Redeemed

If God’s people would please
take their Bibles and turn to Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter
3. We began this shorter study of
Romans several weeks ago. We call these flyovers. They’re
not intended to be the long, drawn-out, verse-by-verse expositions,
but rather almost if you think of a hopscotch across the mountain
peaks of this incredible letter. Romans, the book of Romans, is
indeed the grandest of all of Paul’s epistles, and so it’s
not easy to do an outline. But I suggested to you a simple
and alliterated outline several weeks ago. Sin is the first section,
salvation, sanctification, sovereignty, and service. And thus far, we’ve
only looked at the first major section, sin. And Paul has demonstrated
from chapter one, first of all, that the Gentiles, the heathen,
the godless world is sinful and resides under God’s righteous
wrath. Verse 18 of chapter one said
it this way, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress, hold it
down, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that
which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it
evident to them.” They know there’s a God. Even the heathen of the
world know that there is a being that is all-powerful. But they
live as if God did not exist. And because of that, they live
under the wrath of God. But as we saw last week in chapter
2, the Jewish nation is no different. They too are sinners in need
of God’s grace, and without which they too stand justly condemned. Sin is sin. Sinfulness is sinfulness. And so God will judge all sins. So the Jewish sinner is no better,
is in no better spiritual standing than the heathen sinner. Both
stand under the judgment of God. Would you note Paul’s conclusion
there? In chapter two, verse nine, we
read it briefly last week. There will be tribulation and
distress for every soul of man who does evil. of the Jew first
and also of the Greek. But glory and honor and peace
to every man who does good to the Jew first and also to the
Greek, for there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned
without the law will perish without the law, and all who have sinned
under the law will be judged by the law. All people Whether
Jew or Gentile stand justly condemned before the Lord, whether Gentiles
without the law or the Jewish man under the law, both stand
condemned, as Paul concludes in chapter 3 verse 9. If you
would, if you’re tracking with me, look at chapter 3 verse 9. Both Jews and Greeks are all
under sin. He’s going to reiterate that
momentarily. And if Paul were to stop there,
humanity would be left in utter despair. But Paul doesn’t stop
there. If you’re in chapter 3 and you
would glance down, take note. I just want to call your attention,
first of all, to the first two words of chapter 3, verse 21,
but now. Those are really great words. Here in verse 21, Paul is inserting
a contrast with the point that he has just made in those first
three chapters. The first three chapters, remember
the context, all are under sin. All are under the just condemnation
of God, but now. That’s how Paul starts this lengthy
and glorious sentence in verse 21. That little adversative, but.
There’s unspeakable hope in those two words, but now. Let’s take
the passage in full if we could this morning. Romans chapter
three, verses 21 all the way down through verse 26. But now, apart from the law,
the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ. For all those who believe, for
there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God. being justified as a gift by
his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, 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 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. Paul has already made it clear
that by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified, made
fit to stand in God’s holy presence. Mankind, both Gentile and Jew,
had made a spiritual train wreck of their lives. Both are under
God’s judgment, but now. And it’s here that we come to
the second major section of this epistle, not only sin, but salvation. And here, Paul proceeds to declare
God’s good news the good news of help for sinful humanity. And I’d like you to see, first
of all, that verse 21 all the way down to verse 26 is one very
lengthy, very dynamic sentence. One sentence. In the original
Greek text, it’s 99 words in the Greek text, The New American adds to that
by translating it with 128 words, one sentence. And in the process,
the New American ends up making two sentences out of a one-sentence
original. All in all, It’s a magnificent
and wide-ranging passage of Scripture that introduces the wonderful
news of salvation. I would just suggest to you,
this is one of the greatest paragraphs in all of Scripture. one of the
greatest statements on salvation. The simple sentence of this lengthy
portion is contained right there in verse 21, but now the righteousness
of God has been manifested. And for emphasis, Paul reiterates
