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“The Bad News”
We have heard the jokes about bad news and good news. When Paul writes about our lost condition, he gives the bad news, but it is no joke.
“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God”(Romans 3:19).
What does Paul mean by the words, “that every mouth may be stopped”? This mouth is stopped because it has no defense for its actions. It belongs to a sinner who is headed for eternal death (Romans 6:23). Someone wrote:
Sin will take you farther than you ever thought you’d stray
Sin will leave you so lost, you think you’ll never find your way
Sin will keep you longer than you ever thought you ‘d stay
Sin will cost you more than you ever thought you’d pay
Thankfully, God, in His great mercy, is willing to forgive us of our sins. When He forgives, He also justifies—a double blessing that no earthly judge can duplicate. If a man on trial for a crime is justified because he is innocent, he needs no forgiveness. If there is nothing to forgive, the judge receives no praise for leniency.
On the other hand, if the man is guilty, the judge could forgive him, but he could not justify him because he is guilty. But God forgives and justifies those who come to Him. “… being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus… that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:24,26).
Though God’s justice demands punishment, His love desires salvation. His holiness demands satisfaction; His love makes the satisfaction possible.
God solved this tension by giving His Son to die for us. This sacrifice potentially satisfies His wrath for the sins of the whole world; it actually does so for those who heed His word. God is righteous even when He justifies the sinner who comes to Him.
Only those who believe the bad news can receive the good.
