April 1, Romans 3
“NO” signs are everywhere, prohibiting some activity. Perhaps the most common ones are “No Smoking” and “No Parking.” I’ve seen signs forbidding trespassing, swimming, singing, profanity, loitering and passing. Some commuter train stations have “No Kissing” signs, to keep traffic from being snarled by passionate goodbyes.
In the body of Christ, the church, there could be a “No Boasting” sign. The scheme of redemption excludes boasting by design. No sinner saved by grace has any room to brag. All the saved are justified by God’s grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, God can be just (requiring the debt for sin to be paid), and the justifier (the one who paid the debt himself) of those who trust in Christ. There is not one person, Jew or Gentile, who can rely on his or her own righteousness. No human being can be justified by works of the law.
“No Boasting” is also the rule about our service for God. Paul knew his work for the Lord was really the grace of God working in him. When he and Barnabas reported on their missionary journey, they told the church at Antioch all that God had done through them. When we’re tempted to tell the Lord in prayer or others in conversation about all we’ve done for Christ, we need to remember it’s his strength working in us. It’s the same about our standing with God. We are kept by the same grace that saved us.
We are not saved by grace and then put on a merit plan to stay that way.
None of this in any way overthrows God’s law. It rather upholds it. The purpose of the law was to make us aware of our sin. Once transgressed, law has no saving power. When God saves us by grace, he has work for us to do. But he enables us to do it by his Spirit within us. As flawed human beings, we cannot secure our standing with God on our own anymore than we could attain it on our own. There’s no room for boasting.
Why doesn’t everyone rejoice in this? The main problem is our wounded pride. If we can’t boast, we can’t differentiate ourselves from the “less-deserving” ones. Our favorite math symbol must be the > (greater than) sign. As little children on the playground, we play the “my daddy’s bigger, my mommy’s prettier, my dog’s smarter than yours” game. When we grow up, we keep playing— comparing paychecks, houses and even spirituality, tryi ng to be greater. Righteousness from God by grace through faith won’t let us play that game.
Every disciple needs a little sign with the international symbol of a circle with a slash through some word or picture reminding him that, in Christ, there is “No Boasting.” Only when we’re talking about what the Lord has done for us should we brag, and then on him, not ourselves.
From The Abiding Companion: A Friendly
Guide for Your Journey Through the New Testament,
Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—April 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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