Romans – A Treatise
Chapter Three
COME SHORT
Scripture Reading: verses 21-24
Let us not forget, this is still a courtroom scene – a drama of criminal procedure in the highest court of the universe. The criminal is unequivocally declared guilty, and we are represented in him, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” These two expressions are not synonymous. One truth is “all have sinned;” the second truth is “all have come short of the glory of God.” The first indicates we are all sinners by practice. It is not simply that we have inherited the nature of sin (which is true), but that nature has become active in our members, and we are sinners by practice. Further along in this Epistle these two, the nature and act, will be distinguished. The apostle tells us: “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12). No one shall come under the sentence of Divine judgment simply because he has inherited the nature of sin from Adam, but all of us come under the sentence of condemnation because we have put that nature into practice. We are sinners in act, in word, and in deed. That is the first truth in this verse.
The second truth revealed in this verse is that we all come short of the glory of God. The glory of God is an expression which really means the full display of what God has in mind in any particular instance. Keep in mind that man was a creature of great beauty when God set him up in the Garden of Eden. When God finished with him, he was a living soul, made in the image of God, in His likeness. As such he was head of the creation in which he was placed. He was set in that realm for the glory of God, so that he might display the character of God to those around him. In this connection, Adam’s first act was to give names to the animals. In a sense this was a Divine act reflecting the thoughts of God Himself, for God is primarily a God of love, order and righteousness. So Adam was setting things in harmonious order under his own headship. But Adam had certain limitations because he was still a creature, and even in innocence he could not fully display God’s wondrous thoughts of glory. In that sense, even before the fall he came short of God's glory. How much more after he fell into sin.
In order to get some thought regarding what the glory of God means, we have to look at the Lord Jesus Christ and see the glory of God shining in His face. In other words, the Lord Jesus stepped into this creation, Himself the Creator; yet He became a Man, and in manhood’s grace He put on perfect display, the very effulgence of the glory of God. To learn the thoughts of God in the harmonious perfection of the order of His own creation, we must look, not at man, but at the Son of Man, whom He has set over all things. The Lord Jesus Christ is the One who glorified God in every attribute of His being, because He Himself is God; yet He became Man, and as such
He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name: That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He is the One who did not come short of the glory of God. This is truly a large subject, and one which we shall not here pursue further, but suggest for additional meditation.
In verse 24, Paul goes on: “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” His eye is again on the criminal who has been condemned, his mouth shut, left without excuse. Now, greeting his ears is the glad news that he may be justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Here brought into view we have the substitutionary work of the Lord on the Cross.
It would be like a criminal standing condemned in an ordinary courtroom, about to be sentenced to the life in prison or to death. Another comes forward to take his place, offering to bear the penalty of his crime, and the court accepts the offer. The substitute is led off to suffer the penalty, and the news is brought to the criminal: by that substitutionary work, he is free of the penalty of law.
Of course, this is a somewhat faulty illustration, because the One who went to the Cross rose again from the dead, and He is presently in the presence of the judge, presenting the evidence of His own redemptive work. He pleads the case, so the true believer is justified freely by God’s grace through that redemption.
It is simple and yet profound. It shows the magnificence of God’s love – giving His only begotten Son. On Calvary’s tree the Lord Jesus died for our sins. He paid the penalty of our iniquity, and now that He has drunk the cup of God's judgment against sin to the last dark drop, we may stand in Him, risen from the dead, cleared from all charge against us.
Let us never forget, the work is a finished work – the Lord Jesus left nothing to be done. He declared on the Cross, “It is finished.” He paid the penalty in full, and God has raised Him from the dead to forever declare that the work of redemption is complete and finished. How grand it is to see that God freely justifies by His grace. There is no reluctance on the part of God. He gave His Son. It was in obedience to God that the Lord Jesus went to the Cross. Providing a means whereby fallen man (a sinner by nature and practice), having come short of the glory of God, might be justified and cleared freely by God’s grace from all guilt represented the great plan of divine Persons in eternal counsel. This is the only way whereby we may be saved. We can add nothing to the work of the Cross; our good works, gifts to the church, kindness to neighbors – though well enough in their place, do not constitute any part of our redemption. We are justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. We have to accept the purchase price of the Cross as full payment to bring us back to God. May God help us accept it as a gift from God Himself in all its efficacy and know that we are cleared from all charges against us for time and eternity. The Word of the Lord is true:
He that heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but is passed out of death into life. (Also read Mark 16:16; and second chapter of Acts.)
