Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Romans

Romans 3:21-31 Part 1

INTRO: The Russian poet, Ivan Turgenev once said ' I do not know what the heart of a bad man is like, but I do know what the heart of a good man is like, and it is terrible.' Paul, in his letter to the Believers living in Rome has shown us through the metaphor of the courtroom,  that all mankind, w/o exception,  is under the power and domination of sin. That he is not able to get out from under it and therefore, unable to be in a  right relationship with God which includes the hope of eternal joy in His presence.

The Dilemma
         This presents a dilemma for mankind. How can we, as profoundly corrupt and totally depraved as we are, ever hope for eternal life in the presence of God? How can the unrighteous ever be made righteous? What about from God's perspective? Divine justice demands divine condemnation for all sinful mankind. Remember Ezek. 18:4 'The soul that sins shall die'. Yet, divine love wants to reach out and embrace sinful humanity.  This is a great dilemma

The Great Divide
         Our text this morning brings us to what has been called 'The Great Divide' in Romans. God has bridged a gap that from the perspective of mankind, was unspanable. God's answer in Rom.3 :21-31 is sufficient for mankind's failure and is the answer to his great dilemma.

ILL: Donald Barnhouse, the great expositor of God's Word, once said , 'I am convinced today, after these many years of Biblical study, that these verses are the most important in the Bible.'

         The lives of some of the greatest minds in church  history were forever changed by the content of these verses;
 St. Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Wesley to name a few. The impact and contribution these men made to Christianity can not be adequately measured.

The Commitment Necessary
         These verses are the turning point in the Letter to the Romans and they could be the turning point in your life as well. But, it will take desire and commitment on your part as the content of these 10 verses is theologically heavy and intense.  Paul wrote this letter to a church of Believers in Rome that was made up of both Jews and  who? (Gentiles) Not only were there differences in the Jewish/Gentile culture but in how they did religion . The terms used in their observance of their religious beliefs were different.

         Paul was a Pharisee, a Jew deeply ingrained by his Jewish religious heritage. Paul uses Jewish terminology because it is rich in theological history and meaning.  And this is what Paul knew. The problem was  he had to explain to the Gentile Believers terms which perhaps they were unfamiliar with. This is not an easy thing to do in a letter and it will not be easy for us to get unless we take our time going though this section.

The Makeup of the Church
         In Romans 3:21-31 we are going to be introduced to themes that are at the very heart of not only Paul's letter but to the entire Bible and therefore to all of life itself. But....who really cares? Who really wants to know? Who is really listening? Who is willing to take the time to dig below the surface of the text to get at the buried treasure? Some really just want to put in there 75 minutes on Sunday  so they can get their 'I was a good person this week' card punched and feel good about their lives. It doesn't matter to them what the sermon is , as long as they are out by 11:00.Some are content with their current level of Christian maturity. They have gone as far down the Christian journey as they desire. They are taking a respite, a break from the intensity of the travel. The problem is many never get back on the road.

         But some are excited by the challenge. Some are driven by the idea of getting to know God on a deeper and more personal level. Some want the meat of the Word so that they can go home and chew on it during the week. Some hunger and thirst, crawl and run, scale whatever God places in their path because they know the road leads to their loving Father.

         Which one are you this morning? If you are not in the last category, I hope this text will be the turning point for you.
Let's pray before we go any further.

The Themes
         As I mentioned earlier, there are several great and important themes introduced here. And as we go thru the text we will examine them all. The themes are: Justification, Grace, Redemption, Propitiation, Blood, Faith.

TRANS: Are you with me?  How do we know this is the great divide, the turning point in the letter to the Romans? And what is God's answer to mankind's dilemma? The Letter to the Romans is about God...well what has God done? Let's look.

I. The work of God is righteousness in Jesus Christ  (Rom. 3:21-26)
    A. It is a matter of revelation. (Rom. 3:21-23)
READ: Rom 3:21-23

        1. But Now
            Small words often carry a lot of weight in Scripture.  And this is one of them. But, is a key word in understanding the Bible. It always introduces a new thought, usually in contrast to what has gone before.

ILL:    Martin Lloyd-Jones calls the words 'But Now' 'the great turning point in God's dealings with humanity and a turning point in Paul's letter.'

           Had we not spent 7 weeks learning about our total moral and spiritual depravity before a holy God perhaps we would not appreciate these words of Paul. The words 'but now' become for the Believer a cry of victory and a source of great comfort.

         2. God's righteousness has been manifested
              Let me recap: Because of sin, all mankind was doomed to an eternity of suffering the relentless wrath and condemnation of God, but now, God's righteousness has been revealed or manifested.  The Law and the Prophets pointed us to and hinted at the righteousness of God that was to be later revealed. Paul is saying that we have been adequately prepared for this final  revelation of God's righteousness. And we don't have to wait any longer. The righteousness of God has now come to us in JC.

         3. Jesus Christ is the Righteousness of God
             Let's look at vs. 22 a bit closer....'even the   righteousness of God through faith IN Jesus  Christ.' Because of the way the Greek grammar is structured here, this could just as easily be translated  'through the faith OF JC'.  Contextually, Paul is talking about the    righteousness of God and how it has been revealed. It has been revealed in JC how, by the faith of JC.Paul talks about man's faith requirement in  3:27-28.

             See the difference. One translation puts the emphasis on man and the other  places the focus on Jesus, as Israel's champion who through His faithfulness shows He is the righteousness of God. (further developed in Ch.5) Who is the beneficiary of the faith of JC? Of the righteousness of God? All those who believe, the text tells us. Paul wants to make a point that just as there is no impartiality in the wrath of God, there is no impartiality in the mercy of God. Black, white, American or Iranian, young or old, all who believe receive the mercy of God thru faith in JC.

             Why no distinction? Paul reminds us once again that we are all guilty of sin, all have come up short on the measuring stick of God's glory and all deserve death . Therefore all have free access to the throne of grace. There is no one person or groups of people more deserving of God's grace than another.

Conclusion
             I think we'll break here for today. This is pretty heavy stuff. As you go about your business this week and you begin to chew and digest what we have looked at this morning I would like you to concentrate on the words BUT NOW. Listen to the words of Martin Lloyd Jones, take them with you and chew.

'When the devil attacks you and suggests to you that you are not a Christian and that you have never been a Christian because of what is still in your heart or because of what you are still doing or because of something you once did - when he comes and thus accuses you, what do you say to him?

              Do you agree with him? Or do you say to him, 'Yes, that was true, but now...'? Do you hold up these words against him? Or when, perhaps, you feel condemned as you read the Scriptures, as you read the Law in the OT, as you read the Sermon on the Mount and as you feel that you are undone, do you remain lying on the ground in hopelessness or do you lift up your head and say ' But now?

              This is the essence of the Christian position; this is how faith answers the accusations of the Law, of the conscience and everything else that would condemn and depress us. These are indeed very wonderful words, and it is most important that we should lay hold of them and realize their tremendous importance and their real significance.'

              Can you say those words? You can if you trust in Jesus and his death on your behalf as payment for your sins.  If you can't , ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life. Accept his free gift of eternal life. Make today, right now, the turning point in your life. Then you will be able to say:

 I once was blind...but now I see.

 I once was lost but now I am found.

 I once was subject to the just wrath of God, but now I  have been saved by Jesus because I received His free gift  of God's
    righteousness through faith in Him.