Today I'm reading Romans 3. It is a very humbling chapter. The previous chapter exposes hypocrisy-the belief that knowledge is the same as experience in terms of knowing God. Knowledge about God is not the same as KNOWING who He is.
Chapter 3 goes even deeper to pull the veneer off our thoughts about ourselves. I'll let the verses speak for themselves:
Ro 3:10 As it is said in the holy Writings, There is not one who does righteousness;
Ro 3:11 Not one who has the knowledge of what is right, not one who is a searcher after God;
Ro 3:12 They have all gone out of the way, there is no profit in any of them; there is not one who does good, not so much as one:
Ro 3:13 Their throat is like an open place of death; with their tongues they have said what is not true: the poison of snakes is under their lips:
Ro 3:14 Whose mouth is full of curses and bitter words:
Ro 3:15 Their feet are quick in running after blood;
Ro 3:16 Destruction and trouble are in their ways;
Ro 3:17 And of the way of peace they have no knowledge:
Ro 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Ro 3:23 For all have done wrong and are far from the glory of God;
The harsh truth of the matter is this--no matter what we think of ourselves, all of us start our lives as complete enemies of God! We can't come to real lasting faith until we know this to be true.
I grew up in a Christian home. When I was eight or nine, I accepted Jesus in my heart and I had a genuine love for God. But that faith failed me when hard times came shortly after. I regressed into rebellion and destruction. Why did that happen? I think a large part of it was that I felt that I was a good girl and deserved better from God. I was angry at Him for letting my life fall apart in Jr. High and felt I had a right to a better life. It wasn't til years later--after another deep stretch of rebellion that I came to grips with who I really am without Christ. I was in a mental hospital, wearing a paper dress and screaming. I believed that I was in Hell. That is who I am without Christ--raving, rebellious, and revolting.
God in his mercy took me from that place and brought me to a place of humility and peace. He has wonderfully restored my life and given me a beautiful family and church family. I couldn't imagine life as great as it is now. But the foundation of my faith is in the knowledge that without Him I am just that girl in a paper dress. I am not GOOD ENOUGH to be saved. GOD IS GOOD ENOUGH TO SAVE ME.
Ro 3:23 For all have done wrong and are far from the glory of God;
Ro 3:24 And they may have righteousness put to their credit, freely, by his grace, through the salvation which is in Christ Jesus:
Ro 3:26 And to make clear his righteousness now, so that he might himself be upright, and give righteousness to him who has faith in Jesus.
Ro 3:27 What reason, then, is there for pride? It is shut out. By what sort of law? of works? No, but by a law of faith.
Ro 3:28 For this reason, then, a man may get righteousness by faith without the works of the law.
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