Romans 3:23–24: 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.
Justified–declared righteous in God’s sight through the merits of Christ, secure in our position in Christ before the throne of God. Justification is God’s righteousness imputed, put to our account. Sanctification is righteousness imparted, or lived out in our daily lives. 1
Now Paul is saying, “Being justified freely—without a cause.” There is no explanation in us. God doesn’t say, “Oh, they are such wonderful people, I’ll have to do something for them!” As we have seen before, there is nothing in us that would call out the grace of God, other than our great need. We are justified without a cause. It is by His grace, which means that there is no merit on our part. Grace is unmerited favor; it is love in action. 2
Application
- The first thing I must do is to admit that I am a lost sinner on a one way trip to hell.
- The second thing I must do is to praise God for His justifying grace and redemption.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for doing for me, what I could never do for myself.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
2. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Romans 1-8) (electronic ed., Vol. 42). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
