21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom 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, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
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Paul is talking to the Christian Church at Rome, which consisted of many Jewish people of his time as well as Greek and Gentile people. It seems that Paul is making a grand effort to shift the focus of self-will and ability, which is feeble at best to the grace and righteousness of God.
Paul is speaking to a people who were fully under the law and on the other end of the spectrum a people who are not at all under the law. While we have two different people with respect to the law, Paul make no distinction between them when it comes to the grace and righteousness of God.
In many cases the law was more of a god to the Jewish people than God Himself. They were the chosen people of God and they knew it. In their mind no one was worthy but them to come to God. After all they were the chosen people of God.
For those that kept the law, in their eyes and mind, they could do no wrong. There was a sense of superiority they carried with themselves. This attitude and mindset were evidenced in the behavior of those keeping the law toward other people and was vividly revealed in the scribes and Pharisees.
3 Therefore whatever they tell you [a]to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. Matthew 23:3-4
Before we become to harsh in looking at the those that were supposedly under the law, the Christian church is not much different today in many ways.
I am often reminded of a study a looked at many years ago that is still probably just as relevant as it was 10 years or so done by the Barna Group. When they found is that when it came to people who were “In The Church” versus those “who were not in the Church”, or the difference between the churched and unchurched was they found little to no difference. The difference between social beliefs and issues was (+-) 1%.
One can infer a lot from this data. But shouldn’t it look different in the church than it does in the world? Why is this percentage so close between those in the church compared to those in the world, or not believing in Jesus as their Savior?
This was the very question and issue Paul was addressing when he wrote this letter to the Roman church.
The righteousness of God is not an attribute, but an act of God to restore a relationship with His people, those who believe in Jesus as their Savior.
When God created man, man was created in a right and perfect relationship with God. Man was made to know only God and nothing else. When mankind became aware of both good and evil this all changed.
When God created man, man was created to live in God’s perfect way. When mankind became aware of good and evil it was impossible to live in God’s perfect way. Mankind no longer only knew God, who is all good and Holy, but now knew evil in contrast.
The righteousness of God is the right relationship with God that He desires to have with you and all who believe in His work through His Son. We can in no way, in part or full, in our own doing or ability have or create the kind of right relationship God created us to have.
Paul was a chief Pharisee and now a chief sinner. Paul knew what it was like to fail at a right relationship with God. Paul now knew better than most what it was like to have a right relationship with God through grace and faith.
Paul here makes a bold statement when he states a truth that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
We cannot save ourselves. As you read this you are probably thinking, “I know that”, but the truth is does our behavior and action say this? Do we act in faith as much as we would like to thing we do?
No one can live up to what God requires or expects of us. As sinners we cannot live up to God’s requirements. If we stop here, we are left perhaps feeling hopeless and lost. But God did not stop here, and neither should we.
Paul says in v.24 “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
First off let’s look at justification. To be justified means to be made or marked as good or legitimate. This is the work of God that is done through Christ Jesus who died on the cross to redeem every person who would and believe in the perfect work done on Calvary.
Paul tells us “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord Romans 6:23 NKJV
Sin brought with it a wage that had to be paid for each person to be freed from the bondage of it. This price could not be paid by anyone but Jesus.
That is where grace comes in. A debt owed to God that mankind could not pay was paid by God’s own Son. What an expression of love. There is not greater expression of love and grace than what God did through His Son on Calvary. There is no greater expression of love and grace than what Jesus Christ was willing to do for His Father on our behalf.
When Jesus paid the sin debt, He then was able to transfer His righteousness. Not our righteousness, but His righteousness. We can do nothing to satisfy the sin debt we had before us.
Based on the righteousness of Jesus Christ can a believing Christian approach the throne of grace. It is through God’s work and doing that we are restored into a right relationship with Him.
By Jesus Christ work on the cross, by Jesus Christ death on the cross, He alone paid the penalty for sin in full. There are two reason why the righteousness of God comes through Christ’s death on the cross.
First it demonstrates that God alone is righteous. It is God’s relationship with us and not our relationship with Him. We come to God on His terms and by His provision of grace.
Second, it is God who justifies the believer by His work and atonement.
In V.27 Paul uses the word “Law of faith”. The law, commonly known as the standard of God, is associated with works. This is where we get into trouble.
The Jews were boasting in their knowledge of the law and their adherence to it. Paul puts a stop to this when he asks them “You make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?” Romans 2:23 NKJV
The law of Moses served as a tutor to teach us of the standards of God and His righteousness. What we find is that it is impossible to live by the standards of God apart from God. There is nothing we can do but to rely on God and His work in us.
24 Therefore the law was our [a]tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:24-26 NKJV
There is no boasting or work of our own ability or determination we can do to be made right with God.
The people asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:28-29 NKJV
Therefore, the boasting we have is only in Jesus Christ and our knowledge of Him, and the work He alone completed on the cross at Calvary. When this stance is taken all the attention is put on Jesus and none left on us.
Therefore, by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20 NKJV
Man is justified and declared righteous apart from doing what the law requires. If it were possible to keep the law to the last letter and dot, which it is not, a person would still not be saved and have the salvation of God.
Salvation is through the law of faith alone. No matte what we do, we cannot earn our salvation. It is a free gift.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— Ephesians 2:8-11 NKJV
It is the work of God in our lives. It is God who transforms us and justifies us. It is the work of God and we are His workmanship.
Where we get into trouble is that we say we have faith in God and the work completed at Calvary, but we act contrary to our words of faith.
We are a self-reliant people, or so we think we are. Listen to the language of people when they talk about God. Is the word “I” inserted more often than the name of God? Is self cloaked in God? In other words, are we saying one thing and meaning another?
Much like the Pharisees, they knew the law but did not keep, nor were they capable of keeping it.
How many times have you or seen someone go to an altar to give something to God only to pick up what they brought and take it back with them? How many times have you heard someone say, “I am a good person” and feel justified in God’s eyes?
This statement “I’m a good person” is based on the individual’s definition of what good is. And we are told that no one is good.
10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:10-12 NKJV
No one is good. No one can please God and live up to the standards of God without a complete surrender to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to come into that person and creating the new creature in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17).
People fall for the lie that they are somehow capable of doing the work. They say they know that it is the work of God and in the same manner they take up the very struggles they take to the cross they set out and make a feeble attempt to please God on their own strength and ability.
What Paul is saying here is that man is justified by faith in Jesus Christ and the work on the cross. This means that there is nothing we can do but surrender to God and allow Him to do the work Jesus died to do in our life.
We cannot be good enough. We are not capable of stopping or starting enough things to please God.
Our work is to believe in Him, get out of the way of ourselves and let God to His perfect and pleasing work in our lives. That is all we can do and this in and of itself is not easy.
There is power in the name of Jesus. The phrase “pray in the name of Jesus” is often used by Christians, and it refers to the practice of praying to God and asking for His help, guidance, or protection.
Two things about the death of Christ. The first was that since one person died for and in place of everyone else, everyone had died. What is this death at the end? Either the death they deserved because of their sin.
It’s odd how we often acknowledge that we take on too much, and try to accomplish things in our own strength, and need to rely more on Jesus. And yet we continue to do the same thing over and over.
The conscience is a divinely given moral compass that can be swayed by many factors, such as our background, experiences, and thoughts. What is important is the truth that one has to inform their conscience.
Life is rough for most people today. Just when we have hope of a life returning to normal, we are seeing things none of us have ever seen in our lifetime.
To grasp the magnitude of our deliverance, we must first comprehend where we came from. We are not exempt from the repercussions of our actions because we are descendants of Adam.
