Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Romans 3:1-8
3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much, in every way. For in the first place, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Although every human is a liar, let God be proved true, as it is written,
“So that you may be justified in your words and you will prevail when you go to trial.”
5 But if our injustice serves to confirm the justice of God, what should we say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my falsehood God’s truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say (as some people slander us by saying that we say), “Let us do evil so that good may come”? Their judgment is deserved!
When I was a teenager and wanted my parents to let me do something questionable with my friends, I would inevitably reach for the same argument: “Well, all my friends are doing it!” Pretty good, right? I hoped the weight of social pressure would make them relent and give me permission to go along.
Their response was the classic line: “If all your friends were jumping off a bridge, would you do it, too?”
The point, of course, was simple: just because everyone is doing something wrong does not make it right.
That is part of what makes this passage from Romans a little difficult to read at first. Paul is arguing from both sides of the conversation. The technical term for this style is diatribe—he raises an objection and then answers it.
First, Paul asks what advantage the Jewish people had if many of them had been unfaithful. His answer is that the story has never rested on human faithfulness in the first place. It rests on God’s faithfulness to his covenant promises.
Then Paul anticipates the next question: if God’s grace remains steady even when we fail, does that mean we can sin freely and treat grace like permission? Paul’s answer is immediate: “By no means!” God is gracious, but God is also just. And as people called to bear God’s name in the world, we are not invited to settle for sin.
The bottom line is this: we are called to represent God on earth. We will fail in that calling, but our failure does not cancel God’s mercy. We do not do good in order to manipulate God into forgiving us. We seek to do good because we belong to a good God who loves us and teaches us to love our neighbors.
That can be hard to receive as good news, especially when we see Christians who seem to treat grace casually, or when the world around us keeps telling us to follow the crowd and do whatever seems acceptable in the moment.
But the gift and the calling remain the same: we are called to become more like Jesus, and we are given all the grace we need when we fall short along the way.
How is God shaping you to become more like Jesus? And where do you need his grace today?
– Pr. Jason
Jesus, thank you for showing me the way to be human. Thank you for giving me the grace I need when I fail so that I can start over again as your disciple. Amen.
