Romans 3. We're going to look at a fundamental truth about the righteousness of God. Fundamental truths about the righteousness of God. Romans 3 21 through 26. being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate the present time his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Now, at the beginning of Romans chapter 3, we read, and one that would probably stand out would be Romans 3 in verse 10. As it is written, there's just no, not one. There's none who understands. There's none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside, they have all together become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one. That verse, that summary, I'm going to call that of the first part of chapter three, is a I guess you could call it an inconvenient truth for people to face. An inconvenient truth that we are all sinners. It's inconvenient to people to be faced with that often times. Because it leaves humanity, all of humanity, in a wicked state. We read that phrase and the sentiment of that phrase, there's none righteous, no not one, is repeated over and over in the scriptures. Then in your own life, no one has to be, I don't think if you're honest, convinced, it doesn't take much convincing for you to see that in yourself. You can see that sinful humanity outside of God's grace doesn't even have the ability to understand the things of God. He doesn't seek them. He has no interest in them. He is spiritually worthless. This is reflected in the actions of our... it's in the actions that we do of our speech. We curse, we complain, and even according to the Scriptures, we murder and we destroy. So then the obvious question is given to us in Luke chapter 3. If you want to turn there, Luke chapter 3. Luke chapter 3, verses 7 through 10. Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, brood of vipers, who warns you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So the people asked him, saying, the right question after we read in Romans chapter 3, what shall we do then? What can I do? That's the question. That's what should be the question that comes to your mind after reading Romans chapter 3 and verses 21 through 26. This was a good question then, as we read in Luke chapter 3, and it's a good question today. It's the question that the Philippian jailer asked when he was faced with the miraculous acts of an all-powerful and a sovereign God when he cried out in Acts 16 and verse 30, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Faced with our own wretchedness, we should wonder how we can be made right with God. We should consider what we could possibly do to appease a God so powerful whom we have offended so greatly. The good news is there is an answer. However, the reality is that while many people ask these questions, few people like the answer that the scripture reveals. Here in Romans chapter 5, turn in your Bibles into Romans chapter 5. Romans 5, verses 8-10, but God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. While we were sinners, God chose to send his son to die for us. His sovereign choice was to provide the way of salvation for fallen man. Scripture teaches us that God's righteousness is imputed to us. That is, God sees us clothed, not in our sin, but in Christ's righteousness. But this answer, that we might be made right with God through the sacrificial blood of Christ, does not satisfy all people. While we would think that such a solution would be received with great joy, instead, it's often refused. In fact, many times, or even made into the enemy of someone when we present that to them. This is mainly because people in their stubborn pride want to be right with God on their own terms. They don't want what the scriptures say. They want whatever they feel. They want whatever they think. They want whatever they've come to, whatever conclusion they have made up in their mind makes them right, makes them usually better than somebody else, they think. They want to achieve a right relationship with God by their own power. They don't want to be helpless and to be completely without anything to offer. That is why most all other religions base their belief system on the works of man. They set up a process and procedures by which one can earn their salvation. They establish rules to obey, things have to be met, rituals, some kind of rituals to follow, whatever, whatever system that they work out. But scripture points out that there's a basic problem with such attempts to earn righteousness before God, simply put, we just can't do it. We can't do it. The Bible clearly states that man is incapable of meeting God's standards of righteousness, as we read in the first part of Romans chapter 3. So we're going to look at what Scripture says about the only possible solution to the problem of sinful man. We're going to look at the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God. It is His righteousness, after all, that is imputed to fallen man in the act of salvation. We should, so we should, so we should carefully look at what the Bible says about God's righteousness. And to do so, we should be warned. This is serious. This is as serious as anything. We are used to hearing it. How many times have we, this is a common text. Everybody here has heard this text many times over. I couldn't imagine how many times I've read it and repeated it myself. It is serious. It's the most serious thing that we have in this life. So our goal then this morning is to explain the text and to look at it with accuracy and with clarity. First, then, God's righteousness in terms of the Old Testament. Paul begins with this transition in the first part of our text in 21, where he says, but now, he writes to contrast what he has just been talking about, and that is man's sin. And then he says, but now, to move on to the next topic, and that topic is God's righteousness. God's righteousness is apart from the law. At his first statement regarding the righteousness of God, and at his first statement regarding the righteousness of God, is that it is not achieved as a result of obedience to the law. The righteousness of God has been manifest apart from the law. Or, it says, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, verse 21. The idea of being made manifest does not mean made aware of, but rather the process by which is achieved. That is, Paul is stating that people are made right with God by his righteousness. The law, whether the moral law, the law of Moses, only served to make humanity aware of his sin, of its sin. That is, it only made it it only made humanity aware of its desperate need of a savior. The law did not make