Romans 3:21,22 “But Now…”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

²¹but now, a righteousness of God apart from law has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²²even a righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ into all the ones believing, for [there] is no difference…”

Verses 21,22 are perhaps the most glorious words ever recorded in human history. As Adam and Eve stood guilty and hopelessly condemned before the Lord, they heard Him say He would someday send “the Seed of the woman” who would “crush the head of the serpent.” Even so, every single human being stands at the end of verse 20 under a law that can only condemn them and drop them into hell.

Then, if we’re listening, we hear the Lord speak, “But now…”

Pardon me if I belabor this point, but the enormity of this truth is to me astounding. “But now.” We humans run “hither and yon” all the days of our lives, oppressed by guilt and troubles, and trying desperately to somehow make our lives and this world “work.” In a million different ways, we spend all day every day trying to “fix” it – whatever “it” may be. Our world is broken. People are broken. The government is broken. Something is terribly wrong with it all. And perhaps, worst of all, way down deep I know there’s something terribly wrong with me.

And, if we care at all, where do we run to “fix” it all? To law. As I’ve noted before, we think the answer is more laws, better laws, new laws, less laws, even no laws, but one way or another, we are quite sure we can somehow fix it all with law, with something to do with the rules. And where does it get us? If someone is honest, they must admit it doesn’t work. For all the law-keeping, for all the “religion,” for all the new diets, for all the new workouts, for all the new study plans, for all the new whatever, our world goes on being broken and we go on being guilty and oppressed, troubled in our heart of hearts and still chasing that elusive sense of peace which we never seem to find. I’m reminded of the words, “Help me, I’m drowning in a sea of black. There’s darkness around me and knives in my back. I struggle for freedom, I search for the light, but I never quite reach it. It’s lost in the night.”

By Romans chapter 3, verse 20, we humans have tried it all and where do we stand? Guilty. Hopeless. The very law we thought would save us has not only failed us, it itself condemns us! “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” Perhaps we would utter one last squeak of, “But I’ll do better…” only to realize, even as we’re squeaking, that itself is hopeless.

Guilty. Condemned. Broken. Hopeless.

“But now…”

Pardon me again if belabor this point, but I want to note I am not here talking about “religion.” I’m not talking about “Christian teaching” or one particular philosophical paradigm of human existence. What we’re pondering is reality.

This is reality. The human race is broken. The universe is broken. I’m broken. You’re broken. And anyone who is honest must ultimately come to the same conclusion: My world is broken and I cannot fix it. Our twisted hearts may propose a million different explanations of what is wrong, why it’s wrong, and what will fix it, but what we are reading here in Romans chapter 3 is reality. This is the Truth.

At the end of verse 20, it is utterly and completely hopeless truth.

And for those few who will be honest and admit this – that they are hopeless – suddenly these words break upon us, “But now…”

And, above all else, what truly makes these words beyond priceless is that it is God who is speaking. We have looked every which way. We’ve turned to each other, read each other’s books, listened to each other’s ideas, tried each other’s solutions, and here we are bankrupt. Then a voice from above says, “But now…”

“Hallelujah!” my weary soul wants to shout, but finds it can barely squeak. It’s not time to speak. It’s time to listen. God is speaking. He speaks into our utter hopelessness and says, “But now…”

And what does He say, “A righteousness of God apart from law has been revealed.” Righteousness.” “Rightness.” “Being right.” “Not broken.” “Not twisted.” A rightness of God has been revealed and it is apart from law. In Greek, it is literally “without law.” The law we thought would save us instead only condemned us, but now God’s still, small voice would speak to our hearts and whisper, “I have another way.”

Oh that the whole human race could stand together and with our dirty, emaciated faces look up to heaven and say, “We’re listening, Lord. Please tell us Your way.”

And what is His way? Jesus.

God says, “But now…” and then in seven verses explains to us the real hope of our world, the real answer to our brokenness. And we will find it all in Jesus.

May I belabor my point one more time? May I say again, this is reality. This is not just Christian teaching. This is the Truth. We have before us in a nutshell everything that is wrong with the human race and the only real answer. Our problem is a God problem. And what we need is a God answer. And that God answer is Jesus. The answer is not law. The answer is a Person. I don’t need different rules. I need a relationship!

In the seven verses before us, Romans 3:21-26, God would tell us His great “But now.” Oh that the whole world would listen, but most importantly, Lord help me to listen.