Romans 3:5-6, Gracious Gift of the Gospel

Posted on Posted in Devotions Tagged with , ,

Romans 3:5-6 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) 6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

Man is without excuse when he falls into God’s wrath after wilfully rejecting the gracious gift of the gospel. God had provided an escape from the judgement of sin through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Genesis 3:21 tells us that God initiated a way out for him. God reached out to the guilt-stricken, fear-filled, shame-plagued heart of our first parents to provide a solution – “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins and clothed them”, a pre-figuring of the redemption work of Christ. This is the grace of God first manifested to man and recorded for our comfort from the Scriptures. Did they deserve God’s favour? They were in a pitiful state as a result of their disobedience. How can man be restored to the state of true blessedness with God?

God in compassion provided the solution. The ancient Chinese knew this truth and recorded for us vividly in the word for “righteousness”.

Untitled1

   Me             Lamb     =  Righteousness

It shows how sinful man can make right with the living and true God. This is the Chinese character for righteousness pronounced “Yi” given above.

The top radical is a lamb or sheep. And the bottom radical is “I” or “me”.

The Lamb of God covers me giving to me this “righteousness”. It pre-figures the coming of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world (John 3:16-17).

Jesus was born into human history more than 2000 years ago. He lived a perfect life, died on the cross as man’s substitute to reconcile man with the living and true God. Jesus rose from the dead the third day victorious over sin and death. Jesus gives to every man who would believe in Him eternal life. All who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour by faith receives this righteousness and enjoys the blessedness of life with God. For Adam, it was that coat of skin, that took away the guilt of sin and in return that restored his state of blessedness with God. This salvation in Jesus Christ is given freely by God’s grace though it was bought with a great price. This is the good news of the blessedness of life with God by faith in Christ Jesus.

May we be an ambassador for Christ to share this tiding of great joy this day. There is peace and joy, there is hope, there is help, there is healing from the ravages of sin in Jesus Christ. Amen.