Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.
Universal Matters
You know the difference between local and universal don’t you? Something that is universal is as broad as the universe itself. Something that is local is confined to a specific locale, whether it is your state, your city, your town, or your house.
A lot of times things that we think are universal really are local. Our world is small enough that we think that everyone thinks or acts the way we do. For instance, I’ve noticed that Rices sometimes have their own specific, family vocabulary, and people don’t understand what we are saying. Sometimes differences may be seen in the currency we use or the way we get electricity. Earlier this year my wife and I were privileged to be in Honduras for meetings. We had to change our American currency for money we could use in Honduras, and I also had to ask if the outlets for electricity were the same as in America. Some things just do not translate from place to place and others do.
How wonderful, then, to read in Romans 3 that God’s provision for mankind is as universal as mankind’s sin. Romans 3:9 indicates that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin. Verse 10 shows that there are “none righteous.” Verse 11 states that none of us have understanding or naturally seek God. Verse 12 indicates that all have gone out of God’s way and none do good. Verse 20 indicates that because of the deeds of the law no person will be justified before God. Verse 23 tells us that “all have sinned.”
Then verse 22 talks about the wonderful truth of “the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.” There is no difference between those who are born here or those who are born abroad, those who are born Jewish or those who are born Gentile. That is why verse 29 confirms that God is also the God of the Gentiles.
These matters are universal. There is universal failure: sin. There is a universal law: God’s. There is a universal need: salvation. There is a universal provision: Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son. There is a universal obligation: faith, dependence in the finished work of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for ours sin, was buried, and rose again. That means that, regardless of where you live, whether it is a metropolitan area or a rural area, whether the people speak English or some other dialect, God’s provision is universal. The same good news that worked 2,000 years ago is valid today. Mankind’s sin is universal, but so is God’s provision. Point people to Jesus Christ no matter where they are right now because God saves those who come to Him by faith in the Lord Jesus.