Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
There is something that the Bible says that is so clear it seems impossible that anyone could misread it: "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:23, 24, King James Version). Says the New International Version: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Says The New English Bible: "All alike have sinned, and are deprived of the divine splendour, and all are justified by God's free grace alone, through His act of liberation in the person of Christ Jesus." What does it say? Or mean?
The Good News therein is clear:
(1) The same "all" who have sinned (that has to be absolutely everybody, with the sole exception of Jesus), that same "all" who have sinned have also been "justified freely by His grace." Note: It does notsay all are "justified by faith"! The only ones who experience justification by faith are those who believe the Good News.
(2) But "grace" is never merited; it is always "free." No way can we limit that "grace" to certain people and exclude others. Therefore all are "justified freely."
(3) This work of justifying "all" has been done "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." "We have redemption through His blood" (Eph. 1:7). The blood was shed for all, not just for some. "Our ... Savior Jesus Christ ... gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed" (Titus 2:13, 14). We cannot limit "the redemption ... in Christ" to some and not allow it for "all." Paul often says that "all are justified freely."
(4) We are "justified by His blood" (Rom. 5:9). The blood was shed for all, for "all we like sheep have gone astray, ... and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). As "He bore the sin of many" [all] so He is said to "justify many" (vss. 12, 11).
Then will everybody automatically be saved eternally in heaven? No, for some (sadly, many!) resist and reject what Christ has already given them, just like Esau had the birthright but he rejected it, sold it, despised it (Gen. 25:34; Heb. 12:16, 17).
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 30, 2002.
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