by Jerry Senn
Paul’s letter to believers in Rome is so amazing—it will radically change the way we see ourselves.
We need to know and understand just how radically sinful we are—how sin affects every part of us—that we are totally unable to live up to God’s standards and affect our personal salvation and that we are lost in ourselves.
We need to understand that we are in need of a radical righteousness that comes from God alone (Romans 1:17) and that it comes “through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (3:22).
We need to understand that we must, “be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that comes through faith in Christ, a righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).
So that we can say, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior” (Titus 3:5).
“Knowing the blessing of credited [imputed] righteousness is the only way to be liberated to view ourselves correctly. Without it, we will either ignore the truth that God is righteous, and that he will only accept a righteous life, or we will be crushed by that truth. We will ignore, excuse or despair at our transgressions. But if we have saving [active] faith, we can be real about ourselves, about our flaws and failings, and we can pick ourselves up when we do fail, because we know the blessing of being sinners whose sins are NOT counted against us—Sinners who are righteous.
(Thoughts adapted: Timothy Keller)