Restoration through righteousness: Discovering Our True Identity in Christ

Romans 3:19–31 CSB

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment. 20 For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. 21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law of faith. 28 For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Big Idea: Through faith in Jesus Christ, we find our true identity and purpose as restored beings, living in righteousness before God.

In our world today we live a constant crisis of Identity. Who am I or What am I? seems to be the question that is most pressing on the cultural mind. When no clear answer being given everyone is left to decide for themselves what they feel that they are. For most of our world people identify themselves by some arbitrary action. I am a plumber. I am a homosexual or trans. Whatever they view as their most valued trait, action, or activity becomes their identity. To the person who is left to decide their own identity, and barrier or questioning of the actions or trait will be taken as a direct attack on the person themselves.

Now to the religious jew, they to had a crisis of Identity. If asked who they were, they were the circumcised. They were the people of the Torah. In their mind these outward actions gave them their identity as the people of God and made them righteous.

But Paul turns this idea upside down. They put their faith in keeping the law instead of the God of the law. Their Identity was in their actions and not in God himself.

Now before we get started this morning I want you to notice something about the text. In these 13 verses from 19-31 we have some repeated words.

God x 11

Faith x 8

Righteousness x4

So then what do you supposed the text is about. God, Faith and righteousness. or more succinctly God’s righteousness through faith. But I also want to show you this morning how this understanding shapes our identity.

I. Christ is the Righteousness of God Revealed.

Romans 3:19–21 CSB

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment. 20 For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. 21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets.

The term attested by the law and the prophets means that every time they offered sacrifice for the sin of breaking the law they were pointing to Christ’s coming sacrifice.

Romans 3:25 CSB

25 God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.

One time a year by the O.T. Law the priests would go into the holy of holies to offer atonement for the sins of the people by sprinkling blood on the mercy seat. This did not give them forgiveness of sins but rather pointed to the coming one Jesus Christ, the perfect lamb who would be sacrificed for the sins of the world. It was a picture.

The people of Israel were not saved through their sacrifice they were saved through faith by the God of the sacrifice. God postponed his judgement for them until there sins could be truly paid for and God would pour out his justice on Jesus Christ. So in this way Jesus the perfect revealed the righteousness of God. They visibly saw him.

Colossians 1:15 CSB

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Hebrews 1:3 CSB

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

II. Faith is the only way to be justified by the righteousness of Christ.

Now as we said a minute ago, the jews believed that the law of God was the revealed righteousness of God. But it wasn’t. Did you know that following the law cannot and will not make you righteous? When you open up the scriptures weather you are reading the new or old testament, Following the laws of God does not make you righteous.

There is this idea floating around that as long as I am better at doing good then the person next to me then God will overlook my sin.

How can it? One cannot undo what has been broken. In other words, If I follow the law but fail just one time I have broken God’s law.

James 2:10 CSB

10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.

One day when we were first married, I was trying to be helpful but also trying to be efficient. My wife had this beautiful set of dishes that she loved that were given to us as a wedding present. So after we ate a nice dinner, I stacked all this dishes that were on the table in one tower and picked them up. Somehow I ended up stumbling and in like a slow motion scene from a movie tried to recover balancing all of those dishes. Instead of being able to recover my balance all but the one dish I was holding onto at the bottom slipped off, Fell to the floor and broke into many pieces. There were pieces food and dishes everywhere. I think we had like two plates left from the set.

now let me ask you this question can I unbreak those dishes? Even If i got some gorilla glue and somehow managed to repair them. I cannot unbreak what had been done. Not even apologizing for my clumsiness could undo the damage I did to those dishes. Now years later, in fact this past year my wife was able to find a set that someone was selling and she was able to finally replace them. But no amount of effort on my part could undo what had been done. I had broken them many and now the set was incomplete.

In the same way one cannot undo the damage that has been done. If we break one law, our perfection has been permanantly damaged. No amount of doing good or saying I am sorry will change what we have done.

so weather you are in Christ or living outside of his grace. Following the law cannot make that what is unrighteous righteous; That which is broken unbroken.

Isaiah 64:6 CSB

6 All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

The Message of Romans 1. God’s Righteousness Revealed in Christ’s Cross (3:21–26)

‘The harlot, the liar, the murderer, are short of it [sc. God’s glory]; but so are you. Perhaps they stand at the bottom of a mine, and you on the crest of an Alp; but you are as little able to touch the stars as they.’

You see as a disciple of Christ I do not follow the law to make me righteous, rather I follow God’s ways as a reflection of the righteousness of Christ which I have received , the righteousness that has been jmputed to me through faith in Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:9 CSB

9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

So it is not I do therefore I am saved but rather I am saved therefore I do.

Jon Courson’s Application Commentary Chapter 3

There are two groups in religion today: those who emphasize behaving and those who emphasize believing. In actuality, James tells us that the emphasis needs to be on believing, since the way we believe will affect the way we behave.

James 2:18 CSB

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.

The only works that please God are those that are preceded by saving faith.

Galatians 3:11 CSB

11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.

But why is this true? It is true because saving faith restores our identity and purpose through the righteousness of Christ.

III. The Righteousness of Christ is the Only way to Restore our Identity

Now back to the question we began with, who am I? For that answer we will need to go back once again to Genesis.

Genesis 1:27 CSB

27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

To me made in the image of God means that we were made to be his image bearers. In other words, our original purpose and design was to reflect God’s glory to the rest of creation. we see this in Gen. 1:26

Genesis 1:26 CSB

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

We were to rule as God would rule representing him to all of creation. A creation with one purpose to reflect the glory of God. Now look back at Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 CSB

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

Now do you see it?

To fall short means to have missed the mark? Like an ineffective archer that can’t land anywhere on the target. Our sin has made us defective. We are now incapable of our true purpose and Identity. We no longer reflect the image of God and his glory. In other words, we are a creation that now has no real purpose.

You see it isn’t just about breaking the law. It’s also about our purpose and function. If we have no righteousness of our own than how can we fulfill our design? What is good is a creation that cannot do what it was created to do? ..If we have no longer have righteousness of our own then in order for us to reflect God’s image we must receive righteousness from some other source. That source is Christ alone. This is the only option.

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

So instead of just destroying a worthless creation God in his great love gives us his righteousness to cover us.

Romans 3:26 CSB

26 God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

Notice with me God is both Just in his judgements but he is also the justifier.

Thru the Bible Vol. 42: The Epistles (Romans 1–8) Availability of a Righteousness from God

That righteousness which the Father required, the Son became, and the Holy Spirit convinces of, and faith secures.” ... “The sum total of all that God commands, demands, approves, and Himself provides.”

While still imperfect this side of eternity mankind can once again image God by becoming like Christ. Not by our own righteousness but by his. We live out his rightousness as we are becoming more like him. This is our identity. Once we were dead in our sin but now we live unto Christ.