Romans 3:21-31 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Romans 3:21-31. Let’s go!
Romans 3:21-24 (NIV)
21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
On verses 21-24: In the Bible, to be “righteous” means to be blameless, acceptable and worthy in God’s eyes to be in His presence because we are holy like He is. In Romans 3:9-20 Paul explained that we could never be righteous by trying to obey God’s laws. That’s because no matter how hard we try, we will never meet God’s perfect standard. Because of our sin, we are separated from God’s holy presence. As Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
But in verses 21-24 Paul emphasizes this most important point of the Gospel: that when we could not earn righteousness on our own, God made righteousness available to us another way – through faith in Jesus Christ. God sacrificed His perfectly righteous and blameless Son Jesus Christ as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. When we believe in faith that Jesus Christ died for our sins, God takes away our sins and gives us Jesus’ righteousness. To use the language of Romans, we are “justified” (v24) – that is, declared righteous in God’s sight – “by his grace”, that is by God’s undeserved kindness, expressed through the “redemption” (that is, the buying back) that came by Jesus Christ. In other words, when we had sold out to sin and were destined to be apart from God eternally, God in His grace bought us back – redeemed us – and declared us righteous through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
In verse 21, Paul reminds us that God making righteousness available to us by grace through faith in Christ is not some new concept, but is something that the law of Moses and the prophets of the Old Testament had been testifying about and pointing to for centuries. Still it is good news for us because only through Jesus’ more recent death and resurrection was this righteousness by faith made possible. Receive the gift of God’s righteousness by faith. It’s the most important decision you could ever make.
Romans 3:25-26 (NIV)
25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished–
26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
On verses 25-26: Notice the number of times the words “just” and “justice” appear in these verses. The cross is not just a sign of God’s mercy but also a sign of God’s justice, because at the cross God doled out the punishment that was due for all the sins that had ever been committed. Having mercy on us, God placed that punishment on His Son Jesus instead of on us who deserved it. The cross where Jesus died is the intersection where God’s justice and God’s mercy meet.
Romans 3:27-28 (NIV)
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
On verses 27-28: Since we are justified (i.e. declared righteous) not because of our ability to observe God’s law but because of our faith in God’s grace, there is no place for boasting about our own goodness anymore, because it was not our own goodness that saved us. Rather, it is through Christ’s death on the cross that God declared us righteous and welcomed us into a relationship with Him.
Romans 3:29-30 (NIV)
29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
On verses 29-30: So whether we are Jewish (“circumcised”) or Gentile (“uncircumcised”), we are all justified the same way: by faith. God’s grace is the great equalizer. It means that no matter what our background, we are all in the same boat: we are all sinners who need God’s grace and who are saved by the same Saviour, Jesus.
Romans 3:31 (NIV)
31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
On verse 31: Does the idea that we can be righteous by faith nullify (i.e. make useless) God’s law in the Old Testament? No, says Paul. Rather, Paul says, “we uphold the law” when we preach that righteousness comes by faith in Christ. How so? Here are a couple ways that we uphold the law when we preach that righteousness comes by faith in Christ.
First, by confessing that we cannot fulfill the requirements of the law perfectly on our own, it shows how perfect God’s law is. So the idea of righteousness by faith doesn’t take away from the greatness of God’s law, but reinforces it.
Second, Paul says that the law of Moses ultimately points us to a righteousness by faith (v21). For God’s purpose in giving us His laws in the first place was to lead us to the conviction that we are sinners who need a Saviour and to the hope that one day God would provide that Saviour. As Paul would say, “through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
Father, thank You that You have made available to us a righteousness that we can never earn, but one that comes by undeserved grace, through faith in Jesus. Thank You that by making righteousness available this way, You made it possible for the maximum number of people to be saved without compromising Your own justice and holiness. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
