TEXT: ROMANS 3:21-31
TITLE: “THE CORE OF THE GOSPEL”
INTRODUCTION: A. Bill was lonely and decided
his life would be more interesting
if he had a pet.
He went to the pet store and
told the owner he wanted a pet but
he didn’t want the standard pet.
He wanted something unusual.
After some discussion, he
finally decided on a centipede and
took his new pet home in a little
white box shaped like a tiny
house.
After a day talking to his pet
and getting to know him, Bill
decided that he wanted to go out to
eat.
He leaned over the little
white house and said, “Hey, would
you like to go out to eat with
me?” But his new pet didn’t
answer.
Bill waited a few minutes and
leaned over again. “I said, ‘Do
you want to go out to
eat with me?’” Still no
answer. Bill figured that maybe
his new little friend was hard of
hearing, so he leaned in real close
and shouted, “Hey! Do you want to
go out to eat with
me?” A little voice replied, “I
heard you the first time! I’m still
putting on my shoes!"
B. Paul has been painting a very vivid picture in Romans. It’s a picture of
our condition: we are separated from God by sin.
1. He’s letting us know that no matter what we do, we’re going to be
frustrated by our own efforts. We have an impossible job (almost
like the little centipede)
2. We are utterly and hopelessly lost.
--3:11-12 – “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even
one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All
have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is
no one who does good, not even one.’”
3. Our “spiritual autopsy” has been conducted in 3:13-17 – “ ‘Their
throats are empty graves; their tongues practice deceit.’ ‘The poison
of vipers is on their lips.’ ‘Their mouths are full of cursing and
bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark
their ways, and the way of peace they do not know’ ”
a. Our physical autopsy presents a sickening anatomical study:
throats like open graves; lips like poisonous snake; mouths full of
rudeness and indecency; feet like speeding chariots to destruction.
b. Our psychological autopsy is no better: our lives are full of ruin
and misery (both in our lives and in the intent to cause ruin and
misery in others’ lives) and we have no peace.
c. The Bible says that sin is like yeast. It takes very little to infect
our whole person.
(1). Max Lucado: “Not only does sin contaminate every human
being, it contaminates the being of every human.”
(2). Sin is fatal: Paul states it succinctly a little later in Rom. 6:23
– “The wages of sin is death…”
C. Paul has left us dangling over the pit of Hell. We can feel the flames
and torment as we read what he wrote.
1. But…here’s the Good News (vv. 21): “But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…”
2. We couldn’t do it on our own so God did it for us!
--That is truly the core of the Gospel!!!
3. The essence of that singular statement says:
a. I was dying but now I can live.
b. I was blind, but now I can see.
c. I was lost, but now I am found.
D. This morning, I want to briefly discuss six terms that we need to
understand; six terms that are crucial to our understanding of the core
of the gospel.
I. SIN
A. “To miss the mark”
1. Archery term – “to fire at a target and miss.”
2. God designed us in His image but we have fired at that target and missed
--Satan’s temptation – “you will be like God”
B. V. 23 – “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God
1. Grk. construction –
a. "sinned" - past tense.
b. "fall short" - present tense. Continual
2. Everyone – me, you, the most spiritual person you’ve ever met. Doesn’t matter
--ALL!
II. RIGHTEOUSNESS
A. “Doing what is right”
1. Older English it was “rightwiseness”
2. Lit. “knowing what is right and doing it”
B. Notice that Paul says we are not capable of the righteousness required by God.
1. V. 21 – “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…”
2. V. 22 – “This righteousness from God…”
III. JUSTIFICATION
A. “The act of pronouncing acquittal or exoneration”
1. Recognition of guilt but acknowledgment of extenuating circumstances
2. Extenuating circumstances are not our circumstances or excuses
--Rather the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf
B. After declaration that “all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God,” v. 24 tells us
that we are “justified freely by his grace…”
1. v. 26 tells us that God is both “just” and the “justifier”
2. He is the only who is just (not guilty of any sin) and our justifier (He has provided the
way for our acquittal and exoneration)
IV. REDEMPTION
A. “To buy”
1. It was a term used to refer to someone who bought a slave with the intention of
setting them free.
2. We are enslaved to sin. There is no way we can free ourselves. Even if we run, we
are still classified as a slave.
--Nothing we can do to be legally declared free
B. Christ has paid the price for our freedom.
--Rom. 5:6-8 – “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ
died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a
good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
V. ATONEMENT
A. Very special term – Literally “mercy seat”
--"seat of propitiation"
B. Explanation of the Ark of the Covenant and the “mercy seat”
VI. FAITH
A. Heb. 11:1 – “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not
see.”
1. Our hope is in something we cannot see. The work of Jesus Christ on the cross and
His promises and assurances in that if we place our hope in Him, we will be saved.
2. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln
a. How do you know they lived?
b. Credible evidence
3. We believe and hope and trust in Jesus because there is credible evidence
--Simon Greenleaf
B. Heb. 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who come
to him must believe that he exists and that he reward those who earnestly seek him.”
1. v. 22 – “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who
believe.”
2. v. 25 – “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”
3. v. 30 – “Since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the
uncircumcised through that same faith.”
CONCLUSION: A. Two Kentucky farmers who owned racing stables had developed a
keen rivalry. One spring, each of them entered a horse in local horse race.
Thinking that a professional rider might help him outdo his friend, one of
the farmers engaged a crack jockey.
The two horses were the leading the race at the last fence, but it proved
too tough for them. Both horses fell, unseating their riders. But, this
calamity did not stop the professional jockey. He quickly remounted and
won the race.
Returning triumphant to the paddock, the jockey found the farmer who
had hired him fuming with rage. "What’s the matter," asked the jockey. "I
won didn’t I?" "Oh, yes," roared the farmer. "You won all right, but you
still don’t know, do you?"
"Know what?" asked the jockey.
"You won the race on the wrong horse!"
B. What horse are you riding today?
1. Are you trying to cross the eternal finish line on a horse chosen by your
concepts of right and wrong? Of your best efforts?
2. Or is your hope and trust in Jesus Christ – the One chosen and sent by
God the Father to carry us across the eternal finish line?
