Grace That Makes Us Right — Without Excusing Guilt
Romans 3:24a (NLT)
24a Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight.
Message
We studied the universal reality of sin and falling short of God’s glory in Romans 3:23. What, then, makes us right with God in His sight? Verse 24a gives the answer:
24a Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight.
It is ‘grace’ of God. God’s grace and justice is expressed in Exodus 34:6-7 NLT:
6a The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“Yahweh! The Lord!
6b The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
7a I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
7b I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
7c But I do not excuse the guilty.
7d I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
even children in the third and fourth generations.”
God forgives sin (Exodus 34:7b). However, if a person refuses to repent and remains in a state of guilt, God does not excuse the guilty (Exodus 34:7c). So, it is essential to trust that God is compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6b). In light of who He is, we are called to confess and repent our sins so that we may receive His forgiveness.
