Romans Chapter 3 Verses 26-31 - Messages In Romans – Justified Through Faith By A Righteous God And Now Declared Innocent - Message 13 Series

ROMANS CHAPTER 3 VERSES 26-31 - MESSAGES IN ROMANS – JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH BY A RIGHTEOUS GOD AND NOW DECLARED INNOCENT - MESSAGE 13

[1]. PART 1 – JUSTIFIED BY FAITH IN JESUS

{{Romans 3:26 “for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”}}

We have been thinking about the sinfulness of mankind through the fall and that God’s judgement must fall on man’s sin because no sin can ever exist before God unattended. However there are factors at play also such as the love of God, and His mercy, and His forbearance.

In Romans, Paul has brought the whole world in guilty before God and all the inhabitants of the world assemble before a righteous God and have His verdict sounded out against them. There is no escape because every one has sinned and come short of the glory of God. It is a worldwide condemnation. Mankind is/was declared lost.

Left to his own devices and left alone, man has no hope but to be eternally lost under judgement. That is not the way God wants it and this verse helps us understand – {{1Timothy 2:4 “who DESIRES ALL MEN TO BE SAVED and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”}} As human beings are unable to effect their own way of escape from their wickedness, God must intervene and He has. In the last message we were introduced to justification and propitiation.

Today, we take that up again and recall the verse we ended on last time – {{Romans 3:25 “whom God displayed publicly as a PROPITIATION in His blood THROUGH FAITH. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because IN THE FORBEARANCE OF GOD, He passed over the sins previously committed.”}}

We looked at the sacrifice of Christ that won our salvation, a public sacrifice of the Lamb of God. This verse so clearly anchors itself on FAITH, on FORBEARANCE and PROPITIATION. The Lord God has taken all the steps for mankind’s redemption in His mercy and grace and love. Man has responsibility and he needs to respond by faith for there is no other way to be rescued from the jaws of sin.

Our verse for today, verse 26 derives from verse 25. Because God’s righteousness was demonstrated through Calvary then that places God as being just. God is just because of His righteous character, and because His righteousness was satisfied at Calvary. Because God is just, He is then the righteous Judge and all mankind must be condemned, but God opened up a way through faith for man to be justified.

I think in the modern church God’s righteousness is downgraded by too many. The taint of the world is even passing onto Christians and they don’t value the true measure of righteousness that belongs to God. If I can say it this way, “I think man does not consider God as special.” Sin undermines the truth and is so cunning, distorting our knowledge and perceptions and teachings. We must be very careful we do not fall under its evil ways. We need to honour God and fear God and hold our Creator and Redeemer in awe. Materialism and worldliness have eaten away like maggots. Let us get back to the pure doctrine of the word of God. Be good soldiers focussed on the calling of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us take another look at verse 26 - {{Romans 3:26 “for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just AND THE JUSTIFIER OF THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS.”}}

We know that God is just but that merciful justice and righteousness has now extended out to all those who walk the way of faith to the foot of the cross. In becoming saved through grace, each one is justified because the just God justifies them. Only a just God can do that. No king on this earth can justify anyone. He may pardon according to man’s terms but only God can honestly justify the sinner. That is so wonderful. God is the justifier of the sinner. Praise the Lord for that. How can an unstable man ever justify anyone? Only an immutable God can do that, but it is more than all that, because God is gracious and loving. I don’t want to be justified by a despot or some licentious mind.

How wonderful to walk in this horrible, sinful and depraved world and to know that I am justified with the righteousness of Christ my Saviour, and that heaven is my home, and that the love of God travels with me. It reminds me of a line from a hymn – “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.”