Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
OK - that's our last review of these four verses. They are our foundation. Aren't you glad to have these four firmly etched in your brain and housed in your heart? Keep them there!
Now - onward!
Our next set of five verses are commonly called "The Romans Road" because they are all found in the book of Romans and they offer to us a fairly easy method of relaying to someone God's plan of salvation. As Robert J. Morgan puts it, "this old series of verses...summarize everything we need to tell others about how to receive Christ as their Savior." I'd say that these are five pretty important verses if they empower us to be able to do that, wouldn't you? What can be more important in the life of someone who has come to know Christ than to be able to share that experience with someone else? The answer to that? Nothing! If we are to fulfill the great commission that Jesus left us with, we need good tools to do that...tools that don't come from anywhere else than Scripture.
So here we go - the first one is easy - but it IS the first step in the process of salvation...acknowledgement of our need of saving!.
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Twelve easy words that when grouped together point out concisely and clearly where we stand...short. We fall short. Every one of us. The "all" in this verse means ALL. No matter how much you admire someone, no matter how much you look up to them, no matter how "good" a person is...they fall short. Because God does not compare us to each other, He compares us to Him. And He is holy. That is His glory - His holiness and His perfection. We can never attain that. As much as I would love to live even a day without one iota of sinfulness in my life, it doesn't happen. There are moments of envy, of covetousness; there are moments of unkindness, impatience; there are moments of undiscipline and idolatory. And every day, I have to say again, "I'm still a person in need of a Savior. I have sinned. I fall short."
I think that's where God wants us. To continually recognize our need, and to continually recognize what He has done for us. But we'll get to that part next week. This week, let's let this one soak in deep.
So the first stop on the Romans Road...Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Sinfulness. On the travel itinerary of our journey, it's an ugly stop!
2 comments:
The first four verses are a great summary for me of God's Word and His message of Love and Salvation. I must admit that I cannot recite them verbatim, but their content is embedded in my heart and soul. The first four tell the story of God's Mighty Power to create the world and to love the world so much that He gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to the world to see and hear and then allowed him to die so I can live. I do believe Jesus Christ is God's son, the Word incarnate. I pray each day for God's forgiveness and I thank Him each day for his Mighty Love. Through Bible study and prayer I have learned more about God and have
created a relationship with him. I believe he does talk to me and guides me
through each day. I can not love and forgive as Jesus taught, so I sin each day.
God's Love comforts me and assures me that I will live in Heaven after I die
here on earth. I do fall short of God's Love. Jesus Christ is the Truth. And the
Truth is that Jesus lives in our hearts and soul. Each day I ask for God's love
and guidance. I believe God talks to me in my times of silence when I think of
Him and is Glory. He talks to me by giving me ideas that I have not thought of.
He gives me thoughts of solutions to my problems. I pray for God's Power and
for His protection from the power of sin. Sin is so powerful and sneaks in and traps me in ugly selfish thoughts. I pray for God's Love today because I know He lives and He watches over me. Jesus is the Truth. God forgives all sin. With God's Love I fight against the power of sin. God is good and His Truth to live in
eternity with Him is wonderful.
I was worried when I didn't "see" you yesterday Donna! Glad to have your comment again this morning...I always look forward to hearing what you have to say in response to the thoughts of the day. Wouldn't it be nice to be perfect? But isn't it almost even better to know that God loves us in our imperfection and created a way to bridge the gap between our falling short and His glory? "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" Amen!
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