grueling would it be if we were required to earn our salvation? We all know what it took: the death of Christ. That is a price that is just too high for any of us to pay. I thank God, then, that Jesus paid it for us.
Now salvation is granted to us by grace through faith. We are not like scouts fulfilling pages and pages of requirements just to earn our ranks. What we have through Christ is a pure gift given by grace alone and through faith alone. There is nothing more to be added. There are no more requirements to be fulfilled. Christ has done it all for us. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
God of Grace, I give you thanks that you have accomplished for me what I could not accomplish myself. Grant me the faith to cling to the promise that all has been accomplished by Christ and salvation is mine by grace. Amen.