Grace Faith Works (Romans 3:19-31)

November 3, 2019

I have been choosing some texts that I consider to be foundational for our understanding of the Bible. There are several texts I could go to and many ideas that I could present before you that fall into that category, but what I want to study with you during this lesson is something that has helped me enormously with my spiritual growth. We are going to look at Romans 3 to better understand the meaning of these three words: grace, faith, and works. When I first became a Christian, I was perplexed about these three things. I didn’t know that I was confused about them, but eventually, I started talking to other people about the Bible. They would ask me difficult questions. They would point out that I was acting self-righteous. They would say that I was trying to tell them what to do or not do when I had flaws in my character that they could point out to me.

Eventually, I became extremely discouraged, and I realized that I did not know enough to teach anyone else. I decided it would be best to study for myself and develop my understanding before I shared what I knew with anyone. If I did have an opportunity to teach someone, I would tell them that I’m still trying to figure all of this out. After spending three years studying and trying to explain the book of Romans, I still have questions about this book. Romans is a deep and complicated book that answered a lot of problems for me. Today I would like for us to look at one section that explains the gospel in a way that helped me a lot, and I hope it will help you as well.

Failure (Romans 1-3:18)

To understand the section, you have to follow some initial thoughts that we find in the first two chapters. In the first two chapters, Paul has described all of the Old Testament in a very practical way. He describes humanity’s failure to be righteous and give God the glory that he deserves.

Romans 1:22--23 (ESV) --- 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Romans 1:32 (ESV) --- 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Man has decided that they can do whatever they want and get away with it. In Chapter 1, he points to all kinds of evil things that some of us have done: envy, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossiping, slandering, boastful. The list is long. It goes on to say that some of us have become murderers, haters of God, and even inventors of evil. Mankind has utterly failed to become what they were created to be. We were made in the image of God, but we took advantage of God’s kindness toward us and did what we wanted to do.

In Chapter 2, he says that all of those who do evil will receive what they deserve. This is very important for what we are about to study.

Romans 2:6--13 (ESV) --- 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality. 12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

So God is going to judge everyone who does good by giving them eternal life, and everyone who is “self-seeking” wrath and fury. He says that we must all do what the law says to be justified. That word justified is giving us a court scene. The image is of us all standing before God in a court of law. As a Jew, all of the law stands as your persecutor. He compares the law to a detailed account of every action or every thought in your life. As a Gentile, there has been an invisible tape recorder around your neck for your entire life. That recorder has all of the words you have said or thought. Your beliefs are revealed for everyone to see. The persecutor has that recorder. Do you think anyone of us will be able to stand before the judge having never broken a single law? This judgment determines whether you get to stand in the presence of God for all eternity. If you are justified, you get in. But if we break one law, we don’t get to live with God. We have fallen short.

A lot of the Jews would look at that, thinking that they are probably okay. The Jews were given an advantage with the Law of Moses. They had a much closer relationship with God, and their ancestors found a way to please God. But Paul goes on to say that some Gentiles would stand justified before the Jews would. In Chapter 3, Paul compiles several Psalms that condemn the Jews for being just as unrighteous and sinful. There is not one person who truly stands justified before God (3:10-12).

This is all sad news. It seems like Paul is extra strict and judgmental. There is not a whole lot of people today who would say that every “good person” they know is a failure when they stand before God on the judgment day. We all like to think that having the good outweigh the bad makes us good people. But Paul seems to say that no one, not even the best of us, is seeking after God and trying to glorify him. How many good people do we know who do good to glorify themselves?

Works (Romans 3:19-20)

Romans 3:19--20 (ESV) --- 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Now, Paul says that God provided the Jews with the law to help mankind see that they are sinners. When we look at the Law of Moses, we see God commanding his people to keep every single part of the law. He intends for them to maintain perfect righteousness in accordance with the law to be God’s people and experience the blessings that he would provide them. It’s kind of comical to read in Exodus as Moses is descending from the mountain with the ten commandments in his hand, the people have already complete rebelled against the Lord. This is a repeated cycle that we see in these books of Exodus through Kings. They agree to all the terms of the covenant, saying that they will obey everything that the Lord has commanded them. But they never actually keep the law. We wonder, along with the prophets in the Old Testament, why God allows them to continue living after they have failed like that. Why doesn’t God wipe them out as he promised? Is God just if he will enable men like David to be forgiven? Honestly, there is not one person in the Old Testament who keeps that law perfectly. I’m sure some men are closer than others, but it is safe to say not one of them was perfect. We look at the law, thinking that it was given so that man could become righteous before God. But Paul says that the purpose of the law is to show us our sin.

