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Falling Short And Missing The Target

After observing the Dallas Cowboy football team for many years, I’ve grown sympathetic at their seemingly inability to score a touchdown when they have the football close to the goal line. There’s an element of “rooting for the underdog” in my compassion for the Dallas Cowboys. There’s also a certain amount of identification, because I understand what it’s like to fall a little short of a standard or goal. All of us know that feeling — we’ve all been there in various circumstances of life.

The inspired writer Paul, tells us regarding our falling short of God’s spiritual goal or standard:

“For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23).

The phrase, “all have sinned” in the above passage literally means that all have “missed the mark” or the target because as sinful beings, we have failed to live up to the divine standard, and thus stand under the condemnation and wrath of God (Romans 1:18; Ephesians 5:6; cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).

In the original text, the phrase ” fall short” comes from a single Greek word, “hustereo” which Thayer’s Greek lexicon defines as:

“To come late or too tardily; to be left behind in the race and so fail to reach the goal, to fall short of the end; metaphorically fail to become a partaker, fall back from.“

Thus with regard to God’s righteousness, we are late arrivals — we have been left behind and have failed to partake of that which God planned and purposed for us. In a word — we have fallen short of God’s glory.

We have fallen short of God’s glory simply because we sinned. We missed God’s target. God’s word sets forth a standard, a mark for which we are to aim. The Word, personified in Jesus Christ, provides us an example to follow and footsteps to trace (1 Peter 2:21; cf. 1 John 2:6), but we didn’t hit the mark or follow the example. We fell short of what God wanted us to be.

It’s important that we understand that this “falling short” is not merely a matter of degree. The Dallas Cowboys may run the football down to the two foot line, but it is still short of the goal — a touchdown. The same is with God — falling a “tiny bit” short and falling a few miles short are no different — short is still short.

Adam and Eve ate fruit from a tree that God had forbidden, and thus lost their home in Eden (Genesis 3:1-24). Moses twice struck a rock with a stick, frustrated over the people’s constant complaining, and thus lost his entrance into the land of promise (Numbers 20:7-13). By human assessment, they fell “a little” short. But to God, short is still short. Short misses the target. Missing the target means separation from God — spiritual death (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23).

So now that we know we’ve fallen short. What now? The inspired Scriptures tell us:

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (Romans 3:23-25).

God has provided the means of our justification, of making right our “falling short” of the spiritual target God has set. By setting forth His Son as the “propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2), God made our redemption possible — by His grace, through His system of faith (Ephesians 2:8; cf. Romans 10:17). Through Christ, God has passed over the sins of those who have become subjects of His grace.

“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

When we are baptized into Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:26-27), we gain new life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Gal. 6:15; cf. Gal. 2:20). Our sins are washed away (Acts 22:16), remitted and forgiven (Acts 2:38; cf. Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:13-14). Therefore, by the grace and mercy of God, our falling short of God’s mark is now mended. In Christ, we are once again on God’s target. Let us therefore praise God from whom all good and perfect gifts flow (cf. James 1:17; cf. John 3:27).