Romans 3:23-24
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Applying God’s Word for Today: You have been declared innocent!
How do we deal with our shortcomings? We make excuses: “It wasn’t that bad.” “At least I wasn’t as bad as they were.” “Everyone does it.” None of those excuses hold up. Paul tells us the plain truth: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No one stands perfect before God on their own. When we realize that God holds us accountable for every loveless thought, word, and deed against Him and against our neighbor, we see that nothing we do can undo our sins.
To someone unfamiliar with the Gospel, this can sound hopeless: “If I am going to keep sinning and there is no way to erase the punishment, what is the point?”
Yet our accountability does not cancel God’s love. Paul continues: we “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Jesus willingly came, lived the perfect life we could not, and then went to the cross as the innocent One. There He suffered the punishment due to the whole world—including every one of your sins. By God’s pure love and mercy, you have been redeemed—bought back—for Jesus’ sake. His death paid the full price. His resurrection and the empty tomb are God’s own declaration that the payment is complete and accepted.
This gift of salvation comes to you by faith in Jesus—faith that the Holy Spirit Himself creates and sustains through the Word. Know and trust this: You are forgiven of all your sins by Jesus’ suffering and innocent death. You have been redeemed. You stand declared “Not guilty!”
Dear Lord God, thank You for overcoming all our sins through Your plan of salvation and for giving us the promise of peace, joy, hope, and eternal life through faith in Your Son, our Savior. Strengthen our faith through Your word so we may confidently share Your promise of salvation with someone who does not know You. May Your will be done through us. Amen.
By our sins, we may have fallen short of God’s glory, but we need not remain there. God has accomplished your salvation by His love through His Son. Jesus has already declared you “Not Guilty!” Faith simply receives this precious gift. You are forgiven.