even the righteousness of God That’s the simple sentence of
this entire passage. The righteousness of God has
been manifested, revealed, uncovered, made known. These early verses
are so significant, and they demand such attention that the
latter verses often go unaddressed. We kind of just take them in
hand. But in the overall passage, 21
through 26, there is a mountain here of crucial detail. And this
morning, I’d like to take the passage in its entirety, 21 through
26, and that will require a little bit lighter treatment of verses
21 and 22, because I’m eager to deal with the latter verses
as well. Righteousness, we know, has been
a major theme already in this epistle. It will continue to
be so. The word in its various forms
is used more than 60 times in this letter. In chapter 1, verse
17, Paul began by declaring that the righteousness of God is revealed
from faith to faith. Humanity is devoid of this righteousness. Paul says in verse 18 that the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. So true is this that Paul says
that the godly world is filled with all unrighteousness. Verse
29, Paul’s devastating conclusion in chapter 3 verse 10 is there
is none righteous, not even one. So when Paul announces here in
chapter 3 verse 21, but now the righteousness of God has been
manifested, that is good news. In fact, I would tell you that
is the greatest news ever communicated to humanity. What Paul begins
to proclaim here to fallen sinners in 321 is that the gospel in
all its fullness and glory has been communicated. No more gloom,
as Isaiah would say, the light has dawned. To use his imagery,
the righteousness of God has been revealed. This is the one
and most important thing that condemned humanity needed. Righteousness
of God. The righteousness of which Paul
speaks here is God’s moral perfection. It’s his standard. It’s the very
basis of his judgment of sinners. Moral uprightness, virtuousness,
purity, conformity to God’s standard. The problem is Mankind’s attempt
to measure up to God’s standard always falls short. God’s righteousness
is so impeccable that man’s attempt is dreadfully inadequate. And it’s precisely this righteousness,
God’s moral standard, that we lack. We are anything but righteous. according to his standard, if
we will be righteous, God must supply it. If we’re going to
meet God’s standard, God has to step in and enable us. And so here in verse 21, that’s
Paul’s opening declaration, that God has made provision for salvation
by giving us what we lacked most, the righteousness of God. Now
briefly, in verses 21 and 22, I just want you to notice this.
Paul communicates a series here of vital truths about this righteousness. Note, first of all, that he says
that this righteousness is apart from the law. The Jews had been
given the law of God and they were commanded to live according
to it if they wanted to save themselves. But the salvation
of which Paul speaks and sets forth here in this passage is
that which cannot be attained through the keeping of God’s
law. The Jewish people knew what the standard was, and they knew
that they must live according to that divine standard if they
wanted to be saved. But they also learned for thousands
of years of their own self-effort that salvation by law-keeping
was an impossible task. Definitively, this is not a standard
which we as humans can attain. This righteousness cannot be
achieved by law-keeping. Even the law of God And so God’s
righteousness, if we are to have it at all, must be bestowed upon
us by God himself. And this is exactly what God’s
Word tells us here, that apart from the law, law-keeping, God’s
own righteousness has been imparted to sinners. The second way that Paul characterizes
this righteousness, just glance down there at verse 21 again,
it was witnessed by the law and the prophets. The salvation of
which Paul speaks here in this passage was foretold in the Old
Testament. The Jewish people had portioned
out the scriptures into two general categories, the law and the prophets. Both testified of God’s righteousness. Both testified of a Messiah. Both testified of God’s ultimate
work of salvation. The law provided God’s standards. The prophets spoke of the coming
Messiah, God’s provision of this righteousness. There’s a third
thing I want you to observe, and this one is in verse 22. Paul tells us a third thing about
this righteousness of God. Not only is it apart from the
law, witnessed by the prophets, but he tells us that it’s through
faith in Jesus Christ only. The righteousness is only bestowed
upon those who place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Paul has already declared, as we read, that this righteousness
of God is apart from the law. It’s not achievable by human
efforts to keep God’s moral standard. And he has hinted that the prophets
spoke of this manifestation of God’s righteousness through the
coming of a Messiah. Here in verse 22, Paul states
directly how it is that we can lay hold of this righteousness.
