EXPOSITORY SERMON: ROMANS 3:21 - 4:25

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Up to this point, Paul has been showing that all men have sinned and are in need of salvation. He will now set out to explain how a man can be saved.

B. Salvation according to Paul comes through justification by faith. No man has the power to justify himself, it is an act of God. But to attain this justification a man must have faith.

C. In this lesson Paul will use two ways to demonstrate how God can declare a sinful man righteous. First, he will explain justification by faith, then he will use the life of Abraham as an example of justification by faith.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Justification Explained (3:21-31) - God has been revealing this righteousness to men through the ages prior to the Gospel of Christ. The Law of Moses, His judgments against sin, His appeal through the prophets, His blessings on the obedient. In this section Paul will describe the characteristics of righteousness under the gospel.

1. Apart from the Law (21) - Under the Law righteousness was gauged by a man's behavior, but under the gospel belief is the gauge. Indeed the Law was a witness to God's righteousness, but only through Jesus Christ could it be provided to sinful men (Gal. 2:21).

2. Through faith in Jesus Christ (22a) - The Christian must trust Christ. The righteousness of the gospel is gift from God, through faith. Just saying" I believe in Christ" is not enough faith to save you. Even the demons have that much faith (Jas. 2:19).

3. For all men (28b-23) - because all men need to be saved. Jew and Gentile alike.

4. By grace (24) - 1Jn. 4:8 tells us "God is love." He relates that love to you and me by His grace and His mercy. When a man is saved he is receiving something he does not deserve.

5. At a great cost to God (24b-25) - There are three words that express the price God paid for our salvation: propitiation, redemption, and blood. What does this have to do with making a sinful man righteous? To redeem a sinful man, his sins must be paid for. The ransom to free sinful man from the bonds of his sin is blood, the blood of Jesus Christ.

6. In perfect justice (25-26) - How can a perfect God forgive sinners on the one hand and punish sin as perfect justice demands? The perfect sacrifice of His son provides for both.

7. To establish the Law (27-31) - In one sense everyone from Adam to John the Baptist and every covenant God has made with man from Adam and Eve to the Law of Moses was looking forward to the Messiah. When He came and sacrificed Himself for everyone, this indeed established the Law of Moses and every other law made between God and man.

B. Justification Illustrated (4:1-25) - Paul will use the next five chapters (4-8) to explain how this plan of salvation is in harmony with the Old Testament scriptures. He begins with Abraham. In chapter 4 Paul will show three important facts concerning the righteousness of Abraham to prove his spiritual life is a pattern for those of us under the gospel dispensation.

1. He was justified by his faith (1-8) - Not his works.
a. First witness: Moses (Gen. 15:8) - But his faith included belief and works directed by God (Jas. 2:14-28, see especially 21-23).
b. Second witness: David (Ps. 32:1,2) - Righteousness comes to the man with forgiven sins. To have our faith accounted for righteousness we must be in a right relationship with God by having our sins forgiven.

2. He was justified by God's grace, not the Law of Moses (9-17).
a. Prior to circumcision - the events of Gen. 15 occurred 14 years before Abraham's circumcision.
b. Prior to the Law of Moses - The law was given by Moses long after Abraham not to save men, but show men they needed salvation.
c. Since Abraham was obedient to God's wishes, thus demonstrating his faith in God, and causing his faith to be accounted to him for righteousness. As Abraham did not earn the promises given to him by God, neither can we earn God's promise to us. Only by the grace of God!
d. Paul sees the fulfillment of Gen. 17:5 in the fact that Abraham is the spiritual father of many nations.

3. He was justified by resurrection power, not by human effort (18-25).

a. God allowed Abraham and Sarah to decline physically before allowing them the miraculous birth of Isaac. Even in his old age Abraham continued to be faithful. His faith was not a one-shot "I believe you Lord," but a continuous, progressive, growing faith.
b. When Isaac was born, it was God at work. Today we must realize that God does the majority of the work in our salvation. When we admit our lost condition, repent of our sinful ways, confess Christ before men and are baptized for remission of sins, only then will God work in our lives.
c. The gospel provides this power unto salvation (1:16) because of the resurrection of Christ from the dead (10:9,10).

III. CONCLUSION

A. There is only one plan revealed to the world by which sinners can be made righteous, the gospel.

B. The righteousness spoken of in the gospel can be attained by forgiveness of sins. But, forgiveness of sins can only come through the grace of God. No man is perfect and therefore no man can merit his salvation.

C. Salvation by grace through faith is open to all, both Jew and Gentile. All believers are heirs to the promises made to Abraham. Since Abraham was justified by faith without the Law of Moses, so Christians are likewise justified without the Law of Moses.