“Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.”
Romans 3:9 (NLT)
Paul explains people’s condemnation for abusing grace. He works through some peculiar questions in verses 5 to 8 like, “Why is God bringing wrath upon us for doing evil and highlighting His goodness?” Paul says that condemnation is deserved for making these statements. Then our verse today reminds us that we’ve all fallen short of the glory of God, as sinners in need of saving. Only one was ever perfect, and His name is Jesus.
The Holy Spirit gave me this thought: the easiest job in the world is to take God’s grace for granted. Our culture worships at the altar of easy. We ask similar questions to justify staying the same and doing what we want, because we know how good and gracious our Father is. We take Him for granted because it is the easier path. We cling to our old identity and mission as sinners, and we trust the saving part, the cleaning part, the holy part to God. We forget the transition from sinner to saint that occurs as we put our faith in Jesus.
Paul’s statement that we are all under sin goes back to 2 Chronicles 6, where Solomon dedicates the temple. He knows God’s people will sin again, because there’s no one who doesn’t sin. When God’s people go against His way, they deserve the wrath and captivity their enemies bring. But if they have a change of heart and turn back to God with all their might, looking back to what God had done for them, then Solomon asked the Lord to hear the prayer of His people from heaven, and forgive them.
This prayer clarifies our problem, but also our potential response today as the people of God. The shift begins in our heart, leads us to make changes, remember what God has done, confess our error, plead with God for help, and embrace God’s path of holiness again. Will we do as Solomon has suggested, or will we continue to take God’s grace for granted?