No notes tonight — just reading. Travelled today and went to the supermarket to stock up. 🙏
A traveling day. A stocking-up day. And Romans 3:21-26 rides along quietly — the greatest passage on justification ever written — while Le picks up groceries in a French supermarket.
No notes tonight. Sometimes the Word is so full that the pilgrim just reads. The text does its work quietly.
If Romans is a cathedral, chapters 1 and 2 built the walls: all are guilty. Chapter 3 — the altar: all have sinned, and all are justified freely. The problem and the solution. The disease and the cure. The sentence and the pardon.
"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify."
"Mais maintenant, sans la loi est manifestée la justice de Dieu, à laquelle rendent témoignage la loi et les prophètes."
Romains 3:21 · Louis Segond"But now." Mais maintenant. The turning point. Ephesians 2:4 — "But God." Everything before — problem. Everything after — solution.
"Apart from the law." Sans la loi. Chōris nomou. Not through law-keeping. Not through performance. Apart from it entirely. The law pointed — but the law is not the source. The signpost is not the destination.
"This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile."
"Justice de Dieu par la foi en Jésus-Christ pour tous ceux qui croient. Il n'y a point de distinction."
Romains 3:22 · Louis Segond"Given through faith." Not earned. Given. Le: it was gifted to me. Paul: given through faith. Same truth.
"No difference." Il n'y a point de distinction. The great equalizer. Scholar and child. Luther and Le. Le and her friend. Both sinners. Both offered the same gift.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
"Car tous ont péché et sont privés de la gloire de Dieu."
Romains 3:23 · Louis Segond"All." Tous. Every single one. "Fall short." Sont privés. The standard is the glory of God — not other people. And all miss it.
Le: I didn't graduate from sinner to saint. Romans 3:23 is the reason. No one graduates. The standard is God's glory.
But this is not the end of the sentence. It flows into verse 24. The falling short is not the final word. Grace is.
"And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
"Et ils sont gratuitement justifiés par sa grâce, par le moyen de la rédemption qui est en Jésus-Christ."
Romains 3:24 · Louis Segond"Justified freely." Gratuitement justifiés. Dikaiounmenoi dōrean — declared righteous as a GIFT. Costs us nothing. Costs God everything.
"By his grace." Par sa grâce. Not ours. Ephesians 2:8: not of yourselves.
"Through the redemption." Apolytrōsis — buying back. Ransom. Liberation. Christ is the ransom. Christ is the price. Christ is the liberation.
Le's testimony in Paul's language: I was mercied = justified freely. It was gifted = by his grace. Someone else paid. Le received.
"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness... so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."
"C'est lui que Dieu a destiné, par son sang, à être, pour ceux qui croiraient, victime propitiatoire, afin de montrer sa justice... de manière à être juste tout en justifiant celui qui a la foi en Jésus."
Romains 3:25-26 · Louis SegondThe theological summit of Romans. How can a just God forgive sinners?
"Sacrifice of atonement." Victime propitiatoire. Hilastērion — the mercy seat. Where the high priest sprinkled blood once a year. Christ IS the mercy seat. God presented Him. The blood was shed. The price was paid.
"To be received by faith." Pour ceux qui croiraient. Received. Not earned. The open hand. The gift placed.
"Just and the one who justifies." Juste tout en justifiant. Dikaion kai dikaiounta. God does not choose between justice and mercy. He accomplishes both at the cross. Justice — because the price was paid. Mercy — because the price was paid by Someone Else. Both at once. Both fully. Both forever.
The sinner who didn't graduate stands before God — because God is just and the sin is paid for. And God is the justifier and the sinner is declared righteous. Not improved. Declared. Not because the sinner changed. Because the mercy seat received the blood. 🙏
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Romans 3:23-24 · Rivières, France · August 31, 2026 · The heart of Romans — the falling short is not the final word, grace isBut Now
Mais maintenant. The turning point. Everything before — problem. Everything after — solution. But God. But now.
No Difference
Il n'y a point de distinction. All have sinned. All offered the same gift. Scholar and child on the same ground.
Justified Freely
Gratuitement. As a gift. Costs us nothing. Costs God everything. I was mercied = justified freely.
Just and Justifier
The mercy seat. Hilastērion. God is just — sin paid. God justifies — sinner free. Both at the cross. Both forever.