Justified by Faith / Romans 3:21-31

The Courtroom of Romans

Well, church, it is good to see you here this evening. Do me a favor, if you would: turn to the book of Romans, chapter three. We’re going to be starting in verse 21. As you’re turning there, let me just say that if you’re a guest among us, you’ve joined us three weeks into a study of the book of Romans. This is probably one of the most significant books in your entire Bible when it comes to the issue of salvation and how we obtain the righteousness of God found in Jesus Christ.

Here is how you have to view this: when you’re reading through Romans, you need to read it as if you’re in a courtroom and a trial is going on. The people on the stand—the ones on trial—are you and I. Over the past couple of weeks, the apostle Paul has been arguing that within ourselves, we do not possess a righteousness of our own that would warrant us standing in the presence of a holy God. Because of our sin and rebellion, we are condemned. We have been eternally separated from God, under His wrath and judgment.

As we’ve gone through these first few chapters, it has felt like the prosecution has just come full-on after us. I don’t know about you, but it’s felt like body blows—getting hit one after the other. Every time we try to make a defense for ourselves—saying, “Wait a minute, I believe the Ten Commandments,” or “I grew up in a Christian home,” or “I go to church”—the prosecution presents new evidence that mounts against us. Paul has brought the witness of our own conscience, the witness of the Law, and finally, he called God Himself to the stand to testify against us. By the time you get to chapter three, verse 20, a sense of despair sets in. If I don’t have a righteousness of my own to bring about salvation, where is it going to come from?

Romans 3:20 (NASB)

because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law [comes] the knowledge of sin.

If the Bible ended right there, we would all be in trouble. We would all need massive counseling. But praise God, there is a verse 21. In verse 21, an unlikely defense attorney stands up on your behalf and presents new evidence that turns the case upside down. I want to show you what I believe—and I say this unashamedly—are the most important eleven verses in your entire Bible. Charles Spurgeon once said that if you get these eleven verses, you get the entire Bible. If the terrorists were coming after you and you only had one second to grab one page out of your Bible, this is the page you’d grab. If you can understand and believe this text, it has the power to bring you from death to life.

A Righteousness Apart from the Law

We are asking the question: where is this righteousness going to come from? We need a righteousness that isn’t our own. Paul starts by telling us where it is not going to come from. After two weeks of pelting us with the condemnation of our depravity, he says this righteousness comes apart from the Law.

Romans 3:21 (NASB)

But now apart from the Law [the] righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

In other words, whatever Paul is about to say concerning salvation, it isn’t your obedience to the Ten Commandments that’s going to save you. It’s not your own morality or your works. The Law of God is a ladder that none of us have the ability to climb. Instead, out of His wonderful grace, God comes down. This righteousness has been “manifested” or revealed. We didn’t go looking for it; we didn’t earn it. It is bestowed upon us. Something—or someone—outside of ourselves is giving us this righteousness.

Now, if you were a Jew reading this, you might think, “Wait a minute. I thought God gave us the commandments and told us to do them so we would live? Are you saying salvation has nothing to do with our performance?” Paul says that is exactly right. The role of the Law and the Prophets was simply to bear witness to this righteousness.

When God gave the Law to Israel, He never gave it so we would look at it and say, “Oh, I think I can do this.” Quite the opposite. He gave the Law to show us our sin—to show us that we can’t do it. Your Old Testament served to bear witness that you need a righteousness outside of your own. Every prophet, from Genesis to Malachi, was pointing to the Savior who was coming. Think about the Transfiguration: when Jesus’ glory was displayed, who was standing there? Moses and Elijah. Moses represented the Law, and Elijah represented the Prophets. Both were standing there testifying that Jesus Christ is God’s provision for the righteousness we need.

Received by Faith

So, if this righteousness is outside of us, how is it received? Paul tells us it comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Romans 3:22 (NASB)

even [the] righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;

This righteousness is received by trusting in someone other than ourselves. That act of trust is faith. Faith is what you do when you can do nothing else. Faith is when you recognize your own impotence to save yourself, so you transfer all your trust to someone else to do the job for you. The object of that faith is Jesus Christ.

