"But rather the Scripture shut up the all under sin, in order that the promise out of trust of Jesus Christ should be given to the [ones] trusting.’
-Shut up. Shut together. Enclosed. Like fish caught and trapped in a net (Luke 5.6), all of us are (or were) thus prevented from getting out, from escaping the power and penalty of sin. And the Scripture - God’s law - is the net which seized and held us captive, enslaved to sin and disobedience. And death. Unable to NOT sin, never escaping its clutches, nor its consequences. At least not on our own. Romans 11.32 actually points the finger at God Himself. But no fiendish jailer, this One - no, His end game is mercy, that He might show mercy to all. Not meting out the punishment we all so richly deserve, but instead earnestly seeking to pour out the promise - justification, set free and being restored to a right relationship with Him - through faith. To the ones who trust in Jesus. This wondrous possibility of undeserved unending divine favor is available to all, to any who believe. Simple trust in Jesus and in what He did, not putting any stock in what I might try and do, not through any amount of law-keeping.
-See, the law didn’t establish or create the guilt or the alienation - we were already separated. We were already guilty. The law simply confirmed our guilt, and in so doing sealed our fate. One day, when we stand before our righteous Judge in eternity, we will altogether be without excuse. All are shut up now, but then it will truly be time to really shut up. No (longer any) excuses. All have sinned. All fall short. The penalty of sin is death. All are shut up, trapped and dead in their sins, and staring at an eternity of death and separation from this One Who is the Author of Life, Who is the Source of all Goodness and Mercy and Love, the One Who sent His Son that we might have life, to any and all who simply trust in Jesus... Thanks be to God!
No comments:
Post a Comment