But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)

Sin, Grace, And Faith

God has promised eternal life, and since He cannot lie, there is no doubt about eternal life. Jesus died to remove the wrath of God against all unrighteousness for those who believe He is the Son of God. The Holy Spirit manifested the will of God through the words of the gospel, which were preached and preserved for the world to read and understand. Sinful man approaches the word of God with trepidation, doubt, fear, and the nagging belief that God cannot keep His promises. Jesus told the eleven that those who believe and are baptized will be saved. This is not an idle promise. When one obeys the gospel of Christ, they will be saved. Jesus tells the saints in Ephesus that if they are faithful until death, they will receive a crown of life. Paul spoke of a crown awaiting him in death. He believed he was saved.

Christian’s can struggle with the knowledge of God’s grace. Sin can cloud the heart of the hope God has promised. Questions linger if one is pure enough to deserve the mercy of God. The battle of sin weakens the resolve to believe in a God who is so great and good to save a miserable creature like man. Fears dominate the soul to understand how powerful grace can be to remove sin. When a man examines his life, he sees nothing but the misery of rebellion and chaos as he strives to serve Jesus Christ. The Son of God lived a perfect life. How can anyone measure up to that standard? Often, the spirit of the Christian is desperate to cling to a sliver of hope that God will save them. Life is not filled with joy. Fear haunts the recesses of the mind, doubting and fearing the wrath of God.

All men sin – that is, without exception. Everyone falls short of the glory of God. Man was created for God’s glory, but he fails miserably. What value is there in saving such a pitiful creature? Before time began, the grace of God enacted a plan to raise up man from the putridity of sin. Adam and Eve had not been created, but God knew how He would save man. The first example of grace found in the revealed word of God is when Eve took the forbidden fruit. Adam also ate. The eyes of both of them were opened, and shame filled their hearts. They were terrified. There was no place to hide. God knew what they had done.

Grace was divinely demonstrated when God did not destroy Adam and Eve on the spot. His wrath could have wiped them from the face of the earth. God did not destroy them. Grace was divinely demonstrated because God did not leave humanity to its own devices. God could have ignored man and allowed him to destroy himself. God did not leave man alone. Grace was demonstrated when the Lord told the serpent a Seed would bruise his head. Many generations later, Jesus was born of a woman, and salvation came to sinful man. A cross would be a sign of foolishness to the world, but for those who believed in the grace of God, it was eternal power.

When men struggle with the grace of God, they must remember they are sinners but not brag about it. In the same message telling the Romans they were sinners, Paul reminds them that they are justified freely by the grace of God found in the blood of Jesus Christ. Someone could argue all day about how sinful and undeserving they are for God’s grace, but for what purpose? Being justified is being saved. It is the gift of God. Jesus died to redeem man through His blood. Ananias did not lie to Saul when he told him God would wash away his sins. It was not a sprinkling. Washing sins away was a complete removal. Grace makes that possible. Salvation by grace is the love of God to sinful man that God knows is sinful, but He will save them anyway because they have repented and washed their sins away in the burial waters of baptism.

Sin, grace, and faith are the story of God’s redemptive love for – sinful man. John told his readers that they can know they have eternal life. Paul was not a perfect man, but he believed he was saved. There is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Grace lifts the doubts of man above the failed philosophies of defeatist belief, where men live in fear of the wrath of God. Those in Christ are saved. For the one washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, the blood cleanses the soul from ALL sin. Walking in the light enlightens the soul to the glorious promise that a loving God wants His children to know they HAVE a home with Him. Praise God. He does not lie, and He has promised eternal life to those who do His will.