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Grace Bible Church

4000 E. Collins Rd.   P.O. Box #3762   Gillette, WY  82717   (307) 686-1516

 

- Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 -

 

 

 

 

MAN’S NEED FOR JUSTIFICATION

 (Rom 3:19-24)      4/22/07

Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming

Pastor Daryl Hilbert

 

I.     THE REASON FOR JUSTIFICATION (19-20)

 

A.    Unrighteous Man is Silenced and Accountable (19)

 

1.     Man desperately needs the justification that is found in Christ because in and of himself man is unrighteous.

2.     Having made an airtight argument that both Gentiles and Jews are sinners and under the judgment of God, Paul makes one final appeal to the Jews. His appeal is that the Law, which he just quoted (Rom 3:10-18), applies especially to the Jews.

3.     Because of this, everyone is considered unrighteous in the eyes of God. Every mouth is closed (phrássō - muzzled, silenced) and has nothing to say in their own defense.

4.     In addition, the whole world has become accountable before God. The term “accountable” (hupódikos - legal technical term ) means one who has lost all possibility of disproving a charge against him and thus has already lost his case (Friberg Lexicon).

 

B.    Unrighteous Man Cannot Be Justified by the Law (20)

 

1.     Paul makes a major thesis at this point. It is that no flesh (Gentile or Jew) is able to merit righteousness by attempting to keep the Law. No one is justified (dikaióō - declare and treat as righteous) from their own works in God’s sight because all men are sinners (Rom 3:23).

2.     The question could be raised then, “What is the purpose of the Law?” It was certainly not to be a code whereby man can live and obtain salvation.

3.     Rather, it was given by God to bring to light man’s sinfulness. Man receives knowledge (epígnōsis - intensive religious and moral knowledge, fuller knowledge) of his sin by the revelation of the Law.

4.     It is a holy law (Rom 7:12) given by a holy God (1Pe 1:16). The problem is not with the Law but with sinful man. Man is brought to the knowledge of his sin through the Law and this knowledge is to lead him to Christ for salvation (Gal 3:24).

 

II.    THE MEANS OF JUSTIFICATION (21-22)

 

A.    Justification is Obtained Apart From the Law (21)

 

1.     Is there no hope for a sinful world? Yes. But, Paul emphatically states that it is apart (chorís - separate from) from the Law.

2.     The hope is that a righteousness for man is not only available, but it has been manifested (phaneroo - perf pass ind - has been and continues to be) in Christ.

3.     Furthermore, the Law and the Prophets have attested to it.

a)    Hab 2:4 declares, “the righteous will live by faith.” This has been quoted three times in the NT (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38).

b)    Paul uses the example of Abraham to prove righteousness apart from the Law (Rom 4:1-5).

c)     Paul also uses the words of David to show righteousness apart from the Law (Rom 4:6-8 cp. Ps 32:1-2).

4.     “Righteousness” and “Justification” have the same Greek root (díkaios). The distinction is that the righteousness (dikaiosúnę) of God spoken of in Rom 3:21, 22 is the righteousness of Christ, which God imputes to the believing sinner (Rom 4:23-25; 2Co 5:21). “Justification” (dikaióō - Rom 2:13; 3:20, 24, 26, 28, 30) is the act of God whereby He imputes Christ’s righteousness to the believing sinner and then judicially declares him righteous.

5.     Justification has been defined as…

a)    Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein He [pardons] all our sins, and [accepts] us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

b)    “Justification is more than forgiveness, since forgiveness is the cancellation of sin while justification is the imputing of righteousness. Forgiveness is negative (the removal of condemnation), while justification is positive (the bestowing of the merit and standing of Christ).” (Chafer, Lewis Sperry, “Major Bible Themes, p 200)

 

B.    Justification is Obtained by Faith in Christ (22)

 

1.     Paul states that, “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe.” The doctrine that Paul promotes in the letter to the Romans (as well as his other letters) is the doctrine of Justification by Faith.

2.     It is called the doctrine of Justification by Faith because faith is the means “through” (diá - with a genitive expresses means or instrumentality) which justification is apprehended.

3.     Faith is always directed at an object, namely Christ, His person and work on the cross (cp. Joh 1:12, 3:16, with the use of eis it is lit. “believe into” or believe on”).

4.     Paul qualifies, that justification is only extended to those who believe (pres act part fr pisteúō - lit. “the ones who are believing”). Initial faith is exercised and justification and salvation are received. Yet that saving faith continues and grows.

5.     After declaring that no flesh will be “justified” by the works of the Law (21), it is crystal clear that justification comes by faith alone in Christ alone.

 

III.  THE EXPLANATION OF JUSTIFICATION (23-24)

 

A.    Justification is Necessary Because All Have Sinned (23)

 

1.     Paul ends vs. 22 with an interesting comment, namely that there is no distinction. All (Gentiles and Jews) need to have Christ’s righteousness (justification) because all have sinned.

2.     Chapter 1 argues that Gentiles are unrighteous. Chapter 2 argues that Jews are unrighteous. Now in chapter 3, Paul declares that “all” (the whole world) are sinners.

3.     The verb, “sinned” (hamartánō) means to miss the mark (Friberg Lex.). The mark is the perfect righteousness of God and sinful man has missed it. Sin is to act contrary to God’s character, will, or Law in the slightest infraction.

4.     All have fallen short of the glory of God. What is meant by “the glory of God?” It is all of God’s perfections and attributes which declare His majesty. Glory comes from the Greek word dóxa from which we get our English word doxology. A doxology is an expression of praise for God’s perfect attributes and works.

 

B.    Justification is by Grace  through Faith (24)

 

1.     Paul describes for us that justification is not by man’s efforts but solely by divine accomplishment.

2.     Three nouns are used to describe the divine accomplishment of justification.

a)    Justification is a “gift” (doreá) and is to be received by faith (Joh 1:12)

b)    Justification is by His “grace” (cháris) and emphasizes that it is solely God’s gracious favor on the undeserving sinner who believes (Eph 2:8-9).

c)     Justification is through the “redemption” (apolútrōsis) in Christ, who paid man’s ransom by taking man’s penalty and depositing His own righteousness in the believer’s account.

 

IV.  PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

 

1.     There are several practical considerations for the believer who has been justified by faith.

a)    You are righteous. Believers are viewed through Christ’s righteousness.

b)    You are secure. Believers have been declared righteous by God and nothing can overrule God’s judicial declaration.

c)     You are becoming righteous. Believers are positionally righteous though not necessarily conditionally righteous

2.     All men are unrighteous and therefore silenced before a righteous God. In order for man to be righteous, it must come from another source outside himself. That source is the righteousness of Christ, which is given to all who trust in Christ. Therefore, man desperately needs the justification that is by faith alone in Christ alone.

 

 

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