Now We Know

Read Romans 3:19-20; Psalm 143

Paul has decisively argued that there is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). He reminds us that the law first spoke to the people that God gave the law to, the Jews. God gave them his covenant, the Scriptures, and the prophets. Yet even with all that God gave them, they could not do what he required. If they could not do what God expects, then none of us can. We know Paul's argument is correct. We can remember all the times we said to ourselves, "This isn't right, but I'm still going to do it." We've felt the guilt. We've marinated in shame. We've read the Bible, only to do the exact opposite. When the trial comes, our mouths will be shut because we have nothing to say in our defense. I may think my sin only affects me, but God sees how it hurts others. Frank Thielman notes that the imagery of God shutting mouths in the Old Testament is connected to God rescuing the oppressed. Job 5:16 says, "So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth." Psalm 107:41-42 reads, "But he lifts the needy out of their suffering and makes their families multiply like flocks. The upright see it and rejoice, and all injustice shuts its mouth." Sometimes, we think that God judging sinners is unjust. But in the Bible, God's judgment on sin is a reason to hope for justice. Paul has shown us how we try to use God's gifts to justify ourselves. Once God gives us his words, we turn them into a status symbol. "God's spoken to me." "I know what God wants." "I'm better than people who don't listen to God." But we have no defense. No one will be justified in God's sight by the works of the law. If we can't be justified by God's law, then neither can we be justified by our own moral codes. The law is good: it shows us what it looks like to thrive. As Jesus explained, the entire law and prophets depend on loving God and loving others (Matthew 22:37-40). But the knowledge of those two requirements is enough for all of us to know that we don't measure up. There are three ways to deal with the knowledge of sin. One is to ignore it. George tried that strategy, and it is both comical and tragic. We live with no fear of God (Romans 3:18). The other is to despair. We are terrorized by our spiritual predicament. Contemplating my sin has led me into seasons of depression. It can be a dark place. The third is to ask God to rescue us. We pray as David did, "Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous in your sight" (Psalm 143:2). Our only hope is for God to save us.