Introduction We come to a great turning point in the book of Romans. Paul has been asking and answering a series of questions. What are the advantages of being a Jew or circumcision (vv.1-2)? Will the unfaithfulness of Israel make void the promises of God (vv.3-4)? If our unrighteousness reveals God s righteousness how can we be punished (vv.3-5)? Are the Jews better than all other people (vv.9-20)? We now come to an amazing question; how are people saved (vv.21-30)? The answer will begin with the Old Testament witness to salvation (v.21b); the need for salvation (v.23); the method of salvation (not by good works; vv.27-28); only by grace through faith in the perfect unrepeatable sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ (v.22;vv. 24-25). What did this sacrifice accomplish? It permits a just and holy God to declare repenting sinners righteous (v.26). Later Paul will describe the scope of that salvation; both Jews and Gentiles can be saved (vv.29-30)! The Revelation Of Righteousness (vv.21-22) Romans 3:21 (NKJV)21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, But now signals a massive shift in subject matter. Paul notes that if the law measured man s unrighteousness--the gospel--the good news of the ministry of Jesus measures God s righteousness. Let me repeat that in a slightly different way: The law reveals man s unrighteousness and the gospel reveals God s righteousness. Paul is contrasting times past with times present. Paul speaks of a law that was--and a gospel that is. Paul will contrast man s sinful pitiful condition with God s glorious salvation. We were: under God s wrath (1:18) spiritually dead and depraved; proven guilty by the law and conscious; in need of salvation. We are: under God s grace (3:24) spiritually alive forevermore; declared righteous in Christ; forgiven by His blood; provided with salvation by faith in Christ. We might paraphrase this verse: But now, in this age of grace, a righteousness--a new kind of righteousness--has been revealed, but not one that depends on the law (see Wiersbe s Outlines of the New Testament; p.370). Why must God save human beings apart from the law? For hundreds of years human beings have attempted to please God through self-effort and self-righteousness. However people continued to sin. And human beings learned that they could not put away their own sin. The Law failed on two counts: (1) The Law requires obedience; it does not allow disobedience. 1
Anyone who disobeys the Law becomes a lawbreaker--a transgressor of the law. (2) The Law does not have the power to compel obedience--we might say it is powerless to secure obedience. The law reveals the impossibility of securing self-righteousness. Therefore God must provide a basis for righteousness that does not involve the law. We turn from the record of sin to the revelation of salvation. Paul has proven (but not to everyone s satisfaction) that all human beings are sinners in need of a a Savior. Everyone needs to hear the good news--the gospel and reap the benefits of salvation. How do we do that? Paul will spell it out. Paul will point out that a transfer or transaction will be made-it is a transfer of righteousness (v.21a-24a). Let me try to make this as simple as possible--the gospel is a transfer of righteousness from the the heart of God to our lives. Righteousness is a word that is used in at least three ways in the Bible. (1) It can refer to the nature or the character of God. In that sense it becomes an attribute that speaks of God s holiness, justice and perfections. (2) Righteousness is also a word that speaks of a lack of godly character--the sinful--unjust-- absence of character on the part of sinful human beings. (3) The Bible speaks of the foreign or imputed righteousness or perfections provided by God in Christ--when human beings accept--believe--receive by faith that Jesus Christ took our sins; God provides the righteousness of Christ--we might think of this as a garment--where our sinful garments are removed and righteous garments are given. The context will usually provide which meaning the writer has in mind. Righteousness is a word that includes the concept of rightness. Augustine wrote; Unclean in the sight of God is everyone who is unrighteous: clean therefore is everyone who is righteous; if not in the sight of men, yet in the sight of God, who judges without error. Paul points out this is not legal apart from the law. Paul does not mean that the gospel or salvation is illegal but rather there is a way to experience God s righteousness apart from the law. We might think of it this way--a right standing with God comes apart from the law. It cannot be earned or achieved in any way. It s not new. Being witnessed by the law and the prophets. How is it not new? In the Old Testament could human beings be related to God? In other words could God have friendship and relationship with people--with Adam and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Moses and David? The Bible speaks of law and a Messiah and a sacrificial system--but all these were to pave a way for man s complete restoration to God through the Messiah. 2
