Book of Romans
Lesson # 10
Romans 3:25 – 4:5
By Rev. James May
As we continue our lesson tonight on the Book of Romans, Chapter three, let me bring to your remembrance that the Apostle Paul is writing to the saints who were at Rome at the time. Among those saints at Rome there were both Jews and Gentiles who had embraced the cross of Jesus and had become part of the early church.
Now, just in case you didn’t know this already, being Born Again and becoming a disciple of Christ does not mean that you won’t face troubles, or that there will never be dissention in the ranks. Even in the early church there was some argument and division. Most of the differences were concerning the role of the Law of Moses, which we call the Ceremonial Law, and its impact upon the plan of God for the salvation of all men through faith in Jesus’ death upon the cross.
As we begin in verse 25 let us remember that it is by faith alone; faith in what Jesus did for us on Calvary that all men can be saved. We are not saved by the works of the Law, for by works no man can be saved.
Paul’s instruction concerning this matter was very clear. Yet the hearts of the Jews were so founded upon the Law that they found it very hard to let go and just believe that all of the Law was fulfilled in Christ and that obedience to the Law alone would never be enough to obtain eternal life and salvation. Paul’s whole point is that the sacrifice of the perfect blood of God’s Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, upon the cross, was all that was needed to fulfill every requirement of the Law.
Thus Paul says in verse 25 of chapter 3:
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
God sent forth his only Son, Jesus, for one purpose – to make a way for man to return to God in full relationship and communication. God wanted children to bring into his household, and Jesus had to make that possible by paying the price that was required for the cleansing of sin from the hearts of those men and women who would choose to believe upon Christ and accept his sacrifice instead of trying to “earn” their own salvation through obedience to the Law.
Thus Jesus became our propitiation – first by redeeming us though the shedding of his innocent blood upon the altar of sacrifice of the cross, taking upon himself the guilt and shame of our sin. He was our blood sacrifice, fulfilling he requirements of the shedding of blood for the forgiveness and cleansing of sin.
Secondly, through his sacrifice, Jesus also made the way that we may be reconciled back to the Father in Heaven through the plan of salvation by repentance, accepting Jesus as our substitute, and then exercising faith in what he did for us. Then, by grace, the door is opened and we are able to boldly enter into the very Throne Room of God to obtain mercy in times of need.
In in far greater reality than the type and shadows of the Tabernacle of Moses, Jesus became the “Mercy Seat” where the Shekinah of God could come and meet with the souls of mortal men and accept the sacrifice of Christ’s blood so that our sin could be taken away.
Just as the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies once a year, to sprinkle the blood of the lamb upon the Mercy Seat, and God’s presence would appear as a shining, glorious light above the Mercy Seat to show that he had accepted the sacrifice after all the Law was fulfilled, so do now have the privilege of entering into the Holy of Holies in Heaven, in the spiritual realm, and there have Jesus’ blood applied to us making us acceptable to the Father. Jesus did it all!
Jesus death on the cross did not turn a hatred of God for fallen man into a love for saved man. No – God loves all men all of the time. There is no hatred of sinful men in the heart of God. God is Love – He is perfect, eternal, unchanging love and he loves all men the same whether they are lost or saved.
But even though God loved all men, there was an impossible barrier between man and Holy God so that men could not experience or know God’s great love. What Jesus did was to open the door, take away that obstacle, and allow all men to pass on to being in the very presence of that great Love! The way is open and now God awaits man’s response to exercise his faith in Jesus to approach God’s Glory and be accepted.
Let me read to you what the substitutionary offering of Jesus for our sin is all about out of the Amplified Version of the Bible. Perhaps it will give you a clearer understanding. I will be reading from Hebrews Chapter 10:1-10.
Hebrews 10:1 FOR SINCE the Law is only a rough outline (foreshadowing) of the good things to come--instead of fully expressing those things--it can never, by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year, make perfect those who approach [its altars].
Hebrews 10:2 For if it were otherwise, would [these sacrifices] not have stopped being offered? Since the worshipers had once for all been cleansed, they would no longer have any guilt or consciousness of sin.
Hebrews 10:3 But [as it is] these sacrifices were done annually to bring a fresh remembrance of sins [to be atoned for],
Hebrews 10:4 Because the blood of bulls and goats is powerless to take sins away.
Hebrews 10:5 Hence, when He [Christ] entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but instead You have made ready a body for Me [to offer];
Hebrews 10:6 In burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight.
Hebrews 10:7 Then I said, (Jesus, speaking to the Father in Heaven), Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God--[to fulfill] what is written of Me in the volume of the Book. [Psalm 40:6-8.]
