NT Fire Starters – Day 208: Romans 3:1-31
READ: Romans 3:1-31
THINK: The fact that most people choose not to trust God doesn’t diminish the fact that He’s proven to be completely trustworthy (v. 3). All people have an innate tendency to distrust, disregard and defy God. Left to ourselves, none of us would ultimately choose to do right by God’s standard. But God, in His infinite mercy, hasn’t left us enslaved to this condition. Through the personal sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, God has made a way for us to enter a right relationship with himself and to fulfill His ultimate purpose for our individual lives. Jesus’ sacrifice completely satisfied God’s justice and completely provides for your forgiveness and eternal life–if you completely trust Him.
RESPOND: How does our unrighteousness bring out God’s righteousness more clearly (v. 5)? In what way are “all under sin”? (See 3:9 note.) The fact that “there is no one righteous” tells us what about human nature? (See 3:10-18 note.) What does it mean to have “no fear or God” (v. 18) and how does that contribute to people’s persistently sinful condition? (See 3:18 note.) In what way does God’s law make us aware of sin (i.e., our own God-defying nature, v. 20)? What is the “righteousness from God,” and how can a person receive it? (See 3:21 note.) What kind of faith is this passage referring to? (See 3:22 note.) What does it mean to be “justified freely by his [God’s} grace”? (See 3:24 note.) What’s the significance of Jesus’ blood in terms of how it provides a way for us to be restored to a right relationship with God? (See 3:25 note.) What provisions did Jesus make for us by His sacrificial death? How did Jesus’ death demonstrate God’s justice? (See 3:25 note, sub-points 3-6.) How did it demonstrate His mercy? Why can’t anyone boast about how they are saved spiritually (v. 27-28)? Does the fact that we receive spiritual salvation through faith make following God’s law unnecessary and obsolete? Why or why not? (See 3:31 note.)
PRAY: Give God thanks for His laws and standards that make you aware of your sin and your need for His forgiveness. Thank Jesus for providing that forgiveness and a fresh start with God by dying in your place.
ACT: Sometime today review the 3:25 note. It deals with some deep concepts regarding Jesus’ sacrifice, but it will give you a better understanding of what He provides for all who entrust their lives to Him. Practice how you would explain to someone in practical terms what Jesus has done and how they can receive His gifts of forgiveness and eternal life.