How can we come to enjoy God’s righteousness? It’s only through
faith in Jesus Christ, he says. God has indeed broken into the
course of history, fulfilling his plan of redemption with great
news. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians
5 21. He, that is God the Father, made him, that is Jesus Christ,
who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf so that
we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That is exactly
the same thought. But it’s not enough just to hear
about this revelation, this good news, this manifestation of God’s
righteousness. If all we ever do is hear of
it, admire it, consider it, think about the news that God has provided
It remains worthless. This news must be received by
faith. God’s righteousness as revealed
in Jesus Christ is received by faith. It is appropriated by
faith. Faith that rests solely on the
Lord Jesus Christ himself and his work of redemption on the
cross. This is the consistent testimony
of scripture, isn’t it? We might even think of John’s
gospel as the gospel of belief. Listen to this, John 1 12. As
many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children
of God, even to those who believe on his name. John 3.16, which
verse most of you probably have memorized, for God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes on
Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 8.24, just
a portion of that, unless you believe that I am He, you will
die in your sins. John 20, 31, these things have
been written so that you may believe and that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in
his name. Faith is crucial. Without faith,
there is no salvation. And so this righteousness of
God is availed to sinners through faith in Jesus Christ. This is
Paul’s magnificent announcement of salvation. The righteousness
of God has been manifested. That brings us to another observation
in this grand outline. Not only the announcement of
salvation, but the breadth of salvation. Would you glance down
there at in the middle here of verse 22, And Paul here tells
us an astounding thing about this salvation. He says, this
promise is for all those who believe, for there is no distinction. Paul here tells of the breadth
of salvation, the wideness of God’s mercy. And Paul declares
it straightforwardly here that salvation is wide open to all
of humanity. Doesn’t matter your race. The
benevolent promise of God for the righteousness that mankind
needs most is available to any and all who need it. The Jewish
people, but not just the Jewish people, it’s for all. Just as
all both Jews and Gentiles had sinned, so all. may be saved. There’s no distinction between
individuals from either camp as they place their faith in
Jesus Christ. There’s no distinction between
God’s judgment of both Gentiles and Jews as being sinful in need
of saving grace. This is the point that Paul makes,
and you know this well. Would you glance at verse 23?
It’s a statement with which we’re all familiar. Paul says there
is no distinction between Gentiles and Jews because
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God? There’s
no distinction with regard to those who come to faith in Christ.
There’s no distinction with regards to God’s wrath upon sinners.
But an immediate question arises here. How can even God take an
unrighteous sinner like me and impart his righteousness? And if we’re even able to answer
that, why? Why would God do that? What would
motivate God to do such a magnanimous act for those who hate him and Then if we can make it through
that gauntlet, we have to ask, isn’t there something that I
can do in return? Isn’t there something that I
could do to show God that I’m worthy of this kindness? Isn’t
there something that I can do to contribute to this great cause
of saving my soul? Well, that brings us to a third
observation of this section, the announcement of salvation,
the breadth of salvation, and thirdly, the means of salvation.
How is it even possible? This is Paul’s focus in verse
24 into verse 25. Would you glance down at that?
where he will point out that salvation has been announced,
salvation is broadly available to all, and he tells us how it
is that God himself can impart his righteousness to sinners
like you and I. Paul has only just told us that
all have sinned so that the only hope for sinners is an act of
God, which Paul declares in verse 24. justified as a gift by his
grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom
God displayed publicly as a propitiation. Now, these deep, insightful lines
provide us the how of salvation, how it is that God can grant
salvation to people like us. And to answer that question,
Paul uses three big theological words, justification, redemption,
and propitiation. And in order for us to understand
his explanation, we have to consider each of these three very significant
theological terms. The first term that Paul uses
is the term justified. Simply stated, justification
is God’s enablement for sinners to come into his holy presence.
Justification is a legal declaration by God that we stand now in the
righteousness of Christ, not in our own efforts, No matter
how good or noble our efforts have been, God declares us righteous. If you will, it is a divine,
not guilty verdict. Justification by faith is a declaration
by God in which he imputes to us Christ’s righteousness. It’s not the same thing as sanctification. It’s a declaration that changes
our standing before God instantaneously, not over the course of a lifetime.