Hebrews 10:8 When He said just before, You have neither desired, nor have You taken delight in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings--all of which are offered according to the Law—
Hebrews 10:9 He then went on to say, Behold, [here] I am, coming to do Your will. Thus He does away with and annuls the first (former) order [as a means of expiating sin] so that He might inaugurate and establish the second (latter) order. [fulfilling Psalm 40:6-8.]
ex•pi•a•tion – is the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing; atonement
Hebrews 10:10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One).
And why did the Father in Heaven allow Jesus to be the sacrifice that was needed? And why does Paul now expound so much on what Jesus has done on the cross?
Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
It is the proof needed by Paul to declare that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and the application of Christ’s righteousness is now in effect for all who will come. We are in the Gospel dispensation where the grace, mercy and goodness of God are made manifest and free to all who will live by faith.
God will justify all who believe in Jesus and continue to exercise that faith. That faith is shown to have life when we live as true Disciples of Christ, doing the will of God.
Now Paul poses a series of questions to the Jews who thought so highly of themselves because of their belief that they were a privileged people, better than their Christian brothers who were Gentiles. He takes the side of both the Jews and of himself as he asks the questions and then answers them.
Romans 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
The Jews would question Paul saying, “Where is boasting, then? What about this pride that the Jew has, and the glorying he does because of his national heritage? Doesn’t our being chosen by God from so long ago have any merit to allow us to brag a little? Have we nothing in us that make us special? Isn’t there anything about being a Jew, which we can trust in for our acceptance with God? Have we no merits of our own that earn us anything with God? Do we not have some kind of special account in the books of Heaven because we have the Law of Moses and have obeyed God’s Law to some degree?
Paul answers his own question. No! Nothing at all! Everything the Jew would try to claim counts for nothing toward the cleansing of sin and the obtaining of salvation. It is excluded, It is shut out; the door of heaven is shut against everything of this kind.
The Jew would then ask, By what law is the law abolished and fulfilled in Jesus? - By what rule, doctrine, or reason is all of this shut out in God’s plan of salvation? All of our obedience to the law of works counts for nothing in the end?
Paul then would say, NO, this has nothing to do with the Law. Whether you obeyed the Law or not is not what matters now. What matters now is whether you will have faith in the blood of Jesus.
The power of the Law to condemn is still intact. Its righteous requirements are still in force and its penalties are not nullified. Every man who does not accept the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood for their sin will still come under that Law and face the sentence of death.
But the Law can only tell you what you have done wrong and pronounce sentence upon you. It can grant no pardons, nor forgive sin.
So all of your pride, which is based upon your pitiful attempts at obeying that Law, really is for nothing. The law of works requires absolute and unfailing obedience in every point, and threatens the disobedient with death. All of your expectations of salvation, through your own obedience, cannot be found in the law. The doctrine of faith - faith, in the mercy of God, through the payment for sin is made by the blood of Jesus, is the only way by which you can be justified, pardoned, and be given a right relationship with God.
Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
All of these things are undeniable – such as all men have sinned; all men are guilty; all men are helpless; no man can deliver himself from the penalty of his sin; and that God alone, in his great mercy, has opened a new and better way to life through the blood of Jesus.
We, as Apostles, and teachers and Disciples of Christ, must therefore prove to all men by reasonable teaching and true doctrine, that any man who has accepted Christ as Lord and placed his faith in the blood that Jesus shed for sin, has his sins blotted out and is received into right relationship with God. This was done outside of the Law, because the Law couldn’t do it. Whether a man is Jew or Gentile matters not, because all have sinned, and both need the same deliverance from sin.
Romans 3:29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
Though the converted Jews tried to boast of Jesus being the God of the Jews alone, Jesus also is God of the Gentiles. God is God over all the nations and no one nation has an advantage above another.
God’s covenant with the Gentiles has no root in the covenant of circumcision, or by the Law given on Mt. Sinai, but it is through Grace alone in Jesus.
Romans 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
God is one God; one in nature and in essence. Though there are three persons known as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, yet they are one in every way. God is one in will, in purpose and in all things including the justification of both Jew and Gentile alike.
Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Having said all of this concerning the power of the Law, and its inability to save, and the fulfillment of the Law in Christ on our behalf, does our salvation through Grace and faith in Jesus then make the Law null and void? Of course it doesn’t. Instead, we help to establish that the Law of the Lord is perfect, righteous and holy and that it has power to condemn.
The Law of God, speaking mostly now of the Moral Law, still requires obedience from God’s people. There is ever a connection between obedience to the Law of God and having a Living Faith in God at the same time.
