Romans 1:18-3:20 describe for us the fallen, helpless
condition of mankind. There is no hope
or any way man can redeem himself from the curse of the law. Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:21-26 shows us the way for mankind to become
righteous and will be our primary text for this study.
Romans 3:21-26 (NLT) 21 But now God has shown us a way to be
made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was
promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made
right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for
everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious
standard. 24 Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He
did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with
God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This
sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish
those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them
in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his
righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be
right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
I. God’s Righteousness (vs. 21-23)
A. Jesus is righteous – 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) God made
him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
B. God revealed His righteousness through Christ - Galatians
4:4 (NLT) But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman,
subject to the law.
C. God’s righteousness comes to us through faith – Romans
3:22a (NLT) We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. We
trust, meaning we put our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, make us
right with God, and to give us the power to live in faith.
D. Righteousness is offered to all –Romans 3:22b And this is
true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. Settling our account (justification) with God
is offered to everyone. No distinction
is made between Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, bond or
free. All are offered this amazing gift.
E. No one is
righteous apart from God - Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God. James 2:10 (NIV) For whoever keeps the whole law and yet
stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. Romans 3:10 (NIV) As
it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
II. God’s Grace (vs. 24-25a)
A. Justification - Romans 3:24-25 (NASB) being justified as
a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
Webster’s Dictionary defines justification as: the act,
process, or state of being justified by God; the act or an instance of
justifying: vindication.
Justification means to acquit, or to put in the right, to
declare righteous. It is the opposite of condemnation.
The picture here is of sinful man being guilty and standing
before the righteous judge. We deserve
the death sentence, eternal separation from the Holy God, however, when we come
with repentant hearts, God applies the payment made by Jesus on the cross and
pronounces us “acquitted!” We are justified (just as if we never sinned)
because Jesus took our place and carried our sin upon Him on the cross.
B. Grace - God justifies sinners “as a gift of His grace,”
not because of who they are or anything they have done. (Sermon Central: GOD’S
RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST by Dennis Davidson)
C. Redemption - to ransom or to pay the price to free slaves
or prisoners of war. Mark 10:45 (NLT) For even the Son of Man came not to be
served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus already ransomed all mankind, however, it is man’s
choice whether to renounce sin and accept that ransom or not.
Born in 1954 in Los Angeles, California, Patty Hearst is the
granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, founder of the Hearst media empire.
On February 4, 1974, at age 19, Patty Hearst was kidnapped by members of the
Symbionese Liberation Army. Not long after, she announced that she had joined
the SLA and began participating in criminal activity with the group, including
robbery and extortion. Hearst was captured by the FBI in September 1975, and
the following year, she was convicted of bank robbery and sentenced to 35 years
in prison. (http://www.biography.com/people/patty-hearst-9332960)
Her father paid millions of dollars for her release. The
ransom had been paid and Patty could have escaped but she did not want to
escape.
III. God’s Righteousness Demonstrated (vs. 25b-26)
The cross was a public demonstration of God’s
righteousness. Jesus went to the cross
to pay the ransom for sinful, guilty man.
The sins of all who had/will ever live needed to be paid for. Throughout the ages, man has reaped what he
sowed, however, from the beginning no one had ever received the full punishment
for the sins they committed. God was not
condoning their sin; He was waiting for the appointed time, the death of Christ
on the cross, to demand the payment for the sins of all mankind.
Christ’s death paid for past, present, and future
sins. None were left out. His death was the once-for-all payment required
by our holy, just God.
IV. Conclusion
To be made righteous, all that is required of us is to
believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior; to accept His free gift of salvation and
redemption. The ransom has been paid,
our freedom assured; the choice is ours.
We, as born again believers, are righteous in God’s
eyes. Our penalty has been paid. When condemnation rears its ugly head, we
need only point the enemy to the cross and the moment we received Christ’s free
gift of salvation and he has to slither away because he has no leg to stand on
(pun intended! J)
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