THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS #11

Romans 3 contains Paul's central teaching on the gift of righteousness, or as he sometimes calls it, justification.

In this chapter we are told:

• No one is righteous ' 3:10
• No one will be declared righteous in God's sight by keeping the law ' 3:20
• God has made known a righteousness that is apart from law ' 3:21, 28
• This righteousness is from God ' 3:21
• This righteousness was proclaimed by the Old Testament ' 3:21
• This righteousness from God comes by faith in Jesus Christ ' 3:22
• It is given equally to all who believe ' 3:22
• It is given freely ' 3:24,
• It is given by God's grace ' 3:24
• It is given through the liberation from sin's just penalty that is achieved by the substitutionary death of Christ ' 3:24-25
• This righteousness/justification satisfies God's justice ' 3:25-26
• This righteousness/justification upholds God's law ' 3:31
• In addition, this righteousness, this justification, rules out all human boasting ' 3:27
• This righteousness, this justification, rules out all religious superiority ' 3:29-30

This is the 'justification by faith' which was the catch-cry of the Reformation of the sixteenth century. It is this same justification by faith, this same gift of righteousness, that needs to be rediscovered, reclaimed and reaffirmed by contemporary Christianity ' to over-ride and eradicate the impoverished, performance-based spirituality that holds far too many Christians in continuing bondage to guilt, to condemnation and to despair.

God has declared us 'not guilty' because of Christ. Let us not receive this grace in vain.

Scriptures: Romans 3:10,20-31; 2 Corinthians 6:1