How a Silent Mouth is Needed for You to Be Right with God?
19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Romans 3:19-20 (NIV)
Throughout the whole section of Romans 2:1-3:20, Paul addresses the “religious”—those who keep the law, believe in the Bible, and consider themselves righteous. By quoting Old Testament Scriptures in his description of sin’s effects (Rom. 3:10-18), Paul shows that the law applies to everyone, both Jews and Gentiles. The purpose of knowing the law should not be to claim righteousness as a good law-keeper, but rather to recognize that “every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God” (Rom. 3:19).
The law is not a checklist we can keep to be declared righteous (Rom. 3:20); it is a benchmark we all fail, making us conscious of our sin. No matter how loyal, kind, thoughtful, generous, or loving we are, our response to God’s law should be an acknowledgment of our sinfulness and desperate need for God’s grace.
This truth, though bleak, helps us make sense of the world around us. As Blaise Pascal noted, “Nothing offends us more rudely than this doctrine, yet without this mystery, the most incomprehensible of all, we are incomprehensible to ourselves.” (Pensées, Section VII, 434)
A silent mouth represents the spiritual condition of someone who recognizes their inability to save themselves. John Gerstner explains that, “There is nothing standing between the sinner and God… Nothing now stands between the sinner and God but the sinner’s ‘good works.’ Nothing can keep him from Christ but his delusion … that he has good works of his own that can satisfy God … All they need is need. All they must have is nothing … But alas, sinners cannot part with their ‘virtues.’ They have none that are not imaginary, but they are real to them. So grace becomes unreal. The real grace of God they spurn in order to hold on to the illusory virtues of their own.” (“Theology for Everyman”, page 72–73)
The gospel reveals a righteousness from God (Rom. 1:16), which we can receive by coming to Christ with empty hands. Ironically, it is not our sins that keep us from salvation, but our good works. We must give up our goodness and repent of both our religiosity and our rebellion, coming to God with empty hands and silent mouths to receive His grace.
In what practical ways can you cultivate a posture of “empty hands” and a “silent mouth” before God, daily reminding yourself of your dependence on His grace?
[The ideas for this week’s materials on Romans 3:1-20 were drawn from Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You“]
At the risk of sounding like a broken record😏, I have to say that the best ways to cultivate a posture of “empty hands” and a “silent mouth” before God, daily reminding myself of my dependence on His grace, are through consistent time spent in His Word and in prayer. In the Word, I find a clear picture of who I am in light of who God is, revealing the depravity of my own heart and my utter need for Him. In prayer, I am reminded that apart from Him and His Spirit’s work within me, I can do nothing. I am completely dependent upon His grace in every aspect of my life. Another way that helps me to cultivate this posture of dependence is through the daily process of self-examination that I have learned through the 12 step program, (which, btw, also suggests daily prayer and meditation😊). Each day, a daily moral inventory of myself reveals wrong motives, and cuts through the layers of self deception that would lead me to believe that I can attain righteousness on my own😔 Jesus was, is, and always will be my One and only hope! But what a glorious hope we have in Him!
God kind of pounded this idea into me the past year. I tried to do good and failed. In the middle of my daily devotion, I get distracted by desires – not just small simple distractions but ungodly, sinful temptations. Every time I feel proud, God reveal to me the truth and I feel shamed. If I forget, God will let me know of it. I prayed for Him to remind me and He faithfully granted my wish and never let me forget :-). So even on this, I pray and the Lord helps me 🙂 – I depends on Him for everything.