Study Desk

The Scriptures tell us, "No one is acceptable to God!

Not one of them understands or even searches for God.

They don't even fear God."

We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty.

God doesn't accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.

Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses.

God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ.

But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.

God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so that by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.

We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law.

Does God belong only to the Jews? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is!

There is only one God, and he accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith.

If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to brag about. But he would never be able to brag about it to God.

The Scriptures say, "God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him."

But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him.

In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don't do anything to deserve these blessings. David says,

"God blesses people whose sins are forgiven and whose evil deeds are forgotten.

Are these blessings meant for circumcised people or for those who are not circumcised? Well, the Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him.

Abraham let himself be circumcised to show that he had been accepted because of his faith even before he was circumcised. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God because of their faith, even though they are not circumcised.

This also makes Abraham the father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before he was circumcised.