#Romans3 - Best Gospel Explanation

Romans 3: 

1. What stuck out to you from this chapter?

In my opinion, verses 19-26 hold one of the most concise, clear, compelling explanation of God's plan of salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ. It begins with knowing that we will all be held accountable to God someday, and that we will all be found guilty. In fact, verse 20 says that the law actually guides us to realize our sinfulness. This passage basically says there are two ways to be found righteous - 1. By being perfect according to the law (which nobody except Jesus is able to do), and 2. By putting our faith in Jesus Christ and believing in him. It declares redemption and atonement through Christ, to be received by faith. It describes God as a just judge, and as the merciful provider for our penalty through Christ. I think this is a passage every Christian should read thoroughly to understand that we are not justified by works, that we are never found righteous through doing enough good things, that we will never earn our way to heaven. Rather we are forgiven of our sins and given eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, no matter what our background is.

2. How does this passage relate to any other Scripture I know?

Ephesians 2 has another similar explanation of the gospel, clarifying that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith...not by works, so that no one can boast." Galatians 2 also contains a passage very similar, especially in emphasizing that Jews and Gentiles are both justified by faith in Jesus Christ.

3. So what does this mean for my life?

Passages like this don't necessary have direct action applications, but sometimes the application of Scripture is not just in right "doing" but in right "thinking." For me, this passage really has been instrumental in helping me to understand the basic gospel message. It has also been very helpful to share that message with others using Biblical truth rather than just my own "analogies". If ever there was a passage to memorize, this would be right up there in my book. It is so central to our own faith, as well as being a powerful truth to equip us in sharing our faith with others.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

The first 8 verses are a little confusing. I think Paul is basically saying that the fact that our sin makes God's holiness even more obvious isn't an excuse to keep on sinning. My question is, "Is that a fair summarization? Am I missing something?"

In Christ,
Dan