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
In a world where we are constantly evaluated, for us to continually hear the gospel message of grace as in today's reading from Romans is a must. From a very early age we are measured and evaluated; it doesn't take long before we are able to offer those words of critique to ourselves, almost without being prompted. In so many ways, often times without even being aware of it, we are met with messages that seek to assess our worth through grades, relationships, body image, fashion, or even others' opinions. In this world, it is vital to hear a word of grace. Even as adults, we may have become so calloused that, if we do not hear a word of grace, soon even our self-talk becomes tainted with how we measure up. It is at times like this that I need to hear, "[we] are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." The final word for us is not all those other messages that seek to critique our worth, but God's Word of grace in Christ Jesus. We are enough because Jesus declares it to be so.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, surprise me with your presence and overwhelm me with your grace. Use me to proclaim a word of grace to others. Amen.