Reading Plan:
Romans 3

Our Thoughts:
For people living in the 21st century, Romans 3:23 has to be one of the most offensive verses in the Bible -"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Sin, the first offensive word in this verse, implies that there is a standard, an absolute truth that everyone is accountable to, a standard that all have fallen short of. We live in a time when truth is relative and subjective to each person. No one wants to be told they are wrong and everyone wants to be right. Our culture has settled on the axiom that "your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth."
The apostle Paul boldly says this is not true! He says that God is the standard, that God sets the standard for everyone, and that no one meets His standard. This, then, is the second offensive word - God. If there is a standard, absolute truth, there has to be someone who established that truth - God.
You can see how this verse causes a lot of frustration and anger. No one wants to be told they are wrong. Maybe this verse causes you to feel frustrated or angry. Maybe acknowledging this truth is what keeps you from following Jesus. If so, let's think about this truth (God is perfect; I am not) together.
Have you ever fallen short of someone else's standard? Maybe a parent's standard? A teacher's standard? A friend's standard? My guess is you probably have. I know I have!
Have you ever fallen short of your own standard? Maybe a New Year's Resolution? A goal of some sort? You were only going to eat one Oreo and now the whole sleeve is gone! Again, my guess is you probably have. I know I have! (The Oreo example is a personal story.)
If you have standards and have fallen short of them and others have standards that you've fallen short of, then if there is a God, don't you think you might have fallen short of His standard?
You see, believing there is absolute truth (a standard) is not so far-fetched. Believing then, that there is a God who established absolute truth is not so far-fetched. Falling short of that standard? Well, that's not so far-fetched either. We often fail to meet our own standards or measure up to the standards of others. What makes us think we can keep the standards of a perfect, righteous God?
Perhaps this is the reason we fight against absolute truth - we know we could never measure up or be good enough, be perfect. So, we create our own version of truth, set our own standards to live by. And without absolute truth, we will always be aiming at a moving target.
But Paul doesn't stop with the gloom and doom in the first part of this verse. He continues by saying that despite our sin and inability to measure up, "we are justified freely by his (God's) grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ."
This is the beauty of the Gospel. We do not have to be perfect to be made right with God. The same God who established the ultimate standard, gave his one and only son so that we might be justified (made right). You see, righteousness comes through Jesus Christ. He is the only one who could ever meet God's standard, and He did so on our behalf. Christ's death on the cross paid the price for our sin. For all have sinned, but God made a way for all to be saved! In another letter, Paul says it this way, "He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21).
Acknowledging we do not and could never measure up, actually frees us up! Jesus' sacrifice on the cross makes us right before God. This absolute truth opens the door for us to experience and rest in God's grace (rather than on effort).

More Questions:
What do you think causes us to struggle to admit when we are wrong?
Have you come to a place in your life where you recognized your need for a savior?

Prayer:
Father, thank you for giving your son so that I can live in a right relationship with you. Thank you that my salvation is about what Jesus did and not what I do. Help me to rest in your grace when I am tempted to depend on my own works. Thank you for your truth that guides me daily and grace and forgiveness for when I miss the mark.

Author: Gray Strickland