Called to Righteousness - Romans 3:21-31

In , Paul looks at the tension between sin and justice from God’s perspective. Paul wrote to the church in Rome in about AD 58, during his third missionary journey. He had not planted that church, but expressed a desire to visit. He envisioned Rome to be a future stop on his way to Spain for missionary work. Paul did indeed come to Rome a couple of years later, but not as part of a missionary trip. Instead he arrived under Roman guard due to his appeal to Caesar.

Rome was the center of an empire that encompassed most of the territories bordering the Mediterranean Sea, among others. Rome was a colossal city, the largest in the ancient world. The church in Rome had a mixed membership of Jews and Gentiles. Paul wrote to prepare the church in Rome for his intended future visit. He was aware of issues between the Jews and Gentiles in the church and had words for both groups.

A central doctrinal concern for Paul was to demonstrate the universal sinfulness of humanity and the magnificent scope of God’s plan for redemption of men and women from the consequences of this sin. Paul based his conclusions on both the historical facts of Jesus’ life and proper interpretation of Jewish Scriptures. Today’s lesson assumes the case for universal sinfulness has been made in .

With that foundation in place, the question that arises is how the sinless, holy God can rescue sinners from the wrath that divine justice requires. This weighty matter is the subject of this week’s lesson. As Paul explained to the church in Rome: God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him” (). Jesus the Messiah was God’s response to the problem that plagued creation. And by saving the world through a faithful Israelite, God honored the covenant with Abraham while bringing “salvation to all who have faith in God, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (1:16).

Just and Justifier -

Romans 3:21–26 NRSV

But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.

The two words But now mark an important transition. God had revealed part of his nature in the old covenant’s system of law. But now, in the new covenant inaugurated by Christ’s death, God has revealed more of his nature in a different way. The now revealed part of God’s nature is called the righteousness of God. The meaning of this and closely related phrases shifts depending on context. For the verse before us, Paul continues the sense of the righteousness of God that he used in : God has now revealed the method by which people can be made permanently right with him. Although the plan Paul is about to describe is not based in the old law, that does not mean it is a new insight. It has indeed been testified to by earlier Scripture, the Law and the Prophets.

In verse 22, Paul moves to the key element of his discourse concerning the righteousness of God, and the key element is Jesus Christ. The description through faith in Jesus Christ is vital. We gain access to God through belief in Jesus. There are not multiple ways to make up for the fact of sin and be admitted into Heaven. There is no system through the Law of Moses for the Jews along with a parallel system through faith in Christ.

The fact that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile with regard to the problem of sin implies that there is also no difference with regard to the remedy. That remedy is Christ.

What techniques can we use to help people understand the consequences of their sin?

We tend to think of God’s glory in terms of brilliant, supernatural light or radiance. Glory also has the sense of being worthy of praise, which God certainly is. When we gain right standing with God through Christ, we also gain a measure of glory. That fact comes full circle: when we are justified through faith in Christ, we bring glory to God; he alone is the proper object of worship.

In what ways can you bring glory to God as you serve others?

Paul does not want his readers to forget the chasm of sin that is bridged by Christ. So in verses 24 and 25, Paul uses three weighty words to define our sin status and how it is overcome. The first word is justified, a legal term of Paul’s day. Although we are indeed guilty sinners, to be justified freely by his grace means to hear the great judge pronounce “guilty, but no penalty.” We will not suffer the eternal consequences of our sin.

Paul’s second weighty word is redemption. This introduces the basis for the “no penalty” part of the great judge’s pronouncement above. Part of the Old Testament usage background of the equivalent word in Hebrew occurs in contexts of being set free from bondage by intervention by the a third party.

Our salvation is possible because of a sacrifice of atonement, Paul’s third of three weighty words. This word is drawn from the system of sacrificing animals to atone for sins. Such atonement was for the purpose of turning aside God’s wrath. But that system was temporary. If God’s holy wrath comes down on us because of our sins, then we will pay the price in the eternal lake of fire. There is an alternative, but only one: Christ. He serves as the final and perfect atoning sacrifice for sins; his death satisfies any penalty our sins require. But it’s not automatic; rather, it becomes effective through the shedding of his blood. That thought is incomplete however, without what Paul say next.

How will the reality of Christ’s sacrifice influence your thoughts and actions in the week ahead?