The plan was not concocted by human beings or wishful thinking. People are not born righteous. People can be born into a family of righteous people. Righteous does not come from language or culture or profession or religious persuasion. The only way a sinful human being can come into fellowship and friendship with God is by believing God s revelation, God s promise, God s Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. When a person receives Jesus Christ he or she is robed in an everlasting righteousness, an eternal significance. With that righteousness comes justification. People love to say that means just as if I had never sinned. But that s not exactly right. The term justification is a legal term--it refers to the sovereign act of God whereby He declares righteous the believing sinner while he is still in his sinning state. Swindoll: When a sinner is justified by God, the lord does not fake Himself out and view the individual as innocent of sin. Rather, the dive act of justification declares a sinner absolutely acceptable to the Heavenly Father from the moment he trusts in Christ s payment for his sin. And since the Father is satisfied with His Son, He is also satisfied with all those who are in His Son through Faith (Swindoll; Coming To Terms With Sin; pamphlet p.41). Righteousness For Everyone (vv.22-23) 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; The righteousness is for everyone. Righteousness is for all who believe in Jesus Christ. Righteousness is given to all who believe. This righteousness is the believer s possession. Righteousness is laid upon the believer--like a garment. The KJV translates this; unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference --that is righteousness is needed by all. There is no meaningful distinction between human beings. 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, This is the most definite passage in the Bible on the subject of sin. There are two distinct verbs; sinned and fall short. The first verb is in the aorist tense--sinned--and the second is in the present tense; are falling short. Why is this important to us? Because it tells us something about the human condition. Paul makes clear that all human beings in the past, present and future have sinned; but it is also true that all (apart from grace and the sacrifice of Jesus) fall short of the glory of God--in the sense of how God wishes to be manifested to them and through them. 3
The word glory translates the Greek word doxa. In the ancient Greek world the word was used to describe opinion or reputation. Paul uses it in the sense of recognition or honor--but also of splendor or brightness or glory! In the OT glory is used of the aggregate of divine attributes and coincides with God s self-disclosure or self-revelation. Vincent thinks it means the honor or approbation which God bestows (3:42). The fact of sin looks back to the historical entrance of sin into the world. Since all people are sinners by nature and choice; we cannot help but sin and will sin. But the Scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe (Gal.3:22). If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1 Jn 1:8). And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen.6:5). There is no man that does not sin (1 Kings 8:46). Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Psalm 53:3; Psalm 14:3). All human beings come short of God s glory --again the tense is present--all men are coming short--continually coming short--consistently failing--human beings remain in a state of deficiency--gdd--glory deficit disorder. The glory of God is the standard of God for mankind. It means moral glory--god s excellence, God s splendor, God s beauty, majesty, magnificence perfection etc. Glory is light, glory is purity, glory is majesty, glory is perfect being. This is God s requirement--perfection--if man wants to live in peace with God in His presence! Foul you cry! Impossible! Unobtainable! And you would be right! Righteousness is possible only through justification. Justification is a free gift of God. Human beings have never earned and will never earn it. Human beings are justified by God s grace and God s grace alone through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ the Lord. The Restrictions Of Righteousness (vv.24-26) 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, The NKJV reads; being justified freely ; the Greek text reads literally; justified without a cause (or without payment). The point--there is nothing in us--by us--that prompts or pays but rather freely by His grace. There is nothing in us or anything we can do to make us deserving of being saved. 4