Christ’s righteousness is credited to the account of those who place
their faith in him. And again, we’re not immediately
made righteous. We are reckoned, we are considered
as such, declared as such. by God. What God sees now when
he looks at you and I, he sees the individual standing in the
righteousness of Christ. Paul describes this of himself in Philippians chapter
3, and Paul had abandoned the idea of trying to work his way
to heaven. In chapter 3 of Philippians he
said, his only desire was that he would be found in him that
is in Christ, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law,
law-keeping, but that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. That
is the exact same argument. And so Paul tells us here that
the way, the only way for the sinner to come into fellowship
with God is that he or she must be justified. And this justification
is imparted by no other means than God’s grace, God’s undeserved
favor. There’s nothing we can do to
earn or repay this marvelous gift. No person deserves such
a magnificent gift as this. No one can ever do anything to
earn or merit it. It is, as Paul says here, a gift
by His grace. We are justified as a gift by
His grace. But I mentioned a second word
here. How is a person saved? How is
a person justified? How can somebody become justified? How is such an incredible gift
made possible? And that brings us to the next
line of verse 24. A sinner is justified as a gift
by God’s grace, get this, through the redemption which is in Christ
Jesus. There’s our second big theological
word, redemption. In short, Paul says that a saved
sinner is justified because he or she has been redeemed, bought,
paid for. Redemption points to the truth
that God did not, indeed could not, ignore our sin. To do so
would not be just or righteous. Our sin had to be dealt with,
paid for, in full, But our sin was so horrid and it was so overwhelming
that none could pay for it but God. And so when Paul speaks
here of redemption, he tells us that our sin has been paid
for. In Christ, the sinner is redeemed. He’s bought. Redemption is a
special theme to Paul, and always Paul attributes it to the Lord
Jesus. Romans 3.24, justified as a gift
by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. In
Ephesians 1.7, in Him, that is in Jesus Christ, we have redemption. So a person is saved by being
justified, and they are justified by being redeemed, bought. But how is it that a sinner can
be redeemed? What would you pay for a sinner? What payment could possibly be
offered that would overcome a life of sin and wretchedness? and enmity towards God in order
to bring a hardened sinner to God. What’s the price of our redemption?
God’s justice system is so exacting, so strict that it demanded no
other than his own sinless son that he should come and atone,
pay for the sins of God’s people. It’s exactly what Jesus did.
He came and he paid for our debt of sin by dying on the cross. Paul addresses this directly
in verse 25, that in Christ Jesus, God displayed publicly as a propitiation. This word propitiation is not
a word that we use a lot in our day-to-day interactions. It just
refers to the payment price. price of our redemption. And
what Paul will tell us here in this passage is that our Lord
Jesus Christ was both the priest that offered this sacrifice and
he was the sacrificial victim itself. Paul said to the Corinthians,
you have been bought with a price. You and I have been bought with
a price. Christ redeemed us by means of
a propitiation. This is the reason why God was
able to give the gift of righteousness, is that price had been met, paid
in full. So we’re justified by the price
that Jesus paid to redeem us, to buy us out of the bondage
of sin, if you will. Redemption describes the transaction. Propitiation refers to the price,
and justification refers to the result of that transaction. It’s
a beautiful model. As I indicated at the outset,
I’m looking to hear what Paul has to say in these latter verses.
And so we come lastly to the fourth point of our outline in
this passage, not only the announcement of salvation and the breadth
of salvation that it’s available to all, the means of salvation
that is justification by means of Christ’s redemption, but here
I want to look at the intricacies of our salvation. And I want
to tell you that everything else in this passage Everything after
the word propitiation in verse 25, it all modifies the idea
of redemption. All the way through verse 26.
And here, Paul provides a series of explanations regarding Christ’s
triumph of redemption. These profound truths regarding
Christ’s redemption of sinners such as you and I. Here, In the
words that remain, Paul wants to let his readers in on the
deep things of God. How it is that sin could just
be wiped away? How is it that redemption could
be applied? How is it that God could justly
deal with sin and still save sinners? To begin with, Paul
tells us there in verse 25 that this redemption in Christ is
accomplished by Christ’s blood sacrifice. Here, Paul essentially tells
us the price of redemption. He says explicitly that Christ’s
payment was a blood sacrifice, and it was his blood. Christ’s
arrest and trial, they were demeaning. They were dishonoring to our
Savior. Ultimately, His crucifixion was no doubt exceedingly painful. This, remember, is ultimately
why Jesus came and took on human flesh. Matthew 20, 28, the Son
of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His
life as a ransom for many. John 10 11, I am the good shepherd,
the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. So that cross indeed did bring
about Christ’s death. All of this is wrapped up in
that one graphic word, blood. Jesus shed his blood on the cross
for sinners. The apostle Peter proclaims this
truth. 1 Peter 119, that our redemption
was not secured with perishable things like silver and gold,
but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless,
the blood of Christ. That was the price of our redemption.
