What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? (Rom. 3:3)
Expanded Passage: Romans 3:3-8
If you would like a living illustration of this passage, look no further than to those who deny God or, at the very least, who scoff at him and his commandments. People who don’t care for God’s law try to justify their actions. Their argument is that if, by sinning, they can prove that there is no such thing as morality and a lawgiver (God), then they cannot be punished for their sin. In other words, they believe they are doing you a favor by showing you how to live—even as their lives fall apart in front of you.
This thinking represents the best thought the sinful mind is capable of, really. Those who live this way often say things like, “I am just being real; accept me for who I am.” Perhaps that is true, but let’s face it, a life lived like this exposes the reason that God came to save us in the first place. We were lost in the darkness of sin.
The answer to this lifestyle and faulty reasoning is simple, according to Paul. The law reveals both a sinner in need of grace and a lawgiver who is just. God simply will not ignore the law just because we believe our actions are justified on account of an event or circumstances that have happened in our lives.
Ask yourself, “Am I a better example of sin or of grace?”
Devon Smith is district superintendent of the Tri-State District of The Wesleyan Church and founder/director of the CROSS Training ordination program at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