Swindoll: God declares us righteous when we have nothing but the sewage of sin to offer Him (cf.5:8-11). So why is He so good to us? Simply because He loves us. And if you were to ask, Why does He love us? the answer would have to be Just because He chose to! (see Coming To Terms With Sin A Study of Romans 1-5; p.41). In the book of Deuteronomy (7:6b-8a) we read; The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you. This is both the theme and message of Romans in a single sentence. God offers salvation to the undeserved God offers salvation based on love God offers salvation on the basis of grace The word redemption means to purchase release by the payment of a price (apolutroseos). The term was sometimes used in the ancient world to describe the transaction or purchase of a slave in the setting if an auction! Have you ever purchased an item on E-Bay? There is an auction mode and a buy-it-now-mode. Some things you can purchase if you pay the sellers price. Some things you purchase but you must bid against others who want the item! In this context the purchase price is the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Our Heavenly Father makes his way into the market-place of human bondage and uses His own Son s blood sacrifice as currency to purchase you and me. The Father motivated by love and grace decides to set us free from sin with an act of purchase that will be costly and complete--the sacrifice of Jesus--we are set free from sin and allowed to enter into God s service. It is through this redemption that is in Christ Jesus that we are justified freely by His grace. 25whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, Now Paul s focus will shift to the awesome subject of what Christ s death actually does--and how it benefits those who believe and embrace the gospel. 5
There are two broad benefits: The Father s heart is completely satisfied as a result of Christ s death (v.25). The second broad benefit is the scandal that had been brought against God s name and character (v.26). whom (Jesus) God set forth as a propitiation by His blood The word propitiation (hilasterion) means a covering, to be a sacrifice, a payment, an appeasement for sin, a satisfaction--the Savior s death satisfies God s justice. Death is the only sufficient payment for sin. There are two things you should note: (1) it is God Himself who sets forth (proetheto) Jesus Christ as the propitiation for the sins of humanity. (2) Jesus Himself is that propitiation. It is not his teaching or example--or miracles--it is His blood--his sacrifice--his death on the cross that God accepts. It is the death of Jesus that constitutes satisfaction-- For the covering of our sins for the sacrifice for our sins payment or penalty for our sins the appeasement of wrath against sin When Paul uses the expression by His blood --it means the willingness of Jesus to die; it means supreme sacrifice; terrible suffering; the personal, voluntary laying down of Jesus s life. Paul explains because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed God was slow to judge sin and quick to show love! Because God was slow to judge sin--did that make God unrighteous? Of course not! Absolutely not! Because God had chosen to judge sin on the basis--on the ultimate basis through the death of His Son! Thus--when Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for sin on the Cross--the Father s righteousness was demonstrated to all! Through this one event--sin--past--present--future--were all paid in full! You don t believe me? Read Hebrews 10:1-4; 10-14. 26to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Paul argues that now everyone can see that God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 6
It is difficult for some people to grasp that pardon for sin is available on the basis of faith alone, in Christ s sacrifice alone. Pardon by faith? Without penalty? Without working? Without cost? No--there was a cost involved. You simply did not provide the currency. Righteousness has one great purpose: to declare God s personal righteousness and justice. God is righteous and just; that means He always does what is right, He always acts justly toward all persons. This is the reason He has provided a perfect righteousness for man. It was the right thing to do and the just thing to do and the honorable and loving thing to do. This is seen in four glorious facts: (1) God s righteousness is seen in his willingness and power to forgive sins. (2) God s righteousness is revealed in his patient longsuffering--in putting up with man s sin-- and putting on man s sin--and putting away man s sin. (3) God s righteousness is seen in His perfect justice--god accepts the sacrifice of Jesus and the death of Jesus for our sin. (4) God s righteousness is seen in His willingness and ability and commitment to be the justifier of all who believe. God takes our faith and counts it as righteousness. He takes our faith and renders the verdict acceptable to Him. Now every person with once ounce of honesty, integrity, truth knows in their heart of heart and soul of souls--there is no real purity, no real honesty, no real integrity, no real righteousness or perfection or holiness or sinlessness inside ourselves. Our holiness, righteousness, purity, integrity, perfections--must come from Christ--in us! Once again God is proven righteous and just! Conclusion Paul knows that if salvation is a gift and not a reward or a wage it must be received by faith. Since the subject of salvation find s its origin in the Father and completion in the Son and is delivered by the Holy Spirit--only God can get the glory! Paul knows that this news will prompt even more questions; Who gets the glory? Can anyone qualify What about the Law? 7