Romans Week 12, October 2, 2022

Introduction

Last week we covered the first four verses of what has been called the most important paragraph ever written.

We saw that:

The Righteousness revealed in the Gospel was actually revealed in the law and prophets a thousand years earlier.

Righteousness comes through faith bringing justification and redemption.

Romans 3:21–24 ESV

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,

This week we will continue in this paragraph to show another thing about this idea of Righteousness.

Romans III. Conclusion: The Penalty Must Be Paid

Cliff Barrows, the long-time song leader at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association crusades, tells a story about how his children learned to appreciate the price that Jesus paid for their sins. When they were small, the children persisted in doing something that they had been forbidden to do. Mr. Barrows told his children that if they violated the standard again, they would be disciplined for their actions. Upon returning home, a saddened father discovered that his children had yet again disobeyed their father. But the thought of spanking them overcame him.

“I just couldn’t discipline them,” he said. “Bobby and Bettie Ruth were very small. I called them into my room, took off my belt and then my shirt, and with a bare back I knelt down at the bed. I made them both strap me with the belt ten times each. You should have heard the crying. From them, I mean. The crying was from them. They did not want to do it. But I told them the penalty had to be paid and so through their sobs and tears they did what I told them.… I must admit I was not much of a hero. It hurt. I have not offered to do that again. It was a once-for-all sacrifice, I guess we could say, but I never had to spank those two children again, because they got the point. We kissed each other. And when it was over we prayed together” (Swindoll, pp. 543–544).

Righteousness Shows God’s Justice in Action

Romans 3:25–26 ESV

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.

I've known a handful of judges in my life. The ones I've known are good generous Christian people they would go out of their way to help anyone they can. I admire them for that. And I hope that any judges who are up for election this fall are those kind of people. But I would also absolutely demand that they confine their desire to demonstrate grace to the confines of what the law allows. Even the most generous judges must administer justice if they are too do their job right. They cannot just decide to forgive the guilty.

So this passage answers how God is able to give forgiveness and still be righteous

The meaning of Propitiation

The only other place this word is used in the new testament is here:

Hebrews 9:5 ESV

5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

The Mercy seat was the cover of the ark of the covenant. It was the cover of the golden box that God commanded the Israelites to build to hold the ten commandments and few other things. This ark sat in the holy of holies at the center of the temple. This ark represented God’s presence on earth. The cover on the ark was also where the High Priest sprinkled the blood of the bull and goat. Every year a sacrifice was made for the sins of the people and the blood of the bull and goat sacrifice was sprinkled on the mercy seat for the forgiveness of the people.

Interestingly Paul uses a word to describe Christ as the Mercy seat or propiation here…where in other places Jesus is described as one who makes propitiation…who effects forgiveness.

Hebrews 2:17 ESV

17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Jesus is so much in one.

Some theologians think of this act of sacrifice or propitiation in terms of appeasing the anger of God. They argue that Jesus was sacrificed to satisfy an angry God. Yet this perspective on what Jesus did makes things far too shallow. Paul has labored to show us the scale of the unrighteousness of humanity against the righteousness of God. God is a just judge needing to fulfill the demands of justice.

It’s most accurate to say that Paul saw Jesus as the sacrifice of atonement and not just the cover or location of the sacrifice. Jesus was what satisfied the need for the justice but he was also the manifestation of the presence of God.

Romans C. Righteousness: Demonstrates God’s Justice (3:25–26)

“Paul has thus pressed into service the language of the lawcourt (‘justified’), the slave-market (‘redemption’) and the altar (‘expiation,’ ‘atoning sacrifice’) in the attempt to do justice to the fullness of God’s gracious act in Christ

Not to be too nerdy but I found this wonderful illustration of these 3 words I’d like to share with you all

As we head into the the second-half of this verse we will see that Paul is entering another question that he's aware that people will ask of him. The question he's answering is why does God choose this time to do what he does?

First of all God shows justice to avoid the accusation of unjust mercy or unrighteous mercy. God chose to so justice in order to demonstrate that he is not at fault in showing mercy. As the writer to the Hebrews demonstrated all the sacrifices under the old law and covenant were ineffective because they had to continuously keep being offered. They were a sign and a symbol looking forward to a permanent sacrifice that would come. They were looking forward to the sacrifice of Jesus. God brought the righteousness of the gospel through the death of Jesus in order to show that his mercy before Jesus and after Jesus is a just and righteous mercy. God is a just God in showing mercy.

