Weekly Devotional - January 26th

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but the righteousness that is by faith; however, Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though they could by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,

And the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”

Romans 9:31-33

Many of us stumble over Christ just as the Israelites did. We often struggle to grasp the idea of entering God’s grace unless we feel like we have contributed something ourselves. After all, we believe our “good deeds” must make some difference, right? It may surprise you to learn that over 85 percent of Christian churches convey, in various ways, that their actions impact their standing with God. This has been the central issue that Paul addresses throughout the book of Romans: many people stumble over Christ by trying to add their own works to His. Remember, each time we do this, we diminish the significance of the cross.