Romans - Week 3

Romans 3:19–27 NIV

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 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— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.

We were all once dead in our sin

We believe in morality. We believe in a higher truth.

But we need to accept that that truth isn’t a dividing line between us and them.

Part of that truth is in saying, at some point we were all dead in our sin. And if we can’t openly admit that, and accept that - then it’s not the truth we’re standing on.

No matter how good we were - we had miles left to go.

God is just

STORY - Have you ever noticed, that it seems the rich and the powerful sometimes operate in a different legal system than we do?

It wouldn’t be right for God to only hold some people accountable, but not others.

And the trouble is - when we stray, when we do something wrong. We are lawbreakers.

James 2:10–11 NIV

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

It doesn’t matter what it is. Murder, or lying. If any of it is in our system - then we’re under the power of death, rather than life.

This is why we don’t hold to the idea that it’s our good works that get us into heaven. It’s not. Because in all of us, our good works are mixed with bad ones. And the bar for staying with God in eternal perfection is just that - perfection. None of us qualify.

BUT.

There’s a wonderful phrase here in Romans 3, and the gospel hinges on this statement.

“Apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known”

Another way of saying this could be, ‘when we were surrounded by death, without hope of recovery - God showed just how powerful and good he was.’

And there’s so, so much to unpack in Romans 3 from 21-31. But you can really summarize it all well in this one section:

Romans 3:23–24 NIV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

As much as every one of us have, in our selves and by ourselves, earned wrath and death - God has justified us.

Justification means

We have been made fully right before God

Completely by his grace.

STORY - Worked at IBM, walked in the rain without so much as a jacket. Showed up absolutely sopping wet.

The gospel isn’t just about how God forgave us. In the story of the prodigal son, the son returns to the father. But the father doesn’t just say, hey, I get it, I forgive you.

Luke 15:22–24 NIV

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

It’s way beyond that. God hasn’t just forgiven our sin. He’s restored us, completely. And he’s welcomed us in at a level that no one else in history before the cross had access to God.

Do you have any idea how powerful the cross was? It doesn’t matter what each of us have done, or are doing, or will do. The cross wiped it all completely clean.

We all stood condemned - and now, through the cross, we can just…step back into that eternity of peace and joy that God intended for us from day one like nothing happened.

Because of this -

We can’t boast - we can only praise

And that was intentional on God’s part.

The Gospel was designed so that the only thing we could say was, ‘God did this all for me’.

God left no space for pride, or arrogance, or superiority. Whether we’re the worst sinner on earth, or the closest to heaven - we were all dead in our sins.

And likewise, we’re all completely restored purely because God was gracious.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

All God requires of us in the gospel is faith

Romans 10:9 NIV

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.