Romans 3:
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
Christ Took Our Punishment
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
Introduction
I think today we will approach our subject through the means of the question. Questions provoke thought: they engage the listener. So today we are going to asks some questions.
FIRST QUESTION: Who needs to be saved?
Or who needs their sins forgiven? Who needs to repent? Who needs to be justified before Holy God? The answer is found in Romans 3:23…
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...
There is the answer…ALL…since all have sinned, all need to repent, all need to be born again, saved, justified before God.
The Greek verb hä-mär-tä’-no is used here for sin; it means to miss the mark. We have all come short of the glory of God which is the perfection we see in Jesus or the Law. The Law was not given to save us but to show us how far short we fall. Think of the glory of God, perfection we see in Jesus, as the bull’s eye in the middle of the target. We are the archer shooting the arrow at the bulls eye but our arrow flutters and comes short of the target for three reasons or perhaps only two. First of all we lack strength. The archer must be strong enough to lock his/her elbow–other wise the arrow will flutter and miss the mark. We humans lack the strength to hit the bulls eye. We try to be good but we do not succeed because we lack the moral strength. A second reason the archer might miss the target is his aim. If his aim is off, the arrow will miss the target. Folks our aim, our motives are not right. If we tried to be perfect, we could not but there are days when we don’t even try. It also helps to have a straight arrow.
Bottom line, no one is perfect, not even close. Some are closer than others but it is a mute point: they can’t hit the bulls eye so who cares who got closer. Whether you miss in an inch or a mile, same difference, you are still lost in your sins.
SECOND QUESTION: How can a sinful man be justified before a holy God?
Job asks this same question thousands of years ago [Job 9:2] so it is not a new question.
Legally, morally, judicially: how can a man be justified before God?
The answer is simple: He is justified by the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. Look at verse…
But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.
We are not: I repeat, we are not justified by the deeds of the law [keeping the law].
Look at verse 28…
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
Galatians 3:11…
Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”
Many people have the will and the discipline to turn over a new leaf, to reorder their lives, to clean themselves up morally. The Jews of Jesus day believed that they were fully complying with the demands of the law. They were ultra religious but their religion was spells do and Christianity is spelled done. Every religion in the world has you doing something to justify yourself before God but only Christianity has A God who does it for us.
A moralist, a do gooder can crop the fruit off the apple tree…every time they see an apple that can get it pronto but it is still an apple tree because the root has not changed.
Attempting to keep the law does nothing to change the heart. This is why the Scribes and Pharisees were do gooders but had hard hearts. They were so cold and ruthless in their judgment of others that it made Jesus cringe.
We are not justified by our goodness…it is by the goodness of Jesus.
THIRD AND FINAL QUESTION: IF A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH [IN CHRIST], HOW CAN THIS BE JUST OR LEGAL IN A COURT OF LAW.
Romans 3:25-
25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
Jesus has paid for our sins with His own blood.
2 Corinthians 5:21…
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
F.B. Meyer calls this the great exchange: Jesus takes credit for our sins and we get credit for His righteousness. What a deal…this is gospel…good news and it is for everyone.
Look at verse 22 and shout…
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Conclusion
Romans 3:26
For the demonstration [propitiation, sacrifice] , I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. {God is both Judge and Advocate]
{Story: night court in the early 1900’s}
When you go into Cracker Barrel and order lunch, they bring you a ticket. It is illegal to go in order and not pay for your meal. We call that stealing and it is not honorable. June and I went there after church a few weeks ago and we ordered our meal, enjoyed it and ask for our ticket. The very sweet little waitress, said, “Your meal has been taken care of.” This has happened before and I always react the wrong way, after thanking her I started looking around the room wondering who did it. Joyce had a guilty look on her face. She wouldn’t confirm yea or nay but I think she and Bob paid for our lunch. When the waitress said, “Your ticket has been taken care of,” June and I were legally free to leave the restaurant without paying a dime. I call that GRACE, don’t you.
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