Justified by Faith

May 5, 2024 Background Scripture: Romans 3 - 30 Lesson Passage: Romans 3:21 - 30 Today's lesson focuses on the Apostle Paul's brilliant presentation of a Christian's moral and legal standing before God. To reach the conclusion that is presented in the Lesson Passage, Paul began by writing about the wrath of God against all unrighteousness and unholiness in people. As divine creator and Lord of everything, God is the only judge of the entire universe. Spiritually speaking, the Jews viewed people as partitioned into two groups. The first group consisted of Jews and non-Jews who adhered to the Law of God that was given to the Jews through Moses. The second group consisted of Gentiles, or non-Jews and non-adherents to the Law. The Jewish people received the oracles of God through Moses before they were an independent nation. Their covenant relationship with God began with Abraham and passed down through Isaac and Jacob. The Jewish nation was composed of the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was renamed Israel by God. The Jews were given the written Law of God. The Law gave them an understanding of God's holiness and expectations of mankind. God's law described holiness in terms of human behavior. In addition to describing God's holiness, the Law was like a spiritual mirror for mankind. It shows our spiritual shortcomings without fixing them. Many Jews attempted to become holy by trying to live according to the precepts found in the Law, On the other hand, the Gentiles, according to Paul's observation, knew about God through observing nature and the natural order of things. Nature reflects a powerful and intelligent designer/creator. The universe could never have developed its perfect order and balance absent an intelligent creator. In other words, they knew God exists because of the things that are. Therefore, both groups were aware of God and His holiness. Their awareness of God did not make anyone holy, Jews nor Gentiles. Attempting to live by the precepts of the Law of God did not make anyone holy. People continued to be born and live in this world in sin. Sin as an affront to the holiness of God. Paul argued that this has been understood by all people throughout time. God revealed His divine wrath against all people because of human ungodliness and unrighteousness. As a result of God's wrath, humanity was condemned to be destroyed by God so that only holiness will exist throughout eternity. The Jews were condemned because the Law reveals their unholiness, but it provides nothing to take it away from them. The Gentiles were condemned because they knew of God's wrath but continued to live in ungodliness. God provided the solution to humanity's dilemma by sending One who could fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law for everyone. Jesus is the person God sent to bring deliverance to all who will accept Him by faith. Jesus was born under the Law but without sin. He lived a perfect life according to the Law. He fulfilled the righteousness of God by living a sinless life. Jesus' life on earth reflected the holiness God expected to see in mankind. Man was created in God's image and according to God's likeness. Man was to be a physical reflection of a holy and invisible God. God's reflection in man was marred after Adam sinned. Jesus, the second Adam, was born without sin and demonstrated holy living before God. Jesus' life Satisfied God's desire for holiness in mankind. God makes Jesus' holiness available to all who accept Jesus as their savior by faith. Once a person accepts Jesus as their savior, that person's faith is counted as righteousness by God. As a result, they are seen as justified by God from the punishment of eternal damnation. There is no other offering for sin that provides that for mankind. Justification is by faith alone. Robert C. Hudson April 20, 2024