a man righteous. It merely showed him that he needed to be made righteous. The law of Moses had served to help the people of Israel regulate their interaction with God. It was temporary, and it was never intended to be an end to itself. Circumcision observance of the Sabbath, ritual cleansings, dietary requirements, and sacrifices for sin served not merely as identifying factors for the people of Israel, but pointed the way to a future permanent relationship between the people of God and their God. Unfortunately, many Jewish people became legalistic and believed that their possession of the law was sufficient to merit God's grace, the law then became an end to itself. This wrong thinking then had made its way into the early church. Paul was compelled to remind those in the church in Galatia, in Galatians 2 16, when he says, Obedience to the law, whether it's the moral law of God, The law of Moses or some man-made laws to some churches today is not sufficient to earn salvation. By grace alone we have been given the righteousness of God." Then we have God's righteousness as has been spoken of by the prophets. Paul continued by stating In our text, in verse 21, the law and the prophets bear witness to it. Paul was making the point that he was teaching nothing new. The idea that righteousness comes apart from the law had been clearly spoken of in Scripture. Indeed, Paul had already given evidence of this himself when he quoted Habakkuk earlier in the same letter. when he wrote, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith, for faith, as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith, in Romans chapter 1 and verse 17. The phrase, the law and the prophets, was a shorthand for all that we call the Old Testament. Here, Paul was speaking mainly to the Jewish members of the church in Rome. He was making the point that throughout the Old Testament, the Old Testament law, the rituals, the ceremonies, all those pointed to the Messiah through whom the righteousness of God would come to fallen humanity. Jesus had testified the same thing. He explained to some of the Jews who had been offended that Jesus had claimed to be God in John chapter five, verse 39. You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of me. Jesus explained the righteousness of God had come into the world through him. The kingdom of God was at hand. And the New Testament writers echoed the same thing. For example, that's the main point of Hebrews 11, is that the faith in the one true God had always been the source of salvation. The righteousness of God as the source of salvation had been spoken of for ages, and ought to have been well known to all then who knew the Old Testament. Having explained God's righteousness in the terms of the Old Testament, Paul then explained how humanity acquired this righteousness of God. If it was not by the works of the law, then how did humanity achieve it? The answer was simple, and we see it in our text in verse 22. Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. There are two elements. One is we must have faith. The other is that our faith must be in Jesus Christ. So we'll deal with the second one first, since it is the most straightforward. Paul writes, through faith in Jesus Christ, that is, a person must believe that Jesus Christ was who he said he was, the Son of God. They must also believe that Jesus Christ did what he came to do. He died on the cross for the sins of humanity and rose again to dwell in glory with God the Father. To put it as Paul did in the very beginning of his letter, to the church in Rome is in Romans chapter 1, verses 1-4. Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which he promised before through his prophets and the holy scriptures, concerning his son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was born of the seed of David, according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God, with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. But now back to the first thing he mentions, what does it mean to have faith? Is it simply to know something to be true? Does my faith then have to be acted on or lived out? And if so, am I not then saved by works, by living out of my faith? You have to be clear that saving faith is much more than just simply understanding something is true or real. As we know, as it's been said before, we've read it, even Satan knows who Jesus is. This is why he tried to tempt him. This is why the demons were told that the demons know. When confronted by his holy presence, one demon exclaimed in Luke 8, 28, What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" This demon knew that Jesus was the Son of God, but obviously this demon and the devil did not possess saving faith. Saving faith is not a verbal declaration. It's not a correct thought. To put it simply, saving faith is the exercise of obedience and submission to Jesus Christ. There's an example that we have in John 8, 31, where Jesus said, then Jesus said to those Jews who believed, if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. To be a disciple of Christ, to be a Christian, one must abide in God's word. That means that a follower of Christ must know and practice the truth in scripture. To simply know them is not sufficient. We should have the fruit. Our lives must reflect that we know them. Now, we're not going to reflect that perfectly, but it's something that we should be able to see. How many times have everybody seen this at a place of work? The perpetual late person, the person that's late constantly, How many of you have seen them talk? They're constantly late. They're never on time. And obviously, the starting time doesn't mean anything to them. They know that this is the same thing you see, right? You see this in people that profess to be Christians. It's obviously not serious. They don't give of any of their time. They don't give of any of their... The simplest thing you can do Right? It's give of your time. You can come to church. You can fellowship with other believers. And you can give of your resources. Those are the two simplest things you can possibly do. How many people profess to be Christians and never do those two simple, elementary, easy things to do? Saving faith is not a verbal declaration. The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 2 verses 3-4, Now by this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. John was trying to help his readers understand that there needs to be a correlation between what they said and what they did. If they said they knew Jesus, that is if they claimed to be his disciple, then they had to keep his commandments. If they did not live a life that was characterized by keeping God's commandments, then they were lying to themselves, and they were the worst of all people, and that is someone who is self-deceived. The Apostle James put it this way in James chapter 2, verses 14 through 17. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Saving faith is not words only. It's actions. It's a faith that is lived out. Not that the living out of our faith is what saves us, for we all still sin and fall short of the perfection that God requires. But a life lived in consistency with God's word gives the believer the assurance they are a child of God. They can know their faith in Christ is genuine. God's righteousness is for all who believe. And all this righteousness is available, as Paul wrote, in our text, for all who believe there is no distinction. It is one of the great and comforting truths of scripture that while no one is good enough to be saved, no one is so bad that they cannot be saved. In John 6, 37, we read, all that the Father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out." Whatever sins are in your past, the blood of Christ is sufficient to wash them away. There's nothing you've ever done, however horrible you may think it is, that God cannot forgive. Paul could testify about this personally. He had been a persecutor of Christians. He had facilitated the murder of Christians. And yet Jesus found him along a desert pathway and drew him to himself. Whatever you bring to the cross, whatever you bring, whatever sin, whatever hate, whatever anger, whatever dishonesty, arrogance, bigotry, whatever you bring, all can be forgiven when you come to faith in Christ. Scripture clearly teaches that God's righteousness is for all who believe. But the equality of opportunity does not equate of the same outcome. God's righteousness is available, but receiving it requires belief. It's not automatic. Paul goes on and writes, in Romans, in the same book here, in chapter 10, verse 13. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, but we must be given the faith to call upon him. Christ's righteousness had a price and it's because of God's righteousness that because of that price Paul then continues and says in our in our text verses 23 through 25 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God being justified free by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness because in forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed. First, we see the righteousness of God is given to believers, even though all of them have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Our sin is what keeps us from being like God, that is, from being able to share in His glory. When believers receive the righteousness of God, we begin the process of sanctification as described by Paul later in this same letter. In Romans 8, he says, For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom he predestined, he also called, and those he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified. The glory of God is attained by believers only when we are finally united with God in eternity. Until then, we fall short. Next we see that we receive God's righteousness. Paul uses the term justified by this grace as a gift. Verse 24, the word justified is a term that means to declare something to be just or right. It does not mean that thing, or in this case a person, is just or right, but simply that the judge looks at that person as if they were right, that judge being God. Because when he looks at them, he sees Christ's righteousness. Believers are not made righteous, but they are considered righteous by God. As we have said, for the believer, God sees his own righteousness, the righteousness of his son, when he looks at us, not our sin. Thus, our justification marks a change in our position or standing before God. Before we are saved, we are sinful and destined for damnation. After we are saved, we are redeemed and destined for glory. This happens in an instant, at the moment of salvation. Obviously, then, not much actually changes that can be outwardly may be seen of the person who's redeemed. It's not as though they change color in some way or they get something following them around, some halo over them or something, something to be identified. The person's hardly, even in their own actions, any holier than they were. But the relationship, our relationship with God has been changed eternally. Think of the shockingly good moments in your life. Think of something in your life that was a surprise to you. That was really good. Something unexpected. Imagine how that pales in comparison when it's some answer to some physical need. some temporary thing versus a change in your relationship to God for eternity. Then we begin the process of sanctification. And that process of sanctification is how we become more like Christ each and every day until we are ultimately glorified with Him in eternity. One of the great things of that verse of that passage in Romans 8, verses 29 and 30 is we see the perseverance of the saints there given because he declares them as glorified in that. That's not done in that moment, but it's promised it will be done for the Christian. And all of this is a free gift. It's unearned, and it's undeserved. I'm not better than anybody else. I didn't do anything special. I've received something. There's no boasting. It's unearned. It's undeserved. It's simply done as an act of God's divine grace, and it's done by a sovereign God. It is God's sovereign grace. That's why those words should be so sweet when we hear them to our ears. The term grace, in this case, is less a description of the characteristics of God than the way he demonstrated his love for us in Christ. He chooses to extend His mercy and forgiveness to us. He does not have to. He does not need to. He is under no obligation or any constraint. He simply does so out of His great love for us. Imagine the love that He would have to love with to do that on his own and under his own volition. He would be, has to be the most wonderful thing we could ever imagine. But God is also holy and therefore he could not forgive our sins without those sins being atoned for. God must be consistent with himself. He is merciful, but he's also just, and his justice requires the price of sin to be paid for. God can forgive our sin and consider us righteous, but because of what Paul says here in verses 24 and 25, the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood. We have to see here the challenge of some very important words. Sinful man was redeemed, and that is our sin was paid for by the death of Christ on the cross. Turn to 1 Timothy 2. 