Romans 3:25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood.
This is one of the most important things the Bible has to say to us. When Jesus was crucified, he bore the wrath of God against our sins, so God and people could be at one again. That’s the idea behind the word atonement. It’s the payment for our sins, that satisfies the righteous anger of God.
Imagine you were in the back yard with God, and he was indignant because you’d been sinning against him for a very long time. God reviewed your sins, from beginning to end, and became increasingly angry. Then he picked up a steel rod and walked to a nearby tree. For the next six hours he beat that tree so severely that, when he was done, it barely resembled a tree anymore (Isaiah 52:14). But now God’s anger was completely spent and, instead of being the object of his wrath, you become the object of his grace. Don’t miss the point: Jesus Christ was on that tree. He bore the wrath of God so we can be at one with him. He’s the sacrifice of atonement.
Romans 3:28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
Paul continued to emphasize the importance of faith in Christ, and changed the image to the courtroom by using the word justified. This is an important word for Paul which he used over thirty times throughout his letters.
When we hear the word justified we should think of a courtroom, bench, gavel and judge. It’s Judgment Day and after your trial the judge will open up the gate to glory, or cast you into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). After reviewing your life from beginning to end, the gavel will drop, and the judge will say guilty or not guilty. If he says guilty, you’ll drop into hell and howl with the damned for all eternity. But if he says not guilty, the gate to heaven will open wide and you’ll be welcomed into eternal glory. This will happen because you’ve been justified by faith in Christ, apart from any good works.
A pastor was leading a Bible study for men, and was concerned about one who didn’t seem to know Christ. After the study, one week, the pastor asked him privately, Bob, are you a Christian? Bob said he was, so the pastor asked for more information. He said, It happened this week. I looked in the mirror and said, Bob why should God let you into heaven? I thought to myself, Because I am betting my soul on Jesus Christ. Faith is putting all our chips on Christ, and none on ourselves. That’s what it means to be justified by faith in Christ, apart from the works of the law.
Romans 4:3 What does Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Paul used the example of Abraham to prove from the Old Testament that we become right with God by faith, not works. Abraham is a good example because he was the Father of the Jewish nation, and also God’s friend (Isaiah 41:8). If Abraham was right with God through faith, then that’s the way for us.
To make his point Paul quoted a verse that some of his readers knew well. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). He didn’t work his way into God’s favor, or obey his way into God’s favor, but simply believed God.
Many in Paul’s day thought the way to be right with God was by being a pretty good person. But other than Jesus Christ, there are no pretty good people. We’re all pretty good compared to the devil, of course, but the devil isn’t the standard of goodness. Like the devil, in fact, we all sin every single day. It’s impossible to get right with God by being a pretty good person, because we all have more in common with the devil (morally) than we do with Jesus Christ. Thankfully, there’s another way.
Since Jesus never sinned, and paid the penalty for our sins, we can be right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life (John 6:47), said Jesus. Like Abraham, we become right with God through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Romans 4:5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
The idea that God justifies the ungodly is shocking, and seems entirely wrong at first. Imagine a judge who let murdering rapists go free. That might be popular with murdering rapists, but what about justice? Thankfully, God took care of justice when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He took the punishment we deserve, so even the worst can be forgiven.
This should deeply comfort us whenever we misbehave. Christians should never misbehave, of course, but sometimes they do. And, whenever that happens, we can wonder about our status with God. Then we should recall that God justifies the ungodly. God is in the business of saving sinners, so he isn’t surprised that we still sin. The important thing (the really crucial thing) is to keep on trusting God who justifies the ungodly.
Romans 4:8 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
Paul was making a difficult argument to very religious people. He wanted to convince them that God justifies the ungodly, not counting their sins against them. The first example was Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, and God’s friend. The second example is King David, a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22). To help make his argument, Paul quoted a line from one of David’s Psalms. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
We’re not sure if David wrote this verse before or after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, and arranged for her husband’s death. Either way, David is happy to be among those whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
The level of assurance here is breathtaking. There was nothing of which David wasn’t capable, and plenty of which he was guilty. Nevertheless, David was absolutely certain that God would never hold his sin against him. And Paul is arguing that whoever believes in Jesus Christ should have this same assurance. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s the best good news that’s ever been told.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus established peace between us and God by paying the penalty for our sins. God is no longer angry at us because his anger was spent on Christ. We may incur his fatherly displeasure, and even his discipline (Proverbs 3:12), but that’s quite a different thing than his righteous wrath.
Apart from Jesus Christ, of course, there is no real peace. Even if our bills are paid, and our health is good, we’ll always have a sense of guilt and impending doom. But since Christ has established peace objectively, we can enjoy peace within. Then, even if our health is failing, and our bills are overdue, we’re assured of eternal happiness. Therefore we have peace.
Reflection and Review
What’s the meaning of atonement?
What kind of people does God accept?
