Romans 3:28 - Getting Right With God.
Romans 3:28 - Getting Right With God.
Romans 3:28 (NKJV) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified
by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
Romans 3:28 (TNIV) For we conclude that a person is put right
with God only through faith, and not by doing what the Law commands.
Romans 3:28 (NLT) So we are made right with God through faith
and not by obeying the law.
CONTEXT: How We Are Put Right with God i.e. Righteousness
Through Faith:: Romans 3:21-31.
3:21-4:25 Paul returns to the central theme of the righteousness
of God that is revealed in Christ and is available to anyone who
believes. The fundamental statement of this theology is in 3:21-26; Paul
elaborates on it in 3:27-31, and illustrates it with the experience of
Abraham in ch 4. [NLT SB]
Paul, the attorney, summarizes his case.
All are condemned (1-19). Both Jews and Gentiles (religious
and irreligious) are guilty before God, and one is no better than
the other (v.9). Paul quotes from Psalms and Isaiah to show that,
from head to foot, we are all lost sinners. Do you want to argue
about this? Then your mouth has not been stopped! God cannot save you
until you say, "Guilty!" and shut your mouth.
We cannot save ourselves (20). The law is a mirror that
reveals our sin; only the blood of Christ can wash away our sin. It is
good to do good works, but good works are not good enough to save us
(Eph. 2:8-9).
God's salvation Is lawful (21-31). But how can a holy God
forgive guilty people? Is that lawful? If our judges did that, society
would fall apart. But God the Law Giver and Judge obeyed His own law,
died for us, and paid the penalty for our sins. The Judge is now the
Savior!
Have you shut your mouth, trusted Jesus Christ, and heard God
say, "Not guilty"? [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren
Wiersbe re Romans 3]
APPLICATION COMMENTARY With Emphasis On Verse 28:
After all this bad news about our sinfulness and God's
condemnation, Paul gives the wonderful news. There is a way to be declared not
guilty--by trusting Jesus Christ to take away our sins. Trusting means
putting our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, to make us right
with God, and to empower us to live the way he taught us. God's
solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past
behavior.
Most religions require specific duties that must be performed
to make a person acceptable to a god. Christianity is unique in
that no good deed that we do will make us right with God. No amount
of human achievement or personal goodness will close the gap
between God's moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance. Good
deeds are important, but they will not earn us eternal life. We are
saved only by trusting in what God has done for us (see Ephesians
2:8-10).
Why does God save us by faith alone? (1) Faith eliminates the
pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do. (2)
Faith exalts what God has done, not what we do. (3) Faith admits that
we can't keep the law or measure up to God's standards--we need
help. (4) Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our
performance for God. [Life Application SB re vss 21-29]
Justified by faith. That justification is by faith clearly
implies that justification is no mere impersonal adjustment of a man's
legal status in the sight of God. Faith in Christ involves a personal
relationship with the Redeemer. It implies an attitude of love and gratitude
toward the Saviour in response to His love for us sinners. It is based
on profound admiration of Jesus for all that He is, with a sincere
desire to know Him better and become like Him. It means a trust and
confidence in Christ that is so entirely without reservation that we are
willing to take Him fully at His word and follow His directions wherever
He may lead.
Without such faith there can be no justification. God is not
concerned merely with forgiving past sins. He is primarily concerned with
man's restoration, and restoration can be experienced only by means of
such faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, justification cannot be
separated from the transforming experiences of conversion, rebirth, and
subsequent growth in sanctification. Only the faith that gladly accepts and
willingly enters into every phase of God's program for our restoration can
rightfully claim the imputed righteousness of Christ in justification (see
on v. 22; chs. 4:25; 5:1). [SDA Bible Commentary]
Without the deeds of the law. Literally, "without works of
law."... The basis of every false religious system has been the mistaken
idea that justification could be obtained by obedience to law. But
works of law cannot atone for past sins. Justification cannot be
earned. It can only be received by faith in the atoning sacrifice of
Christ. Therefore, in this sense, works of law have nothing to do with
justification. To be justified without there being anything in ourselves to
merit justification.
