Psalm 85:8-10

Commentary

God’s answer gives you his peace

‘I grew up in an atmosphere of strife,’ writes Joyce Meyer, ‘and that was all I ever knew. I had to learn an entirely new way of living. Now I am addicted to peace. As soon as my peace disappears, I ask myself how I lost it and start looking for ways to get it back.’

God has promised ‘peace’ (v.8) to his people. This does not necessarily mean outward peace. The pressures, difficulties, trials, battles and busyness may not disappear. But in all this, God has promised to give you his peace. This peace comes from listening to what ‘God the Lord’ says (v.8).

Peace is very closely connected with righteousness. The psalmist says, ‘righteousness and peace kiss each other’ (v.10b). In the same way that love and faithfulness go together (v.10a), so do righteousness and peace. Peace comes from living in a right relationship with God (Romans 5:1).

Prayer

Romans 3:9-26

Commentary

God’s answer is a gift you receive

We long for peace. We long to be in a right relationship with God and with other people. But how do you receive this ‘righteousness from God’?

Paul continues his argument that no one is righteous on their own. ‘There's nobody living right, not even one’ (v.10b, MSG). ‘They’ve all taken the wrong turn; they’ve all wandered down blind alleys’ (v.12, MSG). Righteousness is the way to peace, but the reality is that ‘the way of peace they do not know’ (v.17).

Paul concludes his argument in this section: ‘And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else?’ (v.20, MSG). The two little words that follow are of huge significance: ‘But now…’ (v.21).

Having set out the problem, Paul now moves on to describe God’s game-changing answer – ‘a righteousness from God’ (v.21). This righteousness from God cannot be achieved through the law because no one (apart from Jesus) has ever kept the entire law. The Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets) testifies about this and points towards God’s answer (v.21).

‘This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe’ (v.22). This righteousness from God cannot be earned. It is a pure gift that you receive ‘through faith in Jesus Christ’. It is a gift ‘to all who believe’ (v.22).

Paul then uses three images to describe what Jesus’ death on the cross has achieved. Each is like a facet of a diamond. Each image is connected with the others:

1. The penalty of sin has been paid
   Justification is an expression from the law court. We ‘are justified freely by his grace’ (v.24). God is a just judge. He could not ignore our guilt.

   He came in the person of his son Jesus Christ to die for you and me: ‘… in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus’ (vv.25–26). He paid the penalty himself.

   You are justified ‘freely by his grace’ (v.24). Grace means undeserved love. It is free. There is no merit on our part. You cannot earn it. It is a gift. Therefore, there is no room for boasting (vv.27–31).

   Through his death on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our every wrong action, word and thought. The moment you put your faith in Jesus, you are justified. You have nothing to fear. The penalty has been paid. You have received the gift of righteousness from God.

2. The power of sin has been broken
   The second image Paul uses comes from the market-place: ‘through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus’ (v.24).

   Debt was a problem in the ancient world as well. If someone had serious debts, they might be forced to sell themselves into slavery in order to pay them off.

   Suppose a person was standing in the market-place, offering themselves as a slave. Someone might have pity and pay the amount they owe, then let the person they’ve paid for go free. In doing so, they would be ‘redeeming’ them and paying a ‘ransom’ price.

   In a similar way for us, ‘redemption… came by Jesus Christ’ (v.24). Your sins are like a debt that stands against you. Jesus, by his death on the cross, paid the ransom price (Mark 10:45). In this way, you are set free to have a relationship with God. Your relationship is restored. You receive a righteousness from God.

3. The pollution of sin has been removed
   Paul’s third image in this passage comes from the temple. ‘God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood’ (Romans 3:25).

   In the Old Testament, very detailed laws were laid down regarding how sin should be dealt with. There was a whole sacrificial system that demonstrated the seriousness of sin and the need for cleansing from it, as sin was passed from the sinner to the animal, which was then killed.

   But ‘it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins’ (Hebrews 10:4). The old sacrificial system was only a ‘shadow’ (v.1) of what was to come. The reality came with the sacrifice of Jesus. Only the blood of Christ, the ‘once for all’ (v.10) sacrifice of atonement, can wash away your sin and remove its pollution. This is because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. He alone lived a perfect life. Through his blood you receive God’s game-changing answer – a righteousness from God.

Prayer

Amos 3:1-11, 4:6

Commentary

God’s answer challenges us to right living

Paul tells us that God’s game-changing answer – ‘a righteousness from God’ is something about which ‘the Law and the Prophets testify’ (Romans 3:21). Amos is one of those prophets.

As Amos turned to speak the word of the Lord against Israel, we see God’s desire for righteousness in that all their sins are punished. The Lord said, ‘Out of all the families on earth, I picked you. Therefore, because of your special calling, I’m holding you responsible for all your sins’ (Amos 3:2, MSG).

The people are condemned in what is almost a law court: ‘“Hear this and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord’ (v.13).

It is as if God calls witnesses to testify against his own people: ‘You women! Mean to the poor, cruel to the down-and-out! Indolent and pampered, you demand of your husbands, “Bring us a tall, cool drink!”’ (4:1, MSG). They are condemned for their superficiality, self-centred indulgence and their treatment of the poor and needy.

Over and over again, God speaks to his people in an attempt to draw them back to him: ‘The fact is, God, the Master, does nothing without first telling his prophets the whole story’ (3:7, MSG). ‘Yet,’ he declares, ‘you have not returned to me’ (4:6,8–11).

When we understand this Old Testament background, it makes it all the more staggering that the apostle Paul writes, ‘This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe’ (Romans 3:22). God’s game changer is that Jesus has paid the penalty for you; you are righteous in God’s eyes, you can approach him with confidence today. Speak to him as your loving Father and know his peace deep in your heart.

Prayer