It’s All about Faith
Romans 3:27-31
* Turn with me to Romans 3. As I meditated over verses 27-31 this week I became more and more convinced that Paul’s message to His readers was and is the title of this message, “It’s all about Faith.” We know that he’s taken 3 chapters to set the stage for us to here this message of hope and help. Let’s read 27-31.
* Reading these five verses alone could evoke a thought that this section doesn’t refer to me. It begins with the question “where then is boasting?” and most of us might respond, I don’t brag so this is a passage with which I do not have to be concerned. May I remind you that the very reason we preach through entire “books” in the Bible is to understand how every part is significant for me.
* Back in verse 23, Paul has announced the condition of mankind when he says, “ALL HAVE SINNED and FALLEN SHORT of GOD.” Think about that, the implications for us are HUGE. We have sinned, fallen short of God’s best, and have a problem which we are incapable of “fixing” on our own. Our problem requires a step of faith. If we are to be justified before a Righteous God, we must express faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. It is only by responding in faith to the drawing of God’s Holy Spirit that we can gain God’s righteousness. It is all about faith.
* Consider this; when we respond in faith, what happens? What transpired? How does life change? What can I expect? What are the characteristics or attributes that I will know? It is my sense that these five verses contain 3 personal, planned, and promised evidences for a person who has come to “faith in Christ”. Remember, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God”.
1) The Exclusion of Sin – (Verse 27)
* This sin which Paul names is “boasting” or “bringing glory to one’s self.” It carries with it the idea of arrogance. Remember, the Jews felt they had “earned” their right to God and heaven because of their works. You see, as we will learn in chapter 4 when someone works to earn something, they have a right to it. Thus, the law of works gives one a reason to boast because “I’ve earned it”, “I’m good enough”, and “I’ve a right to it.” Paul says that this is the arrogant attitude developed when one believes they can work their way to heaven. Even without the boasting, arrogance is a sin because it is driven by our pride. Paul says, “Boasting is excluded” and James tells us (4:16) “As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
* If you will look with me in verse 27 where we see two laws mentioned, they are the “Law of works” and the “law of Faith.” The law of works is a belief that I can be kind enough, love enough, treat people right enough, and in short be good enough to gain a right standing before God. This is a flawed, faulty, and false which is sadly and subtly being embraced today, sometimes even by those who claim to be Christian. Believing that I can somehow attain eternal life by working my way there is the epitome of the spirit of the Pharisees. It evokes pride and arrogance and boasting.
* Conversely, the Law of Faith gives us no reason to boast. Here’s why. Because the rightness before God, the abundant life, and the eternal life we have is not a payment for services rendered, but is rather a gift from God. Ephesians 2 reads, “By grace you have been saved through faith, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” Boasting is sin. Since we cannot earn our way to God and heaven, we have no reason to boast.
* However, let’s come to grips with one more truth. In our faith, ALL sin is excluded. This is a truth which we seem to want to lay aside today. And the inability of those who claim to be believers to lay aside sin has a far reaching impact. Too often, believers want to hide behind the old adage “I’m just human”, “That’s just me”, or “The devil made me do it” when in point of truth, there exists no desire to put away sin. This attitude is contrary to the word of God, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the heart of one that is in Christ.
* By the way, the scripture says boasting or sin is “excluded.” The Greek word literally means to “shut out”. We are to shut sin out. Faith in the blood, in Jesus, and in God, leads us to exclude sin.
2) The Experience of Salvation – (Verses 28-30)
* In the good ole USA today, people want to explain away salvation. Today, people are saying things that are “sweet” to the ears of lost mankind and an abomination in the ears of God. Recently, I mentioned the name of TV celebrity Oprah Winfrey and her influence in our land. Some didn’t believe because Oprah makes them “feel good” about themselves, so listen to her (VIDEO). This video is originally 6 minutes and there are literally hundreds of such videos which give evidence that she is using her status & money to propagate the “New Age” agenda.
* The lady in the video attempted to put an accurate handle on what Oprah was saying when she began, “that sounds good at the outset.” If you notice the attitude of the day is whoever can talk loudest and longest gets heard. They may get heard, but there are not necessarily right. Oprah says, “There just has to be more than one way.” Jesus says, “There is only one way and I’m it.” Now the choice we face today is who we will believe.
* Our text tells us that it is only by faith that a man is justified and not by the works of the law or the law of works. Through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ we receive grace, mercy, justification, redemption, we are saved. The old hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but holy lead on Jesus name.” It is Jesus’ blood, righteousness, grace, and mercy which we have as a firm foundation. It doesn’t matter how sweet a message may sound, how that message may appeal to our sense of right and wrong, or if we “think” we have found a better way, the sweetest words man can speak are but are tinkling bells, sounding brass and rubbish compared to the words and work of God through Jesus.
* Make no mistake salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. He is the author and finisher of our faith. This is an event, an action, and a life changing experience.
* Don’t miss this final thought; God does not make exceptions. God is the God of all. Red, yellow, black, and white, they are all precious in His sight and they all are saved the same way, by faith. Have you place your faith in Jesus. If you have then you understand the explanation of salvation because you have experienced it. You also understand the principle of excluding sin from your life. And,
3) The Expectation of Sanctification - (Verse 31) Sanctification is a big word which means to be made holy. It is the process by which we are made to correspond to God’s holiness. It is more than a mere moral reformation of character. This word carries with it the idea of being made holy, that is, to separate from the world & consecrates to God.
* May I place a simplistic (watts) interpretation on this word? To sanctify means that we are set apart by our choices, desires, actions, likes, and dislikes.
* It means that the law has done its work in my life by showing me how much I need “something.” Faith has followed by showing me that this something is actually someone and that someone is Jesus.
* The bottom line is ultimate purpose of God’s law (be it the 10 commandments, the Pentateuch, or the Old Testament) was given to bring us into a right relationship with God. The Law was fulfilled when by it we realized our sinful condition, repented of our sins, and through faith received Christ. When we look into God’s law and realize how unholy we are in light of holy God, we will respond as did all of our fore-fathers who came into Jehovah’s presence. Isaiah, Peter, James, John, Moses, and the rest fell down in humility hoping God would have mercy. He did and He does.
* Years ago, there was a very popular gospel song entitled, “When my Savior reached down for me.” The part of the chorus which always captured my attention was this; “I was lost and undone. Without God or His Son. When He reached down His hand for me.”
* When God reaches down to me (and you) to draw us to Himself, it is a powerful touch. He calls us to be saved, that is, place our faith in His Son. When He calls and we respond in faith, the Holy Spirit begins the work of sanctifying us. Watch the progression; we experience salvation, then we exclude sin from our lives, and through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, we are sanctified, set apart and made Holy.
* Today there is a problem. Many want to be saved or miss hell but really do not want to give their lives to Christ “if” they have to change their lifestyle. In his book I Surrender, Patrick Morley writes that the church’s integrity problem is in the misconception "that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior." He goes on to say, "It is revival without reformation, without repentance."
* For some the Law of Works and the Law of Faith are confusing, so allow me to simplify it. The law of works will never gain the righteousness of God. The only way to gain the righteousness of God is through the Law of Faith. That law says, “You must place believe in grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone.” I need no other argument, I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.
