Good Morning Friends,
“As it is written: ‘There is no one
righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who
does good, not even one.’ ‘Their throats are open graves; their tongues
practice deceit.’ ‘The poison of vipers is on their lips.’ ‘Their mouths are
full of cursing and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and
misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.’ ‘There is no
fear of God before their eyes.’” (Romans 3:10-18)
Paul doesn’t hold back in his description of
the human race. It is not a pretty picture. There isn’t much that is good that
can be said about people.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose to
ignore God’s clear direction and will. They wanted to do their own thing, be in
charge of their own lives. And every human being since Adam has made the same
choice. Not a single human -- not a one
of us -- is any different than Adam and none are any less guilty.
It is a depressing situation and could lead
to despair, except that the story doesn’t end there.
“But now a righteousness from God, apart from
law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There
is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ
Jesus.” (Romans 3:21-24)
All have sinned --- yes!
But, God has offered His grace through Jesus
Christ. What we could never do -- fulfill the requirements of God’s standards
-- Jesus did. And He offers His victory over sin to us as His free gift of
grace.
That’s the Good News. The good news is not
about us – our abilities or our goodness – and never has been and never will
be. All the Good News is in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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