Romans 3:21-31 Lesson 290

Romans 3:21-31
Lesson 290

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

An important passage.

Righteousness of faith.
How do we get to heaven?
Good news, Jesus took our punishment (Romans 3:24-25).

It is God's grace and not our deeds that "justifies" us.
What is justification?

Jesus took our punishment (3:24-25).

Study Tip:

Don't forget to read the Margin Notes in blue and click on the links.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Romans

The King James Bible

Romans 3:21-31
Forgiveness through faith

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Margin notes:

"Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested." (3:21) - "Now the way to salvation, without the (Mosaic) Law is revealed."  Salvation doesn’t come by following the Mosaic Law. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9-10). Jesus showed us a different way to heaven.

"Witnessed by the law and the prophets." (3:21) - "Promised by the Law and the prophets" (Romans 1:2).

"For there is no difference." (3:22) - There is no difference between Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, black, white or Asian, "we are all one in Christ" (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). We have all sinned and are made right by our faith in Jesus.

"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (3:23) - This is the central message of the entire New Testament. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's standards. On our own, we can never be what God wants us to be, His glory, His splendor, His triumph (Genesis 1:26-28).

"Justified." (3:24) - To be justified is to be made right, forgiven, redeemed, and to be set free from the bondage of sin. We are justified, not by our deeds or by obeying the Mosaic Law (Philippians 3:9), but by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 1:17; 3:23-29; Galatians 2:16). Being justified means we are spared our punishment and "have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1), who suffered the penalty for our sins (Isaiah 53:11; Ephesians 1:7).  By being justified, we are entitled to all the heavenly honors and rewards that come with being in total obedience to the Mosaic Law (Romans 5:1-10). Our good deeds do not justify us but are the results of our justification.

"Grace." (3:24) - God's unearned gift of salvation to mankind through Jesus Christ. This gift is given freely out of God's infinite love, mercy, unmerited favor, goodness, and goodwill. Accepting God's grace frees us from the penalty of sin and reconciles us with God (Romans 3:23-24; 5:1-21; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Hebrews 9:28). This gift came with no strings attached and was offered with the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Thanks to God's grace, we no longer live under the merit system. Since the crucifixion, salvation does not depend on our works, religious practices, rituals, feasts, or keeping the Sabbath, etc. (Romans 6:14). Salvation depends upon receiving Jesus (John 1:12-13; 3:36; 5;24; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 5:10-12). We are saved or lost in this dispensation because we receive or reject Jesus. Good works have nothing to do with salvation. Good works are the fruit of salvation.

"Redemption." (3:24) - Means salvation, deliverance, liberation, or emancipation. Those who are redeemed (freed) are spared the penalty of their sins by faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross (Romans 3:21-22). We are saved because Christ paid our ransom (Mark 10:45; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Timothy 2:6; 1 Peter 1:18-19). For this reason, Jesus Christ is called the redeemer.

"A propitiation." (3:25) - "A conciliator." Jesus Christ is the conciliator between mankind and God (Leviticus 16:10; 1 John 4:10).  Through faith in Jesus, God forgives our sins (1 John 2:2).

"His blood." (3:25) - In the Old Testament, Jews atoned for their sins by sacrificing the blood of animals (Leviticus 16:11-22).  That sacrificial system was made null and void when Jesus sacrificed His blood on the cross. No other sacrifice is necessary. All we need to do is accept the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf.  God won't reject anyone who accepts Jesus as their savior.

"Where is boasting." (3:27) - Our salvation is a gift. We have not earned it because we live perfect lives or our good works, so we have no reason to boast (1 Corinthians 1:29; Ephesians 2:9).

"It is one God, which shall justify the... uncircumcision through faith." (3:30) - The God of the Jews saves non-Jews if they believe in Jesus (Galatians 3:8).

"Do we then make void the law through faith?" (3:31) - Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law (10:4).

New Living Translation

Romans 3:21-31
Christ Took Our Punishment

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.

22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.

24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,

26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.

28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is.

30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.

31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. What is the point of this segment?

"Prayer is not merely an occasional impulse to which we respond when we are in trouble, prayer is a life attitude."

Walter A. Mueller

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. After Paul's dour commentary on the sinfulness of man (lessons 286-289), he now gives us the good news. There is hope for humanity, and that hope is Jesus Christ, the last sacrifice needed to atone for our sins (1 Peter 2:24). While on the cross, Jesus paid the price for our salvation, and He did it as a gift to mankind. All we need to do is trust Christ and accept the gift (3:25; Ephesians 2:8-10).

Application thought for the day:

We are all equal in God's eyes (3:22). The greatest gift you can give yourself is to put the precepts of this lesson to work in your life.

"We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God; we must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest blessing spiritually is the knowledge that we are destitute; until we get there Our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us if we think we are sufficient of ourselves; we have to enter into His Kingdom through the door of destitution. As long as we are rich, possessed of anything in the way of pride or independence, God cannot do anything for us. It is only when we get hungry spiritually that we receive the Holy Spirit."

("My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio)

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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