I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Previously, we considered Paul’s declarations that the Gentiles had corrupted themselves by rejecting God (Rom. 1:18-32) and that the Jews were also guilty of sin (Rom. 2:1-3:8).

B.      Now, as we conclude this section of the epistle that proclaims the universal need for salvation in Jesus, we will see that Paul contrasted the sin of man with the righteousness of God (Rom. 3:9-31).

II.      THE SIN OF MAN

A.      After having exposed the sins of both the Gentiles and the Jews, Paul gave a final explanation of their equal standing before God (Rom. 3:9-18).

                                                             1.      In Romans 3:1-2, Paul had written that the Jews had an advantage because they had the “oracles of God,” which were the Law and the Prophets.  However, this did not make the Jews superior to the Gentiles, for “both Jews and Gentiles are under sin” (v. 9).

                                                             2.      Verses 10-18 are quotations from the Psalms (in order – 14:1-3; 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; 36:1).  These quotations show what the Jews and the Gentiles had accomplished by following their own ways, which is complete abandonment of God and descent into sin.

                                                             3.      As a result, there is no difference in the eyes of God between Jews and Gentiles, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

B.      In Romans 3:19-20, Paul addressed the Jews’ source of pride and hope, which was the Law of Moses.

                                                             1.      The Jews believed that they had received a special exemption from the punishment for sin because they had the Law of Moses.  By doing the works of the Law, they believed that they could justify themselves.

                                                             2.      Paul corrected that belief by telling the Jews that the Law made them accountable for sin to God rather than exempt from His judgment.

a.       This is because the Law gave the knowledge of sin.  When the Jews violated the Law, they were subject to punishment according to the Law.

b.       Further, the Jews could not justify themselves (make themselves right) by performing works of the Law, for it was impossible for those works to bring justification.  The Law had no provisions for forgiveness or justification.

III.   THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

A.      Notice that there are two different senses in which the righteousness of God is used in Romans 3:21-31.

                                                             1.      Verses 21 and 22 describe the righteousness that is by God through the gospel.  This is the righteousness than we can have through faith in Christ Jesus (see Rom. 1:16-17).

                                                             2.      Verses 25 and 26 describe God’s personal righteousness that was demonstrated through the cross.

B.      The righteousness of God (i.e. righteousness by God through faith in Christ) is separate from the Law of Moses, but the Law and the Prophets do bear witness of it (Rom. 3:21).

                                                             1.      This is a clear statement by Paul of the distinction between the Law of Moses and the gospel of Christ.

a.       One does not have to abide by any part of the Law of Moses in order to be saved in Christ.  Circumcision, Sabbath keeping, and other Jewish customs were excluded from Christ’s gospel.

b.       Those who attempt to bind certain practices on Christians today strictly based on the authority of the Law of Moses are violating the distinction that God made.

                                                             2.      Even though the Law of Moses and the gospel of Christ are distinct, Christians still find great instruction and value by studying the Old Testament, for it bears witness to the gospel.  See John 5:39-47.

a.       In Romans 15:4, Paul wrote, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.”

b.       The New Testament would not be understandable without the Old Testament.

i.         It has been said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

ii.        Together, the two testaments form the complete and perfect word of God.

C.      This righteousness by God is for all who believe, both Jews and Gentiles (Rom. 3:22-24).

                                                             1.      These verses echo the thoughts of Romans 1:16-17 and summarize all that Paul wrote from 1:18 to 3:20.  The message is that all have likewise sinned and that all can likewise be saved in Christ.

                                                             2.      Notice that whereas Paul wrote that no flesh would be justified in God’s sight by the works of the Law (v. 20), here he wrote that believers are justified as a gift of God by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ.

D.      The cross of Christ demonstrated God’s own righteousness in that it allowed Him to have mercy on sinners and still receive atonement for their sins (Rom. 3:25-26).

                                                             1.      If we should ever wonder why God chose the cross of Christ as His means to redeem us, these verses tell us.  The cross was an explicit demonstration of God’s righteousness.

a.       Christ’s blood was a propitiation for our sins, which means that His blood was the appeasement and satisfaction for the penalty we incurred by sinning.

b.       God’s righteousness and justice demand that every sin against Him must receive a just penalty, and the “wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).  Jesus paid that penalty for us with His own blood.

                                                             2.      Whereas God had forbearingly overlooked sins for a time, at last He righteously exacted the penalty for sins by sacrificing His Son as the propitiation for sins.  Therefore, no one can accuse God of unrighteousness in allowing sin to go unpunished.

                                                             3.      In the cross, God was just (right) in punishing sins vicariously through Christ, and at the same time He became the justifier of sinners by making them right through faith in Christ.

E.       Therefore, no one has a right to boast of his own righteousness, for one can only be made righteous through faith in Christ (Rom. 3:27-31).

                                                             1.      As stated in verse 24, justification is a gift of God.  No one has any cause for boasting over the receipt of a gift, for he has not done anything to merit that gift.

                                                             2.      Also, justification is not the result of a law of works, but a law of faith (vv. 27-28).

a.       There are no works that one can do to save himself.  If there were, then the cross of Christ would not have been necessary.

b.       Later, in Romans 9:30-33, we will see that the Jews failed to obtain righteousness because they pursued it through works rather than faith.

                                                             3.      Because God justifies both the Jews and the Gentiles in the same way, He is the God of them both (vv. 29-30).

a.       If the Jews thought that God was theirs exclusively because they had the Law, they were mistaken.  In fact, the Law and the Prophets declared that the Gentiles would be a part of God’s kingdom (see Hos. 1:10; 2:23; Rom. 9:25-26).

b.       The truth was that God had determined to justify both Jews and Gentiles by the law of faith, which they both now had, and not by the law of works, which only the Jews had.

                                                             4.      Finally, Paul anticipated another objection by the Jews in verse 31, which he also answered.

a.       The Jews might have objected that justification by faith nullified the Law of Moses, but Paul counteracts that complaint by pointing out that the gospel of faith established the Law.

b.       This is in harmony with the teachings of the Lord regarding His purpose in fulfilling the Law of Moses and not destroying it (Matt. 5:17; Eph. 2:15).

c.        Also, recall that verse 21 said that the Law and the Prophets gave witness to the gospel of Christ (the righteousness of God).  If the gospel of Christ had not been given, then the witness of the Law and the Prophets would be left unfulfilled, making them false witnesses.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      At the conclusion of Romans chapter 3, Paul had well demonstrated that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  This established the need that the gospel served to satisfy.

B.      In the next chapter, Paul will begin to establish how we are to take hold of the provisions that God has provided through faith in Christ by looking at the example of Abraham’s life of faith.