A Lasting Solution
Have you ever faced an enormous problem that didn’t have an immediate solution? Some problems in life take time to find proper resolution.
In Romans 3, Paul begins to introduce the solution to a massive problem—sin. Sin is an act of disobedience toward God’s commands. And because God is holy and does not sin, our sin separates us from a relationship with God.
Paul goes on to explain that every person has fallen short of God’s standard for living
—we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). All of us have been separated from God.
The solution to our problem is found in Jesus. Paul says that Jesus came as a representative on our behalf, and that His death atoned for our sin problem. This means that Jesus took care of the penalty that we deserved, and He made a way for us to have a relationship with God again.
All of this was made possible through his death and resurrection. Jesus provided a permanent solution to a very serious problem, and we can partake in this gift for free. There are no prerequisites or payments necessary—other than having faith in Jesus (Romans 10:9).
Jesus’ death and resurrection not only made atonement for our present sins, but for both our past and future sins as well. This demonstrates that God is still just in dealing with our sins, but He made a way for us through Jesus.
Are there past sins you are still holding onto that have been forgiven by God? Remember that Jesus paid for every single sin so that you could walk in freedom.
Don’t Lose Heart
As we start getting older, our bodies begin to change.
Muscles might ache. Hair might gradually turn gray. Vision and hearing might eventually get less sharp. And we, or someone we love, might even struggle with significant or devastating health challenges.
The apostle Paul once offered some ageless wisdom to the believers in Corinth, Greece, which can still be helpful for us today:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV
Paul knew what it was like to face hard things; he’d been beaten, shipwrecked, snake bitten, and imprisoned.
Earlier in the letter, he’d said, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV)
The ripple effects of sin’s existence in the world might frustrate us physically, but it ...