Man’s Sinful Condition
In Romans 1, Paul explains to us that what may be known about God is plain to mankind because God has made it plain to them through his creation. His eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen through all that he created, so that men are without excuse. Yet, the godless and wicked suppress the truth by their wickedness. Although they have the knowledge of God through what he has created, they do not glorify him as God nor do they give thanks to him. And, they exchange the glory of God in favor of the worship of idols, i.e. they exchange the truth of God for a lie, and they worship and serve created things rather than the creator. They know that those who practice evil and wickedness deserve death, yet they continue in their wickedness and even approve of others who practice the same.
Therefore, God gives them over to their sinful desires. He does not force his will upon man, but has created us with a free will to choose him or to reject him. Yet, our choice is not without consequence, for his wrath is being revealed from heaven against all who do such things and who reject God and his truth, yet who accept and follow the lie instead.
In Romans 3, beginning with v. 9, we learn that no one is righteous in and of himself, i.e. in his own flesh or of his own doing. We do not seek God on our own, for the Bible says that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. We have all fallen away from what God intended us to be, i.e. we have all sinned, so not one person, in and of himself, is to take pride in himself over another, because we are all sinners and the only distinction to be made is in whether or not we have had a transformation of the heart via the Spirit of God so that we are now sinners saved by God’s grace, to where there is no boasting in the flesh.
Religious Hypocrisy
In Romans 2 we are also presented with this picture of us all being sinners and of none of us being righteous in our own merit. Paul addressed here the problem of judging others for their sins and yet doing the same things ourselves. We are to judge sin and we are to give right judgments concerning sin, and the Bible even teaches us that those who are in a right relationship with the Lord, and who have taken the log out of our own eyes first, are then free to help a brother or sister to take the speck out of his or her eye. We are also instructed that those who are in a right relationship with God, if we see a brother or sister caught in sin, should help restore that brother or sister to a right relationship with God, but to do this with humility and the fear of God, lest we also be tempted. So, this passage in Romans is not forbidding the judging of sin nor is it suggesting that we should ignore the sin in others. What this is addressing is hypocritical judging that condemns (not restores) others while we do the same things and/or approve of others who do the same.
Romans 3:21-31
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.God’s Solution
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
In Romans 2, at the end of the chapter, it states that a man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly (observing the law). It also states that circumcision (cutting away flesh) is not merely outward and physical. Then, it goes on to tell us that “a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.” Paul was mainly talking to Jews in this passage from his letter to the Romans, and he was letting them know that they were not any better than the Gentiles and that just because they were given the law and that they observed the law (though not perfectly), it did not make them righteous before God. What matters to God is not the external rites and rituals of religious activity. What matters to God is the transformation of the inner man via the Holy Spirit of God via faith in Jesus Christ, because of God’s grace in providing salvation for us through Christ’s death and resurrection in putting our sins to death and in conquering them so that they no longer should have mastery over us.
Then, back to Romans 3, we learn that a righteousness from God, apart from observing the law, has been made known to us. This righteousness does not come through our own fleshly attempts to gain God’s approval through our observances of religious rites and rituals. This righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, and is by God’s grace. In chapter 2 Paul told his hearers that they showed contempt for God’s grace because they did not realize that God’s grace (kindness) leads them toward repentance. He told them it was because of their unrepentant hearts (uncircumcised hearts) that they were storing up wrath against themselves for the day of God’s wrath (judgment). And, Romans 3:31 lets us know that faith does not nullify the law. Rather, we uphold the law.
What I believe this is telling us is that, although we cannot earn our salvation via good works or via observing a set of rules and regulations, because we are all sinners and we have all fallen away, faith itself does not nullify the law nor does it negate the need for repentance. Faith in Jesus Christ leads us to repentance, and lack of repentance leads to judgment. As well, faith in Jesus Christ upholds the law, of which Christ is the fulfillment and embodiment of the law. This is not speaking of all the Old Testament ceremonial laws and regulations, but this is speaking of what Jesus Christ said is the crux of the law, i.e. to love the Lord God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. And, since Jesus Christ, himself, is the fulfillment of the law, we obey him.
In Conclusion
So, in summary of what I believe is at the heart of these three chapters in Romans, these verses are teaching us that we are all sinners, that we have all fallen away from what God intended us to be, no one is righteous in his own merit, we cannot earn our salvation through religious observances, we are not to exercise hypocritical judging while we do the same things, and the only way to true righteousness is via faith in Jesus Christ because of what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on the cross for our sins.
We are not saved by outward religious performance, but we are saved by faith that results in the cutting away of our fleshly appetites and desires, i.e. via circumcision of the heart, via the Holy Spirit of God. True faith leads us to repentance and true faith upholds the law of love and obeys Jesus who is the fulfillment of the law, so true faith is synonymous with repentance and obedience to Jesus Christ.
God has given each of us a free will to accept him or to reject him, yet he lets us know the consequences of rejecting him – we will face his wrath. Involved in this rejecting of Christ is the ignoring of what is clearly seen about God from the creation, and it is the choosing to follow the ways of the world and the appetites of our flesh over repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As well, rejecting God/Jesus has to do with believing the lies of Satan and man over the truths of God’s word, and it means worshiping (making our idols) the things of this world, including mankind, i.e. making the created things our gods instead of worshiping the God who created all things.
So, God is calling each and every one of us to accept his grace via true faith in Jesus Christ that leads us to repentance and that obeys Jesus Christ, i.e. a faith that upholds the law. He is calling each one of us to a heart transformation that moves us from forms of worship and from having merely a form of godliness, yet denying its power, to an inward faith of the Spirit of God which cleanses us from sin and sets us free from the power of sin over our lives, and frees us to obey Christ and to walk in fellowship with him. This true faith by God’s grace results in transformed hearts that love Jesus, that desire to obey him and to serve him, that welcome his guidance and direction, that have repented of their sins and turned to walk in faith, and that desire to live for the Lord Jesus day-by-day, obeying his words, being his witnesses, making him Lord of our hearts, and are longing for his soon return.
By Your Grace / An Original Work / June 27, 2011
Speak Your words to my heart,
Let Your grace and love impart.
Be to me all I need
To love and serve Christ my King;
To love and serve Christ my King.
Change my heart; be like You;
Let me love and serve in truth.
Guide my steps ev’ry day,
As I bow my knees and pray;
As I bow my knees and pray.
Love You, Lord. You love me.
You died so that I’d go free
From my sin; pure within;
By Your grace I’m saved from sin;
By Your grace I’m saved from sin.
Invite You in my heart;
Now I have a brand new start.
Repented of my sin,
So that I’d be cleansed within;
So that I’d be cleansed within.
Live for You ev’ry day,
List’ning to the words you say.
Make You Lord of my heart;
Be Your witness, grace impart;
Be Your witness, grace impart.
Obey Your ev’ry word;
Do the things I’ve seen and heard.
Your word, Lord, in me burns,
While I wait for Your return;
While I wait for Your return.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/by-your-grace
Song on Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gCSwQSG2AI
http://www.godcares.tv/video/1149/By-Your-Grace
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