Romans 3:21-26 - Fundamental Faith

Christians can disagree on some things. But not this...

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Romans 3:21–26 (NIV)

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 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 {propitiation}, 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.

Canons of Dordt

Point I, Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People

Since all people have sinned in Adam and have come under the sentence of the curse and eternal death, God would have done no one an injustice if it had been his will to leave the entire human race in sin and under the curse, and to condemn them on account of their sin.

Article 2: The Manifestation of God’s Love

But this is how God showed his love: he sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Summary

Today's passage is typically viewed as the beginning of the second section of this

letter, which details God’s provision for a fallen humanity. The comfort we are reminded of in Romans is that despite our sinful rebellion against God, He continues to be gracious towards us.

As Paul wrote to the Romans, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law. It is not through the law that we are justified - that is, having been declared righteous before God. Following a set of rules might be a way to show your gratitude, but it cannot save you. Likewise, being a mostly good person does not earn you a pass into heaven.

The role of the law is to make you aware of your debt of sin against God. This is not one of those that is true for some but not for others. This debt of sin is universal; all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Because we have sinned, we need God’s work of justification, which is a gift that was earned by Christ on the cross and is received by faith.

Verse 25 contains one of the best words in scripture: propitiation. Propitiation is a large word used only 4 times in scripture (Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10). While it is a fun word to say, it also carried a weighty meaning. Propitiation describes how the wrath of God is turned away from us. This is what Christ saves us from, the wrath of our perfectly holy God against all sin and unrighteousness.

  Dig Deeper  

The doctrine of justification is fundamental to our faith. Martin Luther, who we know of as the father of the reformation, insisted that it was upon the doctrine of justification by faith alone that the Church ultimately stands and falls. Another theologian you might know, John Calvin, considered the doctrine of justification to be the hinge by which everything else turns.

There are numerous disagreements between different denominations of Christians of a variety of topics for which it is okay to agree to disagree. This is not one of those areas. Justification comes by faith alone and in Christ alone. When you deviate from this, you deviate from the Gospel.

The teaching of scripture is that we cannot rely on our own righteousness as none are righteous before God. Because of our rebellion against God, if God treated us as we deserve, we would be objects of his wrath.

Yet there is good news, even though you have sinned against God, he desires to be merciful towards you. This is what Jesus did on the cross, he earned justification for all who believe in him for salvation. Do not give an ear to groups who claim alternate means of salvation or that “there are many paths that lead to God”.

There is but one way to God the Father, which is to be justified by Christ. To claim otherwise is an attempt to diminish his work on the Cross. In a world where people chase what their itching ears want to hear, stand firm in your faith in Christ.

AAA Prayer (About)

• ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who bestows the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ;

• ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will stgengthen and preserve you in this most fundamental aspect of your faith;

• ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

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