Day Five Romans 3:21-31
Pray: Invite God into your time and ask Him to speak to you, then read the passage.
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 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. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. – Romans 3:21-31 (NLT)
Discover: Use the Discover section of your Recalibrate journal to write down your answers to the following observation and interpretation questions.
1. After taking the majority of the first three chapters to prove that every human being has sinned and deserves judgment, Paul finally reveals the Good News! Write down all the ways he describes it (verses 21-22, 24-25, 26b, 28, 30).
2. What have you learned from these first three chapters about “God’s glorious standard” mentioned in verse 23?
3. How does putting faith in Jesus truly fulfill the law (verse 31)?
Respond: Use the Respond section of your journal to answer the following application prompts.
1. What does this passage teach me about God?
2. How does this aspect of His character change my view of self and others?
3. What should I do in response and when?
For Further Learning:
Other translations refer to Jesus as a “sacrifice of atonement” in verse 25. Learn more about atonement in this Bible Project video.
For Families with Kids at Home:
Romans 3:23-26 contains the gospel in a nutshell. Take time today to pray with your kids and thank Jesus for His sacrifice of atonement! Watch the above video from the Bible Project which explains the concept of atonement.
*If you don't have a Recalibrate journal, you can use any journal available to you to write down your responses.
**TPCC does not necessarily endorse all For Further Reading/Learning sources. They are simply meant to be a helpful tool.