1 Timothy chapter 2 verses 5 through 6. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. To redeem something is to buy it, much like a slave was then bought from his master. And that is an apt allusion, since we were all slaves to sin. Therefore, in the death of Christ, God paid the price required to redeem his people from being, as we saw earlier in Romans 3, under sin, being held in sin's grip. The question might be asked, to whom was the price paid? In the early church, it was taught wrongly, that Satan received the ransom. That's been, many people have espoused something like that. After all, man was under sin, and sin is the dominion of Satan. But if we look carefully, that answer doesn't satisfy. It was not Satan who was offended by our sin, but God. Therefore, it was God to whom the debt was owed. In redeeming man from sin, God paid the debt that was owed to him. Redemption is an act of God. He initiated it and He executed it. And when God paid the price, when Christ paid our debt, the debt was paid in full. That is what is meant by the term propitiation that Paul uses. That term means to satisfy. It was completely and utterly satisfied. The debt that was owed to God as a result of man's sin was paid off in its entirety. There's nothing that man needs to do to earn his salvation. The price has already been paid. There is no outstanding debt that remains. And the price of redemption was the death of Christ on the cross. As Peter said, it's so He said in 1 Peter 1, verses 18 and 19, knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but in the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot. To place God's righteousness upon fallen, sinful men, man, required the price paid at the cross. Nothing else would do, nothing else would satisfy. Through Christ's death alone does the righteousness of God come to humanity. Finally, we see that the purpose of God's amazing plan of redemption was his own glory. Paul concluded this section in verses 25 and 26, this was to show that God's righteousness because of his divine forbearance he had passed over his former sins, it was to show his righteousness at the present time that he might be the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. God brings glory through His act, He brings glory to Himself through His act of redemption. He demonstrates His righteousness, His holiness, His justice as He redeems fallen man from sin. God demonstrates His mercy and grace in His divine forbearance. It is not that God is unaware of our sins. Indeed, he sees our hearts and understands our motives. And as Jesus said to the self-righteous Pharisees, you are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your heart. God sees our sin even when we do not. But thankfully, scripture reminds us in 2 Peter, verse 3-9, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God delays judgment. He postpones His final outpouring of wrath upon the sins of man. He holds back His fury. Even whenever we sin, even after we are redeemed and we sin, He is long-suffering towards us. God's justice and grace are perfectly balanced. No sin will go unpunished, and no sin is beyond forgiveness. All human sin will be paid for, either by unbelievers in eternity or for believers. It was already paid in the death of Jesus on the cross. Paul concludes, then, writing in our text in verse 26, he says, "...to demonstrate the present time of his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Justification by faith is a cornerstone of God's plan of salvation. It's the means of reconciling sinful humanity with a just and holy God, and it is entirely God's doing. Man could not reconcile himself to God. The justification of fallen man by giving the righteousness of God to him was an idea, and it was God's idea, and it was carried out by him alone. We can only receive it through faith, but as we do, We are changed forever and eternity, our eternity is sure. We have become children of God and we can enjoy Him now and one day and enjoy Him forever. It is a great truth that we should It should be the bedrock of everything that we do. When we sin, it's because we lose sight of that. When we fall to sin, it's because we lose sight of that. As soon as we lose sight, we're right back to the old feeling of helplessness. Where we have to fight our own way back. We're not depending on God. And then we look back upon His grace, we see it again. Thankfully, as we read in 2 Peter 3, 9, that He is long-suffering towards us. That word long-suffering, imagine how long God suffers with us, how much He suffers with us. This morning, if you hear these things, you understand them. They haven't changed you. They're not precious. They're just condemnation. You've just heard more of your own condemnation. But today we see that God has chosen to impart his righteousness to us by his own, he is the only one that actually has free will. It's his own free and sovereign will. We do not earn it, we cannot earn it. But God has promised that he would redeem his children and he has done so. The believer has his eternity is secured. He is glorified. In Paul's mind, it was done because he believed God's promise. That's the same way we need to be. We need to believe God's promise and we need to behave in a way that shows that we believe God's promise. That we don't just give it lip service but that actually changes your life. It actually causes you to want to be more like your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you don't know Him today, you don't have your faith, you're not resting everything on Him. Instead, you're still holding on to this false God in your own mind. Put that aside today and grab on to the Savior. Beg for His forgiveness and enjoy the life that He has waiting for all those who call on Him. Let's close with a word of prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We pray, Lord, for Brother David as he comes, that you would give us ears to hear the things that he has prepared that you have given to him. Father, help us as we sing, and Lord, as we come together to glorify our Savior. that he would be exalted on high. Help us today as we leave this place to be lights here in a darkening world, Lord. Help us to see the urgency of the need for the gospel to go forth. Father, we pray for this, the decisions that we, the upcoming decisions that we have to make as a church, that you would help us and to lead us in righteousness, that we would be vessels here, that you would use here in our time and in our place. For this is in Christ's name and for his sake I pray, amen.