Post by arete on Feb 25, 2014 0:48:56 GMT
Introduction:
In his book Written in Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor. “Would you give your blood to Mary?” the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, “Sure, for my sister.” Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room—Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny’s smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. “Doctor, when do I die?’ Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he’d agreed to donate his blood. He’s thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he’d made his great decision. Johnny, fortunately, didn’t have to die to save his sister. Each of us, however, has a condition more serious than Mary’s, and it required Jesus to give His blood AND His life.
Context:
So far in Romans Paul has explained that man’s faithlessness is not to the fault of God – because God is always faithful. Also, Man is an expert at twisting and suppressing truth – and even claims that God is wrong to punish sin. While the reader of Romans might try to excuse themselves as not belonging to this view of mankind, Paul moved next to removing any presumption that man is in anyway righteous or that man has any claim to the free grace and mercy of God. All men are equal in that all men sin. There is no part of man that is not affected by the Fall. There is nothing that man does in his own power or righteousness that earns God’s favor. Man does not fear God or fear the consequences of unrighteousness from God’s hand. The only avenue left to man to avoid the penalty of his sin is the free gift of salvation in Christ – and Paul tells us more about that now…
Body – Romans 3:21-31 – ESV
The Righteousness of God through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
All Who Believe vv. 21-22a
The idea of God’s righteousness was bound in the idea of the Law for the Jewish believer. The Law or Torah would be considered the ultimate expression of God’s righteousness. However, Paul tells us something different. God’s righteousness was manifested apart from the Law
By made manifest, Paul is telling us that God’s righteousness has been publicly and obviously revealed. The only such revelation fitting this is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ultimate revelation of the Father to man – and is the fulfillment of the Law.
Still, the Law and the Prophets (Hebrew Scripture) are necessary. God’s word reveals himself and his will for man throughout – and even more, God reveals the coming of the Messiah and gives evidences that believers can rely on so that they can identify the Messiah when he comes
The righteousness of God is specifically identified as Jesus Christ in verse 22. This Jesus is the Messiah and Savior promised and to be saved by Him and to live right in the eyes of God, man must have faith in Jesus
Paul also offers hope to more than just the Jews. We often take for granted that Jesus is the Messiah for Gentiles as well as Jews, but that was not the common belief of the Jews. Here, God reveals through his servant Paul that Jesus is the Messiah for all who believe in him and not just the Jews.
Illustration:
In a [recent] survey conducted by the Barna Research Group…, nearly 1/3 of all born-again Christians stated that all good people will go to heaven, whether they have embraced Jesus Christ or not. While 88% in a recent Barna poll believe Jesus Christ was a real person, what they believe about him differs sharply from scriptural teaching. 42% (even 1/4th of the “born again” Christians) believe that while on earth Jesus sinned just like other people. 61% believe the devil is just a symbol of evil, not a living being. And 54% think that if people are good enough, they will earn a place in heaven regardless of their religious beliefs.
Application:
What this passage means for us is that we cannot both believe in God and his word and also believe that any person can be right with God apart from Jesus. It is becoming common to believe that everyone gets to go to heaven even if they lived in open rebellion to God and lived refusing his Son. This is not biblical. There is no salvation in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ and his perfect sacrifice for our sins. This passage also means that the good news of salvation in Jesus alone is for everyone. It doesn’t matter where they live or where they are from – the truth that salvation is possible, that we can know God and have a relationship with him, that all of this is possible in Jesus and Jesus alone is for everybody – so if you are a everybody – this message is for you. If you know an everybody – this message is for them.
All Are Saved by the Blood vv. 22b-26
First – that is not the preacher teaching that all are saved, but that all of the saved are saved by the blood of Christ.
Second – all people are equal – not in talents or money or education or any such thing – but all are equal because all have sinned – we are all criminals that have broken the laws of the King. We all fall desperately short of the glory of the holy and sinless God. And since he cannot permit sin in his presence – we have a real problem.