He says the law was given so that, “Every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight.” Am I any closer to being like God than you? Maybe I am, but does that matter? Does that make me able to open my mouth to defend myself when the prosecution lays its case before the judge? It does not help me at all in our courts to say, “I only stole something; it’s not like I killed anyone.” Nor does it help if I say, “Yes, your honor, I stole something, but I also gave someone five dollars.”

This is what Paul often means when he speaks of the works of the law. They do not remove our sins. They do not make up for our failures. There is not one righteous deed we can do that will remove the wrong we have done.

Grace and the Righteousness of God (Romans 3:21-26)

Romans 3:21--24 (ESV) --- 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--- 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Finally, we get to the good news. This is the gospel that we have been waiting for three Chapters to hear about. He says, “The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law.” This means that God has done something beyond giving the law. He has given something else. The law was the initial act of God that had to happen before God could reveal his righteousness.

For over 1000 years, God has been allowing evil to happen without immediately wiping out his people. Every time that they return to God, he takes them back and blesses them. Can you imagine the devil’s response to God taking the people like David and Manasseh back? These guys were horrible sinners who turned away from God and caused many people to sin. Eventually, they changed, turning away from evil and lived faithfully to God. I imagine there were a lot of questions going on in heaven. How can God do that and still be just? How can he let the sinner go free like that? The Psalmist asks this question in Psalm 73. The prophet Habakkuk also struggled with this in his little prophecy. He asks, “How can God maintain justice while letting evil spread?” Then he asks, “How can God judge the evil in Israel with a worse nation, Babylon?”

Now, God makes it all clear. He had a plan in place before the beginning of time that he spoke to Habakkuk, “The just shall live by faith.” This is quoted in Romans 1:17. God is saying that he is faithful to the promises made to Adam and Abraham. He will bless mankind by creating people who are redeemed from the curse of their sin. Although every man has fallen short of God’s glory and continues to do so, God will justify them freely. God will forgive them of their sins by paying the redemption price in Jesus.

Romans 3:25--26 (ESV) --- 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God put Jesus forward as the propitiation. Many people don’t know what this word means. Many have ascribed it a meaning based on theology rather than on its common usage in the Greek. This word is also translated in other texts as “mercy seat.” Some English translations, the NET and the NRSV, translate it as mercy seat and as the atoning sacrifice. This idea correctly reflects what is going on in the text. Jesus has become the location where the redemption price was paid. Once a year, the priest would come into the Most Holy place to offer a sacrifice that atones for the people’s sin. Jesus entered once into heaven and offered his blood for all time (Heb 8-10). The sacrifice of Jesus has provided access to all who would have faith.

This provision of God demonstrates his righteousness. He forgave so many who repented in the Old Testament. He chooses to forgive so many in the New Testament and even today. God is not unjust. He is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ.

What a marvelous God we serve! He has helped us see our sin, and he has made a way for us to be forgiven of our sin. He requires us to turn away from the sinful life and turn to God in humble submission.

Faith and Works (Romans 3:27-31)

Paul will continue to describe what this means in the following chapters, but I think it would be best for us to see one more thing before we close. Why does God forgive those who have faith instead of those who do works of the law?

Romans 3:27--31 (ESV) --- 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one---who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Boasting is the reason God chooses the one with faith. The one who turns back to God after seeing their sin has no ground to stand on. They know that they are entirely unworthy of being in the presence of God, and they have no grounds to boast. Their pride and arrogance are deflated. This is the type of person that God can work with to glorify his name. It doesn’t matter if they are Jew or Gentile. God can forgive them for their sins and bring himself glory and honor. This reminds me of the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. Remember how the Publican (tax collector) prays with humility asking for forgiveness while the Pharisee says, “Thanks for not making me like that man!” Jesus said that the tax collector goes home justified rather than the other.

The final verse may throw us off, but Paul is trying to answer a common argument that would come up over the idea that we are not justified by keeping the law. It is the same idea that we find in a more popular verse in 6:1, “Shall we go on sinning that grace may abound.” There was a fear that being forgiven because of faith would result in lawlessness, but Paul points to the opposite being true. Faith upholds the law. By faith, we become obedient beyond what we could have ever become under the law alone. Now we do God’s will from our hearts. We submit to every command because we love God, and we recognize how gracious he has become to us. Works of righteousness are the fruit of a heart that loves God and wants to do his will.

Conclusion

Maybe in hearing all of this, you have come to realize your sin. Perhaps you know that you are not ready to stand before God in judgment. All of those who come to God in humble submission will be forgiven. God has divine forbearance. He can forgive the greatest of sinners. He wants to forgive all of us, but he cannot be just and justify those who continue to live a rebellious life. Will you submit to him? Will you confess your faith, repent of your sins, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins?