May 5 – Called to Righteousness

Sunday School Lesson

May 5

Lesson 10 (KJV)

Called to Righteousness

 

Devotional Reading: John 10:1–11

Background Scripture: Romans 3

 

Romans 3:21–31

21. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

 

22. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

 

23. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 

24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

 

25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

 

26. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

 

27. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

 

28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

 

29. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

 

30. Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

 

31. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

 

Key Verses

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.—Romans 3:24, 25

 

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

 

1. Cite evidence that all have sinned.

 

2. Explain how God maintains His just nature while providing a way for sinful humans to be justified.

 

3. Sing with personal conviction a hymn that accurately summarizes God’s grace as salvation.

 

HOW TO SAY IT

Aquila	Ack-wih-luh.
Caesar	See-zer.
Corinthians	Ko-rin-thee-unz (th as in thin).
Galatians	Guh-lay-shunz.
Gentiles	Jen-tiles.
Mediterranean	Med-uh-tuh-ray-nee-un.
Priscilla	Prih-sil-uh.
propitiation	pro-pih-she-ay-shun.

Introduction

1. Universal Sinfulness

The theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) has often been quoted as saying, “The sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world,” a maxim based in an article he wrote in 1937. Niebuhr, a keen student of the writings of the apostle Paul, insisted that political considerations, no matter how noble, would always be influenced by human sinfulness. He saw the tension between our desire for justice (serviced by politics) and our human tendencies toward pride, self-assertion, and conflict. With both Paul and Niebuhr, sin and justice were not partners but enemies.

In Romans 3, Paul looks at this tension between sin and justice from God’s perspective.

1. Lesson Context

Paul wrote to the church in Rome in about AD 58, during his third missionary journey. He had not planted that church, but expressed a desire to visit. He envisioned Rome to be a future stop on his way to Spain for missionary work (Romans 15:24, 28). Paul did indeed come to Rome a couple of years later, but not as part of a missionary trip. Instead, He arrived under Roman guard due to his appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:9–28:16).

Rome was the center of an empire that encompassed most of the territories bordering the Mediterranean Sea, among others. Rome was a colossal city, the largest in the ancient world. Considerations of water, sanitation, and food supply limited the practical size of ancient cities, with just a handful being over 100,000 in population. Rome, however, was 10 times this size or more. Jews made up a significant minority of Rome’s residents, perhaps as many as 10,000–20,000.

The church in Rome had a mixed membership of Jews and Gentiles. We can only guess at the church’s size. Paul’s greetings in Romans 16 list more than two dozen people by name, implying many more. It’s reasonable to think of a church of several hundred—still a tiny fraction of the city’s total population.

Paul wrote to prepare the church in Rome for his intended future visit. He was aware of issues between the Jews and Gentiles in the church and had words for both groups. In the process, Paul gave a thorough presentation of the gospel that he had been preaching. It was a message that had already influenced the Roman church through people such as Aquila and Priscilla (Romans 16:3; see Acts 18:2).

A central doctrinal concern for Paul was to demonstrate the universal sinfulness of humanity and the magnificent scope of God’s plan for redemption of men and women from the consequences of this sin. Paul based his conclusions on both the historical facts of Jesus’ life and proper interpretation of Jewish Scriptures. Today’s lesson assumes the case for universal sinfulness has been made in Romans 1:18–3:20. With that foundation in place, the question that arises is how the sinless, holy God can rescue sinners from the wrath that divine justice requires. This weighty matter is the subject of this week’s lesson.

1. Just and Justifier

(Romans 3:21–26)

1. God’s Righteousness (vv. 21–23)
2. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.

The two words But now mark an important transition. God had revealed part of His nature in the old covenant’s system of law. But now, in the new covenant inaugurated by Christ’s death (see below), God has revealed (manifested) more of His nature in a different way.

The now-revealed part of God’s nature is called the righteousness of God. The meaning of this and closely related phrases shifts depending on context (see Romans 3:25, below). For the verse before us, Paul continues the sense of the righteousness of God that he used in Romans 1:17: God has now revealed the method by which people can be made permanently right with Him.

Although the plan Paul is about to describe is not based in the old law, that does not mean it is a new insight. It has indeed been witnessed by earlier Scripture, the law and the prophets (compare Acts 10:43).

 

22a. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.

 

Paul moves to the key element of his discourse concerning the righteousness of God, and that key element is Jesus Christ. Paul’s description faith of Jesus Christ is vital, although it also presents an issue of proper interpretation: Does the phrase faith of Jesus Christ mean “the faith we put in Christ,” or does it mean “the faithfulness Christ exhibited”?

Either is possible, but the former is supported by the same Greek phrasing in Galatians 2:16. There “faith” is contrasted with “works” as a means of being justified. But either way, Jesus is the point of interaction between God and humans.

We gain access to God through belief in Jesus. There are not multiple ways to make up for the fact of sin and be admitted into Heaven. There is not one system through the Law of Moses for the Jews along with a parallel system through faith in Christ. The reason why is given next.

 

22b, 23. For there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

 

Just as there is no difference in the problem (all have sinned) and no difference in consequence (come short of the glory of God), so also there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles regarding the remedy.

Past Tense Only?

Many years ago, I was a guest preacher in a Midwest church when the church’s minister was on vacation. After the service, one of the church’s elders invited me to dinner. The meal was fine and the conversation was pleasant until the elder got on his doctrinal hobbyhorse. The topic he wanted to discuss was his belief that, since he was a mature Christian, he no longer sinned!

I had recently finished graduate school and was therefore studied up on my doctrine. I was also youthfully confident of its correctness, so I accepted the challenge to set him straight. When I quoted Romans 3:23, he pointed out that Paul’s statement was in the past tense,* thus not applying to him on the day of our discussion.

We argued on, well past the point at which either of us was willing to give in. The battle of mind and will had hardened our positions. Looking back on that day, I can see that we both were so proud of our perspectives that we were proving Paul’s point in coming short of the glory of God: Even our attempts to glorify God by being faithful to Scripture were being tainted by the sin of pride!

By the way, do you know the difference between a hobbyhorse and a real horse? You can get off a real horse!

—C. R. B.

[*Note: the English translation “have sinned” is actually the present perfect tense. The Greek being translated is in the aorist tense, which is not always equivalent to the English past tense.]

 

What Do You Think? What techniques can we use to help people understand the consequences of their sin?   Digging Deeper Consider the varying techniques Paul used given the nature of his audience in different contexts.

We tend to think of God’s glory in terms of brilliant, supernatural light or radiance (see Luke 2:9). Glory also has the sense of being worthy of praise, which God certainly is (Revelation 5:12). When we gain right standing with God through Christ, we also gain a measure of glory (2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:17). That fact comes full circle: when we are justified through faith in Christ, we bring glory to God; He alone is the proper object of worship (Romans 11:36).

 

What Do You Think? In what ways can you bring glory to God as you serve others?   Digging Deeper Will your answer change based on whether you are ministering to believers or unbelievers? Why, or why not?

1. God’s Grace (vv. 24–26)

24a. Being justified freely by his grace.

 

Paul does not want his readers to forget the chasm of sin that is bridged by Christ. So in verses 24 and 25, Paul uses three weighty words to define our sin status and how it is overcome.

The first word is justified, a legal term of Paul’s day. Although we are indeed guilty sinners, to be justified freely by his grace means to hear the great judge pronounce “guilty, but no penalty.” We will not suffer the eternal consequences of our sin. The reason why comes next.

 

24b. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

 

Paul’s second weighty word is redemption. This introduces the basis for the “no penalty” part of the great judge’s pronouncement above. Part of the Old Testament usage background of the equivalent word in Hebrew occurs in contexts of being set free from bondage by intervention by a third party (examples: Leviticus 25:25; Deuteronomy 9:26).

As the meaning of the word shifts over the centuries, it comes to include the idea of paying a ransom to release the one who is in bondage (compare Mark 10:45; 1 Timothy 2:6; contrast Psalm 49:7–9). All this is building to Paul’s conclusion regarding how exactly this redemption is in Christ Jesus, next.

 

25a. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.

 

Our salvation is possible because of a propitiation, Paul’s third of three weighty words. This word is drawn from the system of sacrificing animals to atone for sins (example: Numbers 29:11). Such atonement was for the purpose of turning aside God’s wrath. But that system was temporary.

If God’s holy wrath comes down on us because of our sin, then we will pay the price in the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:13, 14). There is an alternative, but only one: Christ. He serves as the final and perfect atoning sacrifice for sins; His death satisfies any penalty our sins require (see 1 John 2:2; 4:10; compare Hebrews 9:11–10:18). But it’s not automatic; rather, it becomes effective through faith in his blood. That thought is incomplete, however, without what Paul says next.

What Do You Think? How will the reality of Christ’s sacrifice influence your thoughts and actions in the week ahead?   Digging Deeper Which Scriptures help you most in understanding the idea of propitiation or atonement? Why?

25b, 26. To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

 

The two instances of to declare plus the two calendar references of are past and at this time lock these lines together. This helps us understand that the two instances of the phrase his righteousnessrefer to God’s consistency. Whether past, present, or future, God’s actions are always consistent with His character or nature.

Part of that consistency is God’s merciful forbearance, a word related to “longsuffering” (see Romans 2:4). With rare exceptions (Acts 12:23; etc.), God does not punish sin immediately. His delay allows us a chance to repent (2 Peter 3:9, 15). But He does not postpone punishment indefinitely either. We have a choice to make: suffer eternal punishment for our sins or accept Christ’s death on our behalf.

Paul caps his presentation of God’s remedy for sin by giving us an ironic and wonderful truth. For God to be just means that the penalty for sin must be paid. For sin to go unpunished would mean that God is unjust. And indeed, sin’s penalty has been paid—by Christ on the cross. Through the work of Christ, God retains His perfectly just nature while being the justifier of sinners.

A way of illustrating this is to imagine yourself before a judge who rightly imposes the death penalty on you for an offense you have committed. With your guilt beyond question, the only outcome is death so that the demands of justice will be satisfied. But as things turn out, the just judge is also a compassionate judge. So he decides to come down from the bench and die in your place. As a result, you go free. Justice is not lost, for the penalty is paid and God’s holiness is upheld. We can be admitted into Heaven, thus demonstrating the triumph of God’s love. In Christ, God pays for our sins through His Son’s willing sacrifice for our sins. Thus God is both just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

At this point, some will say, “But it’s not fair for an innocent person to die in the place of a guilty person!” That’s exactly right—it’s not fair. What it is is grace, especially when we remember that Christ died voluntarily on our behalf. He didn’t have to, but He did anyway.

1. Faith and Law

(Romans 3:27–31)

1. Boasting Excluded (vv. 27, 28)
2. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

 

Paul lays out practical implications for all he has just said, for both Jews and Gentiles. Some Jews may be clinging to a sense of religious superiority over their Gentile neighbors because they have the Law of Moses. Paul, a Jew himself, realizes that any law of works cannot possibly be a way to be justified. If anyone can and does keep the law perfectly, that person would have reason for boasting. But no one keeps the law perfectly; “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23).

But there is a law that does applies: the law of faith. Paul’s language here drips with irony. We cannot be saved by keeping all the commands in the Law of Moses, thought to be 613 in number by Jewish scholars of the day. Instead, we have a law based on faith. Faith is not a work whereby we earn salvation. Rather, faith is putting trust and confidence in Jesus Christ as having secured our salvation on the cross (Romans 10:9, 10; Colossians 2:12–14).

 

28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

 

Paul does not believe the Jewish law is valueless. Its great value is in defining sin (Romans 7:7). Even so, lasting justification must come from some other quarter, and Paul has shown this to be faith in the person and atoning work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Paul’s inescapable conclusion is that justification and salvation are possible without reference to deeds of the law. This must be true whether the word law refers to the Law of Moses or any other religious or secular system based on law-keeping.

1. Jew and Gentile Included (vv. 29–31)
2. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.

 

The status of the Gentiles (that is, everyone who is not a Jew) is clear. There is only one God, and He cannot be the God of only some people. The Gentiles have plenty of false gods in Paul’s day (see Acts 14:12), but they are only fictitious substitutes for the God of the Jews. The one, supreme God, revealed in creation and in Jewish Scripture, is the only God. He is the Lord of both Jew and Gentile, for there is no alternative.

Spiritual Elitism

When I was a boy, my father served for many years as president of a Bible college. The small college’s facilities were located adjacent to the campus of a state university. Dad was a friend of an administrator at the university, and one day they were discussing the church affiliations of the Bible college faculty and their counterparts at the university.

The university administrator said that, among Protestants, administrators tended to be affiliated with Denomination A, full professors were likely to be members of Denomination B, associate professors might be part of Denomination C or D. In other words, the church mirrored the social structure of the world to some extent. A form of elitism based on one’s place in the educational hierarchy was at work in a person’s choice of denominational affiliation.

The General Social Survey of 2016 notes that Americans’ affiliation with mainline denominational Christianity fell from 28 percent to 10 percent between 1972 and 2016. Given that fact, the situation at that university may be very different now. However, we still face the problem the first-century church faced: some Christians consider themselves better than others. Such spiritual elitism may be based on one’s income, education, social class, race, preference for a certain style of worship, etc. Regardless, it’s all irrelevant to God. Since He looks at us without regard for where we fit in the world’s pecking order, shouldn’t we do so as well?

—C. R. B.

What Do You Think? What steps can we take to stay alert to distinctions among people that in some way mirror the Jew/Gentile tension of Paul’s day?   Digging Deeper Distinguish between cultural viewpoints that are most likely to infect and divide the church vs. those less likely to do so.

30. Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

 

Paul draws on another common way of categorizing Jews and Gentiles: circumcision … and uncircumcision. This refers to the old covenant act for Jewish males that distinguished them physically from non-Jews. This verse is not about circumcision, however. It is about justification—being counted as righteous in the eyes of God. His plan is the same for both groups: faith (compare Romans 4:11, 12; Galatians 3:8).

Some have seen a distinction here in Paul’s terms by faith and through faith. In the second instance, the original language has a definite article (a “the”) that has not been translated. This could be understood to mean “through [that same] faith,” referring back to the first instance of the word faithin this verse. Paul is not drawing a distinction, but an equivalence.

 

What Do You Think? How might your perceptions of others change were you to remind yourself daily that God justifies in the same way all who are willing?   Digging Deeper What Scripture passages or biblical principles help you think through how God’s grace should affect our view of others?

31. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

 

We are wrong to think that Paul is trashing the Jewish law so that it is to be jettisoned from the church altogether. His intention has never been to sever the church from its foundation in Jewish Scripture. Were he alive today, Paul would insist that the Old Testament has an indispensable place in the church. Without it, the concepts of sin, sacrifice, atonement, righteousness, and divine justice would have no anchor point. The doctrinal truths of Christianity would drift into chaos.

Therefore, the apostle reminds his readers in his closing comments of this section that his arguments do not make void the law. Indeed, Paul believes he has established the true purpose of the law: to define sin and the necessity for a remedy for human sinfulness.

Paul’s treatment of the law is consistent with Jesus’ claim that He came not to do away with the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The Jews of Paul’s day undoubtedly contend that God gave them the law, and God’s gifts are good, not evil. Paul agrees, but still insists that faith is the way to justification, not the keeping of the commands of the law.

Conclusion

1. God’s Dilemma

Responsible parents know that children must sometimes be disciplined. Healthy discipline is not a release of a parent’s anger. Rather it is an enforcement of family standards that allow a household to function harmoniously and a child to learn self-discipline.

This does not make disciplining children easy, however. A loving parent may struggle with imposing loss of privilege on a child. Some parents may think they are letting love win out when they avoid imposing punishment, believing that natural consequences for bad decisions will be adequate without parental consequences. From a biblical perspective, the parent who does not punish may be loving but is not being just. If lack of parental-imposed consequences stems from a parent’s desire to avoid conflict, it is not even loving.

 

Our Lord God is both loving and just. Both are essential to His nature. Humans, through their sin, create a dilemma for God. How can God maintain both His love and justice in the face of that sin? Sin leads to eternal death according to God’s just and holy nature, but how can a loving God consign those created in His image to eternal punishment?

The solution is God’s Son. Jesus’ death on the cross allows both God’s justice and love to be preserved. The wrath of God, called forth by the necessity for justice, is satisfied by the sacrifice of Jesus, the gift of God’s love. Our sin debt is paid.

Perhaps you are familiar with the old hymn titled “I Am So Glad That Salvation’s Free,” by James Rowe. Salvation is indeed free—to us. But it was not free to God. The cost to Him was enormous. There is no truth of which we should remind ourselves of more often!

1. Prayer

Heavenly Father, so often we let our days pass without concern for our eternal destiny. Keep us mindful that a day of judgment is coming. May we be counted righteous on that day by grace made possible by Your Son. We pray this in His glorious name. Amen.

1. Thought to Remember

Let us leave guilt, embrace forgiveness, and live in God’s grace.

 

 

KID’S CORNER

God in Christ Suffered What We Deserve

Romans 3:21-31

Sunday, May 5, 2019

 

 

Romans 3:21-31

(Romans 3:21) But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Because God created people in His image and made them capable of revealing His glory and holiness, God revealed the moral standards (the Law) that guided Him and that God wanted to guide the moral behavior of all people. Throughout eternity, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the holy angels have thought, behaved, and maintained relationships according to the Law of God, which is the Law of Love. The Bible and the actions and words of Jesus summarize the Law of Love as love for God, others, and oneself, as a concern for the happiness and well-being of all people as revealed by God in the Bible and as further defined or summarized by the Ten Commandments. The Law of God in the Bible reveals the Law of Love or the righteousness of God, but the Law and the Prophets testify to a better revelation of the righteousness of God, and that revelation came through Jesus Christ when He came into the world and lived and taught among us. Jesus Christ revealed God’s righteousness fully and Jesus restores to righteousness all who will believe in Him, a righteousness that cannot be obtained apart from faith in Jesus Christ.

(Romans 3:22)  even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, perfectly revealed love for God, others, and himself. By His sacrificial death, resurrection from the dead, and ascension into heaven, He honored God and God’s Law, and bestows righteousness (a rightness, a right place, and a right relationship in the family of the true God) to all who will put their faith in Him. His offer is made to all Jews and Gentiles; neither Jews nor Gentiles are better than the other.

(Romans 3:23)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

In Romans 1-3, Paul proved that the Gentiles (the ones without the Bible or the Law of God written) were accountable to God, had sinned against God, and deserved God’s just punishment in this present time and on the Day of Judgment. Paul also proved that the Jews (the ones with the Bible, which included the Law of God written) were accountable to God, had sinned against God, and deserved God’s just punishment (they were not privileged above others just because they possessed the Hebrew Scriptures—God would not give them a special pass to disobey Him with impunity because they were Jews and not Gentiles). Moreover, the Jews had failed in their God-given responsibilities to serve as a kingdom of priests for God, to teach the nations about the true God and explain His Law of Love to them. Having been made in God’s image to honor God by obeying God and living according to the Law of Love in all relationships and ways that would glorify God and reveal His character, everyone has sinned and failed to glorify God.

(Romans 3:24)  being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Having failed God, others, and themselves by violating the Law of Love, everyone deserves to be separated forever from God and those who love God. On the Day of Judgement, based on their works, everyone deserves the just sentence of God, a guilty verdict, and God’s just punishment. But God demonstrated His true love for everyone by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus, into the world to save (from what they deserve) those who believe in Him. God gave (and gives) sinners grace, love, mercy, and pardon freely (without compulsion, without being “earned” by the sinner’s works) when He sent Jesus into the world to redeem believers in Him (to free believers from slavery to sin and Satan). As a poor illustration only, as one might redeem a slave by paying his owner the asking price to free him or her from slavery. The value God places on each person and in upholding His law (the importance of obeying the Law of Love) is reflected in the price He paid to justly forgive and restore sinners to a right relationship with God, which was the death of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. He freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt with His mighty hand, and He frees believers from sin and slavery to Satan through the death and resurrection of His Son. Because God loves everyone, He graciously and freely sent His Son to die as a sacrifice for our sins and to free believers from the eternal consequences of their sins.

(Romans 3:25)  whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;

For sinners to receive forgiveness, pardon for sins, and redemption, they must receive Jesus and His sacrifice in their behalf by faith. By God’s grace, Jesus died a sacrificial death on the cross as a substitute for the death sinners deserve. According to the Law of God, and to uphold the honor of God and the value of the Law of Love, all sinners deserve God’s punishment, but because God loves Jews and Gentiles alike, God chose to suffer the punishment sinners deserve by sending His Son into the world to die in our place. On the Day of Atonement, the priests went to the tabernacle (or later, the temple) and presented sacrifices to God to “atone” for the sins that the Jews had committed during the previous year. God accepted these sacrifices (that He had commanded the priests to offer) in order to make the Jews “at one” with Him again. After the sacrifice of atonement, God graciously gave the Jews a new beginning for another year. This part of the Law of God pointed to the future coming of Jesus Christ, who shed His blood in a once and for all sacrifice of atonement in order to make both Jews and Gentiles “at one” (atone) with God if they believed in Him and received Him and His sacrificial work in their behalf by faith. In the past, God did not (and still does not) give a visible demonstration of His just punishment each time a sinner broke (or breaks) His Law. God withheld (and still withholds from us) deserved punishments, and God waited patiently (and still waits patiently for us to repent) until with perfect timing He sent Jesus into the world to demonstrate His justice, His righteousness, and His high regard for His Law (that He expected and expects everyone to obey).

(Romans 3:26)  for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Jesus died and rose again “at the present time” during Paul’s lifetime and the lifetime of many of his readers. The Law of Love influenced Jesus to die in behalf of sinners so God would be able to justly and mercifully forgive them and save them from punishment, to demonstrate the righteous regard that God has for Himself, His law, His Kingdom and sinners. Forgiveness by the King of the universe, who must justly uphold His Kingdom, could not come cheaply or with a disregard for justice toward all. God will be just and righteous toward those who place their faith in Jesus: God declares believers in Jesus justified and in a right relationship with Him now and will declare them justified and right with Him again on the coming Day of Judgment.

(Romans 3:27)  Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.

No one can boast that they are better than anyone else in the eyes of God, for all have sinned. No one can boast that they are justified or right with God because they have obeyed or for the present are obeying or intend to obey someday the Law of God. To be justified or saved, God requires faith in Jesus and what Jesus did for sinners. Because people are saved by faith in Jesus Christ and not by “doing something to earn favor with God,” the followers of Jesus should never boast about their relationship with God through Jesus. Believers are saved by grace and Jesus’ faithfulness to fulfil the task that the Father and He set for Him, so there is no place for boasting by forgiven sinners.

(Romans 3:28)  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

No one can be justified, be made right with God, be cleansed from sin, be freed from the power of sin, and be filled with the Holy Spirit by trying to do what the Law of God requires, for the Law of God shows people that they are sinners and are in need of the saving work of Jesus Christ. In order to be justified, repentant sinners must receive the Person and work of Jesus Christ by faith. According to God’s plan and because Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, only Jesus can deliver sinners from the just punishment they deserve; furthermore, Paul always emphasized that repentant sinners must place their faith in Jesus for salvation.

(Romans 3:29)  Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,

If God justified people by works of the Law instead of by faith in Jesus, then Gentiles would need to become Jews, be circumcised, and obey the Old Testament to be saved. But God is the God of the Gentiles too, and God has decreed that Jews and Gentiles must be saved by faith in His Son and not by works of the Law.

(Romans 3:30)  since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.

Since there is only one God in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and since each Person is involved in the lives of believers in Jesus for their salvation, there is only one way of salvation. No religious system can do for anyone what the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit can and will do for repentant sinners who turn to Jesus for justification. The one God has decreed the one way of salvation, which removes much confusion among seekers after the true God. If God could have justly forgiven sinners in any other way, He would never have sent His Son to die a sacrificial and painful death on a cross. “By faith” and “through faith” may be two ways of saying the same thing. Or, “by faith” in Jesus Christ may indicate that true faith in Jesus Christ begins with a commitment to entrust one’s life and future to Jesus. While “through faith” in Jesus Christ may indicate that the believer is committed to following Jesus in their daily life.

(Romans 3:31)  Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.

The Law of God revealed in the Old and New Testaments and especially in the obedient example and faithful words of Jesus is the Law of Love that Jesus summarized as love for God and neighbor. God will never nullify the Law of Love or declare love for God and others no longer applies or is unimportant; and following Paul’s example, neither should believers in Jesus. Jesus’ death demonstrated the crucial importance of the Law of Love, which the Bible carefully explains and applies in various situations for the benefit of believers and to avoid misconceptions. Jesus’ death for sinners offers forgiveness to all, and His resurrection from the dead makes a new life possible when repentant sinners place their faith in Him. His indwelling presence and power in the life of every believer in Him guides them in the right application of God’s Law of Love. Just as Jesus demonstrated and did, believers in Him uphold the Law of God while refusing to make obeying the Law of God the basis for being made right with God or righteous in His sight.

 

God in Christ Suffered What We Deserve

Romans 3:21-31

Sunday, May 5, 2019

 “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished” (Romans 3:25).

Every time a government leader fails to enforce just laws and execute just punishments, he and his government lose the respect of those who support the rule of law. Unhappily, when God has exercised patient restraint and not punished lawbreakers immediately, some people have accused God of not being good or just—forgetting that God’s forbearance has saved them from His immediate punishment many times. In order for God to demonstrate both His regard for His law and how much He wants people to love Him and others, God could either decisively and immediately punish those who sin or execute a different plan. Before God created the world, He chose to do something other than punish every sinner forever to prove how much He respected His law and wanted people to obey Him and love others. So God could show how much He loves everyone and demonstrate how much He honors His law, God decided to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die a sacrificial death and accept within himself the pain of suffering for sins that sinners deserve. God sent Jesus so those who receive Jesus by faith could be forgiven, cleansed from sin, made righteous, and receive divine power to love God and others rightly. God will never nullify the law that Jesus died to uphold and that commands everyone to love God and others. As their understanding of why Jesus died for them increases, believers will grow in their love and respect for God and His law.

 

Thinking Further

God in Christ Suffered What We Deserve

Romans 3:21-31

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Name _________________________________________

 

1. What are some of the ways God reveals His righteousness?

 

2. What is another way to refer to or define the Law of God or the moral law?

 

3. In addition to revealing His Law in the Bible, why did God need to send Jesus Christ into the world?

 

4. Why do you think God either needed to punish sinners or send Jesus, His Son, to die in order to forgive sinners?

 

5. How important is faith in Jesus?

 

Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further

1. What are some of the ways God reveals His righteousness? Through His Law revealed and written in the Scriptures, including the Prophets, who called people to live righteously. Through people’s reason and conscience and His actions in history and nature. Through the life and words of Jesus Christ. Through the death of Jesus, God’s Son, for the forgiveness of sins. Through the life and words of faithful Christians and faithful Churches. Through God’s discipline when people refuse to repent. Through many revelations of God’s love, holiness, justice and mercy.
2. What is another way to refer to or define the Law of God or the moral law? The Law of Love (the command to love God and others).
3. In addition to revealing His Law in the Bible, why did God need to send Jesus Christ into the world? The Law of God shows us that we have not loved God and others as God commanded; we have sinned and deserve temporal discipline and eternal punishment from God. God needed to send Jesus Christ into the world in order to uphold and honor His Law when He forgives sinners, who might otherwise come to think that their forgiveness means God is not serious about enforcing His Law with penalties because God does not think obeying His Law is important. The written Law of God could not perfectly demonstrate how God wants people to love and live, but through His Son God could do this through His words and actions. After His resurrection and ascension into heaven, Jesus could send the Holy Spirit to indwell Christians and empower and guide Christians as God intends them to live according to His Law of Love.
4. Why do you think God either needed to punish sinners or send Jesus, His Son, to die in order to forgive sinners? God is King of the universe and reigns over all of creation. God reigns as King over the Kingdom of God. God needs to uphold His Kingdom and enforce just laws so people will respect His just rule as their King. God needs to punish sinners so they will learn to respect Him and His Law or God needs to provide a substitute that will achieve the same or similar purpose. The sacrificial death of God’s only begotten Son in behalf of sinners, so God can be just when He justifies sinners, upholds the Kingdom of God and shows the value God places on just government when He graciously and mercifully forgives sinners instead of punishing them as they deserve.
5. How important is faith in Jesus? Essential for salvation, to be forgiven for our sins, to be cleansed from our sins, to be born again, to be right with God, to be in a right relationship with God, to receive the gift of eternal life and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

 

Word Search

God in Christ Suffered What We Deserve

Romans 3:21-31

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Name _________________________________________

 

U Y S S E N S U O E T H G I R

H E M U D E M O N S T R A T E

T O J N V Q R T A U Z P T G C

I F Y I J N E V E G A S W O D

A M R Q R S I C Z H I F G B E

F Y H E T H I S A R L O V P I

L Q R I E F O L H R M R M R F

D X F O I L K C Y K G B A O I

T Y Q R L D Y L P B D E W P T

P K C K S G I F U J O A A H S

J A A T O N E M E N T R L E U

S B L N F B Z S F O I A H T J

D E H S I N U P N U M N W S X

J G D V U S J F R K B C H P G

N F I L W N O I T P M E D E R

 

Righteousness

Law

Prophets

Testify

Faith

Jesus

Christ

Sin

Glory

Justified

Freely

Grace

Redemption

Sacrifice

Atonement

Demonstrate

Forbearance

Unpunished

 

 

 

True and False Test

God in Christ Suffered What We Deserve

Romans 3:21-31

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Name _________________________________________

 

Circle the true or false answers. Correct the false statements by restating them.

 

1. God has made His righteousness known only through the Law revealed through Moses in the Old Testament. True or False

 

2. God considers those who strive to keep the Law righteous in His sight. True or False

 

3. Both Jews and Gentiles have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. True or False

 

4. By grace, God freely justifies all who believe in Jesus Christ. True or False

 

5. Redemption came by Jesus Christ. True or False

 

6. Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrifice of atonement. True or False

 

7. God always punishes sins and sinners immediately to teach them a good lesson. True or False

 

8. God is just when He justifies those who have faith in Jesus Christ. True or False

 

9. Christians more easily draw unbelievers to Jesus when they boast that by faith they are better than others. True or False

 

10. God is the God of the Jews, but not of the Gentiles. True or False

 

Answers to the True and False Test

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. True
9. False

10.False

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, so often we let our days pass without concern for our eternal destiny. Keep us mindful that a day of judgment is coming. May we be counted righteous on that day by grace made possible by Your Son. We pray this in His glorious name. Amen.