Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
I always loved seeing the T-shirt, mug, or cross stitch that said, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” The problem with that is that “it” is settled whether we believe it or not. Truth is still truth whether or not we choose to believe it. Paul warns of that in verses 3-4. My paraphrase: “Will their unbelief nullify God’s truth? Of course not.” Paul continues further to remind his Jewish listeners, his audience here, that just because you have the Law does not make you somehow better than the Gentiles. He tells them that the whole point of the Law (vs 20) was to show them how sinful man is - not to make them somehow better than others.
Have you ever been around someone who has so much Bible knowledge but can’t seem to apply any of it? They seem to be so focused on knowledge and, unfortunately, use that knowledge as a means to judge others. Boy, do we give the world an easy target when we practice this. Why would anyone lost and searching be attracted to a Gospel of judgment from a fellow sinner? They would not. I try to consider myself just one beggar trying to show another beggar where to find bread.
So our message is one of faith in the redemption by the blood of Christ. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (vs 23) “Being justified as a gift.” (vs 24) And my favorite, “displayed publicly as a propitiation.” (vs 25) Look with me at Colossians 2:14-15, “Having canceled out the certificate of debt (propitiation) consisting of decrees against us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” Can you not just picture here what was going on in the spiritual realm? Satan had been trying to kill Jesus all of his life; Herod, multiple angry crowds, and Satan’s tempting. Now he had Him where he wanted Him. Crucified. Only to realize that he had just played his part in God’s unique and masterful plan. Satan was duped - "triumphed over," I think the scripture says - and put on public display. Even the battle-hardened Roman soldier recognized who Jesus was. Wow, what a plan. Our debt, which we honestly earned and had absolutely no possible way to pay, was nailed to the cross in bold letters: Payment in Full.
I’ll take that deal. And I have.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.