Worship, Thanks, or Both?

I was thinking about the structure of the book of Romans today. (Some of you are probably chuckling at that...)

But I realized something. Before Paul moves to assuring US of our salvation - directing US to how great it is that WE are saved (beginning in 4:23) -

he merely celebrates that God is the God who justifies the ungodly.

That he has made his righteousness known.

That he has been propitiated through the redemption in the blood of Jesus.

That he is both just and the justifier of the ungodly one who trusts Jesus.

In other words, he teaches who God is before teaching who we individually are as a result.

I wouldn't mandate this - but I think there's wisdom in it - that we worship God for who he is and what he's done and what he is capable of doing (He is just, loving, the justifier, the life-giver - even towards the ungodly) - before we thank him for justifying us personally - for saving us personally.

Or in other words - perhaps it is wise to gaze into the glory of God before we gaze into how that glory has changed us personally.

Certainly we must make it personal. I think perhaps we just tend to do so too quickly.

God is the justifier of the ungodly!

And his dedication to his own glory has justified me.