Romans 3:19-31

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Righteousness Through Faith

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

27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.29 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.

Let’s Digg in:).

v. 21 “…a righteousness from God…” First, Paul has already established the righteousness of God in the gospel (1:16-17), and His judgment of sin (1:18-3:20). God is absolutely righteous and can’t have fellowship with unrighteous sinful people. Therefore, God has made a way, hence He declares sinners righteous (imputed righteousness) completely apart from mankind. We can’t do anything to be right with God.

v. 22 Here we see God’s righteousness apart from the law, made a “reality” for mankind “through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

Paul says in Phil 3:8-9:

8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

What is faith?

To believe? What are the essentials we are to understand and believe?

To Trust? Is God someone I/you trust with everything?

Does God really care about everything in my life?

Should we ask for more faith? Stronger faith?
(I’d like to table these questions: please reference: http://bible.org/seriespage/putting-faith-perspective-luke-175-19

Christ is always the object of our faith:

Does my life reflect a total dependency on God by faith?

Is my heart’s desire to reflect God’s glory and righteousness through my life in every context?

Am I willing to say “I trust God” and “I know I am right with God by faith in Christ” to anyone willing to listen?

A brother in our Saturday group asked, “isn’t it kinda arrogant to say ‘Iknow I am right with God…” I thought that was an excellent question.

We want to understand our status vs our condition. Our goal is to always pursue humility in how we think, behave, and speak. The truth is that our status through the eyes of God the Father is “righteous” because of Jesus and the shed blood for our sins, past, present, and future.

However, our condition continues to be “sinner” saved and imputed righteousness because of grace through faith as we will hightlight below.

Therefore, as Paul mentions below also, boasting about our status always boasts to the power and glory of our gracious God, especially the sacrifical death of Jesus on our behalf. Hence, “in Christ” we can take a stand and proclaim the glory and power of God who saved a wretch like me. Maybe it would be better to say, I am right with God because of His grace and mercy. It is not about us, but about God who saved us and deemed us righteous in Christ.

v. 23 All humankind is the same. All have sinned against a holy God and fall short of the glory of God. However,

v. 24 we are justified freely by God’s grace… to be justified essentially means for those “in Christ” are guilty of sin, yet acquitted and declared righteous. Moreover, it is important to take notice of “freely.” Sinners are justified freely, i.e., as a gift.

Furthermore, Paul said, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” Eph 1:7-8.

Salvation, Justification, hence imputed righteousness is all from God alone. Paul also said, in Eph 2:8-9

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Harrison (1976) wrote, “Incidentally, it is never said that men are saved on account of their faith in Christ, a construction that might encourage the notion that faith makes a contribution and has some merit. On the contrary, faith is simply ‘the hand of the heart.’ (Godet). It takes what God bestows but adds nothing to the gift.”

v. 25-26 Harrison (1976) quotes T.W. Manson, “The mercy-seat is no longer kept in the sacred seclusion of the most holy place: it is brought out into the midst of the rough and tumble of the world and set up before the eyes of hostile, contemptuous, or indifferent crowds.”

Harrison goes on to say, “Christ has become the meeting place of God and man where the mercy of God is available because of the sacrifice of the Son.”

Moreover, Pett (online) wrote, For God set Him forth as a propitiatory sacrifice (compare 1 John 2.2), appropriated through faith in His sacrificial death. The idea here is that something was required in order to satisfy God’s antipathy to sin. Sin had to be punished. A price had to be paid. And it was because of this sacrificial death that God had been able righteously to pass over ‘sins done aforetime’, the many sins of believers from the time of Adam. And it is also because of this sacrificial death that He is even now at this present time able to remain totally righteous while at the same time declaring as ‘in the right’ the one who has faith in Jesus, even though he be ungodly (not in present behaviour and attitude but condemned as such because of his past life – 4.5). As a consequence of this His antipathy to our sin is removed, because our sin has been transferred to Jesus Christ. God no longer counts anything against us. It is a sacrificial death that covers all men for all time when they come to believe in Him. He ‘perfects for ever those who are being sanctified’ (Hebrews 10.14).

Finally, Harrison(1976) wrote, “His ‘forbearance’ is not to be thought of as sentimentality or weakness but as an indication that meeting the demands of his righteous character would be accomplished in dues season. This happened at the cross.

v. 27-31 We never boast in ourselves, but only in Christ .

In Christ we live by faith. Pett wrote, “And the grounds for his confident answer is that God is one. This was indeed what the Jew boasted about constantly, ‘YHWH our God, YHWH is one’ (Deuteronomy 6.4). Well, says Paul, if He is One then He is God over all and will deal with all on the same terms. He will reckon the circumcision to be in the right by faith, and the uncircumcision to be right through faith. All will be dealt with in the same way.”

Since we live by faith in Christ, can we ignore or “nullify” the moral laws of God?

Paul makes it clear that “in Christ” we strive to uphold the moral law of God through our everyday in Christ lives.

Persevere!

References:
Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1976) F. E. Gaebelein (ed).

Pett, Peter. http://www.angelfire.com/planet/matthew1/romans1.html

NIV Study Bible (1984).