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Timothy: Romans 3:21-26
God’s Grace and Righteousness

21 But now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from Law, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

22 even the righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ toward all and upon all those believing; for there is no difference,

23 for all sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus,

25 whom God set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood, as a demonstration of His righteousness through the passing over of the sins that had taken place before, in the forbearance of God,

26 for a demonstration of His righteousness in the present time, for His being just and justifying the one that is of the faith of Jesus.

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I respectfully thank You and am overjoyed that You have granted me another day to continue living in Your Word. I pray that You will continue to sanctify me through Your Word. I also pray that Christ will give me strength and that the Holy Spirit will guide my spirit into Your truth.

Dear Father, I would like to present my understanding of the grace and righteousness of God, as expressed in Romans 3:21-26.

Dear Father, I understand that the grace referred to here is Your gift of redemption for humans from the consequences of sin. The righteousness referred to here is the justice that demands punishment for anyone who has sinned. However, You are love. You love humans and want everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Out of love, You are willing to forgive the sins of humans. But to be able to forgive humans, someone must bear the punishment for their sins. One person cannot bear the punishment for many people. Therefore, God, in the person of the Word, became human, named Jesus, to bear the punishment for all of humanity. He was born of the Virgin Mary, so He was fully human but free from the stain of original sin. He was not born of a human father but had the essence of God within Him, which is the essence of eternal life. Therefore, He was able to bear the punishment for the sins of all humanity.

So when You forgive humans for their sins and punish their sins on the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a righteous act that brings salvation to those who believe in the redeeming death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, I understand that the righteousness of God has been expressed outside of the law, which means that His gift of redemption reveals His righteousness. In the law, there is no forgiveness, so righteousness in the law means punishing those who have sinned. In grace, there is compassion and substitution for the punishment of sin, so that sinners can escape punishment. This is the righteousness of grace outside the law. Outside the law does not mean lawless, but it means responding to the demands of the law in a way that is not found in the law.

Dear Father, I understand that the righteousness outside of the law was accomplished for all those who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that the grace of redemption from God is directed toward them, seeking them in the world, just as You once extended redemption to the family of Noah.

Dear Father, I understand that the righteousness outside of the law is given to all those who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that anyone who has faith will be saved. They do not need to do anything; they only need to truly repent for violating God’s law and fully acknowledge the redemptive death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, I understand that faith in the blood of Christ means believing that Christ truly died on the cross, shedding His blood to redeem humanity. The life of humans is in the blood. The punishment for sin is death. Shedding blood results in death. The Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed His innocent and eternal life for all of humanity by shedding His blood and dying on the cross.

Dear Father, I also understand that before Christ completed the redemption of humanity through His death, anyone who had faith in God and repented for their sins was granted salvation by You. They may not have known anything about the salvation through the redemptive death of the Lord Jesus Christ, but when Christ died, You punished their sins through Him.

Dear Father, I understand the meaning of Romans 3:25-26 as follows:

• God was patient with humanity’s sin.

• God made the Lord Jesus Christ the atoning sacrifice for humanity’s sins.

• Only those who have faith in the blood of Christ are saved.

• The redemptive work of Christ includes the forgiveness of humanity’s past sins.

Dear Father, I am happy and satisfied with meditating on the Word of God. Please help me live carefully according to the teachings of the Bible. I am grateful to You.

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
03/13/2023