February 16, 2018
The Lord's Faithfulness Trumps My Faithlessness. Every. Single. Day.
Romans 3:1–12
Sarah Fonda
Central Truth
God loves us despite our failures. He has made a way for us to be justified because even when we are faithless, He remains faithful! By trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior, God's perfectly just nature is satisfied, and we can cling tight to His promise of eternal life.
Romans 3:1–12
God's Righteousness Upheld
1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
No One Is Righteous
9 What then? Are we Jews 1 3:9 Greek Are we any better off? 2 3:9 Or at any disadvantage? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
Dive Deeper | Romans 3:1–12
Since I became a believer four and a half years ago, the Lord has been so gracious to woo me into a loving relationship with Him. Daily, He finds ways to show up in my life and make Himself known to me. It could be a golden nugget of Scripture He illumines in my quiet time, a lyric of a worship song that clenches my heart in indescribable ways, or a small glimpse of His perfect love in the way my husband loves me.
Sometimes I find myself wondering, "Why does He continue to pursue me like this when I find myself falling short daily?" Isn't He annoyed when I lose my mind in the midst of traffic? Doesn't He want to give up on me when I snap at my husband? Surely He at least rolls His eyes when I hit the snooze button instead of getting up for my quiet time with Him. Don't my demonstrations of faithlessness cause His faithfulness to vanish?
The answer? It is found in this golden nugget of Romans and validated throughout Scripture. "By no means!" There is nothing I can do to alter the character or promises of God (Numbers 23:19). He is faithful despite my moments of weakness (2 Timothy 2:13). And He loves me despite my sin (Romans 5:8).
You might be asking yourself, "How is that possible? Doesn't God's law demand perfection?" It does. But the law is not the means of my salvation—Jesus is! God knew I would never be good enough to live up to His standard of righteousness, but He needs to uphold a perfect standard of justice. Therefore, He chose to make a way for me to spend eternity with Him by sending His Son to die on a cross as the perfect sacrifice. Jesus made the payment in full, canceling my debt so that my sin might no longer lead to death (John 3:16).
Final words? Don't let your sin discredit you and make you feel unworthy of our Father's unrelenting love. Instead, open your hearts to Him, and let Him transform your faithlessness into faithfulness.
Discussion Questions
1. How has God "wooed" you this week? Was it through His Word? His people? How did you respond to His love?
2. Where have you fallen short this week? Do you consistently confess your sin to other believers so that they can pray for you? How does unconfessed sin affect you?
3. How is it possible for a perfect and holy God to allow sinners to enter into eternal life with Him? How does He manage to stay faithful to His promises despite our disobedience?