That problem is that as sinners we deserve to never be in God’s presence but instead we deserve punishment. But God himself saw our problem and solved our problem himself
We are saved not by doing good for we cannot do enough good that our sin ceases to exist. Any sin invalidates any hope of being with God – instead salvation is free since it cannot be earned. We are justified – what this means is that Jesus is so holy and perfect his righteousness can be applied to us and so we are declared righteous but only if we are in him
That grace can be applied to us because in Jesus we are redeemed. Sin requires death – Jesus died so that our sin debt can be redeemed.
That redemption is accomplished by Christ being our propitiation. What this means is that as sinners who by nation were rebelling against the Creator God, we were objects of God’s wrath. Jesus endured God’s wrath in our place and so is our propitiation.
This all occurred in order to satisfy the justice God required. To be just, God must punish sin. However, before Christ, God passed over sin before the Messiah came. Yet, the sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient to pay the sin debt of all who had faith in God before Jesus came, who were alive when Jesus came and all of us who live after Jesus came to earth
Illustration:
The problem of man’s sin and God’s justice require action. One is that God punishes us all as we deserve. However, then the grace and mercy of God are not demonstrated. So to save us God had certain options. He could ignore his standard – but he can’t because he is holy and cannot permit sin in his presence. Also this would be unjust. God could lower his standards until we could meet it – but then he would still be unjust. Instead of these options that are less than perfect – our God is perfect. He neither ignored nor lowered his standards. God stooped low to man and lifted us up until we met his standards by his grace and power. God is both just and justifier – God provided for our salvation in Jesus who stooped so low as to be born on earth, live a sinless life, and to die in our place.
Application:
What does this mean for us – one, we cannot earn God’s favor and we need to stop living like we can. We live to please God because we love him, not because we think we can get something out of him. Some people teach that if we live in certain ways, we obligate God to give us stuff – material blessings. Wrong Answer! That is unbiblical. We live to please God because his power alone has saved us and empowers us to live right in his sight. Next, this removes any pretext of pride. We are not any better than any sinner anywhere. The worst sinner in Alaska is not worse than any of us in God’s economy. The worst is not beyond the saving power of Christ. We cannot act holier than thou without sinning against God and our fellow man. Finally, the saving power of God in Christ alone is the best news anyone can hear. So are they hearing it? We cannot steal the opportunity to hear about salvation from those around us. When we neglect to share the good news we sin against God and our neighbor
All Boasting Aside vv. 27-31
Paul moves specifically to address boasting – what does this passage say about any ability to boast in salvation – it is excluded. We can’t boast because the only thing we bring to our salvation is the sin we need to be saved from
What excludes such a boast – not a boast in the law – for the Pharisees would boast in their ability to keep the Law – Faith is what excludes such a boast
The reason this is so is that justification is by faith. God declares us righteous by means of applying Christ’s righteousness to our account. We lay hold of that righteousness by faith and not by works. Even our faith is not a work as saving faith is a gift from the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin and stirs us to faith
Paul also removes any notion that any should boast based on their ethnic background. If any group had reason to boast in themselves it is the Jewish people. But God is not the God of the Jew alone – but is the God over the entire race – that race being mankind.
If this is so and God justifies both the circumcised (Jews who keep the Law) and the uncircumcised (pagan Gentiles who came to faith apart from the Law) – does this nullify the Law – does this make the Law of no worth?
Paul responds with his strongest possible statement – never let it be, no never, not ever - it is not lawful to even give birth to such a thought. Why? The Law is God’s revealed will. And so God himself keeps the law in his saving grace to us.
Illustration:
The church I grew up in had certain teachings. First, if you didn’t go to that church, you were going to hell. If you belonged to any number of denominations, no matter what they taught about Jesus – you were going to hell. If they kicked you out – you were going to the hottest hell. If you used any version of the Bible but theirs – you were going to hell. If you wore the wrong clothes (ladies – dresses only) you were going to hell. The solid membership was so very proud that they were the elite of the world who were going to heaven. I was marred by my time there and turned from all godly pursuits. By the grace of God, he drew me to himself.
