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Reformation Sunday, October 26, 2025

“The dog ate my homework.” A silly excuse. We know of better ones: “I was too sick to make dinner.” “My kid had the flu, and I didn’t get the report done.” We use excuses all the time to justify not getting something done or doing something untoward. Excuses are the simplest and most common form of self-justification. They work so well in our everyday lives that we even use them in our lives before God. “God, I just couldn’t help but sin; she was so beautiful.” Or, how about this? “God, I deserve some credit here. I’ve kept most of those Ten Commandments.”

The law, however, allows no excuses… it permits absolutely no self-justification. When the law speaks, it speaks to everyone. And everyone is silenced! Their mouths are closed. Their excuses are silenced. Their self-justifications are muzzled beneath the weight of accountability imposed by the law’s accusation. In being held accountable to God, the whole world becomes aware of its sin. You… you with a mouthful of excuses and nowhere to voice them… you now realize inescapably and inexcusably that sin is the death of you.

Thanks be to God! “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…” (vs. 21). Death may be the law’s final word: “This sinner must die!” Death, though, is not God’s final word. God’s final word is life… life in the redemption of Jesus Christ… life in the divine forbearance of sins forgiven. God, in his righteousness, is both just in his judgments and “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (vs.26).

Now then, you who have faith (or claim you have faith), stop making excuses… stop trying to justify yourself… step up and admit your guilt and failure. Believe in God’s divine forbearance and the forgiveness of sins. Trust your neighbors when they pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Sure, your failure may have consequences… your guilt may indeed be prophetic… but one by one, your excuses will fall and your self-justifications whither. The law will have done its work of silencing you so that your God may speak the gospel into your ears.

Table Talk: Relate the times when you’ve used excuses and self-justifications as a defense against the law’s accusation.

Pray: Heavenly Father, so turn loose the law upon me that my mouth would be stopped. And then, in that silence, speak your words of promise in Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen

Romans 3:19-28 (ESV)

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.