Romans 3:21-26 Amplified Bible
Justification by Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God has been clearly revealed [independently and completely] apart from the Law, though it is [actually] confirmed by the Law and the [words and writings of the] Prophets. 22 This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] [a]grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] [b]sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion]. 26 It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on Him as Savior].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
God’s Justice In Our Savior Jesus
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace.— Romans 3:22-24
So there is no difference.
You, me, people all around the world, family members, coworkers, and all our neighbors—together, we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
None of us is in this alone.
Paul’s intent, though, is not to clarify that sin has a lot of company.
He is setting the stage for what Jesus came to do.
God’s goal from the beginning, when sin first entered the picture, was not just to judge us; nor was it just to rescue us from eternal punishment.
God’s goal has always been to get us back with him.
But for that to happen, there needs to be a sacrifice, which we can’t provide.
And there is no difference: whenever we live, whoever we are and wherever we live, we all need Jesus to be that one and only sacrifice of atonement for us.
Sometimes we lose sight of why God had things go this way.
A philosopher once suggested that it’s really not a big deal; God ultimately has to forgive us because that’s his job as God.
But God wants us to understand that Jesus’ sacrifice is not just some neat and ultra dramatic, ultra manipulative “love gesture.”
It is a big deal because as God, his job is also to be just.
The difference is that God gives us His only Son Jesus—because his goal is not his job.
God’s goal is us.
2 Peter 3:8-9 Amplified Bible
8 Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. 9 The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
God’s Goal: We Should Know Him as He Knows Us.
If you have ever felt depressed, ashamed, condemned, forgotten, or alone, or forsaken or abandoned or homeless, then you understand what sin feels like.
In our fallen world, sin is intricately woven into the fabric of what it means to be human, and even without a theological definition, all of us can recognize it.
We recognize the sorrow and emptiness of sin every day.
Sin is not just about ‘doing bad things’:
sin corrupts who we are created to be and separates us from the relationship with God we are designed to know and love.
The Painful Roots of Sin.
Romans 3:22-23 Amplified Bible
22 This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God,
The truth is that we are all born sinful – each and every one of us – and within our own power we have no means to escape our sin.
We can never ‘be good enough’ to shake the curse of sin.
As Paul writes in Romans 3, there is not a single person who is righteous on their own, nor can anyone even say that they are ‘a good person’ (Romans 3:11-12).
Nothing we can think, do, or say will free us from sin.
This seems harsh, but any parent knows what this looks like.
No child has to be taught how to lie.
No child needs to be taught selfishness, greed, or anger.
Left to our own devices, we all come by these emotions naturally and must be diligently taught how to avoid them.
This is the nature of sin at work within us.
The Glory of God
Fortunately, this is not where things must end!
Sin entangles itself into every aspect of who we are, leading to hopelessness, until we understand that there is a way to be cleansed of it.
This is the good news!
We do not have to live in the shame and pain of sin!
Leading up to this assertion of sin, Paul wrote “our unrighteousness” serves a purpose, as it “serves to show the righteousness of God” (Romans 3:5).
Our sinful nature is not who we are designed to be, nor is it where we are designed to stay.
The fact we cannot make ourselves ‘good’ only serves as proof that God alone is good, that through Him, we can have everything that sin holds us away from!
Sin reveals a sharp contrast between the love of God and the evil of the world.
In accepting His grace and forgiveness we see His truth and beauty tear down the lies of sin.
Redemption in Christ Jesus
Romans 3:24 Amplified Bible
24 and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] [a]grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,
It sounds silly, but when I see the word ‘redemption’, I often think of …coupons.
Whether you find them online, in a mailer, or even if you still bust out the scissors and clip them from the newspaper, all coupons state what it is to be redeemed, and where this redeeming can take place.
When you ‘redeem’ an item with a coupon, you pay less (or sometimes nothing) for that particular product.
The important thing is that the price and value of the product have not changed.
The retail price is still the retail price.
But when you walk to the checkout counter and hand over that coupon, you do not pay that price because it has already been paid for you.
The coupon is a gift that just needs to be acted upon.
The entirety of scripture is filled with accounts of God’s redemptive work among us, a redemption that we cannot ever possibly earn enough to pay for ourselves.
Not even close!
Our redemption is a gift of God’s grace alone.
Our eternal worth in Christ is not something we could ever afford to pay, but the price is already paid through Christ’s redemption on the cross.
It is for us to simply accept this redemption of our souls.
When we learn to embrace and proclaim this truth, we find the freedom we cannot even imagine any other way.
Justified by God
Even once we have accepted His infinite grace, can we truly be justified before God?
We may often ask ourselves this question, as many have asked it for generations before us.
Throughout scripture we see the question written ‘in between the lines.’
In Ecclesiastes 3:16, King Solomon clearly states the difficulty in finding justice in the world, saying “in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness”.
We humans regularly fail to define and determine justice.
True justice is found only in and only from God.
The justice he offers us through his redemption is completely unmerited and unrestrained by anything we consider ‘just’.
The good news of the gospel is that we who are guilty before him can be justified, the price of redemption has been paid, and God’s justice satisfied.
The Gift of Grace
Earlier in Romans 3, Paul drives home the fact that we are all sinners deserving of God’s wrath, but he doesn’t end the discussion there!
He continues on into verse 24 with the truth that we are justified through the gift of grace!
Paul, in his letter to Titus echoes this thought, as he writes, “being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7).
Through this gift of God’s grace, we are justified, made clean, made Holy, and given the opportunity to share this grace with those around us.
Our freedom in Christ springs from the fact His grace is free, His justification is final, and His redemption is complete.
Through His holiness alone, through His righteousness alone, we are each free to live for Him, unhindered by shame and guilt, strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, and equipped to do what only He can do in and through us.
The Greatness of God’s Grace Is Reflected in Our Salvation from Sin.
To God, and God alone, be the glory for His matchless, infinite grace!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a righteous God and that You chose to redeem mankind by means of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You that I have been imputed with righteous – even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ and that all who trust in Him for salvation will also be declared righteous, through time and into eternity. Heavenly Father, your justice is real, because you have given your Son, Jesus, to die in my place, paying the price for my sin. Thank you that through the sacrifice of Christ I may know freedom from my sins, to live in your love alone as my Father in heaven. in Jesus name, AMEN
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 