Today I am going to preach the Gospel, the “good news”, a message that the world desperately needs to hear.
• All humanity, whether knowingly or unknowingly, has turned from God and now faces the wrath of God for their sin.
• Paul has written at length to affirm this. He left no doubt that all stand condemned because of sin, whether they are Jews or Greeks, under the Law or apart from it.
• There is no exception and no one can be excused. This is the predicament of men and it is hopeless unless God steps in and provide a way of salvation.
That’s the good news!
Rom 3:21-26 ESV
21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
BUT NOW changes everything. It is a major turning point from what preceded it.
• Having established the guilty charge, Paul breaks in with a “BUT NOW the righteousness of God has been manifested”.
• Something has taken place that changed the trajectory of where humanity is headed.
• God intervened! God stepped in with a rescue plan that would take away the guilt of man and give him a righteous standing before Him.
“The RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD” is mentioned FOUR times here.
• 3:21 “the righteousness of God has been manifested”; 3:22 “the righteousness of God through faith.”; 3:25b “This was to show God’s righteousness”; 3:26 “It was to show His righteousness at the present time…”
• God took the initiative to provide sinners with the righteousness they desperately need, in order for them to stand before God without guilt and shame.
This righteousness did not come from man. It did not come from his good works or their obedience to the Law.
• It was manifested (3:21) [revealed, made known] apart from the Law, clearly not the result of man’s efforts. It is the GIFT of God.
• It is OF God and FROM God THROUGH Jesus Christ, whom the Law and Prophets “bear witness to”.
• It’s a strong reminder that we have nothing to boast. Don’t ever boast about our righteousness. Isaiah 64:6 “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…”
The Law and Prophets (OT Scripture) point to this day/event, when the Person of Jesus Christ came and sacrificed Himself on the cross for us.
• It is not an afterthought. It did not just happen. It has been the plan of God all along, revealed only at this time.
• Gal 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Paul announces the Gospel - the good news of man’s salvation from his condemnation under sin because of the sacrifice of Jesus.
• It is offered to ALL who believe because ALL needs it, as Paul has been emphasizing.
• 3:23 “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”
• No one is without sin; we have all sinned against God, whether in big or small ways.
• We have failed to live up to the image/glory in which we were made - the image of God. We missed the mark. We are rejected under quality control.
But God came to our rescue!
• 3:24 We “are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”
• This line captures the essence of the Gospel, the clearest statement we have.
• We see here WHAT God did, HOW God did it and WHY God did it this way.
What did God do? “He justifies us by His grace as a gift” (3:24a)
• That’s the opposite of condemnation. “He justifies us”.
• JUSTIFICATION is a legal term belonging to the courts of law. It is a declaration that the accused is not guilty.
• God declares us righteous “by His grace as a gift” and therefore nothing OF man or FROM man.
Our salvation is not something we can EARN or even CONTRIBUTE.
• This justification is NOT by merit but GIVEN, by the grace of God. It is God and God alone who gives it.
• So don’t add our good works to it. Don’t add baptism or church membership to it. Don’t add anything to it.
On what basis can God give it? How can sinners be justified? How can sin be covered up or overlooked?
• It’s NOT overlooked but PAID for! It’s a GIFT to us, no doubt, but paid for by the GIVER!
• “Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood.”
TWO WORDS used here – redemption and propitiation – explains WHY Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary.
REDEMPTION means a price has been paid. Jesus paid the price. He took the punishment for our sin. Prophet Isaiah prophesied it this way in Isaiah 53.
• Isa 53:5-6 5But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement [punishment] that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
• He was our Substitute. We did not get what we deserved; He got what He did not deserve. He suffered and died on our behalf.
The Roman readers would understand the term ‘redemption’ better.
• In the first-century world they have slaves and slaves can be bought with a price to be set free. Prisoners of war too can be released on payment of a ransom price.
• Those held in captivity are set free when the ransom price is paid.
Jesus said He has come to give his life as a ransom for many. (cf. Mark 10:45)
• We are no longer captives to sin because Jesus paid the price for our freedom.
The second word PROPITIATION flows naturally from this.
• Jesus was the sacrifice 3:25 “whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood”.
• He was presented as a propitiation to ‘pacify’ or ‘appease’ the justice of God against sin. He was offered to satisfy the righteous demands of God.
• Hence our judgment has been averted and we have been imputed (credited) with His righteousness.
• 1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
God was able to justify us justly because of the redemption and propitiation of Christ.
• 3:25b “This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
• God left the sins of former generations unpunished, not because of any injustice on His part or that He condoned sin, but out of His divine forbearance (patience).
• NASB has a nice translation: “God’s merciful restraint”. God has been restraining His hand and holding back patiently from judging the world.
When was the last time God judged the world? In Noah’s flood, because of the wickedness of men. God judged the world except for Noah and his family of eight (Gen 6).
• But the Lord said then that He is not going to do it again, not in that way. We got the rainbow to prove it.
• God was restraining Himself waiting for this day. In the fullness of time, Jesus came and died for the sin of the world.
• 3:26 “It was to show His righteousness at the present time so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
That was God’s intention, to punish the sins of former and present generations (and for that matter, ALL generations) in the death of His Son.
• All the stored-up wrath of God was laid upon Jesus on the cross, without restraint.
This is the only way God can be just and the justifier of those who has sinned.
• He cannot be JUST and the JUSTIFIER of sinners WITHOUT the cross. It was necessary and the only way. The cross was His plan.
• A price has been paid. Our sin is atoned for and we are forgiven.
