Romans 3:21-31
May Memory Verse: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV
Read: Romans 3:21-31
I once asked a Jewish friend about his understanding of how a person went to heaven. He answered, “if you try to be a good person and live a pretty good life, when you die God will stack up the good you’ve done on one side of a scale, and he will stack the bad on the other side -- if the scale tips toward the good, you will get into heavenâ€. A lot of the world believes that. Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven†(Mt. 5:20). Based on Jesus' statement, righteousness is a big deal.
Merriam-Webster defines righteousness as “acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sinâ€. Jesus sets an impossible bar on the level of righteousness required to enter God’s kingdom. He seems to be saying “you have to be far more righteous than the most righteous that have ever lived if you want to see heavenâ€. That level of righteousness, of being free from guilt or sin, seems impossible. And it is. In today’s passage, Paul states our situation clearly in verse 23. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of Godâ€.
So how do we reconcile this? We are told we must be more righteous than the best of the best if we are to enter God’s kingdom. And at the same time, we know we are sinful, and Paul affirms that. How can this seemingly impossible situation be dealt with? Paul answers that clearly in this passage. Paul explains that we do not, that we cannot, make ourselves righteous. Yesterday, we saw Paul state that there is “no one righteous, no not one†(Rom 3:10-12). Righteousness doesn’t come from the good things we do. But Paul explains that there is righteousness “apart from the lawâ€. What does that mean? It means following rules (the law) will not make us righteous. We are unable to follow God’s law the way God requires to meet His standard of righteous perfection – trying to perfectly follow his law won’t make us free from guilt and sin, because we can’t do it. However, trying to follow the law does show us that there is sin in our lives. We have told lies. We have cheated or stolen. We are envious. We do have immoral thoughts (Jesus said if a man looks at a woman with lust he has committed adultery in his heart). The law makes us aware of our need for something much better than ourselves.
In this passage, Paul lays out some great news! The righteousness God requires is given “through faith in Jesus to all who believeâ€. Wow. Right there is the heart of the Gospel. Those who place their faith in Jesus (though they fall short of God’s standard) are given righteousness as a gift of God. The theologians call this “imputed†righteousness. It means when God looks at us, instead of seeing our sin he sees the righteousness of Jesus. Paul says “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonementâ€. His blood paid for our sins – made us righteous. That righteousness from God is imputed to us through placing our faith in Jesus as the perfect sacrifice on our behalf.
We don’t have to be perfect to receive this righteousness, but we do have to declare our belief in what God did through Jesus and start a relationship of faith with him. We have to hand God the control of our eternal destinies and our lives. That does not mean we’ll be perfect, but it does mean we’ll be changed to be more like Jesus. And we can be confident that His righteousness has been given and applied to us. Paul said in 2 Cor 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of Godâ€. The righteousness he applies to us through his sacrifice on the cross satisfies God’s requirements for heaven. That is GREAT news!
Paul goes on to ask “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded.†We can’t boast or be proud of what we didn’t do. Paul makes it clear in verse 29, “a person is justified by faith apart from works of the lawâ€. The point here is we can’t earn it. It is a gift given to us when we place our faith in Jesus’ sacrifice (Eph 2:8-9).
Have you come to the place where you understand what God offers you? Have you received the righteousness that comes through placing your faith in what God did in sacrificing his Son to atone for your sins (and mine)? If not, today is a great day to place your faith in Jesus and receive the great gift of being made right before God.
By: Mike Wilson - Leadership Team Member
Read: Romans 3:21-31
I once asked a Jewish friend about his understanding of how a person went to heaven. He answered, “if you try to be a good person and live a pretty good life, when you die God will stack up the good you’ve done on one side of a scale, and he will stack the bad on the other side -- if the scale tips toward the good, you will get into heavenâ€. A lot of the world believes that. Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven†(Mt. 5:20). Based on Jesus' statement, righteousness is a big deal.
Merriam-Webster defines righteousness as “acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sinâ€. Jesus sets an impossible bar on the level of righteousness required to enter God’s kingdom. He seems to be saying “you have to be far more righteous than the most righteous that have ever lived if you want to see heavenâ€. That level of righteousness, of being free from guilt or sin, seems impossible. And it is. In today’s passage, Paul states our situation clearly in verse 23. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of Godâ€.
So how do we reconcile this? We are told we must be more righteous than the best of the best if we are to enter God’s kingdom. And at the same time, we know we are sinful, and Paul affirms that. How can this seemingly impossible situation be dealt with? Paul answers that clearly in this passage. Paul explains that we do not, that we cannot, make ourselves righteous. Yesterday, we saw Paul state that there is “no one righteous, no not one†(Rom 3:10-12). Righteousness doesn’t come from the good things we do. But Paul explains that there is righteousness “apart from the lawâ€. What does that mean? It means following rules (the law) will not make us righteous. We are unable to follow God’s law the way God requires to meet His standard of righteous perfection – trying to perfectly follow his law won’t make us free from guilt and sin, because we can’t do it. However, trying to follow the law does show us that there is sin in our lives. We have told lies. We have cheated or stolen. We are envious. We do have immoral thoughts (Jesus said if a man looks at a woman with lust he has committed adultery in his heart). The law makes us aware of our need for something much better than ourselves.
In this passage, Paul lays out some great news! The righteousness God requires is given “through faith in Jesus to all who believeâ€. Wow. Right there is the heart of the Gospel. Those who place their faith in Jesus (though they fall short of God’s standard) are given righteousness as a gift of God. The theologians call this “imputed†righteousness. It means when God looks at us, instead of seeing our sin he sees the righteousness of Jesus. Paul says “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonementâ€. His blood paid for our sins – made us righteous. That righteousness from God is imputed to us through placing our faith in Jesus as the perfect sacrifice on our behalf.
We don’t have to be perfect to receive this righteousness, but we do have to declare our belief in what God did through Jesus and start a relationship of faith with him. We have to hand God the control of our eternal destinies and our lives. That does not mean we’ll be perfect, but it does mean we’ll be changed to be more like Jesus. And we can be confident that His righteousness has been given and applied to us. Paul said in 2 Cor 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of Godâ€. The righteousness he applies to us through his sacrifice on the cross satisfies God’s requirements for heaven. That is GREAT news!
Paul goes on to ask “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded.†We can’t boast or be proud of what we didn’t do. Paul makes it clear in verse 29, “a person is justified by faith apart from works of the lawâ€. The point here is we can’t earn it. It is a gift given to us when we place our faith in Jesus’ sacrifice (Eph 2:8-9).
Have you come to the place where you understand what God offers you? Have you received the righteousness that comes through placing your faith in what God did in sacrificing his Son to atone for your sins (and mine)? If not, today is a great day to place your faith in Jesus and receive the great gift of being made right before God.
By: Mike Wilson - Leadership Team Member
5 Comments
Thank you for laying out the Gospel message so clearly! And I like your idea for starting Gospel conversations (by asking how someone understands people get into Heaven). It seems like a fairly natural/low-key/low-pressure segue, and definitely worth trying!
Excellent job Mike! Thank you so much for your leadership!
Was blessed by your post, Mike. We need constant reminders of how great His love and grace are.
Very encouraging to read this! Thank you!
Thankful for this great reminder that faith in Christ alone is enough!!