We find an example of this from the Book of Numbers. In Numbers 13, Moses sent twelve spies into the promised land. They each saw the same things as they surveyed the land, and all twelve spies came back to report to Moses and the nation of Israel. Ten of the twelve spies said the land was indeed good, just as God had said – yet they said that the enemies of the land were too strong and taking the land would be a suicide mission.

Among those twelve spies, two objected. They presented the minority report. They also agreed the land was good, just as God promised, but they believed God would work through them to conquer even the strongest enemies in the land of Canaan. Those two faithful spies knew if God’s word was right about the land – the LORD said the land was good and it was – then God’s word would also be proven right about the promise to give them the land despite the strong enemies. Seeing God’s word fulfilled gave them the faith to believe God’s promise for the future.

The ten unfaithful spies and the two faithful spies saw the same things – they saw the same grapes, the same men, the same land, and the same cities. Yet two of the spies came back singing in faith, and the other ten were filled with a sense of certain doom. It wasn’t their experiences that made the difference – all twelve spies had the same experiences. It was something more profound than what they had experienced.

Ultimately, faith does not come from circumstances or environment, but from our heart – specifically, from the work of God’s word in our heart. We often want to blame our unbelief on the difficult times in life, but faith or unbelief are not connected to our circumstances.

A story illustrates this principle. There were two sons who had a terrible, alcoholic father, but the sons were different from each other as adults. One was a responsible, godly man, successful in family, business, and life. The other became an abusive alcoholic just as his father was. When asked why they turned out the way they did, each had the same answer: “With a father like mine, how could I have turned out any differently?”

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Today, bring yourself to God and His word, with their faith-building power, and don’t wait for an environment or circumstance to build faith in you.

The use of therefore is important. It means this comes from a logical argument. It’s as if Paul begins, “I can prove what I say here.” This is what he proves: if we are one with Jesus and He is our head, we can’t be condemned. You can’t acquit the head and condemn the hand. You can’t drown the foot if the head is out of water. Joined to Him, we hear the verdict: no condemnation.

Please notice that the verdict is not “less condemnation.” That’s where many believe they are – thinking our standing has improved in Jesus. It has not been improved, it’s been completely transformed, changed to a status of no condemnation.

We need to consider the corollary: If you are not in Jesus Christ, there is condemnation for you. It’s not easy or pleasant to speak of, but it is necessary. If you are not in Christ Jesus, you have not escaped condemnation.

This place of confidence and peace comes after the confusion and conflict that marked Romans 7. But this chapter is more than just the answer to Romans 7; it ties together thoughts from the very beginning of the letter. Romans 8 begins with no condemnation; it ends with no separation, and in between there is no defeat.

It must be said that the words, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit are not found in the earliest ancient manuscripts of Romans and they do not agree with the flow of Paul’s context. They were probably added by a copyist who either made a mistake or thought he could “help” Paul by adding these words from Romans 8:4. While it is true that those who are in Christ should not and do not consistentlywalk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, this is not a condition for their status of no condemnation. Our position in Jesus Christ is the reason for the standing of no condemnation.

We receive this glorious declaration from God’s throne. We receive it though we certainly deserve condemnation. We receive this standing because Jesus bore the condemnation we deserved, and our identity is now in Him. As He is condemned no more, neither are we.

It’s a great way to begin every year, every month, every week, every day: “I am in Christ, there is no condemnation in Him.” Believe and receive it today.

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But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. (Romans 7:8)

Romans 7 powerfully shows the weakness of God’s law when it comes to solving our sin problem. In fact, sin within us has a way of taking opportunity by the commandments. Paul described the way in which the warning “Don’t do that!” may become a call to action because of our sinful, rebellious hearts. It isn’t the fault of the commandment, it’s our fault.

In his book Confessions, the great theologian of the ancient church Augustine described how this worked in his life as a young man. I’ll paraphrase a bit from his well-known book: “There was a pear tree near our vineyard, heavy with fruit. One stormy night we naughty youths planned to steal the pears. We took off a huge load of them – not to eat them, but to throw them to the pigs, but we ate just enough to have the pleasure of forbidden fruit. They were nice pears, but it wasn’t the pears that my miserable soul craved, for I had plenty better at home. I picked those pears just to steal them. The only feast I got was a feast of iniquity, and I fully enjoyed it. What was it that I loved about stealing? Was it the pleasure of acting against the law? The desire to steal was awakened simply by the prohibition of stealing.”

What Augustine wrote about the pears rings true. Once God draws a boundary for us, we are immediately tempted to cross that boundary – which is no fault of God or His boundary, but the fault of our sinful hearts.

So, sin within us can take opportunity by the commandment. The weakness of the law isn’t in the law – it is in us. Our hearts are so wicked that they can find opportunity for all manner of evil desire even from something good like the law of God.