It’s interesting that we’ve only seen the name of Jesus twice since early in chapter one, where He was associated with wrath against sin. But now He appears bringing salvation, grace, and mercy. And notice at the end of verse 22, he says there is no distinction. The playing field is even. If salvation hinged on our works, everything would be skewed. It would be spiritual Darwinism—survival of the fittest. But God doesn’t play favorites based on race, nationality, or performance.

Romans 3:23 (NASB)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

That one verse summarizes the last two chapters. All have sinned. Even those of us who think we’re superior because we’re comparing ourselves to someone else—when we compare ourselves to the holiness of God, we all fall short. Because salvation comes by faith and not works, anyone can come.

The Great Transaction: Justification

In verse 24, we have to ask: what does the process of salvation actually look like? You’ve heard the phrase “believe in Jesus and be saved,” but what is actually happening in that transaction? This is the most theologically rich passage in the Bible dealing with “justification by faith.”

Romans 3:24 (NASB)

being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

I’m going to throw out some nerdy seminary words tonight and save you about $30,000 in tuition. Your first big word is justification. This is a legal term. It means to be declared righteous. Imagine you are on trial for a capital crime. You’re guilty, everyone knows it, and you’re waiting for the verdict of death. Then, the judge reads the verdict: “Innocent.”

You’d ask, “How is that possible?” Justification goes further than forgiveness. Forgiveness is being pardoned for a crime you committed. Justification brings the idea that your sin has been done away with as if you never did it. We call this expiation. On the cross, Jesus didn’t just cover your sin; He removed it. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see your sin; He declares you absolutely innocent.

How can we be declared innocent when we know we’ve committed the crime? Paul says it is a “gift by His grace.” The Greek word for gift there is doron. Jesus used this word in the Gospel of John when He said His enemies “hated me without cause” (hated me as a doron). Jesus was completely innocent and was gifted an execution He didn’t deserve. That word is flipped for us: Jesus was gifted death so that we, the guilty, could be gifted life.

Redemption and the Ransom

Now, I know what you’re thinking: nothing in life is free. What are the strings? Well, salvation is free to you, but it came at a massive cost to someone else. Every gift you receive was purchased by someone. Our gift was purchased through “redemption.”

Paul usually uses a word for redemption that means “to buy up,” like taking tickets to the prize counter at Chuck E. Cheese. But he doesn’t use that word here. Here, he uses lutrosis, which means to pay a ransom. We were in bondage, enslaved to sin and Satan, condemned to death. We had a ransom on our heads that we couldn’t pay. Jesus came and paid it.

Then Paul adds a prefix: apolutrosis. Apo means “to cut free.” Jesus didn’t just pay the penalty; He liberated us. He crushed the power of sin so that it no longer reigns over your life. He didn’t just give you a second chance; He gave you a brand-new life, unchained from bondage.

What was the currency used for this ransom? It wasn’t a “what,” it was a “who.” God’s own Son became the currency. Even though we violated God, God made the payment with His own Son to purchase our righteousness.

I want to be clear because we live in a confused religious culture. Buddha cannot buy you this gift. Muhammad cannot buy you this gift. Your priest, your church attendance, your Christian parents—none of that can buy this gift. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to Burger King makes you a Whopper. There is only one name under heaven that can buy this gift: Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life.

The Mercy Seat

If Jesus was the currency, what was the “ATM” that dispensed it? Paul says God displayed Him publicly.

Romans 3:25 (NASB)

whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. [This was] to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;

Where was Jesus displayed publicly? The cross. The penalty for sin is death, and on the cross, Jesus died in our place as our substitute. This leads to another seminary word: propitiation. This word means to appease or satisfy.

What needed to be satisfied? The holy justice and wrath of God against sin. A just judge cannot just let criminals run free. Justice must be served. This is where the Old Testament gets fascinating. The Hebrew equivalent for “propitiation” is “Mercy Seat.”

In the Old Testament Temple, there was the Holy of Holies where the presence of God dwelt. No sinful man could enter there and live. Inside was the Ark of the Covenant, containing the Ten Commandments—which represented our inability to keep God’s Law. Above the Ark was the Shekinah glory of God. When God looked down, He saw the Law we broke, and His wrath was stirred.

