Just How Much We Need God’s Mercy

 Meditations on Romans

July 23, 2021

Just How Much We Need God’s Mercy

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Romans 3:20

Read: Romans 3:9-20

Paul includes a compelling list of sins in today’s passage. His point is really quite simple; anyone who thinks they can stand before the judgement throne of God and claim to rely on their good works in the law is only fooling themselves. As Paul noted in verse twenty, quoted above, it is impossible to fully comply with God’s law. God’s law reveals just how much we need God’s mercy.

To see this last point, you really need to take the time to look at how Paul presented his case. He quoted from seven passages of scripture (Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; Isa 59:7-8 and Psalm 36:1). When you look at the full context of these passages, you see that in each case where a charge is made against the evil doer, it is followed by a promise that God will come to rescue those who are helpless before the forces of evil. (Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love)

My Takeaway: The deeper we go in Romans, the clearer it becomes: apart from God, we are totally helpless. The deeper we go in Romans, the clearer it becomes: in Christ Jesus we are never, ever apart from God.   

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.