God Declared Righteous

Romans 3:21-26 A new question is asked and answered by Paul

Up to this point the question Jews have been asking is how could God judge us because we have declared ourselves righteous and God unjust for his judgment on us

Now that Paul has shown that all are under sin the new question is how could God justify those who are sold under sin and still be just and righteous

But Paul shows that through the mystery and foolishness of the gospel, God is declared righteous and just in his saving of death deserving sinners

God declared Righteous in the means of salvation (21-23)

All come to salvation the same way

God’s Righteousness without the law is manifested- Man cannot come to God in his own righteousness or the righteousness of God would become of no effect

God’s Righteousness is through the obedience of Christ and His fulfillment of the law on man’s behalf

All who come are given salvation without respect of persons

God is not a respecter of persons but loves all people and wants to see all saved (2 Peter 3:9)

God knows our state before we come and has decided to love us anyway without any attention to our own merits (Romans 5:8)

God is righteous in his dealings with repentant men of all races and nations, but he must also be just in his dealings with sin. Even in this he is found to be righteous!

God declared Righteous in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus (24-25a)

So that salvation could be free for us God paid the price of redemption

God sent Christ to redeem us back from sin and death (Romans 8:23)

Christ reconciles us back to the estranged creator, our Father in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:19)

To satisfy the sin debt, Christ shed his blood to be the propitiation of our salvation

Christ died and shed his blood to satisfy the wrath of God and bring eternal forgiveness for our sins (John 3:36)

God poured out his wrath on Christ (Isaiah 53:6-10)

God is righteous in his dealings with sin and the cost of salvation, but he must also be just in his dealings with sinners. Even in this he is found to be righteous!

God declared Righteous in his remitting work through forbearance (25b-26)

God has kept perfect records of the sins of all man from the beginning of time but has shown grace and longsuffering until the time of Christ

Acts 17:30 says that God winked at their sin but he did not turn a blind eye to it

God has saved up his judgment on all sinners until the end of time at the Great White Throne judgment

God has not let one sin go unnoticed or unjudged and when he placed all these sins on his Righteous Son, His justice and his longsuffering came together in one glorious event!

The cross is what separates the gospel from every other religion in the world

This is why it is prominent in Christian history and churches today

This is why Paul said he will only boast in the cross of Christ and nothing else

Because no other religion has a cross event their beliefs are left empty

Either with an angry god who condemns and pours out wrath on mankind (Islam)

Or with a passive god who is unjust in his dealings with man and provides no hope that justice will be delivered (Hinduism, Buddhism)

The Cross is the most important event in human history because it is the day that God’s righteous judgment and God’s righteous love came together to provide salvation for repentant sinners from all nations.

Let’s not lose the awe of the gospel in what God did for us to save us from the judgment we deserve (Right Question- How can God not judge us, Answer- The Cross)

Let’s not preach anything except Jesus Christ and him crucified