Justified by Faith: God's Gift to Humanity

God’s Gift to Humanity

Romans 3:21-31

June 1st, 2025

1. Paul was a Jew, a Hebrew among the Hebrews, a leading religious leader of his time, Pharisee.

2. More importantly, he became a Christian.

3. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believe, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

4. In the passage we are looking at today, the tone of the letter begins to shift.

5. In 1 and two, Paul makes it clear that Jew and gentile alike, will stand before a Holy God who will Judge our sin.

6. Before you trusted Christ, you were hopelessly lost and needed a Savior.

7. In 3:10-18, Paul gives us a vivid description of our sin condition:

- Unprofitable

- He describes our mouths as an open tomb

- Under our lips the poison of a snake.

- Quick to shed blood

- We did not know peace

- No fear or reverence for God.

8. He is articulating the gravity of the human condition.

9. We desperately need a Savior.

10.Let’s Read what Paul wrote in Romans 3:21-31.

11.Paul emphasizes that righteousness is not earned through works of the law but is freely given by God through faith in Jesus Christ.

12.This passage highlights that salvation is a gift, not a reward for good deeds, and it's available to both Jews and Gentiles.

13.Notice with me:

I. The Distinctiveness of God's Righteousness Vs. 21

Paul begins this section with the word “but”.

It serves as a conjunction connecting what he has just said to what follows.

John Phillip’s said, it serves as hinge on a door.

He has shown us our nature, which is not good.

Now he will enlighten us on the Nature of God.

A. God's Perfect Standard:

1. God's righteousness is the absolute standard of what is right and just.

a. Righteousness in the character or quality of being right or just.

b. God will always do what is right.

c. Just as God is the very essence of love, He is righteous.

d. He is unwavering and He does not change.

e.

2. It is expressed in the law, the character of Jesus, and God's own nature.

a. Salvation through Christ was, is and always will be.

b. From the very beginning, the Law has pointed to Christ.

c. The prophets pointed to Christ.

d. Jesus said, If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.

e. We see a sharp contrast between the depravity of man and the Holiness of God.

f. The Righteousness of God.

B. God’s Imputation of Righteousness

1. Paul has made it clear that ever person since the fall of man has not been able to live up to Gods standard.

2. We try and everyone wants to think we can contribute something.

3. Gods plan for making sinners righteous has never changed.

4. J Vernon Mcgee said, each one of us is completely outside of Christ.

5. You are absolutely saved in Christ, or you are absolutely lost outside of Christ.

6. We can’t add to His plan or take away from the plan of God.

7. Someone said, “Paul has thoroughly and completely eliminated the possibility that anyone can be made right with God by following the law.

8. Simply put, absolutely nobody seeks God sufficiently to earn the label "righteous"

9. Verse 22 says His righteousness is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

10. When we believe, we are forgiven from our sin and are released from the debt.

11. When this happens, we are no longer bound by the power of sin.

12. As believers in Christ, we can experience freedom from the control of sin over our lives.

13. When Jesus Christ died and was resurrected from the dead, the victory He achieved over sin and death was imparted to all who believe in His name and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

14. Paul writes, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14, NKJV).

II. Justification by Faith. Vs 23-

A. Legal Declaration:

1. Justification is a legal declaration by God, where He declares a person "not guilty" and "righteous" based on faith in Christ.

2. Verse 23 tells us that we are all sinners.

3. We all fall short of the Law.

4. When we are at our best, we are not close to the goodness of God.

5. We all miss the mark of perfection.

6. (Bow and Arrow Example of imperfection.)

7. Verse 24 states that we are justified freely but His grace.

8. Grace is Gods riches at Christ expense.

9. This is Good News to all of mankind.

10. God did not just die for the Jew, but He died for all.

11. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

12. How rich can you get.

13. He has redeemed us, vs 24.

14. Redemption means to buy back.

15. Sometimes prisoners of war are bought back for a price.

16. That is the picture we have of someone who is lost.

17. Jesus Christ paid the price, all we have to do is receive it.

18. It goes further than that, we are bought back to be set from sin, death and from hell itself.

19. Isaiah 53:6, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

20. Jesus Redeemed us from our sin.

B. Faith as the Instrument. Vs 25.

1. Faith is the means by which individuals receive God's righteousness.

2. It's the act of believing in and trusting in Jesus Christ and his work on the cross.

3. Justification by faith alone means that faith, and nothing else, is the basis for receiving God's righteousness.

4. It excludes works, rituals, or any other human effort.

5. Faith is not Intellectual accent.

- Most believe that Jesus died on the cross.

- They believed He lived.

- Just believing facts about Jesus never saved anyone.

- I believe that George Washington was the first President.

- I believe that Abe Lincoln lived.

6. Temporal Faith will not save me.

- I may pray that God will help me when Im sick.

- I may pray for God to saved me from Cancer.

7. Saving Faith is Trusting Jesus Christ alone for salvation

8. His forbearance speaks to the mercy of God.

9. He allowed the sacrifices to be made as a substitute but the perfect sacrifice would come.

10. Without the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, all the sacrifices we read about in the Old testament would mean nothing.

11. God’s Forbarence was in play.

III. The Function of Faith

Faith as a Gift:

Faith itself is a gift from God, and it's not something humans can boast about.

The Bible says, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A. It removes any possibility of Boasting:

1. Justification by faith eliminates the possibility of boasting in one's own merit or works.

2. It emphasizes that salvation is entirely a work of God's grace.

3. Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, This is what the LORD says: “Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

4. We are saved by faith not because we obey the law.

5. Paul is reinforcing the case for salvation by faith alone.

6. Therefore, we can poke our chest out like a rooster.

7. The only thing we can do is give God Glory for our salvation.

B. What can we conclude?

1. Justification by faith highlights God's glory, as it demonstrates his grace, power, and righteousness

2. We are saved from sin, we are not saved to sin.

3. Don’t conclude the we can go on sinning.

4. The process of growing in the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus Christ begins at salvation.

5. We are to live a life that reflects the life of our Savior.

6. Imagine a basketball player who’s practicing shots. He aims for the hoop, but sometimes he misses. Just like in life, we aim for God's glory, but we often miss the mark. However, instead of giving up, this player keeps practicing and learning. Our failure doesn’t define us. Each missed shot teaches us how to aim better next time. That’s how grace works—God picks us up, encourages us, and helps us to keep aiming higher!