Only Believers are capable of doing good works that are fully acceptable to the Lord. Any “good works” done without faith in Christ are simply works which are spoiled in sin and seen as filthy rags in God’s eyes.
Also, let us never forget that those who refuse to have faith in Jesus and refuse to believe in his blood for the cleansing from sin, are now, and shall be forever, under the curse of the Law. The Law still says that all rebelliousness against God is sin, and all sin brings forth death!
Most of the nearly 7 ½ Billion people in this world are still under the curse of the Law even when salvation through faith is at their doorstep.
The fact of our salvation through faith, believing in the covenant of the blood of Jesus, only serves to enforce the fact that there is still a Law in force. That same God who promises salvation through Jesus, also promises judgment by the Law.
Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
The Apostle now focuses in on the father of the nation of Israel, a man of faith called Abraham. Abraham was the greatest hero and most revered person in the Jewish nation.
Paul points something out to the Jews that really shakes the core of their belief system by saying that even Abraham, their great leader and father, and a man of great faith, was not always a righteous man, or even a good man.
Yet even Abraham could not find the way of life on his own. He could not reason it out. He didn’t do anything worthwhile for obtaining a covenant with God.
Romans 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
Abraham’s good works weren’t enough either. He had good works and he was faithful and perhaps we might think this was what he could boast of, but his good works were never enough.
God could see into Abraham’s heart, just as he does for you and I; And what will God see there? He will see our faults and failures. He sees our every thought that is contrary to his Word. He knows what you’re thinking even before you think it. There’s no hiding the truth of the sin in our hearts from God.
How can the Jews then brag about being privileged children of Abraham, the father of faith, when Abraham had no reason to brag about himself?
Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Abraham too, had to be saved by faith! He was justified by his faith and not his works. He believed God and acted by faith, and it was his faith in God’s Word that brought Abraham to the place of the covenant. Works didn’t earn anything, but the Covenant with Abraham was the result of God honoring his faith.
It wasn’t faith alone that allowed Abraham to be counted as a righteous man. It was that his faith was placed in the understanding that a Messiah would come to redeem Israel. Faith, for the sake of faith, accomplishes very little, but faith placed in the right thing makes a difference.
Since such a great man as Abraham was not justified by works, but by faith in the righteousness of the Messiah, it follows, that none of his sons, nor any other person whatever, ought to seek for, or expect to be justified in any other way.
Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Paul now contrasts the man who works by faith in Christ and one who works by reason of his own carnal choices! One works, doing everything he can to be found worthy of salvation, while the other has learned to rest in the calm assurance that Jesus has already paid his debt.
The man who is born again, is always ready to work for the Lord. God enables him, gives him grace and strength, and this man works freely to accomplish. The man who is not born again may also be a good worker, but he is working for the wrong reasons. He works selfishly, to supply his own needs, giving little thought to the will of God.
There is no reward due to the one who knows not God in his works, though those works may be ever so good and may even come from a heart of compassion, caring and love for other people. There may be great dignity in what they hope to accomplish. The only reward they will get is satisfaction in their own hearts, and certainly God is pleased by their caring actions and no doubt God will bless their efforts. But never equate successful ministry, or successful works, with salvation!
Men may do great and mighty works, even in the name of Jesus, and yet be lost in sin. No amount of good works can replace the blood of Jesus that must be applied to the heart before salvation can be realized.
Grace and works can never be combined as one completely. If salvation and eternal life are given for the man's works, then it is not of grace, "otherwise work is no more work"; and if it is given of grace, then not for his works, "otherwise grace is no more grace".
It is impossible to earn salvation through works alone because without the power of the blood to cleanse from sin, those works are accomplished through a sinful and rebellious heart that owes a debt to God that he cannot pay.
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
It is not that the believer does not work at all, but he works from different principles, and with a different view and purpose from his worldly counterpart. He does not work to obtain eternal life, for he already has it. Neither does he work to obtain salvation or justification, for works can’t earn these things. They are gifts of God to those who will walk in faith.
It is always faith in what Jesus did, and not in our own works, that results in life. Let us never forget that good works are essential but they don’t earn us anything. The reward of eternal life is found by being faithful to the call of God and the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross. Only after accepting Christ will your works count for anything.
The Jews could not boast because of Abraham. They had no special privilege for being a Jew. God is the same God, with the same requirements of salvation through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for sin upon the cross, for all men, Jew and Gentile. There is only one way of salvation and that way is through faith in Jesus and his blood that was shed to pay the debt for our sin that we could not pay no matter how many good works we may do.
