JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER: HOW GOD SOLVED THE IMPOSSIBLE
There are moments in Scripture where God forces me to stop, breathe, and face reality without the comfort of excuses or the illusion of self‑importance. Romans 1–3 is one of those moments. It is not a gentle introduction to the Christian life; it is a courtroom, a spotlight, and a mirror. It is God taking me by the shoulders and saying, “Look at Me. Look at yourself. Now tell Me how you plan to reconcile the two.” And this is where the true dilemma begins.
THE DILEMMA I CANNOT ESCAPE
God is righteous. I am guilty. I cannot soften either side of that equation. God’s righteousness is not flexible, adjustable, or sentimental. It is absolute. It is the blazing, unchanging standard of His own nature (Deut.32:4). He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim.2:13). He cannot lower His bar. He cannot call evil good or good evil (Isa.5:20). He cannot overlook sin, excuse sin, or pretend sin is something less than what it is.
And then there is me. Not the polished version of me. Not the church‑friendly version of me. Not the version I present to others. The real me — the one God sees (Heb.4:13). Romans 3 does not allow me to hide behind the façade of “I’m not that bad.” It strips me bare and leaves me standing in the full light of divine truth: There is none righteous (Rom.3:10). There is none that doeth good (Rom.3:12). Every mouth is stopped (Rom.3:19). All the world is guilty before God (Rom.3:19).
