Acquitted
Acquitted!
Romans 3:21-31
Introduction:
Trying to get religious people past the denial of their self-righteousness is a task unparalleled in the Christian Church. It never seems to sink in very well. And when it does, there is a natural objection and attempt to justify ones self. That is what self-righteousness is. We all suffer from it, but rarely do we think it really applies to me. It is so hard to convince people that there is never a single moment of life that is not tainted by sin. Sure, it is so easy to say, I’m a sinner. It is much more difficult to actually identify our sin according to God’s Word and believe that I, myself, am a rebel against God.
Paul hammers home this scriptural truth with great fervor. We all stand condemned under God’s Righteous wrath. That means death to us; death to the body, death to the spirit, and death in eternal separation from God. Scripture is clear. “The Lord … knows how to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” Being a sinner is no trivial matter to be so easily dismissed. The argument Paul makes is not a simple matter of words, or of saying “I’m a sinner”. Nobody who only says “I’m a sinner” will stand in God’s justice. God must punish sin and the one connected to it. To do otherwise would go against His righteous nature.
So, out of His divine love for all people, God made Jesus, who was without sin, to be sin for us, and in so doing He punishes sinful flesh, our sinful flesh, through the death of his own Son. We have heard the desperate cry of Jesus in his agony, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Sin is not to be taken lightly. Its condemnation hurts! It breaks the heart and literally takes the wind, the very breath of God, out of the sails of life.
Let’s pause for a moment to reflect upon the reality that God is not pleased with anyone who sins. Not even us. This is the law.
1. The Righteousness of God revealed (3:21-25A)
God has an airtight case against us. “But now,” the apostle says. “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, …This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace …that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement.”
Jesus was appointed in eternity to fulfill the law for all people. It is through Him that all people become One with God. Thus, Paul is emboldened to say, “But now”. Something has changed, something official, even judicial. Something has changed in God for all who believe. This is not something new. It had been revealed to God’s people in the Law and the Prophets—that is, in the Old Testament.
The words, “But now”, draws our attention to a more compact yet comprehensive statement of righteousness and justification. This tremendous truth is spelled out for us clearly and simply in four parts.
The first part says “apart from law.” Simply stated, this means that God declares us righteous not because we keep the law, but because Jesus kept the law for us. The same is true of the Old Testament people.
The second part says we are justified “freely by his grace.” Grace moves God to look favorably on all people because of the work of Christ. It is the perfect obedience of Christ that God credits to all who believe. God does not look for faith in us to justify us. He does not give us grace and then justify us on the basis of that grace. He justifies us “apart from the law, freely by his grace,” which is found in Jesus Christ.
The third part says “in Christ.” Christ is God’s most clear presentation of love. In Christ, redemption comes to all. He has purchased us, that is, brought us back to God, by His own precious blood to make us God’s Holy dwelling place. Thus, in Christ God’s righteousness is revealed in us who believe.
The fourth feature of justification is expressed in the phrase, “through faith.” Faith is not some vague pie-in-the-sky hope that all is okay between us and God. Faith comprehends and receives the offered salvation and righteousness that is found in no one else but Jesus.
Sadly, and against all objections to the contrary, we cannot see this salvation and righteousness. What we see in our lives, and in others, is unrighteousness. We see the works of the flesh in sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, orgies, and the like.
But, despite what we see and experience physically, faith in the righteousness of God that comes apart from law brings hope to all who believe. It is the certainty of what we cannot see for “we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). The righteousness of God is revealed to bring us hope through what is solid and right-on and perfect to God, Jesus Christ.
2. The Justice of God Revealed:
But what about this next part that says something about God leaving sins unpunished. How could that be? Let me use some courtroom lingo to explain. In a court of law, the judge sometimes grants a continuance based on the fact of new evidence that sheds more light on the case. In this case, the continuance God gives is in view of the coming Christ.
In eternity, that timeless state in which God exists, before the world even came into being, the crucifixion of Christ takes place in the mind of God. In time, that state in which we exist, Christ comes into human flesh and to clearly reveal God’s plan of salvation through the cross. It is in view of the work of Jesus Christ that the righteous judge granted his continuance to his people of old. This is how the justice of God is revealed. In the cross of Christ, He condemns sin in sinful mankind.
3. No Reason to Boast (3:27-28)
It is true, sadly true, that even good church-going people sometimes like to boast of their own goodness and righteousness. How sad because God has excluded all human boasting from His righteousness, we cannot in true faith say, “I have done the best I can. I have tried to live a decent life. Surely, God can’t expect any more than that!” Oh yeah! That righteousness is like that of the Pharisee. But if we wish to be saved, our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisee.
When it comes to true righteousness, God not only gets credit for what we do, He does it all. To say otherwise is to boast in the flesh. And any boasting on our part is nothing less than a slap to the righteous face of a loving God. Faith cannot boast in the abilities or accomplishments of the flesh, because faith knows there is nothing good in us, that is, in our sinful nature.
Faith boasts only in God. He is the one who has done everything necessary to fulfill the law. And He is the one who gives that fulfillment to us as a free gift through faith in Jesus Christ. All praise be to God! Even the Psalmist of the Old Testament knew of this righteousness from God that is apart from law. In Psalm 44:8 he says, “In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise Your name forever.” Because God has indeed done it all, for all, we have no reason to boast. We are but detestable sinners before the righteous God. Let there be no doubt.
4. One God for All (3:29-30)
A common mistake people make about God is that if a person is religious and does good things, he must have God. Not so! There is only one God for sure. But as we learned from the opening chapter, not all people recognize him or acknowledge him as God. This One God has only one standard, and one way by which people can approach Him. Scripture is clear, there is no salvation apart from God’s Righteous Son, Jesus Christ. And, in Christ this One God stands for all, not counting their trespasses against them.
5. Faith Is the Fulfillment of the Law (3:31)
There will always be those who hear God’s pure words of grace as a license for moral laxity, and as cheap grace. Jesus, Paul, even Luther and other defenders of the faith, have always been unjustly accused of overturning the Law. But, Quite to the contrary, Paul has already made the point that grace is not cheap and does not call for moral laxity. God paid an exorbitant price for our redemption—the blood of His own Son. God’s grace is free, but certainly not cheap and not a license to sin.
Our relationship with God—given to us by God as His gift—motivates us to want to obey Him. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do those things God’s law demands. The Scripture says it this way, “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). Thus, faith is not a device for overturning the Law, but rather the means for fulfilling the Law. Faith receives Jesus’ perfect obedience of the law.
Friends, it is not good enough to know that Jesus died for our sins. It is not good enough to only say we are sinners, saved by grace. It is not good enough to believe these things to be true. The only thing good enough is Jesus Christ. In Him, we become the very righteousness of God. So, in Christ the eternal Judge declares us all to be, “not guilty!” In Christ we stand Acquitted!, by God Himself. Amen.