Application:
The time is long past when any person should be boasting about where they were born, where they live, or what group they belong to. The only consideration we should have is whether we belong to God or not. For we who belong to God through our faith in Christ – we are all brothers and sisters. For those lost in sin – there is always hope that they will join the family as long as they have life and we are faithful in spreading the good news. Even more, we should revel and wallow in the glorious grace and mercy of God – he saved us when we were still his enemy. He saved something like me! He saved me and then poured blessing upon blessing – I am permitted to spend my days in relationship with him and with his people. He permits me to be a spokesman to tell others about this great salvation. And in case you’re wondering – it’s not just because I’m the preacher – he has given all his children the wondrousness of loving him and loving one another and sharing that love with the world.
So What? – there are some things we must believe based on this passage
There is no salvation without Jesus Christ – him crucified – having paid the sum total of our sin debt – and having his righteousness applied on our behalf. Any teaching, any group, any person who says otherwise is sinning against God. At best they are very carnal believers. Likely they are not Christians at all. I know that in this age of political correctness, we’re not supposed to say that anyone is going to hell – without Jesus, people will go to hell
We cannot earn what Christ has done and gives us for free. However, one way in which we see salvation is that the saved live to please God. One of the most elementary parts of that life is WE MUST be about telling people the good news that man is a sinner deserving hell – but the good news is that Jesus Christ saves us from hell and to himself – God’s salvation is doubly saved – saved from punishment and to eternal life – and that right now
Finally, pride must be put aside. If you must boast – boast in Christ. What do we have to be proud of? Nothing we do can save us. It’s time to be humble. It’s time to follow an old illustration of the Christian ministering to the lost. When we live right and tell people about Jesus, we need to remember we are beggars telling other beggars where to find bread. Let us put away pride and clothe ourselves in humility and clothe ourselves in the Lord Jesus. Let us tell others that while we have the dread disease of sin which must lead to death – Jesus gave his blood and his life that we might be cured.
Benediction
“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Heb. 13:20-21)
In his book Written in Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor. “Would you give your blood to Mary?” the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, “Sure, for my sister.” Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room—Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny’s smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. “Doctor, when do I die?’ Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he’d agreed to donate his blood. He’s thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he’d made his great decision. Johnny, fortunately, didn’t have to die to save his sister. Each of us, however, has a condition more serious than Mary’s, and it required Jesus to give His blood AND His life.
Context:
So far in Romans Paul has explained that man’s faithlessness is not to the fault of God – because God is always faithful. Also, Man is an expert at twisting and suppressing truth – and even claims that God is wrong to punish sin. While the reader of Romans might try to excuse themselves as not belonging to this view of mankind, Paul moved next to removing any presumption that man is in anyway righteous or that man has any claim to the free grace and mercy of God. All men are equal in that all men sin. There is no part of man that is not affected by the Fall. There is nothing that man does in his own power or righteousness that earns God’s favor. Man does not fear God or fear the consequences of unrighteousness from God’s hand. The only avenue left to man to avoid the penalty of his sin is the free gift of salvation in Christ – and Paul tells us more about that now…
Body – Romans 3:21-31 – ESV
The Righteousness of God through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
All Who Believe vv. 21-22a
The idea of God’s righteousness was bound in the idea of the Law for the Jewish believer. The Law or Torah would be considered the ultimate expression of God’s righteousness. However, Paul tells us something different. God’s righteousness was manifested apart from the Law
By made manifest, Paul is telling us that God’s righteousness has been publicly and obviously revealed. The only such revelation fitting this is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ultimate revelation of the Father to man – and is the fulfillment of the Law.
Still, the Law and the Prophets (Hebrew Scripture) are necessary. God’s word reveals himself and his will for man throughout – and even more, God reveals the coming of the Messiah and gives evidences that believers can rely on so that they can identify the Messiah when he comes
The righteousness of God is specifically identified as Jesus Christ in verse 22. This Jesus is the Messiah and Savior promised and to be saved by Him and to live right in the eyes of God, man must have faith in Jesus
Paul also offers hope to more than just the Jews. We often take for granted that Jesus is the Messiah for Gentiles as well as Jews, but that was not the common belief of the Jews. Here, God reveals through his servant Paul that Jesus is the Messiah for all who believe in him and not just the Jews.