Why do Christians want to be good?
This is one of the most important things the Bible has to say to us. When Jesus was crucified, he bore the wrath of God against our sins, so God and people could be at one again. That’s the idea behind the word atonement. It’s the payment for our sins, that satisfies the righteous anger of God.
Imagine you were in the back yard with God, and he was indignant because you’d been sinning against him for a very long time. God reviewed your sins, from beginning to end, and became increasingly angry. Then he picked up a steel rod and walked to a nearby tree. For the next six hours he beat that tree so severely that, when he was done, it barely resembled a tree anymore (Isaiah 52:14). But now God’s anger was completely spent and, instead of being the object of his wrath, you become the object of his grace. Don’t miss the point: Jesus Christ was on that tree. He bore the wrath of God so we can be at one with him. He’s the sacrifice of atonement.
Romans 3:28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
Paul continued to emphasize the importance of faith in Christ, and changed the image to the courtroom by using the word justified. This is an important word for Paul which he used over thirty times throughout his letters.
When we hear the word justified we should think of a courtroom, bench, gavel and judge. It’s Judgment Day and after your trial the judge will open up the gate to glory, or cast you into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). After reviewing your life from beginning to end, the gavel will drop, and the judge will say guilty or not guilty. If he says guilty, you’ll drop into hell and howl with the damned for all eternity. But if he says not guilty, the gate to heaven will open wide and you’ll be welcomed into eternal glory. This will happen because you’ve been justified by faith in Christ, apart from any good works.
A pastor was leading a Bible study for men, and was concerned about one who didn’t seem to know Christ. After the study, one week, the pastor asked him privately, Bob, are you a Christian? Bob said he was, so the pastor asked for more information. He said, It happened this week. I looked in the mirror and said, Bob why should God let you into heaven? I thought to myself, Because I am betting my soul on Jesus Christ. Faith is putting all our chips on Christ, and none on ourselves. That’s what it means to be justified by faith in Christ, apart from the works of the law.
Romans 4:3 What does Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Paul used the example of Abraham to prove from the Old Testament that we become right with God by faith, not works. Abraham is a good example because he was the Father of the Jewish nation, and also God’s friend (Isaiah 41:8). If Abraham was right with God through faith, then that’s the way for us.
To make his point Paul quoted a verse that some of his readers knew well. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). He didn’t work his way into God’s favor, or obey his way into God’s favor, but simply believed God.
Many in Paul’s day thought the way to be right with God was by being a pretty good person. But other than Jesus Christ, there are no pretty good people. We’re all pretty good compared to the devil, of course, but the devil isn’t the standard of goodness. Like the devil, in fact, we all sin every single day. It’s impossible to get right with God by being a pretty good person, because we all have more in common with the devil (morally) than we do with Jesus Christ. Thankfully, there’s another way.
Since Jesus never sinned, and paid the penalty for our sins, we can be right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life (John 6:47), said Jesus. Like Abraham, we become right with God through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Romans 4:5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
The idea that God justifies the ungodly is shocking, and seems entirely wrong at first. Imagine a judge who let murdering rapists go free. That might be popular with murdering rapists, but what about justice? Thankfully, God took care of justice when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He took the punishment we deserve, so even the worst can be forgiven.
This should deeply comfort us whenever we misbehave. Christians should never misbehave, of course, but sometimes they do. And, whenever that happens, we can wonder about our status with God. Then we should recall that God justifies the ungodly. God is in the business of saving sinners, so he isn’t surprised that we still sin. The important thing (the really crucial thing) is to keep on trusting God who justifies the ungodly.
Romans 4:8 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
Paul was making a difficult argument to very religious people. He wanted to convince them that God justifies the ungodly, not counting their sins against them. The first example was Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, and God’s friend. The second example is King David, a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22). To help make his argument, Paul quoted a line from one of David’s Psalms. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
We’re not sure if David wrote this verse before or after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, and arranged for her husband’s death. Either way, David is happy to be among those whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
The level of assurance here is breathtaking. There was nothing of which David wasn’t capable, and plenty of which he was guilty. Nevertheless, David was absolutely certain that God would never hold his sin against him. And Paul is arguing that whoever believes in Jesus Christ should have this same assurance. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s the best good news that’s ever been told.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus established peace between us and God by paying the penalty for our sins. God is no longer angry at us because his anger was spent on Christ. We may incur his fatherly displeasure, and even his discipline (Proverbs 3:12), but that’s quite a different thing than his righteous wrath.
Apart from Jesus Christ, of course, there is no real peace. Even if our bills are paid, and our health is good, we’ll always have a sense of guilt and impending doom. But since Christ has established peace objectively, we can enjoy peace within. Then, even if our health is failing, and our bills are overdue, we’re assured of eternal happiness. Therefore we have peace.
Reflection and Review
What’s the meaning of atonement?
What kind of people does God accept?
Why do Christians want to be good?