That was the propitiation for our sin. And this is the overwhelming
consistent report of the New Testament. Just listen to how
often the New Testament writers dwell on this point. Ephesians
2.13, in Christ you were formerly far off, have been brought near,
near to God in peace by the blood of Christ. Colossians 1.20, Christ
reconciled all things to himself, having made peace through the
blood of his cross. Ephesians 1.7, in him we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses
according to the riches of his grace. John 1.7, 1 John 1.7,
the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. Hebrews 9, 11, Christ entered
through a greater and more perfect tabernacle through his blood,
having obtained eternal redemption. All of those are testimonies
to this same point. You see, in the Old Testament,
we find the principle that life is in the blood of a person or
an animal. The life of the flesh is in the
blood, God explained to Moses, Leviticus 17, 11. And because
of that, in order to atone for, pay for sin, there must be a
sacrifice, a death. In order for God’s wrath to be
satisfied, it must be a blood sacrifice, the death of the victim,
whose life is offered up to God in payment for sin. And so it’s
by means of his blood, his life, that Jesus made atonement for
sinners and removed the wrath of God that sinners deserve.
That paved the way for reconciliation, peace with God. So Jesus shedding his blood for
the sins of humanity was the necessary means of securing their
salvation. Jesus spoke of this when he introduced
the celebration of the Lord’s table, remember? He spoke of
the cup of the fruit of the vine, which represented his blood poured
out for many for forgiveness. So not only is this redemption paid for with the
blood of Christ, it is only appropriated by faith. That’s the third time
that faith has been mentioned in this passage. Redemption is
only possible through faith. The first thing that Paul says
about the redemption, that Christ’s payment is secured, it’s the
only way to lay hold of it is that it’s secured through faith. Just because Jesus died on the
cross for sinners does not mean that his sacrifice is applied
universally to everyone. It’s only effective for those
who believe in what the Savior did for sinners. Christ’s act
of redemption is made our own by trusting in it, received by
the heart to God’s offer. Paul distinctly indicates here
that there’s no other way. There’s no other way of laying
hold of this incredible grace. It is the sinner’s response by
faith that appropriates God’s grace gift. So redemption is
only possible by faith. This truth is the heart of the
gospel. Remember, it is the power of
God for salvation to everyone who believes. There’s a third observation here.
Not only is it by faith and through his blood, but thirdly, this
redemption declares God’s righteousness. Let me draw your attention to
our passage once again. And I want you to get this because
those two previous observations, blood and faith, They required
but a few words to declare. This third observation requires
an entire lengthy portion of a paragraph. Would you please
look down there right in the middle of verse 25? This was
to demonstrate his righteousness. Because in the forbearance of
God, he passed over the sins previously committed 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. The redemption
that Christ accomplished by his blood, that is by his death on
the cross, declares God’s righteousness. How so, you ask? How could anything
so violent have any redeeming value? Well, in the Bible, let
me first tell you that there are many reasons that are given
for Christ’s sacrifice. Just in Paul’s letter to Ephesians
alone, he tells us first that Christ’s redemption secures the
forgiveness of sins, Ephesians 1-7. It reconciles sinners to
God, Ephesians 2-15. It displays God’s wisdom, Ephesians
3-10 and 11. But here in this passage, Paul
cites a reason for Christ’s atonement that we might not have considered.
It demonstrates God’s righteousness. See, God must judge and punish
sin. Otherwise, God would be seen
as allowing, ignoring, or even encouraging sinful behavior. God will not open the door to
this blasphemous charge of injustice. God has to deal with sin in order
to be considered righteous. God had to demonstrate his righteousness
to save sinners, and he had to do all of this openly to prove
his righteousness, to demonstrate it. Paul says there in the middle
of verse 25, in the forbearance of God, he passed over the sins
previously committed. Amazing statement. Forbearance,
as we learned last week, we talked about it, it’s God’s holding
back of just punishment. It’s God’s mercy, practically
applied. But God will not hold back his
wrath forever, and yet Paul says here, he adds to it, and he says
that God passed over sins. How is that just? How is that
righteous? If God has to judge sin, how
is it possible that He could just pass over them? And the
answer to that conundrum lies in the fact that Jesus Christ
redeemed sinners by means of this propitiation in His blood. God passed over sins because
Jesus Christ paid for them. Not only did God patiently bear
with the sins of the past, now He passes over them entirely. God is once again displaying
His righteousness now in the display of His Son as the payment
for sin and sinners. He’s displaying His righteousness
by providing once for all a sacrifice for sin in our Lord Jesus Christ. It was because of His perfect
justice system that He sent His own Son to be our payment on
the cross. We might even pause and ask,
why did God have to send Christ, Jesus Christ, His own Son to
be a payment? Paul concludes in verse 26, and
he tells us exactly why, that he might be just and the justifier
of the one who has faith in Jesus. We get frustrated sometimes,
don’t we? When our legal system allows a dangerous criminal to
go free. I don’t think that’s fair. There’s a passage in Ecclesiastes
that essentially puts this in perspective. Ecclesiastes 8.11,
because the sentence of an evil deed is not executed quickly,
therefore the hearts of the sons of men are given fully to do
evil. Criminals are emboldened when
sin isn’t judged. Crime gets worse, and people
get frustrated. Where is the justice, we wonder? Is God unfair? Is he winking
at sin? So the frustration often emerges
in scripture, doesn’t it? Many biblical characters have
questioned God’s justice. Even if only for a moment. Some
of these people may not have verbally challenged God, but
in their actions, they cried out that God is unfair. Adam
and Eve. didn’t like the rules laid down.
