This significant sentence from the epistle... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood, through faith.
Romans 3:23-25

This significant sentence from the epistle to the Romans needs to be studied thoroughly to realise its true meaning. God wishes to pronounce guilty persons free and justify them. When an earthly authority pardons a condemned person through official power, grace is put before justice. The claim of the law takes second place in that case. The guilty person is not pronounced free; the punishment is waived. With God, however, grace and justice are inseparable. That is one of our great God's significant characteristics that we must take note of.

When God acts in grace, it is not at the cost of his righteousness, but because His righteous claims have been met. For this the blood of Jesus Christ made atonement. So people are "justified" by His grace, being pronounced free from guilt. God could not be satisfied with anything less. But not everyone is justified: those who do not want to be, or who refuse to believe in Him, are and remain God's enemies. They are heading for eternal judgment.

God's justification is obtained solely by faith in His blood. This means for the believer: Jesus Christ bore his sins and the punishment of them in His atoning death, when God judged and condemned them. So all who believe are not only pardoned; they are pronounced free from sin.

This means of propitiation, the blood of Jesus, suffices for everyone. But it is effective only for those who put their trust in Christ and His atoning death.

Today's reading: Jeremiah 14:1-22 · Luke 22:47-65