“27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law of faith. 28 For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
In the last two devotionals, we read that all people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No one is to be left out of this condemnation. Everyone is guilty.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;…” — Romans 3:23
We also read that since all people have sinned, there is no way for us to make things right with God on our own behalf, someone who has not sinned must make that sacrifice for us.
“…they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” — Romans 3:24
This is where Jesus steps in. Jesus has lived a perfect, sinless life, died the death we deserved to die, and rose from the grave on the third day, thereby atoning for our sin and making us stand right (justified) before God the Father. Not only that, but we also have inherited Jesus’ righteousness! The way to salvation is not by anything we do or don’t do, but through faith in Jesus as our Savior. Paul explains that in this system of faith-based salvation, there is absolutely no room for boasting. We are lost in total and complete depravity, and only God, by His grace and mercy, can save us and make us righteous. It’s by faith in Christ, not works that we are justified before God.
“God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world — what is viewed as nothing — to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence. It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us — our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption — in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” — 1 Corinthians 1:28-31