Romans 3:1-4

Romans 3:1-4 - Daily Devotion - 15 June 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 1 What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadLast week, in Romans chapter 2, Paul lobbed some hand grenades at his fellow Jews … or at least, that’s how they would have heard it. The Jews had been given the Law of God, and God had made the special covenant of circumcision with them. But Paul said neither the Law nor circumcision gave Jews any advantage over uncircumcised Gentiles when it came to salvation.Paul knew, from his experience preaching the gospel to the Jews, that they would find this highly offensive. So in today’s passage, he repeats and then answers some of the objections that have been flung back at him. First, he says that having the Law might not have given the Jews a free pass to salvation, but it was still a huge blessing and responsibility – they had been “entrusted with the very words of God” (v 2). And second, he says that even though many Jews were rejecting the gospel and so missing out on eternal life, that didn’t mean God was unfaithful to his promises to Israel. His promises were always for those who had faith in him, not for unbelieving rebels.In the last few days, I’ve been looking ahead to our upcoming sermon on Daniel 9, where Daniel prays a great prayer of confession on behalf of sinful Israel. Daniel understood what Paul’s opponents didn’t – that God had poured out his wrath on his rebellious people Israel because he was faithful to the covenant he had made with them. Even if every person in the world rejects Christ and misses out on salvation, God will still be true, faithful, good, and right in his judgment (Romans 3:4). Praise God that countless multitudes have found salvation through faith in Christ though!Today got me reflecting on my own background. I was born into a family of faithful, prayerful Christian parents who taught me the gospel from before I could walk or talk. I’ve known for decades what an amazing blessing, privilege and responsibility that is. Paul reminded me today of the fatal mistake I could make – thinking that this blessing means I’ll get special treatment from God or a free pass into heaven, whether or not I take faith in Jesus seriously.Your story might be similar to mine, or it may be completely different. But I’m sure you know of some way in which God has blessed you – by giving you access to the gospel, a church that teaches the Bible, a solid church family. Thank God for that amazing blessing, and also ask him to guard you from ever forgetting that you, personally, need to trust in Jesus for your salvation. ABOUT THE AUTHORtext