Devotion #3: Penalty on the Play

“For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.” Romans 4:13-15  

I was recently watching a football game where Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys had an incredible opportunity to tie Justin Tucker’s NFL record for the longest field goal at 66 yards during a game against the Cleveland Browns. Head coach Mike McCarthy gave Aubrey the green light, and the kicker nailed the football straight through the uprights. However, the celebration was short-lived. The Cowboys were penalized for a delay of game because the snap came a second too late, nullifying the impressive kick. 

In many ways, this scenario reminds me of what Paul is conveying in this passage of Scripture. He explains that if our righteousness was based on perfect adherence to the Law (like following the exact timing of a football play), then none of us could ever attain it. Just like Aubrey’s perfect kick did not count due to one misstep, even our best efforts to pursue God fall short when we rely solely on the Law and our obedience to it. 

However, the Law, however, points to our desperate need for righteousness. It enhances our sense of transgression and failure and, as the text suggests, our conviction of being under God’s wrath. Yet, the Scripture is clear: we will never be declared righteous by God through keeping the Law, but only by His grace and our faith in His Son. This is why Paul reminded us, “For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.”  

Similarly, our salvation and our right standing with God (righteousness) are not dependent on getting everything perfectly right; it is by placing our faith in the One who already did everything perfectly right. Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law that we could not keep. Just as Aubrey’s kick was disqualified despite his best effort, so will the Law bring condemnation for every missed mark. However, faith in Christ brings hope, even when we fall short. Be encouraged today that our Father knows how and where we have all messed up but that He still made a way for us to obtain righteousness. It is by placing our faith in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, we read, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”