Friday July 2, 2021

Heavenly Father – help me start today with a clear heart and a clear mind ready to receive your word in a brand new way today. Amen.

Romans 3:9-20

What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Our passage today brings to summation a major point that Paul is making to the Romans. Jews, Gentiles, all people are valuable, but no one is righteous alone. He quotes many texts from the Old Testament to show the depravity of the human condition in body, mind, and heart. This shows us that no matter what spiritual advantages we have and no matter how much we try to obey, we are all plagued by the corruption of the original sin. But there is good news in this. We have to understand how much we need to be saved in order to fully grasp the good news of our salvation! So take your sin to the throne of God, leave it there, and let it point you to Christ!

Closing Prayer
Spend some time reflecting on this passage and then pray this prayer:
Merciful God, I confess that I have not loved you with my whole heart. I have not done your will, I have broken your law, I have rebelled against your love, I have not loved my neighbors, and I have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive me. Free me for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Now hear this good news:
Chris died for you while you were yet a sinner.
That proves God’s love toward you.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

Lord, these are your words. This is our story. Help me live in a way that honors you today and everyday. Amen.