This, of course, may not be construed to mean that the man who
has been justified is thereby freed from obeying the law or from
performing good works. The faith by which he has been justified will reveal
itself in obedience. Paul repeatedly emphasizes the place of good works
in the life of the Christian (1 Tim. 5:10; 6:18; 2 Tim. 3:17; Titus
2:7, 14; 3:8; etc.). But he makes it equally clear that these good
works do not earn justification (see Rom. 4:2, 6; 9:32; 11:6; Gal.
2:16; 3:2, 5, 10; Eph. 2:9; 2 Tim. 1:9). [SDA Bible Commentary]
In early American colonies founded by religious groups, the
vote was often reserved for believers. But as new generations came
along, all too often grandsons and granddaughters were not converted.
How could a way be found for these folks to vote--and thus keep the
wealth and power in the hands of established families?
The answer was the "halfway covenant." God, the theologians
proposed, was committed to save the children of believers someday. So they
were halfway in the church anyway. So if your parents were Christians
in good standing, you could vote, even if you didn't believe in
Jesus yourself.
People always seem to be looking for a "halfway" religion. The
Jews of Paul's time possessed the Law and circumcision. They were
God's covenant people, His chosen nation. Wasn't that good enough? In
this passage Paul said no. Not only isn't it good enough; it doesn't
mean a thing (2:25-29). Jews had the advantage of circumcision and
knowing the words of God. But that didn't save them.
Folks today too look for a halfway kind of Christianity. My
parents were good Christians. Doesn't that count? I've belonged to my
church, the "true church," since I was a child. Doesn't that count? I
tithe. How about counting that?
Well, having Christian parents and being in church all our
lives is certainly an advantage. But it doesn't take us even halfway
to salvation.
Paul tells us why. Jews and Gentiles alike are all in the grip
of sin (3:9). As the Scripture says, "There is no one righteous,
not even one" (v. 10). The only thing that counts, the only thing
that can save us, is breaking the grip of sin. And neither Mom and
Dad, our racial heritage, or our church membership can do that.
How glad we can be that Jesus Christ takes us all the way, not
just halfway, to God. By Jesus' death and resurrection, and through
faith in Him, we become Chrstians indeed.
All the way Christians.
The only way. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary re 2:25-3:20]
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
God Can Never Be A Grandfather
God will never have any grandchildren. In other words, you are
not a member of God's family simply because your parents were. Your
father may have been a respected minister and your mother a devout
Christian, but your relationship to God must be firsthand and personal.
Unfortunately many factors obscure the necessity for that personal decision.
Somehow we have come to identify Christianity with our culture and
assume that anyone born in "Christian" country is a Christian
automatically. Or we take down a dusty family Bible and trace a rich religious
heritage-Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, or whatever-and assume our Christianity
by virtue of a family tree. But God has no grandchildren.
Christianity cannot be inherited. To be a member of God's family, you
personally must become a child of God: All who receive Christ and believe
in his name (trust him to save them) he gives the right to become
children of God (from John 1:12). The Bible emphasizes that to become a
member of God's family (a Christian), you must personally trust Jesus
Christ as your Savior. "For now we are all children of God through
faith in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 3:26). Nothing erases the necessity
of that personal decision, for the Bible passes judgment on all of
us-whatever our parentage, culture, or religious background. "Every one has
turned away; all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing
what is right; not one" (Romans 3:12). "All have sinned; all fall
short of God's glorious ideal" (Romans 3:23). If you want to become a
member of God's family, you must personally be born into it: All those
who accept Christ as their Savior are reborn-not a physical rebirth
resulting from human passion or plan-but from the will of God (from John
1:13). A decisive step is necessary-admit your need of forgiveness and
then trust Jesus Christ who died for your sins. Only then are you a
child of God. He forgives your sins, actually declares you "not
guilty" of offending him (Romans 3:24), and welcomes you into the
family. We want to welcome you too! Today. [Have a Good Day; Sept.98]
ONE SOLITARY LIFE:
www.tommyswindow.com/english/one_solitary_life.pps
THE STEPS OF SALVATION:
http://www.abible.com/salvation/
