This document summarizes Paul's letter to the Romans chapter 3 verses 21-31. It discusses the key concepts of justification, redemption, and propitiation as it relates to how God declares sinners righteous through faith in Jesus Christ alone. The blood of Jesus on the cross satisfies God's righteousness by covering sins. Justification is only possible through faith in Christ's redemptive work, not by works of the law or self-righteousness. One must transfer all hope of righteousness to depend on Christ alone to be made right with God.
3. Review The Gospel Introduced (Romans 1:1 – 1:15) The Gospel Defined (Romans 1:16-17) The Good News of God-Righteousness to all who believe on Christ The Universal Need for Righteousness (Romans 1:18 – 3:20) The Wrath of God from Heaven is Revealed Against idolatrous heathens (Gentiles) Against self-righteous sinners Against religious people (Jews)
4. Review The Universal Need for Righteousness (Romans 1:18 – 3:20) The Whole Word Guilty before God Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (Romans 3:19 NKJV)
5. The Basis and Terms of the Gospel (Romans 3:21-31) Key Word – RIGHTEOUSNESS Righteous means conforming to or fulfilling God’s standard Righteousness is therefore complete fulfilment of God’s standard, or complete fulfilment of what God expects from us. Key Word - JUSTIFY To pronounce or declare officially that someone is Righteous
6. The Basis and Terms of the Gospel – JUSTIFICATION WHAT is Justification? Justification is God’s pronouncement that a person is Righteous! READ Romans 4:5 What kind of people does God justify? Do you think it is possible for a person to justify themselves? Do you think it is possible for a human judge to justify someone who is guilty?
7. The Basis and Terms of the Gospel – JUSTIFICATION HOW does God justify the ungodly? Read Romans 3:24 What does this verse tells us about HOW God justifies ungodly people? Key Word – REDEMPTION Redemption means saving, or delivering someone by paying a ransom price Justification is possible because of Redemption
8. The Basis and Terms of the Gospel – PROPITIATION Key Word – PROPITIATION Propitiation means a Mercy Seat – a place where God shows mercy Read Leviticus 16:2-3, 15-16 What did God say would happen to Aaron if he came into the Holy Place “at just any time?” What did God say Aaron must bring into the Holy Place in order to be accepted before God? What was Aaron supposed to do with the blood in the Holy Place?
9. The Basis and Terms of the Gospel – PROPITIATION Read Leviticus 16: 34 What was the purpose of sprinkling blood on the mercy seat? To make atonement means to “cover” sins. Read Romans 3:25 In what way is the Lord Jesus Christ a mercy seat? What does this verse tell us about God’s righteousness? Was God unjust (unrighteous) when He covered sins in the past?
10. The Basis and Terms of the Gospel – FAITH WHO does God justify? Key Word - FAITH Read Leviticus 16:20-22 What did Aaron have to do with the live goat before it was taken into the wilderness (desert place). Read Romans 3:25 again. Which part of this verse is illustrated by the story of Aaron which we just read in Leviticus 16:21 To place FAITH in (or believe upon) Jesus Christ means to transfer all my hope for righteousness to Him, and to depend upon Him ALONE.
11. Is there any other way to be Righteous before God? …the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe (For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God), being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Romans 3:22-24 NKJV) “I always thought I must try to be right by keeping God’s commandments. Does this mean that the 10 commandments are useless?”
12. What does this mean for you? Have you realised that the Word of God says that, without Christ, you are guilty before God? Do you still think that salvation depends upon your religious duties? Have you ever repented of your self-righteousness and put your faith in Christ alone?
13. For next week Does the Gospel contradict the Old Testament? The Agreement of the Gospel with the Old Testament (Romans 4) Try to read the passage two or three times before our next meeting Think about what the passage says about Work & Wages Faith & Grace Think carefully about your position before God Read pages 39 – 45 in Alive & Free – try to answer any questions Write down any QUESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK
Hinweis der Redaktion
This verse tells us that God justifies ungodly people who have faith in Him.It is impossible for a guilty person to officially pronounce themselves righteous.A judge who pronounces a person not-guilty even though the evidence proves them guilty is considered to be corrupt.
The verse tells us that He does it freely, by His grace. That tells us about God’s kindness towards sinners. But the verse tells us that He does it THROUGH the REDEMPTION that is in Christ Jesus. This tells us HOW God justifies sinners without being unjust Himself.God is able to justify sinners (that is, to pronounce that they are righteous before Him) because Jesus Christ paid the ransom price due because of the debt of sin.No other person could redeem us, because all are sinners too. Only Jesus Christ, who was without sin, was able to pay the price on behalf of others.This is why justification is offered freely, as a gift of God’s grace, because Jesus, in love for us, paid IN FULL the debt of sin, when He died upon the cross.
God warned that Aaron would die if he came into His presence at just any time.God told Moses that Aaron must bring the blood of a young bull for a sin offering, and of a ram (mature male goat) for a burnt offering.God instructed that the blood must be sprinkled on the mercy seat and in front of it.
The Bible says that this ritual was to make atonement for the sins of the people.“Covering” sins does not mean just ignoring, or excusing them. God never ignores sin. However God did put His people’s sins out of sight by “covering” them with the blood of the atoning sacrifice.By dying upon the cross and shedding His blood there, the Lord Jesus presented the value of His blood as a perfect payment for sin. God is able to put our sins out of His sight forever, because of Christ’s sacrifice.This verse explains that God was not unrighteous in covering sins in the past. Although the blood of a bull or goat could never pay for the sins of a human being, God knew that He would send His son, Jesus, to be the perfect sacrifice for sin. The sacrifices of the Old Testament simply pointed forward to Jesus’s perfect sacrifice.
God said that Aaron must place his hands upon the head of the goat and confess over it all the sins of the people, putting them on the head of the people.Aaron’s action of placing his hands upon the head of the goat while confessing the sin of the people illustrates that the redemption in Christ Jesus is through faith! By this he admitted that he was worthy of death, but placed his own hope for forgiveness upon the sacrifice, recognizing that the guilt of sin would be removed on account of the blood already shed and sprinkled before God’s throne.Although repentance is not mentioned in this passage, it is clearly implied. A person who truly repents does so by confessing to God that they are worthy of His judgement and that they have no hope apart from Christ. Any one who secretly believes that there is something good in themselves has not accepted the truth of v23!
These verses states in the clearest possible language that ALL without exception have fallen short of God’s glory. Because sin is a huge problem which affects everyone, there is no one who is able to glorify God, and so all who want to be Righteous before God must receive His Righteousness by faith. By refusing to accept God’s verdict about you, and refusing to receive His gift of salvation by grace, you simply prove that you have fallen short of glorifying Him.Absolutely not. God gaves us his law so that we would realise how guilty we are and how much we need His grace. When we admit we cannot keep the law and trust God completely for His mercy and grace, then we prove that the law was right and that it has fulfilled the purpose for which God intended it.(Galatians 3:24) Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.