There is no antithesis between God being JUST and GRACIOUS (the Justifier of those who have faith in Jesus) at the same time.
• The cross reveals both the WRATH of God and the LOVE of God. Justice and mercy come together at the cross.
This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
Man can be declared righteous (justification) because an atoning sacrifice (atonement) has been made on his behalf (redemption) satisfying the wrath of God (propitiation), when he believes in Christ and accept this gift (salvation) from God and is forgiven of his sin (forgiveness) and made right with God (reconciliation).
I try to pack every aspect of our salvation in Christ into this line.
• This is the message of God’s love and grace for humanity, in the light of His righteousness and justice towards sin.
• Our freedom from God’s judgment has been bought by Jesus with His blood.
Justification, atonement, redemption, propitiation, salvation, forgiveness, reconciliation are all expressions of this great act of God in saving us from sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• Nothing of us or from us; everything of God and from God.
----------------
Faith in Jesus restores our relationship with God and gives us a NEW LIFE.
• Prophet Ezekiel prophesied about this new life in Ezekiel 36:25-27.
• The Lord says, “25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
The Holy Spirit regenerates us and gives us a new heart and hence a new life.
• He enables us to obey God and walk in His ways, which we could not in the past. Now we can.
This happens through FAITH. 3 times in this paragraph Paul emphasizes the need of FAITH (3:22, 25, 26).
• He reminds us of our inability to do anything to merit our salvation.
• Faith is not a merit; it is the act of receiving the gift, trusting that Jesus has done everything necessary for our salvation.
• It is not faith that saves us but Jesus. Our faith is not in our faith; our faith is in Jesus.
• Without faith, nothing is received. You are on your own and you have to face the judgment of God alone.
So then is there anything we can boast?
Rom 3:27-30 ESV
27Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
• “So what can we boast about? It is excluded.” Nothing. There is nothing we can boast about.
• We are justified by faith in Christ and by faith alone apart from works of the Law.
Isaac Watts wrote in the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”:
1. When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
And that includes the Gentiles, of course. “Is He the God of the Jews only and not the Gentiles?”
• If there is only ONE God, then He will justify the circumcised Jew by their faith and the uncircumcised Gentiles also through their faith in Christ.
The truth is, when God chose Abraham and Israel, He had the Gentiles in mind.
• The privilege the Jews had was not intended only for the Jews, to the exclusion of the Gentiles, but with their inclusion in mind.
• God said to Abraham in Gen 12:3b, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” That was God’s intention, to bless the nations.
• Through Jesus, the seed of Abraham, the blessing of salvation will extend to all people of the earth, to everyone who is willing to believe Christ.
Hence all the man-made distinctions that we have today – like race, culture, class, nationality, skin colour – are immaterial and insignificant.
• Whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, red, yellow, black or white, regardless of the distinctions, everyone can be potentially a child of God through faith in Christ.
• Gen 1:27 “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
• We see everyone through the lens of Gen 1:27. This is our only lens; we have no other lens. Everyone is loved by God and can be a child of God in Christ.
Finally, having said all that God has done for us through Christ…
Rom 3:31 31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Is the Law redundant then? Since we are saved by faith in Jesus, can we throw out the Law? Does faith make the Law useless?
• NO, not at all. The Law did not contravene faith in Jesus. “We uphold the Law.”
• The Law points us to Christ. It makes us conscious of sin. It reveals our need of Jesus.
It is the MIRROR that shows you the dirt on you. And the flip side of this same coin is that it shows us the ‘right look’ you ought to have.
• The Law shows us the image of God, the righteous standard of God by which we are called to live. That’s the new life we have in Jesus Christ.
So are you moved by what God has done for you? Are you glad?
• Do you now understand the heart of God for your salvation?
I was thinking through this text in preparation for my sermon when I got to hear of the Myanmar’s dire situation, surprisingly FOUR times over in the course of this past week, coming from different people.
First from Dn Richard’s friend and that’s the reason for the fundraising. Many were made homeless and were down with Covid at the same time.
Then I got to know that KBC was also raising funds. My dad saw them passing red packets to their ex-Chairman Paul and thought that it was his birthday. Pastor Saw told me on Monday they were trying to get funds to buy oxygen concentrators for clinics and churches back home.
Tue - I read Winsome’s post on FB: “Oxygen supplies have been cut, mask distributions and oxygen tanks donations have been stopped by the military…” That aggravated the situation.
Wed - I received these photos from Jenny (Sophia’s aunt), a missionary friend working in Yangon. “Covid is spreading fast. Not enough hospital beds. Shortage of doctors and nurses. Many staying at home and doing self-medication, breathing has become an issue for many.” Everyone looking for oxygen tanks.
People are dying and many are working very hard to save lives, physical lives at that. I really feel for them and understand the agony. And my thoughts went back to my sermon. Can we see the heart of God in saving our souls from eternal damnation? Can we see the extend God goes to in order to make it possible for you and me to be saved from sin. Can we appreciate the Gospel and truly appreciate what God has done in sacrificing His one and only Son for our redemption?
Is the Gospel truly a GOOD NEWS to us? Have we taken it for granted today? Can we afford to squander this life away? Shall we not love and worship Him, and serve Him with all our hearts?
Let us put our trust in Jesus Christ today, both believers and seekers alike.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, we thank you for your goodness shown to us. You have been the faithful and righteous God. We would not be where we are today without your mercy and grace.
Thank you for the Gospel. May your righteousness shines through us today.
In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
[You can view the sermon with slides at https://tinyurl.com/KTCC-EnglishService.]
