Pondering Romans 3:9-20

To read the passage you can click HERE.

Lord, would You capture my mind’s attention and my heart’s affection.

In this passage Paul continues to make his case that Jews and Gentiles alike are all in the same boat. We are all bonafide sinners. It doesn’t matter if we are the keepers of the law (as Jews are quick to point out) or really really good people (as Gentiles like to say).

The verse that struck me this week is the last part of verse 20: “…through the law we become conscious of sin.” The Jews were trying to say that because God had chosen them as His special people and that because he had given them the law (not the Gentiles) that they got a pass when it comes to salvation. In other words, they don’t need Jesus because they have been entrusted with the very words of God. And the Scriptures for them had become a book to be studied and debated and interpreted – but not a book that reveals their neediness for a Savior or a book that unveils their sin.

It seems to me that I do the same thing. I am a pastor. I teach the Bible. I preach the Bible. I memorize the Bible. I love to talk with other people about what the Bible says and means. Studying God’s Word is my job. If I am not careful, the Bible becomes for me the same as it became for the Jews – “a book to be studied and debated and interpreted.”

Verse 20 is a reminder to me that instead of reading the Bible I need to allow the Bible to read me. I need to let God’s Word search my heart and reveal sin and penetrate the darkness that is within me and shine the light of the glory of God into my soul. If I do not do this then I may know God’s Word but not know God at all.

Lord, would You capture my mind’s attention and my heart’s affection.

Next Week’s Passage: Romans 3:21-31
Memory Verses: Romans 8:1-8 (Same as last week – if you are memorizing this chapter along with me then I am going to give us a few weeks to do some catch up and to make sure we have the first 8 verses before pressing on.)