Romans, especially chapters 1-8, is the most extensive explanation of the "good news" in the whole New Testament. All Christians should know this material thoroughly and be able to share and explain it to others. We are going to look at the beginning of the "good news" today, but we begin with Paul's summary of the "bad news."
Read Romans 3:9. This is Paul's summary of Romans 1:18-2:29. It is not just the "bad" people who are under God's judgment; it is also the "good" people. I may be deep in a secret sin habit and you may be living what appears to be a perfectly good life — but we are both equally as far away from God’s goodness and perfect will. In the same way, I may have committed many more sins than you have, but we both fail to meet God's standard of moral perfection. Therefore, we both deserve God's condemnation.
After quoting several Old Testament passages that make the same point (see Romans 3:10-18) and making a comment on the purpose of God's Law (see Romans 3:19-20) which will be addressed later, Paul finally breaks into the first part of God's "good news" in Romans 3:21-26.
Leon Morris, a New Testament scholar says this is "possibly the most important single paragraph ever written."Every verse, and every phrase in every verse, is packed with theological content.
The key word in this good news is "justify." "Justification" is the key concept of this whole paragraph, so we must start by getting a clear understanding of what it means and what it does not mean.
The Greek word used here, dikaiow, is a legal term, borrowed from the courtroom. It is the legally binding verdict of the judge, and it is the opposite of condemnation — acquittal.
So, justification is not synonymous with forgiveness; it is more than forgiveness. "Forgiveness" is to be let off from the punishment you deserve. "Justification" is to be declared in right standing with God, fully satisfying His righteous demands. To be justified is to have God accept me "just-as-if-I had" never sinned.
Suppose you were charged with sexual harassment at work and brought to trial. The judge's verdict is acquittal This would likely make people uncomfortable if you were to go out the next day and see people you know. In our case, with God, He acquits us even though we are guilty!
Justification is not dispensed out bit by bit over a period of time through priests and ritual-observance like in Roman Catholicism.
It is not subject to recall so that you have to get it over and over again, like in radical Arminian churches.
It is something God bestows directly on you, once-for-all as a permanent, all-inclusive gift. This is why so many passages speak of justification in the past tense (see Romans 5:1) and as something complete and permanent (see Romans 8:1). Just as you may not be tried for the same crime again after being acquitted, God's justification means you will never be tried or condemned by Him again for your sins — past, present, and future.
In this paragraph, Paul tells us three things about God's justification we all need to know: how it is offered, how it is accomplished, and how it is received.
First, justification is offered by God's grace alone (" . . . justified as a gift by His grace . . . "). This has to do with why God justifies us. The reason has nothing to do with God's justice because we have already seen that we can expect only condemnation from it. Justification is not a wage that God owes us — the only wage He owes us is death (see Romans 6:23); it is a gift that He offers freely. Justification is not a reward that we deserve; it is charity for the undeserving.
This is tough to accept for people like us, who have been raised on self-esteem and entitlement, but it is great news once you understand it. This means that justification is not based in any way on your moral improvement. Your moral life may well improve after being justified, as Paul discusses in later chapters, but this is always a result of being justified — never a condition for getting or staying justified. The moment we slip back into the mindset of justification through deeds or works, God's justice demands perfect righteousness from us.
Second, justification is provided by Christ's death alone. This has to do with how God justifies us in a way that is consistent with His own character. Since we are sinful, how can God declare us righteous without violating His own righteousness and justice? A righteous and just God must punish sin with death — so how can justification be anything other than a violation of justice? The answer is that justification is free to us, but it cost God a terrible price – the death of His righteous Son. The clearest expression of this is 2 Corinthians 5:21. In this passage, Paul uses two images that communicated this idea to his audience.
This is a picture of what Jesus did for us. We are slaves to sin, hopelessly indebted to God because of our sins, owing the penalty of death, and unable to buy our way out. But Christ came to voluntarily pay the price of our sins by dying in our place. He made it clear that this was the purpose of His coming (see Mark 10:45). And His last cry from the cross — the word tetlestai, which may be translated as “paid in full” or “it is finished” — announced that He had accomplished this.
This is exactly how Jesus viewed His death. This is "the cup" that He feared to drink (see Matthew 26:39), which was an Old Testament symbol for the wrath of a holy God against sin (see Isaiah 51:17, 20 and Jeremiah 49:12). This is in part why Jesus cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He who had lived a perfect life and always experienced perfect fellowship with the Father was now identified with our sins, separated from His Father, and experiencing His infinite wrath. Because He was fully human, His sacrifice could represent us. Because He was fully God, His sacrifice could fully appease God's wrath.
Now we can understand Romans 3:25-26. How could God pass over the sins that people committed earlier without judging them? For the same reason He can pass over our sins today and declare us righteous — because He punished His Son Jesus for them on the cross. This is how God can be both "just and the justifier." Therefore, the cross is the ultimate revelation of God's justice and His love. It reveals that sin is so offensive to God that it cost Him the death of His Son to pay for it. But it also reveals that God loves us so much that He would come in the Person of His Son to take His judgment in our place.
So justification is offered by grace alone, and accomplished by Christ alone. We come now to the third key issue: How do we receive justification? Is it something that God applies to all of us, irrespective of our choice, like universalism, or is there a condition we must meet? Paul could not be clearer on this crucial issue. Read Romans 3:22,25,26,28,30. Justification is received by our faith alone.
Faith has no power in itself; what matters is the power of its object. It is simply holding up empty hands to receive the gift that God offers through Christ. It is personally agreeing with God that you could never pay the debt you owe Him, and then humbly asking Christ to pay your debt for you. It is personally agreeing that you could appease God's wrath only by your own death, and then humbly trusting Christ's death to appease God's wrath for you.
This is why we say that Christianity involves conversion. There is a point of time in your life, before which you are separated from God and under His judgment. And there is a point of time in your life, after which you are reconciled to God and secure in His acceptance. The point of time that separates these two states is your decision to trust Christ and receive His gift of justification. Have you made this decision? If you have never consciously trusted in Christ's death on the cross to provide you with the gift of God's acceptance, why not? You can do this in the quiet of your heart, because it is a transaction between you and God.
One way to test your comprehension and response to the good news is by seeing how you respond to the three questions Paul raises in Romans 3:27-31.
How do you respond to this statement: "My best works will not qualify me for God's acceptance"? There will be many, many different kinds of people in heaven — but there will be no one saying, "God and I did a good job." Everyone there will be in awe over how merciful God was in spite of our sinfulness — and those who have justifying faith recognize this now. If this offends you, you still do not understand or have not received the gospel. Justifying faith cancels out all such boasting and replaces it with humble gratitude.
How do you respond to this statement: "God invites the worst sinners to share heaven with me"? How do you feel about the possibility of sharing heaven with someone like Jeffrey Dahmer, who was imprisoned for being a serial killer and sex offender? He evidently turned to Christ before he was killed in prison. If so, he will be there with you. If that offends you, does that not mean you think you are more deserving of heaven than he is? And if you think that, you do not understand how far short you fall and how much you need God's grace.
How do you respond to this statement: "God never gave the Law for us to keep"? This is Paul's answer in Romans 3:19-20. God never gave the Law to be a ladder by which we climb to Him and earn His acceptance. God gave us the Law to be an x-ray to expose the extent of our sin and guilt, so we would see our need for His grace. If you are bothered by this statement, does this not mean you still think you can keep the Law well enough to earn God's acceptance?