Cain didn’t like the offering his brother brought. Joseph’s
brothers, Moses, King Saul, David. King David so often questioned
God at the outset of a psalm. Jonah didn’t like his marching
orders. Habakkuk doubted whether God
would ever step in as judge. Well, Paul seeks to guard against
the potential accusation of unfairness here, because he says, for thousands
of years, God had patiently borne with the sins of humanity, and
the frustration of many had grown. God’s law was clear. God’s judgment,
however, seemed to be delayed or even inconsistent. It was
unequal to the standards set forth by God’s law. God not only upholds his justice
in dealing with sin, but he does so in a way that saves sinners.
It’s just a remarkable thought. From man’s viewpoint, it seemed
like an impossible task to save sinners without having to lower
or ignore his standards. How could both justice and salvation
be accomplished? That was the problem. And Paul
presents to us the solution to that problem right here in these
last lines of the passage. This is why God sent his son
as a payment for our sin. This is why it wasn’t just going
to be accomplished by more goats, more bulls, more doves or pigeons. Why Christ? that he might be
just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. God
couldn’t ignore sin. It had to be punished. And God
accomplished both judgment and redemption through his son, Jesus
Christ. There’s a play on words here. Just and justifier. Both words
are built on the same root. It’s our word righteous. It’s
the very theme of the book of Romans, righteousness, the righteousness
of God. That word is used seven times
just in this passage. And the final two times are a
play on words. Just and justifier. Essentially, right and making
right. This is the answer to the problem.
God is just and the justifier. God is just because he must punish
sin, but he’s also the justifier. He’s the only one who can save
sinners. And in sending Jesus as a payment
for sin, God upheld his righteousness by judging sin and at the same
time making atonement. In Jesus Christ, and the redemption
that He accomplished by means of His payment on the cross,
God was able to be both just, fair, righteous, but as His Son,
the Lord Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, the sinner’s payment,
sin has been paid for in full. Because of that, God is able
to justify even the vilest sinner. Not everyone, but as Paul’s final
words make clear, the one who has faith in Jesus. Would you examine your heart
before him? Our merciful King, we humble
ourselves in your glorious presence. And Lord, we know Even if we
don’t understand every nuance of these six verses, we know
that these are some of the most remarkable words ever written
down in all of the pages of Scripture. Lord, we thank you for these
words. We thank you for the hope of the gospel. We thank you for
what our Lord Jesus did. We thank you that you, Lord,
are righteous and that you sought not only to judge sin, but you
sought to save sinners. Father, we thank you for this
sentence, remarkable and amazing as it is. And for those of us
who know you, Lord, we see your work of grace. We can look back
and see all of these things delicately, but surely applied to our hearts
and lives. Lord, not a one of us deserved
it. Father, we thank you that the
great means of salvation was accomplished by sending your
son who redeemed us, paid for our sin by his death on the cross. Lord, we thank you. for that
sacrifice, and we thank you for the faith that you enabled us
to apply that redemption to our lives. Lord God, if there are
any in our midst, young or old, who do not know the Lord Jesus
Christ as Savior, know that they have heard the gospel in one
of the clearest passages in all of Scripture. Father, we thank
you for your word and we pray that by your Holy Spirit you
would apply your word to everyone here, believer or unbeliever. That you would encourage those
who have already placed their faith in Christ and that you
would draw sinners to yourself by that same kind of faith. We
thank you and we praise you in Jesus’ name, amen.