Illustration:
In a [recent] survey conducted by the Barna Research Group…, nearly 1/3 of all born-again Christians stated that all good people will go to heaven, whether they have embraced Jesus Christ or not. While 88% in a recent Barna poll believe Jesus Christ was a real person, what they believe about him differs sharply from scriptural teaching. 42% (even 1/4th of the “born again” Christians) believe that while on earth Jesus sinned just like other people. 61% believe the devil is just a symbol of evil, not a living being. And 54% think that if people are good enough, they will earn a place in heaven regardless of their religious beliefs.
Application:
What this passage means for us is that we cannot both believe in God and his word and also believe that any person can be right with God apart from Jesus. It is becoming common to believe that everyone gets to go to heaven even if they lived in open rebellion to God and lived refusing his Son. This is not biblical. There is no salvation in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ and his perfect sacrifice for our sins. This passage also means that the good news of salvation in Jesus alone is for everyone. It doesn’t matter where they live or where they are from – the truth that salvation is possible, that we can know God and have a relationship with him, that all of this is possible in Jesus and Jesus alone is for everybody – so if you are a everybody – this message is for you. If you know an everybody – this message is for them.
All Are Saved by the Blood vv. 22b-26
First – that is not the preacher teaching that all are saved, but that all of the saved are saved by the blood of Christ.
Second – all people are equal – not in talents or money or education or any such thing – but all are equal because all have sinned – we are all criminals that have broken the laws of the King. We all fall desperately short of the glory of the holy and sinless God. And since he cannot permit sin in his presence – we have a real problem.
That problem is that as sinners we deserve to never be in God’s presence but instead we deserve punishment. But God himself saw our problem and solved our problem himself
We are saved not by doing good for we cannot do enough good that our sin ceases to exist. Any sin invalidates any hope of being with God – instead salvation is free since it cannot be earned. We are justified – what this means is that Jesus is so holy and perfect his righteousness can be applied to us and so we are declared righteous but only if we are in him
That grace can be applied to us because in Jesus we are redeemed. Sin requires death – Jesus died so that our sin debt can be redeemed.
That redemption is accomplished by Christ being our propitiation. What this means is that as sinners who by nation were rebelling against the Creator God, we were objects of God’s wrath. Jesus endured God’s wrath in our place and so is our propitiation.
This all occurred in order to satisfy the justice God required. To be just, God must punish sin. However, before Christ, God passed over sin before the Messiah came. Yet, the sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient to pay the sin debt of all who had faith in God before Jesus came, who were alive when Jesus came and all of us who live after Jesus came to earth
Illustration:
The problem of man’s sin and God’s justice require action. One is that God punishes us all as we deserve. However, then the grace and mercy of God are not demonstrated. So to save us God had certain options. He could ignore his standard – but he can’t because he is holy and cannot permit sin in his presence. Also this would be unjust. God could lower his standards until we could meet it – but then he would still be unjust. Instead of these options that are less than perfect – our God is perfect. He neither ignored nor lowered his standards. God stooped low to man and lifted us up until we met his standards by his grace and power. God is both just and justifier – God provided for our salvation in Jesus who stooped so low as to be born on earth, live a sinless life, and to die in our place.