But once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the High Priest would enter with the blood of a perfect lamb. He would sprinkle that blood on the Mercy Seat. When the wrath of God looked down, it no longer saw the broken Law; it saw the blood of the sacrifice. God’s justice was satisfied. His wrath was propitiated.

But that system had to be repeated every year. It was just a foreshadowing. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He shed His blood to permanently atone for our sin. By trusting in His payment, the wrath of God is satisfied. It is no longer on you; it was placed on Him. That is the Great Exchange.

Just and Justifier

Why did God do it this way? Why save us by grace and faith alone?

Romans 3:26 (NASB)

for the demonstration, [I say], of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

He did it to demonstrate His righteousness. If we were saved by works, we would get the credit. If you stand before God and He asks why He should let you in, and your first answer is, “I was baptized,” or “I’m a good person,” you are in trouble. But if your answer is, “God, I’m a sinner who deserves death, but I trust in the gift of Jesus,” then you have full assurance.

Saving us this way also shows God’s forbearance—His patience. He “passed over” the sins of the Old Testament saints. People ask how Moses or David were saved before Jesus came. They were saved by believing the promises of God. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham had a “credit card” of grace, and that bill was paid in full at Calvary.

This solves the tension: how can a holy God allow a sinner into His presence and still be just? I’ve shared before a story Josh McDowell made famous about a court case in California. A young woman was brought before a judge for speeding. It turned out the judge was her father. The spectators wondered: would he be a judge or a dad?

He did what a judge must do. He slammed the gavel and said, “Guilty. The fine is $100 or ten days in jail.” But then, he took off his robe, walked down from the bench, and gave his daughter a hug. He pulled out his own checkbook and paid the fine for her. In that moment, he was both just (the penalty was paid) and the justifier (he showed mercy). That is exactly what God did for you through Jesus.

No Room for Boasting

Paul ends with three questions about the implications of this.

First: what happens to our pride?

Romans 3:27 (NASB)

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

Where is the boasting? It is excluded. If you’re saved by grace, you can’t brag about your performance. You can only boast in Jesus.

Romans 3:28 (NASB)

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

Second: is God only for the Jews?

Romans 3:29 (NASB)

Or is God [the God] of Jews only? Is He not [the God] of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,

No, He is the God of the Gentiles too. There aren’t different ways for different people. There is one God who saves one way: through faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:30 (NASB)

since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.

Third: does this mean we throw out the Ten Commandments?

Romans 3:31 (NASB)

Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.

Not at all. We establish the Law. If the commandments show us our sin and lead us to a Savior, they have fulfilled their highest purpose.

The Invitation

Church, who is your faith in? If you are looking to your own background or moralism, you stand condemned. But if you transfer your trust to Jesus, you have a promise that will never be taken away.

Please, do not wait until you “get things right.” You are a broken vessel, and God is in the business of making old things new. We don’t know what tomorrow brings. By the time we hit Christmas, some of us in this room will likely no longer be on this earth. In that moment, the only thing that can vindicate you is the blood of Jesus. Bow the knee today.

We want to open up a time for response. We’re going to observe Communion together. For those who have placed their faith in Jesus, this is a symbolic meal that represents an internal reality. Jesus said this meal is a remembrance of Him.

As you hold the broken bread, remember that Jesus was broken for you. He was pierced for our transgressions. As you drink the cup, remember it represents the blood of a new covenant. The old covenant was “obey and be blessed; disobey and be cursed.” The new covenant says the price has been paid. You can step off the treadmill.

If you have not put your faith in Jesus, I ask you to hold off on taking this meal. It would mean nothing to you without the inward reality. But if you want to know what it means to follow Him, we have men and women waiting in the Cafe. Strip away your pride, go sit with them, and ask for prayer. We would love to walk with you.

Father, after reading a passage like this, we can only say thank you. Thank you for providing a salvation we did not deserve and could never earn. Thank you for sending Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins. As we come to the table, we herald the Gospel. Holy Spirit, move in power. Save people tonight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.