ROMANS 3:25-31 GOD’S GLORY IN THE CROSS

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

 

The worldly spirit of self-ism is perhaps the major reason most Christians are not aggressive in witnessing to the lost. It is the reason the church, for the most part, is not moving out into the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Christian who is primarily concerned about his own comfort and blessings, even his spiritual blessings, does not have his focus on God. Consequently, his life will not be directed toward fulfilling God’s Great Commission.

In the summer of 1865, Hudson Taylor became tremendously burdened for the land of China. His biographer reports that he also became greatly troubled about the church he was attending in Brighton, England. As he looked around the congregation he saw pew upon pew of prosperous bearded merchants, shopkeepers, visitors; demure wives in bonnets and crinolines, scrubbed children trained to hide their impatience; the atmosphere of smug piety sickened him. He seized his hat and left.

“Unable to bear the sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing in their own security, while millions were perishing for lack of knowledge, I wandered out on the sands alone, in great spiritual agony.” And there on the beach he prayed for “twenty-four willing skillful laborers.” (Stott, p. 24)

Out of that prayer eventually came the China Inland Mission. Due to that ministry and others like it, there are reportedly twenty-five million to perhaps fifty million believers in China today, despite its officially atheistic government.

God could use men such as Henry Martyn and Hudson Taylor because their attention was not focused on their own interests but on God’s.

Salvation is first and foremost a way of glorifying God. The fact that it saves men from hell and gives them eternal life, marvelous and wonderful as that is, is secondary to the glory of God. The cross of Jesus Christ had the most dramatic effect on mankind in^[1]

 The greatest lie in the world, and the lie common to all false religions and cults, is that, by certain works of their own doing, men are able to make themselves acceptable to God. The greatest error in that belief is its sheer impossibility. But the greatest evil of that belief is that it robs God of His glory.

1. His Name
2. Praise Him 19 Times
3. Glorify God 6 Times
4. glory of God 17 times
5. praise of God 2 times
6. praise of His glory 3 times

The cross exalts God through His righteousness

The death of Christ then is for God, it propitiates God, it satisfies God.

Two, it puts His righteousness on display. who believed."

1. The Reasoning by God v27-31

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.

After explaining God’s provided righteousness for sinners, Paul considered five questions (in Gr.) which he anticipated his readers might ask. Two are in verse 27, two in verse 29, and the other in verse 31. The first is, Where, then is boasting? ^[1]

If salvation is through the Law, then men can boast; but the principle of faith makes it impossible for men to boast. The swimmer, when he is saved from drowning, does not brag because he trusted the lifeguard. What else could he do? When a believing sinner is justified by faith, he cannot boast of his faith, but he can boast in a wonderful Savior.^[1]

The cross exalts God through His grace

Everything was designed by God and achieved through Jesus Christ. Therefore, the cross is all grace.

You look at the cross, it's all grace. There's no works there. Verse 24, "Justified as a gift by His grace." It's about faith and grace. It's a gift of grace, all we do is believe. We make no contribution.

28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

V28 Justified by faith... Nothing in my hands I bring, only to thy cross I cling

Ephesians 2:8 and 9, "For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it's a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast."

At the cross His integrity is put on display that He might be glorified.

29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Does God have two standards?

No. Look, if salvation is by faith, if it's by faith that levels everything because even the people who don't have the Law can exercise faith. If the Law is not what saves, then the Jews don't have any advantage in salvation.

V29-30 Prejudice is excluded

Here is Paul's answer to the Jews who might say that is okay for Gentiles since they do not know the law, but not the Jews

The cross puts God's holiness on display

31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

The purpose of the Mosaic Law is fulfilled and its place in God’s total plan is confirmed when it leads an individual to faith in Jesus Christ (cf. v. 20; Gal. 3:23–25). Paul repeatedly affirmed that faith, not works of the Law, is the way of salvation. He wrote the word “faith” eight times in Romans 3:22–31! (See vv. 22, 25–28, 30 [twice], and 31.)^[1]

Ga 3:21-26

Do we then nullify the law through faith?" Because salvation is by faith do we nullify the Law? And the Greek, the strongest negative, "May it never be, no, no, no, no way, impossible, outrageous, on the contrary we establish the Law."

If salvation by faith meant that God didn't care about His Law, He wouldn't be holy, right? All God's Law is is a reflection of His holiness. The cross displays His holiness. How? Because His holiness demands a sacrifice. His holiness demands a payment for the violation of His Law. So it is at the cross where His holiness is satisfied. It is also at the cross where sinners are converted and regenerated so that we can now as new creatures by the power of the Holy Spirit, Romans 8, fulfill the law. We aren't saved to ignore the Law, we are saved to fulfill the Law. And we say with David, "O how I love Your Law." We love the Word, we long to obey.

The Law is on display at the cross. It is the Law that brings you to the cross. The Law was never designed to save, it was designed to show you how sinful you are. It's the Law that brings you there so everyone who is ever saved is affirming the glory of the Law. And being saved you now then affirm the glory of the Law not because it showed you your sin, but now because it shows you how to live and you have the power by the Spirit to live according to the Law. And that all happens because Jesus dies the death the holy Law requires. The law then is confirmed in every way at the cross and therefore the holiness of God is confirmed.

V31 through faith we establish the law. Salvation by grace through faith shows the true importance of the law by

1. Providing a payment for the penalty of sin
2. By fulfilling the law's original purpose which was it was to be a tutor which showed us our inability to keep the law and drive us to Christ
3. It gives us the ability to obey the law

 Up to that time the Jews kept the law out of fear of God, that day is gone. Now we are to keep the law not out of a fear of punishment, but out of love for God and his amazing mercy

Many times we are stopped from doing wrong because of the fear of hurting those we love

Think, sin is not so much breaking God's law as it is breaking God's heart

The cross exalts God four ways: His righteousness, His grace, His consistency, and His law.

Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32

Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 

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