Application:
What does this mean for us – one, we cannot earn God’s favor and we need to stop living like we can. We live to please God because we love him, not because we think we can get something out of him. Some people teach that if we live in certain ways, we obligate God to give us stuff – material blessings. Wrong Answer! That is unbiblical. We live to please God because his power alone has saved us and empowers us to live right in his sight. Next, this removes any pretext of pride. We are not any better than any sinner anywhere. The worst sinner in Alaska is not worse than any of us in God’s economy. The worst is not beyond the saving power of Christ. We cannot act holier than thou without sinning against God and our fellow man. Finally, the saving power of God in Christ alone is the best news anyone can hear. So are they hearing it? We cannot steal the opportunity to hear about salvation from those around us. When we neglect to share the good news we sin against God and our neighbor
All Boasting Aside vv. 27-31
Paul moves specifically to address boasting – what does this passage say about any ability to boast in salvation – it is excluded. We can’t boast because the only thing we bring to our salvation is the sin we need to be saved from
What excludes such a boast – not a boast in the law – for the Pharisees would boast in their ability to keep the Law – Faith is what excludes such a boast
The reason this is so is that justification is by faith. God declares us righteous by means of applying Christ’s righteousness to our account. We lay hold of that righteousness by faith and not by works. Even our faith is not a work as saving faith is a gift from the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin and stirs us to faith
Paul also removes any notion that any should boast based on their ethnic background. If any group had reason to boast in themselves it is the Jewish people. But God is not the God of the Jew alone – but is the God over the entire race – that race being mankind.
If this is so and God justifies both the circumcised (Jews who keep the Law) and the uncircumcised (pagan Gentiles who came to faith apart from the Law) – does this nullify the Law – does this make the Law of no worth?
Paul responds with his strongest possible statement – never let it be, no never, not ever - it is not lawful to even give birth to such a thought. Why? The Law is God’s revealed will. And so God himself keeps the law in his saving grace to us.
Illustration:
The church I grew up in had certain teachings. First, if you didn’t go to that church, you were going to hell. If you belonged to any number of denominations, no matter what they taught about Jesus – you were going to hell. If they kicked you out – you were going to the hottest hell. If you used any version of the Bible but theirs – you were going to hell. If you wore the wrong clothes (ladies – dresses only) you were going to hell. The solid membership was so very proud that they were the elite of the world who were going to heaven. I was marred by my time there and turned from all godly pursuits. By the grace of God, he drew me to himself.
Application:
The time is long past when any person should be boasting about where they were born, where they live, or what group they belong to. The only consideration we should have is whether we belong to God or not. For we who belong to God through our faith in Christ – we are all brothers and sisters. For those lost in sin – there is always hope that they will join the family as long as they have life and we are faithful in spreading the good news. Even more, we should revel and wallow in the glorious grace and mercy of God – he saved us when we were still his enemy. He saved something like me! He saved me and then poured blessing upon blessing – I am permitted to spend my days in relationship with him and with his people. He permits me to be a spokesman to tell others about this great salvation. And in case you’re wondering – it’s not just because I’m the preacher – he has given all his children the wondrousness of loving him and loving one another and sharing that love with the world.
So What? – there are some things we must believe based on this passage
There is no salvation without Jesus Christ – him crucified – having paid the sum total of our sin debt – and having his righteousness applied on our behalf. Any teaching, any group, any person who says otherwise is sinning against God. At best they are very carnal believers. Likely they are not Christians at all. I know that in this age of political correctness, we’re not supposed to say that anyone is going to hell – without Jesus, people will go to hell
We cannot earn what Christ has done and gives us for free. However, one way in which we see salvation is that the saved live to please God. One of the most elementary parts of that life is WE MUST be about telling people the good news that man is a sinner deserving hell – but the good news is that Jesus Christ saves us from hell and to himself – God’s salvation is doubly saved – saved from punishment and to eternal life – and that right now
Finally, pride must be put aside. If you must boast – boast in Christ. What do we have to be proud of? Nothing we do can save us. It’s time to be humble. It’s time to follow an old illustration of the Christian ministering to the lost. When we live right and tell people about Jesus, we need to remember we are beggars telling other beggars where to find bread. Let us put away pride and clothe ourselves in humility and clothe ourselves in the Lord Jesus. Let us tell others that while we have the dread disease of sin which must lead to death – Jesus gave his blood and his life that we might be cured.
Benediction
“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Heb. 13:20-21)