Topic: Righteousness by Faith
Reading: Romans 3:19-26
Introduction and Overview
The scriptures in today’s study begin to speak about righteousness by faith. There are still some in the church who believe that you must keep the law to be righteous. While it is important to do what the law says because it shows us the difference between right and wrong, the law will not make anyone righteous.
There is a great deal to be covered in the subject of righteousness by faith. We will look at it numerous times as it is one of the strong themes in Paul’s letter to the Romans. It is also one of the fundamental teachings that we must learn and do if we are to stand with Christ.
So, let’s look at this as an introduction and find out the importance of this righteousness by faith.
Key points from reading:
- The whole world, not just the Jews, will be judged by God according to what is in the law
- No person will be considered righteous before God based solely upon keep the law, that is, by doing the works of the law.
- All of mankind has sinned and all mankind needs redemption through faith in Jesus Christ
Discussion:
- Scripture: Romans 3:19
- Even though the law was given to Israel through Moses, it was not meant just for them. The standards that God has placed showing right and wrong, good and evil are contained in the law. This is the minimum standard that all mankind ought to attain to.
- On the Day of Judgement no-one will be able to argue that they did not know right from wrong. They will all be judged by the standard of the law. Built into the minds and spirit of every person is the knowledge of right and wrong. And there are not that many tenets of right and wrong that we need to know. Consider the Ten Commandments. These are just a few, but most people would agree that they are the basis of morality. Even atheists would agree with commandments like, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not lie, honour your parents, and so on. The law is good and it will be the basis of God’s judgement on the world.
- Every person is born under the laws of God, even if they don’t know it. And every person will be held accountable for their actions. If they do right they will be rewarded. But if they do evil they will be punished.
- Scripture: Romans 3:20
- In spite of the goodness of the law and how it shows right and wrong, merely keeping the law will not make anyone righteous in God’s sight.
- Keeping the law and righteousness are not the same thing. To be righteous is to be blameless, sinless, and in the state of mind where you do not and cannot sin. A person who cannot sin therefore cannot break the law.
- But no strength of ability to keep the law will make anyone righteous. This is because keeping the law depends on the will of man. But true righteousness depends upon the will and the grace of God, which He has extended to mankind through Jesus.
- Scripture: Romans 3:21-22
- Look carefully at these words. They are very powerful and not well understood by many Christians
- The righteousness of God is not manifested or made known through keeping the law. It is completely separate from the law. God’s righteousness that He gives to His people comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
- The problem with keeping the law to achieve righteousness is that it is a form of “self-righteousness.” But the true righteousness that is accepted by God is the righteousness that He bestows upon those who believe in Jesus Christ. When we believe and confess that Jesus is our Lord and that God raised Him from the dead, then God declares us righteous. (See Romans 10:9)
- It is by faith that we believe we are righteous when we believe and confess the above. True righteousness has nothing to do with keeping the law. It is all about faith and the grace of God.
- Scripture: Romans 3:23-24
- Here we see the dilemma for all mankind and God’s grace.
- All of mankind from the youngest to the oldest are sinners before they come to Christ. There may well be “good” people, but they are still sinners. And besides, it is only God who can determine if someone is really “good.” Even Jesus did not consider Himself good when compared to God the Father. (See Mark 10:17-18)
- But as the first of these verses show, all mankind has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No one can ever climb back to a sinless state. Once stained by sin, it is a stain that remains until they die.
- And that is where God’s grace and His intervention through faith in Jesus Christ comes in. It is by the grace of God through faith that we are redeemed from sin. God in His infinite love, mercy, compassion, and grace has given us the opportunity to receive the death of Christ as if it were our own death, and to die with Him so that sin is removed forever. He declares us righteous when we believe, and He completes that work when we die with Christ in baptism and are raised as new creations as we take on both His death AND His resurrection. There will be more about this as we move further into Romans.
- Best of all, this righteousness we receive is a free gift from God. You cannot buy it. You cannot work for it. And you cannot receive it by being good or even keeping the works of the law. It is completely separate from the law and is offered only through faith in Jesus Christ and by the grace of God.
- Scripture: Romans 3:25-26
- It is written elsewhere that there is no forgiveness from sin without the shedding of blood. (See Hebrews 9:22). That was certainly the case under the law where blood sacrifices occurred and the sins of the whole nation of Israel were paid on the Day of Atonement through blood sacrifice.
- That same principle extends to the New Covenant, but instead of the blood sacrifices of animals, Jesus died for our sins. This verse shows us that God put forward Jesus to be the expiation, that is, the sacrifice for our sins. It also tells us that we receive the sacrifice that Jesus made for us through faith. When we believe that Jesus died for our sins, God declares us righteous and He passes over our past sins and takes away our sins. (See John 1:29)
- And finally we see the grace of God in action because in Jesus Christ, God justifies those who have faith. That is, if we believe in Jesus, that He died and was resurrected by the power of God, that He died for our sins, and that God now declares us righteous by faith, then we are indeed righteous in God’s eyes. It’s not what we do, it’s not about whether we are keeping the law. It’s all about what we believe.
Key Takeaways:
- Keeping the works of the law will not make anyone righteous. The law is good and we need to do what it says, but it won’t make us righteous.
- Righteousness is now given to those who have faith in God and in Jesus Christ. This is given by the grace of God to those who believe.
- All of mankind has sinned, but God in His grace has offered a path to redemption through faith in Jesus. He has taken our sins away and declared us righteous, and if we are righteous then we are no longer sinners because God took our sins away.
Prayer Points
- Pray for understanding of the righteousness of God that He gives by faith.
- Pray that you can build on these teachings to fully understand God’s righteousness and how the death and resurrection of Christ complete the righteousness that has been already given by God when you believed.
- Pray that through learning these things you can take your walk to the next level.