Help me do this.
Level playing fields, no boasting except in what Jesus did for us. We have a FREE way to heaven! How amazing and wonderful is our God! He made this whole way for us to heaven without becoming unjust or unloving or unmerciful. His GRACE overflows. Wow. Now we have the ability and power and freedom to follow Him and His law. Yesssssss. Overwhelming.
Love,
Romans 3:21-31
Can I just start this off with saying that this has so much Christianese, it could only be the Bible?
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, Thank goodness, I was "hoping" it wouldn't all be doom and gloom because the law can't save us...
to which the Law and the Prophets testify. and this is why my dad is a Christian. There's an awesome website that looks into this. I haven't personally looked into it as much as I would like, but... there you go.
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. That is about as simple as it gets. Awesomeness.
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Paul is really laying it on thick that there is NO ONE righteous. We are all in the same boat. And it's sinking. But Jesus is our Coast Guard? haha.
and are justified freely (freely!) by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. If we have faith in Jesus' blood--that it paid our sin and assuaged God's wrath, then we are REDEEMED!!! Thank you God.
He did this to demonstrate his justice, Wow, you'd think it would more show his MERCY than his JUSTICE! But I think it's cool that Paul says that.
because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— (Delayed justice) he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just (God is just, he can't delay that forever--but he showed his justice in a merciful way) and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (He justifies us. He takes that justice and made it so that it would be to our advantage, if we trust in Jesus).
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. There is no way any of us can boast, because it was all done for us. All we have to do is take it. We can't boast in that, not in the least bit. There's no better or worse, it's an even playing field.
On what principle? On that of observing the law? Boasting is excluded, because we observe the law? That doesn't really make sense, because if we can observe the law, it's by our own endeavors. If we could get to heaven by works, there would be boasting, because it would be up to us. So:
No, but on that of faith. I suppose you could try to boast because you believe Jesus, but it would not be taking into account that you did nothing. You believed, but anyone can believe. So I guess you could try, but it wouldn't work.
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. You don't have to observe the law to have faith in Jesus. Afterward, it's advisable, but you don't have to fix your life first. THANK YOU LORD.
Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, (Thank goodness) since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. So there is no difference, even, between Jews and Gentiles. We can all be redeemed through the same faith. It seems so simple and obvious to us now, but back then I'm sure it was pretty hard to grasp.
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. Exactly. Some could wonder whether, because of this faith, the law is now of no use. If we have a different way to heaven, we don't need the law. But really, this faith ensures that we will be with God one day, and in the meantime, we have the power and ability to actually uphold the law.
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