Imagine standing in a courtroom, knowing you’re guilty. The evidence is overwhelming. The judge is just. The sentence is coming. That’s the uncomfortable— but entirely accurate—picture Paul paints in Romans 3. Every one of us is on trial before a holy God. And the verdict?
Guilty.
Romans 3:10 says it plainly: “No one is righteous—not even one.” No matter our background, upbringing, or good intentions, none of us meets God’s standard of righteousness. The law doesn’t save us; it simply exposes us. Like an X-ray revealing a broken bone, it shows the damage but cannot heal the wound. So, what hope do we have?
That’s where the gospel breaks in with breathtaking clarity: “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” (Romans 3:24, NLT). This is the doctrine of justification. It’s a legal term meaning we are declared right—not because we are—but because Jesus stood in our place.
Picture the Judge stepping down from the bench, removing His robe of authority, and standing in the place of the condemned. That’s what Christ did for us. The Judge became the Substitute.
– We couldn’t work our way to God.
– We couldn’t argue our way to innocence.
– We couldn’t justify our sins.
– But Jesus could. And He did.
– We couldn’t argue our way to innocence.
– We couldn’t justify our sins.
– But Jesus could. And He did.
He took our judgment, our penalty, our sin, and offered in return His righteousness. Isaiah 53:6 says, “The Lord laid on him the sins of us all.” That means when God looks at you, if you’ve placed your faith in Christ, He doesn’t see guilt. He sees grace. He sees the righteousness of His Son wrapped around your life.
This is why we live loved and unashamed. We’re not proud of ourselves. We’re overwhelmed by Jesus. We’re not ashamed of the gospel because it’s the only hope we have. And it’s available to everyone. Romans 3:22 makes that abundantly clear: “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.”
You may carry secrets, shame, or spiritual baggage. You may feel like you’re too far gone or not good enough. But the truth is, none of us are good enough. That’s the whole point of grace.
So here’s the invitation: Stop trying to justify yourself. Stop living under judgment. Trust the One who has already taken the verdict for you. Jesus, the Judge, has become
your Savior. Live in that freedom. You’ve been declared innocent by the only One whose verdict matters.