May 22, 2012 (1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5; Psalm 99; Romans 3)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.” Romans 3:27 NLT
Observation: Paul is making the point that whether a person is a Jew or a Gentile their nationality does not make them right with God. Nor is a person made right with God by simply obeying the written law. People are made right with God when they believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and place faith in Him. We cannot even boast about placing our faith in Christ, because Christ is the one that gave us the faith to place in Him. He has chosen us, we have not chosen Him. We are the one that was lost, He has never been lost. Our acquittal of sin is not because of our obedience, but rather we become obedient because Christ has acquitted us. Grace is not a means of justifying sin, but rather the power of God to overcome sin. His grace is sufficient.
Application: I hear a lot of people boast these days about what all they do for the Lord. They will even make such erroneous claims like, “if it wasn’t for me, so and so would have never accepted Christ as Savior”. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? Can we boast, then, that we have had anything to do with a person accepting Christ as Savior? No. If a person comes to Christ it is because Christ drew that person to Himself and in spite of our high opinion of ourselves, Christ really didn’t need our help. He has been saving people long before we existed. Yet in His grace and mercy, He allows us to work along side Him and see the miracle of salvation performed right before us. However, we should be careful to give Him all the praise and glory and never boast as if we had a thing to do with it.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this wonderful day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for Jesus Christ that made the way for me to be made right with God. Help me to always lift Him up and proclaim His marvelous works and give Him the praise and credit for all He does. For even my faith in Him is a gift from You. Thank You for the measure of faith You have given me, in Jesus name, Amen!