The two instances of to demonstrate plus the two calendar references of beforehand and at the present time lock these lines together. This helps us understand that the two instances of the phrase his righteousness refer to God’s consistency. Whether past, present, or future, God’s actions are always consistent with his character or nature.

Part of that consistency is God’s merciful forbearance, a word related to “patience”. With rare exceptions, God does not punish sin immediately. His delay allows us a chance to repent. But he does not postpone punishment indefinitely either. We have a choice to make: suffer eternal punishment for our sins or accept Christ’s death on our behalf.

Paul caps his presentation of God’s remedy for sin by giving us an ironic and wonderful truth. For God to be just means that the penalty for sin must be paid. For sin to go unpunished would mean that God is unjust. And indeed, sin’s penalty has been paid - by Christ on the cross. Through this work of Christ, God retains his perfectly just nature while being the one who justifies sinners.

A way of illustrating this is to imagine yourself before a judge who rightly imposes the death penalty on you for an offense you have committed. With your guilt beyond question, the only outcome is death so that the demands of justice will be satisfied. But as things turn out, the just judge is also a compassionate judge. So he decides to come down from the bench and die in your place. As a result you go free. Justice is not lost, for the penalty is paid and God’s holiness is upheld. We can be admitted into Heaven, thus demonstrating the triumph of God’s love. In Christ, God pays for our sins through his Son’s willing sacrifice for our sins. Thus God is both just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Faith and Law -

Romans 3:27–31 NRSV

Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Paul lays out practical implications for all he has just said, for both Jews and Gentiles. Some Jews may be clinging to a sense of religious superiority over their Gentile neighbors because they have the Law of Moses. Paul, a Jew himself, realizes that any law that requires works cannot possibly be a way to be justified. If anyone can and does keep the law perfectly, that person would have reason for boasting. But no one keeps the law perfectly; all have sinned ().

But there is a law that does apply: the law that requires faith. Paul’s language here drips with irony. We cannot be saved by keeping all the commands in the Law of Moses, so we have a law based on faith. Faith is not a work whereby we earn salvation. Rather, faith is putting trust and confidence in Jesus Christ as having secured our salvation on the cross.

Paul does not believe the Jewish law is valueless. Its great value is in defining sin. Even so, lasting justification must come from some other quarter, and Paul has shown this to be faith in the person and atoning work of Jesus Christ. Therefore Paul’s inescapable conclusion is that justification and salvation are possible without reference to works of the law. This must be true whether the word law refers to the Law of Moses or any other religious or secular system based on law-keeping.

In verse 29 the status of Gentiles (that is, everyone who is not a Jew) is clear. There is only one God, and he cannot be the God of only some people. The one, supreme God, revealed in creation and in Jewish Scripture, is the only God. He is the Lord of both Jew and Gentile, for there is not alternative.

What steps can we take to stay alert to distinctions among people that in some way mirror the Jew/Gentile tension of Paul’s day?

In verse 30, Paul draws on another common way of categorizing Jews and Gentiles circumcised....and uncircumcised. This refers to the old covenant act for Jewish males that distinguished them physically from non-Jews. This verse is not about circumcision, however. It is about justification - being counted as righteous in the eyes of God. His plan is the same for both groups: faith.

How might your perceptions of others change were you to remind yourself daily that God justifies in the same way all who are willing?

Conclusion

Our God is both loving and just. Both are essential to his nature. Humans, through their sin, create a dilemma for God. How can God maintain both his love and justice in the face of that sin? Sin leads to eternal death according to God’s just and holy nature, but how can a loving God consign those created in his image to eternal punishment?

The solution is God’s Son. Jesus’ death on the cross allows both God’s justice and love to be preserved. The wrath of God, called forth by the necessity for justice, is satisfied by the sacrifice of Jesus, the gift of God’s love. Our sin debt is paid. Perhaps you are familiar with the old hymn titled “I Am So Glad That Salvation’s Free,” by James Rowe. Salvation is indeed free - to us. But it was not free to God. The cost to him was enormous. There is no truth of which we should remind ourselves of more often?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, so often we let our days pass without concern for our eternal destiny. Keep us mindful that a day of judgement is coming. May we be counted righteous on that day by grace made possible by your Son. We pray this in Jesus’ glorious name. Amen.

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