“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”  

This week we are exploring what the Bible says about our condition before God as sinners. This begins with the Old Testament and carries through the New Testament. The Old Testament can be a daunting piece of literature for the new believer and therefore discarded as a source of deepening our relationship with God. Others will say that the New Testament is merely a commentary on the Old Testament.  But what if we looked at the two as complementary with Jesus as the common denominator, the One who is revealed in both as the Savior to come and as the Savior who will return to establish His kingdom?

With that context, let us consider Romans 3:20, our verse of the day, which speaks of the law. The Apostle Paul refers to the law as the revealer of our true stance before God. The Law of the Old Testament, for those who knew it, namely the Jews, condemns them because no one can keep the law perfectly. But what about those who don’t know of the law of the Hebrews? The verse preceding Romans 3:20 says this: “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 the whole world may be held accountable to God” (Romans 3:19).

All are accountable before God. Paul goes on to say in verse 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No one can escape the judgment of God. But as I mentioned earlier, Jesus is the revealer of the solution and IS the solution. Jesus is the righteousness that God requires. Even though the Law couldn’t save someone it does bear witness to the One who can through faith in Him (v. 22).

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I had the recent opportunity to speak about Jesus to a good friend of mine whom I’ve known for years. I simply asked, “Who is Jesus to you?” The response was immediate and not what I expected. The ensuing conversation lasted for over an hour as we went back and forth. Some of the discussion was about the Bible, some centered on what other religions said, and it finally settled on the conclusion that this friend of mine had found, what he considered, a spiritual conduit to God.

Interestingly enough, he recognized his unworthiness and the unworthiness of all people before a Holy God. Even though he rejected Jesus as the answer to this unworthiness, he did recognize the condition we discussed earlier that all have sinned. I hope the seeds that I planted will take root and the Holy Spirit will move him to consider Jesus against his own efforts to answer this dilemma.

We have opportunities to speak to people about Jesus, and we hold back sometimes because we think we must figure out where they’re at in their understanding of God before we can ask the question, “Who is Jesus to you?” I know that I want to have all the pieces put together so that I can have a logical and laid out plan to respond to their answer. The problem is that I can use that as an excuse to not ask the question.

The Bible tells us plainly what our condition is before a Holy God. Aside from Christ, sin tarnishes us now and stains forever. May that realization motivate us to gently and lovingly speak of Jesus to those whose sin traps them unknowingly. Love you, ACF!

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Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see the opportunities you place before me to share your good news of love and restoration. Remind me of the great gift you have given me, the gift of salvation, so that I might share it with others. Thank you for revealing yourself and for supplying my daily sustenance. In Your Mighty and Precious Name, I pray. Amen!

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