Justified=
- declared
righteous in God's sight through the merits of Christ, secure in our positi=
on
in Christ before the throne of God. justification is God's righteousness
imputed, put to our account. Sanctification is righteousness imparted, or l=
ived
out in our daily lives.
Redemption - deliverance f=
rom
sin and its penalties, by the payment of a price. This price was Christ's b=
lood
on the cross.
Propitiation (Sacrifice of
Atonement) - Christ's sacrifice satisfied God's holy law, thus making it
possible for God to forgive sinners and remain just Himself. God's justice =
has
been satisfied; He may now look with kindness and grace upon a lost world.[1]
Rom 3:21-22:
Apart from Law: The= re is much discussion in the first three chapters about the Law and our inability= to be found righteous under its measure.
It bears discussion to emp= hasize the principle of our righteous standing by faith. 2 Cor. 5:21 reveals that in Christ= we become the righteousness of God. Being declared (positionally) righteous has significant implications. To = be righteous means our struggle to please God for the obtaining of salvation is over. His just demands have b= een satisfied. To practice the righteousness of faith is now a joy born out of our position of grace.
Rom 3:23-24
There is no distinction be=
tween
people either by race, works, or any other factor. We are all sinners and fall short =
of the
glory of God.
The only means of justific=
ation is
by grace. It is a free gift f=
rom
God.
This grace was a manifesta=
tion of
God’s redeeming work through Jesus Christ.
Rom 3:25-26
25
whom God set forth as a propitiation by(in) His blood
A
Sacrifice of Atonement (NIV – v25) -
NT:2435 i(lasth/rion hilasterion (hil-as-tay'-ree-on); neuter of a derivative of =
NT:2433; an expiatory (place or thing), i.e.
(concretely) an atoning victim, or (specially) the lid of the
Verse 25 teaches that in the ages before the full revelation of
the Gospel of Christ, God appeared to be unjust in "passing over"=
the
sins of mankind and forgiving such people as Noah, Abraham, and Enoch. True=
, He
did send wrath in some cases; but generations of sinners seemed to escape t=
he
judgment of God. How was God able to do this? Because He knew that at the
cross, He would give a full display of His wrath against sin, and yet throu=
gh
Christ's death provide a redemption for sins that had merely been "cov=
ered"
by the blood of bulls and goats (Heb 9-10).1
Rom 3:27-28 – Boasting excluded on the principle of faith<= o:p>
Knowing
righteousness is obtained apart from Law, there is no opportunity for boast=
ing
of any kind, except in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31)
Rom 3:29-30 – God is the God of all mankind
Justification
is offered to all. Why? Verse 30 states “there is on=
ly one
God who will justify the circumcised … and the uncircumcised …
through faith.”
Is
the faith you have open to all people?&nbs=
p;
Are there people whom you would have a hard time sharing Christ̵=
7;s
love with?
Rom 3:31 – We Uphold the Law
How
does the gospel uphold the Law?
To
establish the Law (vv. 27-31).
Because of his Jewish readers, Paul wanted to say more about the relationsh=
ip
of the Gospel to the Law. The doctrine of justification by faith is not aga=
inst
the Law, because it establishes the Law. God obeyed His own Law in working =
out
the plan of salvation. Jesus in His life and death completely fulfilled the
demands of the Law. God does not have two ways of salvation, one for the Je=
ws
and one for the Gentiles; for He is one God. He is consistent with His own
nature and His own Law If salvation is through the Law, then men can boast;=
but
the principle of faith makes it impossible for men to boast. The swimmer, w=
hen
he is saved from drowning, does not brag because he trusted the lifeguard. =
What
else could he do? When a believing sinner is justified by faith, he cannot
boast of his faith, but he can boast in a wonderful Saviour.
In Rom 4-8, Pa= ul explained how God's great plan of salvation was in complete harmony with the Old Testament Scriptures. He began first with the father of the Jewish nati= on, Abraham.[3]
[1] (from Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the N= ew Testament. Copyright © 1992 by Chariot Victor Publishing, an imprint of Cook Communication Ministries. All rights reserved.)
[2] (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. = and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
[3] (from The Bible Exposition Commentary. Copyright © 1989 by Chariot Victor Pu= blishing, and imprint of Cook Communication Ministries. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)