Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
1/31 Reading Portions: Genesis 32; Mark 3; Esther 8; Romans 3
Romans 3:4
Let God be true though every one were a liar...
WORD
Many Jews in Paul’s day did not believe in Jesus unto saving faith; even though the Scriptures were entrusted to them (Rom 3:1-3). Just because they did not believe, it did not make God’s Word any less true. It did not make God’s Messiah any less trustworthy. It did not make God’s gospel any less powerful.
We should never use men’s behavior, good or bad, as a gauge of gospel power or a crutch for gospel understanding. If a Christian demonstrates faithlessness, we must acknowledge that, apart from the grace of God in Jesus Christ, failure is all we’ll ever achieve, spiritually speaking of course. If a Christian displays holy behavior, faithful conviction, or genuine repentance, we must acknowledge the power he or she uses to execute such is only because of the grace of God bestowed.
Sometimes, when we read God’s Word, it seems dry and lifeless to us. Why? Because, like the unbelieving Jews of Christ’s day, and Paul’s day afterward, the Jews gave more credence to their own deeds and devotions than they did to the truth of the Word of God. To them, the Scriptures were nothing more than a system of dos and don’ts.
God is true because He cannot be otherwise. Therefore, God is true to His holy Word. By God’s Word, we are sanctified by the truth of His Word (John 17:17). When we see Christ in Scripture (John 5:39), who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:7), then God’s Word becomes to us what the Lord has eternally made it to be—
living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Although man lies, God remains true,
His nature never fails;
It’s not based upon what men do,
Christ’s faithfulness prevails.