There was a beach hotel in Florida worried that people would fish from the balconies. They put up signs, “NO FISHING FROM THE BALCONY.” After that, they had constant problems with people fishing from the balconies, with lines and sinker weights breaking windows and bothering other guests. They finally solved the problem by simply taking down the signs – and no one thought to fish from the balconies.

Because of our fallen nature, the law can end up working like an invitation to sin. This shows how great the evil of sin is – it can take something good and holy like God’s law and twist it to promote evil. Sin warps love into lust, an honest desire to provide for one’s family into greed, and the law into something that ends up prompting sin.

As Paul so beautiful shows in Romans, this is why we need Jesus. God’s law is good and has its purpose. But only Jesus can solve our sin problem. Look to Him today.

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Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)

Among many today, a literal belief in Adam and Eve is unfashionable. Yet, if we are to agree with the Apostle Paul, we should believe in a literal Adam (Romans 5:14). More importantly, if we are to agree with Jesus, we should believe in a literal Adam (Matthew 19:4-6).

If we believe what the Bible tells us about Adam, we see that he was created innocent of all sin. When God said that all things were good, He said it after creating Adam. But Adam didn’t stay innocent. When he rebelled against God’s command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he disobeyed in the one thing God told him not to do. Every day, we are tempted with a wide assortment of sin; but Adam could only sin in one way – and he found it.

When we feel guilty because of sin, we often resolve to never do that sin again. The idea is, “I’ve don’t something bad, but I can make a new start of things and do better.” Can you imagine that Adam and Eve felt the same thing? They probably said to each other, “We’ve done something terrible. But we never have to do it again. Let’s make a clean start from this point on and never disobey God again.” Obviously, if they ever made such a promise, they failed. So do we.

Unfortunately, man’s history from the time of Adam’s sin is a downhill slope. Things have gone from bad to worse. We find ways to advance in technology and cultural sophistication, but all that progress seems to make better and more sophisticated ways to sin. Adam and Eve must have been stunned to find not only had they sinned once but also now they were in the grip of sin. Since we are all born sons of Adam or daughters of Eve, we are caught in the same grip.

Humanity has accomplished many great things. We’ve put men on the moon, and we’ve destroyed whole cities with nuclear weapons. No matter what we accomplish or how much progress we make, we just can’t stop sinning. When Adam and Eve fell, they unleashed the second most powerful force that is ever-present in the universe: the sin and rebellion of man.

The only thing more powerful than the sin of man is the love of God. Romans 5:20 tells us, where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. We can’t stop sinning, but we can’t out-sin the grace of God. No one is rejected before God because they are too great a sinner; they will be rejected because they have not trusted in the person and work of Jesus and received His grace – God’s provision for sinners like Adam and like us.

Are you believing Jesus now? Have you thanked Him for His grace today?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24)

In Romans 3, Paul explains the bad news – all humanity is, by nature, guilty of breaking God’s law and therefore in wrong relationship with Him. He sums up that thought in a clear and dramatic statement: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

It’s impossible to describe every way we fall short, but here are four important ways man falls short of the glory of God.

– We fail to give God the glory due Him, in our words, thoughts and actions.
– We fail to qualify for, and thereby reject the glory and reward that God gives faithful servants.
– We fail to properly reflect God’s glory by refusing to be conformed into His image.
– We fail to obtain the final glory God will bestow on His people at the end of all history.

Some may come closer than others do, but everyone falls short. No one reaches the goal. One older commentator put it well: “The harlot, the liar, the murderer, are short of it; but so are you. Perhaps they stand at the bottom of a mine, and you on the crest of an Alp; but you are as little able to touch the stars as they.”

The bad news is true, falls short of the glory of God. But it is just as true that everyone can be justified freely by His grace. This offer of justification – being put in right standing with God both now in eternity – is open to everyone who will repent and believe, putting their trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ, especially what He did in His death and resurrection.

Being in such a sinful state, the only way we could be justified is to be justified freely. We can’t purchase it with our good works. If it isn’t made free to us, we could never have it. So, we are justified freely by His grace – His unmerited favor, given to us without regard to what we deserve. That’s good news!

This great gift comes freely to us, but it cost Jesus everything. It was bought through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Salvation is possible because of the redemption found in Him. Redemption means that Jesus bought us; therefore, we belong to Him and live for Him, no longer for sin and self.

In Jesus Christ we have been justified, solving our problem of guilt before a righteous Judge. In Jesus Christ we have redemption, solving our problem of slavery to sin, the world, and the devil.

Is it true that all fall short of God’s glory? It certainly is. But it is just as true that through the grace of God we can freely find justification and redemption in Jesus Christ. If the bad news is true, so is the good news!