July 5 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Now comes the conclusion of the teaching of the first part of Romans: "In the court of God, the law is not your advocate but your prosecutor. You Jews, as well as the whole world, are liable to God's judgment. God's revealed will, the law, will not help you get credit with God. On the contrary, the law spells out your penalty and increases your sin."

The teaching of sin as the introductory part of the gospel equalizes all people. All of us are accountable to one Judge, all of us are sinners. No one has good reason to look down on anybody else. To be sure, we differ in that some are worse sinners than others. There is a difference in quantity, but there is no difference in quality. We are all sinners.

All the masks are now removed. Every mouth is stopped. All are silent and sinful in the sight of God.

The frightful reality of sin has been revealed. It appears to be much more than the bad behavior people observe and discuss. Sin is a power that jails us: "Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin" (v. 9). And nobody can escape from this prison in which all of us are inmates. We cannot set ourselves or others free.

Some people are fond of talking about "the brotherhood of man." They think that people aren't so bad, really, and that we could achieve peace and unity if we would only try hard enough to be "nice."

In view of Romans 3:20, we must admit that we, with all thieves, cannibals, and murderers, share in a solidarity of sin. This is our "brotherhood," if you will. No Orthodox person can survive because he is Orthodox, no Jew because he is a Jew, no politician because he is nice. But this brotherhood in misery is not a creed that comforts us. It makes us look for an escape. "Foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die."

REFLECTIONS

How does God's law function in your life?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.