City Life Starter

I. The Word: Romans 3:21-26

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

II. Reflection Questions:

1. Have you allowed yourself to experience the joy of Christ’s finished work on the cross?
2. When you sin, are you quick to repent because you recognize that Christ has paid your debt, or do you hold onto the sin until you “feel better?”
3. Do you pray and worship with freedom as someone in right standing with God or do you still feel as if you owe God something?

Paul turns a corner here from his previous words by starting, in verse 21, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” He’s stating now that the righteousness of God is available for all who believe. He continues by saying in verse 23 that no one can stake a claim to this righteousness based on his or her own obedience because ALL have sinned and fallen short of what God demands morally. Not only are they righteous, in right standing with God through faith, but are now also justified. This justification is a legal term declaring them not guilty by the divine judge. 

Imagine standing in a courtroom with all the evidence of immorality of your life. This evidence is not being weighed to see if your good deeds out weigh your bad ones. One bad deed causes an immediate guilty verdict. As everything is being read allowed, Jesus stands up and says, “I’ll pay for his or her sins and in replace give them my record.” Jesus’ record happens to be perfect. You are now acquitted of all charges and are immediately  in right standing with the court. That sense of freedom is the amazing grace we all need and is given by faith in Christ’s death and resurrection.

In verse 35 Paul tells us Jesus’ blood propitiated or satisfied God’s wrath (1:18), so that His holiness was not compromised in forgiving sinners.  Some say, “Why couldn’t God just wipe it away? Why couldn’t he just destroy all evil?” The answer is if He did just destroy evil He would have to destroy us in the process because of the evil in us. Everyone would be destroyed in the process. He couldn’t just swipe His hands and remove our sins with a flick of the wrist. That would also trivialize the effect of this virus of sin that spread across the world to destroy everything it touched by the disobedience of Adam and Eve as well as everyone since the fall. God’s wrath had to be appeased and it was through His son Jesus.

Finally in verse 26 Paul states that God has shown himself to be just (utterly holy, so that the penalty demanded by the law is not removed but paid for by Christ) but also the justifier (the one who provides the means of justification and who declares people to be in right standing with himself) and the Savior of all those who trust in Jesus. Here is the heart of the Christian faith, for at the cross God’s justice and love meet perfectly.