God wanted to be Just and Justifier

Secondly God chose to put forth this sacrifice at this time to be both the one who justifies and the just judge. He wants to be both the one who judges sin and the one who declares forgiven those who trust in Jesus.

Romans 3:26 ESV

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.

I love how Frances Schaeffer illustrates this.

Romans C. Righteousness: Demonstrates God’s Justice (3:25–26)

Our faith has no saving value. Our religious good works, our moral good works, have no saving value because they are not perfect. Our suffering has no saving value. We would have to suffer infinitely, because we have sinned against an infinite God; and we, being finite, cannot suffer infinitely. The only thing in all of God’s moral universe that has the power to save is the finished work of Jesus Christ. Our faith merely accepts the gift. And God justifies all those who believe in Jesus (3:26). If all this is true, then verse 27 is certainly an under-statement. (Schaeffer, p. 81)

Isn't God showing the same love that we try to imitate as parents? while our children are young we want to be the one who brings just judgment in their lives. But especially while they're young they will potentially rack up debts they cannot pay that we step in to pay on their behalf. We act as just and justifier in small ways for our own children. On a cosmic scale God does the same.

Righteousness calls for humility

Romans 3:27–31 ESV

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. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Imagine a friend giving you an expensive birthday present. They gave you something they had to sacrifice to acquire for you. The right response, the respectful and loving response it is to thank your friend profusely and make your friend look good by talking up what he has done. The wrong response would be for you too tried to pay for what your friend gave you or worse yet to brag about how the high caliber of your friendship warranted this display of generosity. To brag that you earned this generosity.

These verses changed history. When Martin Luther studied these verses especially verse 28 he understood salvation is by faith. And in fact when he translated this passage into the German language he added the word alone to indicate it is faith alone that saved him. This was one of the motivation all verses of the Protestant Reformation of which we are a product. Solar FIda….greek words meaning… faith alone

Our unity in what we receive from the Gospel calls us to humility

Romans 3:29–30 ESV

29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Paul is arguing here that it makes no sense to boast about the relationship with God that we have because we are all saved by grace through faith. God isn't the God of the Jews only he is also the God of the gentiles. God justifies those who choose circumcision by virtue of their faith in him and so he also justifies those who have not undergone circumcision by faith as well. The righteousness of the gospel demands humility because it puts us all on the same playing field. We are equally in need of the righteousness that the gospel brings. Therefore Christians should be noteworthy for their humility.

The Law itself calls us to humility

Romans 3:31 ESV

31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

The temptation has always been to think that the gospel of Jesus Christ overthrows the law. That it doesn't matter what moral declarations have been made in the old or even in the New Testament because of the cross of Jesus Christ. It's tempting to have a sense of impervious arrogance because of the grace of the gospel but Paul shoots this idea down by pointing out that we in fact hold up With the law. The law is meant to remind us that we have nothing to boast about.

In fact, if you just read the first three chapters of the book of Romans we are reminded time and time and time and time again how much we have sinned. Although many of us, I hope pretty much all of you can't relate to all of the list of sins in these first three chapters many of us can relate to Some of them. The law proves the sinfulness of mankind.

The law shows us that we need the free gift that is the gospel.

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The only way we get salvation is through the Gospel and it takes the law the show us how far short we fall.

Romans D. Righteousness: Excludes Boasting (3:27–31)

Through the Law God opens man’s eyes so that he sees his helplessness and by faith takes refuge to His mercy and so is healed.… The Law was given, in order that we might seek after grace. Grace was given, in order that we might fulfill the Law. It was not the fault of the Law that it was not fulfilled, but the fault was man’s carnal mind. This guilt the Law must make manifest, in order that we may be healed by divine grace. (Luther, p. 77)

Throughout history the greatest temptation has been to fill faith with ceremony. The temptation has been to take this faith that God has called us to end layer ceremony on top of it so we might take pride in what we have. The gospel as Paul presents it is something that calls us to humility. It keeps us from boasting when we truly understand what God has given us.

Romans D. Righteousness: Excludes Boasting (3:27–31)

“As wealth is the test of poverty, business the test of faithfulness, honours the test of humility, feasts the test of temperance, pleasures the test of chastity, so ceremonies are the test of the righteousness of [by] faith” (Ward, p. 99).

Conclusion