How Do We Get Right With God? Romans 3

 

Righteousness Through Faith

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

After Paul describes how all people (both Jews and Gentiles) have turned from God's grace to follow their own way, he begins a glorious transition to the GOOD NEWS of justification by faith in Jesus Christ.  He says, "but now ...".  "The judgment of Romans 3:20 is replaced by the justifcation of 3:21.  (Guzik)  Paul then says "apart from the law", God has revealed a whole new plan.  And this new plan was actually foretold by the law and prophets in the Old Testament. 

The new plan is based on a righteousness we could never achieve, but is given to us as a gift.  We need what Martin Luther called "an alien righteousness", meaning it comes from outside of ourselves.  And this righteousness comes from faith in Jesus Christ. Since we all have sinned and fall short of God's standard of perfection, we all have the same problem regardless of who we are. And we have all been given the same solution regardless of who we are.  

The greatest thing about the righteousness of Christ is that it is a free gift.  God has freely given it to us, there are no strings attached.  There is only one requirement for us, that we receive it and trust in it for our salvation.  

But though salvation is a free gift received by faith it doesn't mean it didn't cost anything.  The cost to buy us back (redemption) was Jesus' own blood offered as a sacrifice for our sins.  We often say, "He paid a debt he did not owe, for a debt we could not pay."  Jesus' blood offered for us was the substitute for our sins.  In the Old Testament the innocent lamb's blood was sacrificed for the sins of the people. now the Lamb of God has shed his blood covering our sins and making us one with God.  

“Here we learn that God designed to give the most evident displays of both his justice and mercy. Of his justice, in requiring a sacrifice, and absolutely refusing to give salvation to a lost world in any other way; and of his mercy, in providing THE sacrifice which his justice required.” (Clarke)

27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

The law of faith is a phrase that is hard to understand.  The two terms law and faith seem to be contradictory or antithetical.  We don't have faith in the law, but in Christ.  So what does it mean then?  Obviously the law that required works was not able to achieve what it set out to do.  But the law of faith is a law that is centered in what God has done.  Unlike the Old Testament that was given only to the Jews, this law has been given to all people.  

Finally, Paul sees what this could lead to.  Some people might say that if law is unable to justify us, what good is it?  We do I still need to uphold it? 

We can see how someone might ask, “If the law doesn’t make us righteous, what good is it? Paul, you have just made the law void. You are going against the law of God.” (Guzik)

Paul is going to address this more in chapter 6, as he knows our human nature will try to take advantage of this grace and have it as an excuse to do whatever we want.  The law has not changed but we have been changed.  We have been made right with God by a gift, so that we no longer obey the law to earn God's favor, but we obey it because we have it. 

Can you understand the difference between our righteousness and the one that is GIVEN to us through faith in Christ?  What is the difference?  How did Jesus' death and his sacrificial shedding of his own blood atone for your sin?  How does being justified by faith and not by works of the law affect how you look at how you live the Christian life?  Is it tempting for you to receive God's grace as an excuse to sin?  How do you think God feels when we take our faith and use it as a rationalization to do whatever we want?