One of the greatest passages of literature ever written

One of the greatest passages of literature ever written

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, … 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe … 23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: … 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

I stand by the title of this post! There is no other literature on earth that comes close to the value and significance of the words above. If one had to put all professional, literary, and academic writing together, it would pale in worth and magnitude.

All men’s writings are ultimately futile and meaningless. Why? Because they will change in the course of time, and eventually be forgotten when this world will pass away. Men’s writings could relay some facts or entertain, but ultimately, as Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, they are just vanity. On the other hand, the few verses above, captured by the inspiration of God, are eternal and unchangeable. The facts that they relay are grounded in truth that will ring out long after this world, and the universe it is in, has dissolved.

So, what do these verses tell us?

• The words, “But now”, signify hope. God’s grace has provided a way for us to come into right standing with Him. There is no way for us to become righteous in our own strength and efforts. We are all a million miles away from God. We have no hope of salvation. We cannot fix things ourselves. However, the verse above rings loud and true when it says, “But now”. These are two incredibly significant words that cause Paul to end the passage on a high note of joy and hope in the glory of God.
• The words, “That believe”, are conditional. The righteousness of God, a free gift being offered, is available to those who choose to believe in Jesus Christ. The reason for this is because the very source of this righteousness comes from Christ. Those who believe in Christ have this righteousness imputed to them, in abundance, and without any constraints. For those who choose not to believe in Christ, they will find out that their carnal righteousness is nothing but filthy rags on the day of judgement, and they will suffer eternal consequences for trusting in themselves, and not in Christ.
• The words, “We conclude”, are final. I love these words! They cancel out all debate and arguments. They settle all tantrums. The facts are final. So, what is being concluded? It is determined that we cannot earn this righteousness by ourselves. There is absolutely nothing we can do in our own carnal strength and abilities to get it. If you want God’s grace, you must forget about you and believe in God’s Son.
• The words, “We have peace with God”, are the five GREATEST words EVER written and the epitome of this message! Nothing in this world can compare with this statement. It is worth engrafting it in your mind. It is worthy of your meditation. If you understand how far down God had to reach to pull you up, and the price He paid for your salvation, you can know that His work to justify you is perfect and complete. Your peace with God is fully established, it is absolutely secure, and it is incomprehensible in grace.