Romans 03(25b–31)

Introduction

Back in verse 15 of Romans 1, Paul wrote that he was eager to preach the gospel in Rome. He was eager to preach the gospel in Rome because the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew and then for the Gentile. And near the end of his letter he refers to his travel plans and how he was hoping to reach Rome on his way to Spain.

So, Paul wanted to get to Rome in order to preach the gospel there. But in a sense there was no need for him to visit Rome in person, because this letter, which he was writing to the believers in Rome, contains the gospel. It’s full of the gospel. By writing this letter, Paul was in fact preaching the gospel to them.

And the gospel, which is good news, begins with bad news, doesn’t it? It begins with bad news, because it begins with the news that there is no-one righteous, not even one. There is no-one who understands or who seeks God. All have turned away from God and they have together become worthless. And there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, because Jews and Gentiles alike have sinned against God and have fallen short of the glory of being like God.

That’s what Paul has been saying in chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 was about unbelieving Gentiles who know God. They know God, because God is continually revealing himself to them through the things he has made. So, they know God, but they don’t worship him. And instead of worshipping him, they worship false gods and idols. And chapter 2 was about unbelieving Jews, who have the law of God to guide them. But they’re not able to keep the law of God. They have the law, but they break the law.

And so, there’s no difference between them, because unbelieving Gentiles who know God without the law are condemned because they don’t worship God; and unbelieving Jews who have the law are condemned because they don’t keep the law.

That’s the bad news and it’s very bad. However, in the verses we studied last week — from verse 21 of chapter 3 to the middle of verse 25 — Paul begins to preach the gospel. And the gospel is very good news, because the gospel is about how sinners are declared right in God’s sight through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has set us free from condemnation by his self-sacrifice on the cross. On the cross, he suffered the punishment we deserve so that all who believe in him receive forgiveness and not punishment. And as well as suffering the punishment we deserve, he shares with all who believe in him his own record of perfect obedience. And so, though you may have done everything wrong, God treats you as if you’ve done everything right, so long as you’re trusting in Christ for salvation.

And Paul continues to preach the gospel in the passage we read a moment ago and which we’re studying this morning. And he really makes four points in these verses. The second half verse 25 and the whole of verse 26 is about God’s justice. Verses 27 and 28 are about boasting and how it’s excluded. Verses 29 and 30 are about how there’s only one God and one way of salvation. And verse 31 is about upholding and not nullifying the law.

Verses 25b and 26

So, the first point is about God’s justice. In the first half of verse 25 Paul says that God presented the Lord Jesus Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. So, in Old Testament times, God’s people would go to the tabernacle or temple with an animal which they offered to God as a sacrifice for their sins. And God was willing to accept the death of the animal in place of the person. But those Old Testament sacrifices were for the time-being only. Everyone knew that the blood of bulls and goats could not really take away their sins. Everyone knew that those animal sacrifices were to make do until the time came when God would present his people with the once-for-all, perfect sacrifice for sins. And that once-for-all, perfect sacrifice for sins was the self-sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up his life on the cross as the ransom to pay for our sins once-for-all and for ever. He offered himself on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sin and he suffered in his body and soul the punishment we deserve for what we have done wrong.

We were thinking about that last week. And according to Paul in the second half of verse 25, God did this to demonstrate his justice. If you’re reading from the ESV, you’ll see that it says that God did this to show his righteousness. The same Greek word can be translated as justice or righteousness depending on the context. And the two words are connected, because the person who is just is the person who does what is right. And the just judge is the judge who judges rightly, whereas the unjust judge is the judge who judges wrongly. So, there’s a clear connection between justice and righteousness.

Now, I mentioned Martin Luther, the German reformer, last week. He used to think that the phrase ‘a righteousness from God’ in Romans 1:17 referred to God’s justice. And it seemed to Luther that since God is just, then that means he has to punish the disobedient and clear the innocent. And since we’re all sinners who disobey God continually, then it seemed to Luther that the righteousness of God in Romans 1:17 means that God must punish us. Since God is just, then he must punish us, because all of us are sinners who have disobeyed God’s commands. And how is that message good news? Luther was puzzled.

Well, I explained before that Luther was wrong about Romans 1:17, because the phrase ‘a righteousness from God’ in that verse refers to what God has done to save us. So, Luther was wrong about Romans 1:17. But he was right about God’s justice. Because God is just, he cannot ignore or excuse sin. Because God is just, he can’t disregard what we’ve done wrong. And throughout the Old Testament, God bears witness to his justice and to how he is the judge who always does what is right. He is the judge who never shows partiality and he does not accept a bribe, the way a human judge might. He judges the world in righteousness and the peoples with justice. And his righteousness is like the mighty mountains and his justice is like the great deep. It says that the Lord will be exalted by his justice and the holy God will show himself holy by his righteousness.

So, throughout the Old Testament, God bears witness to his justice. But I’ve already said that the Israelites knew that the blood of bulls and goats which they offered to God for their sins could not really take away their sins. Everyone knew that those animal sacrifices which they offered in the tabernacle and temple could not really provide them with the forgiveness they needed. Those sacrifices only reminded them that they were guilty sinners who needed salvation. And if that’s the case — if those sacrifices could not make up for the sins of the people — then why didn’t God punish the people for their sins? Surely that’s what God should have done? Since God is just, surely he should have sent down fire from heaven to destroy the Israelites for their disobedience to him? Surely he should have destroyed them for their sins?

So, is God really just? Does he always judge rightly? Hasn’t he ignored and disregarded their sins?

Well, hang on, says Paul. God is just. And in the past, before the death of Christ, God did not ignore or disregard the sins of his people. Instead — and because of his forbearance — he left their sins unpunished. Do you see that in verse 25? God’s forbearance is his patient self-control. So, instead of pouring out his wrath on his people immediately, he exercised patient self-control and he let their sins go unpunished. But he did not let their sins go unpunished for ever. He let their sins go unpunished until the coming of Christ, who was punished in the place of God’s people.

So, think of all of God’s people who lived before the coming of Christ. We know the names of many of them from the Bible: people like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and Joshua and David and Solomon and so on. And there are many, many more whose names we don’t know. But try to think of all of God’s people who lived before the coming of Christ, men and women and children who believed God’s promises. Well, Christ took their place on the cross. He suffered and died for them, giving up his life as the ransom to pay for their sins.

And now think of all of God’s people who lived after the coming of Christ, men and women and children who believe God’s promises. Christ took their place too. Christ took the place of all of God’s people who lived before him and who lived after them. He took their place and he was punished for them.

And that means that God is not unjust. He doesn’t ignore or disregard the sins of his people. His justice means their sin must be paid for. Someone must be punished for the sins of God’s people. And the wonder of the gospel is that Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, was willing to suffer and die for the sins of God’s people. He was punished in body and soul on our behalf.

And that means God is both just and — at one and the same time — he’s the one who justifies those who have faith in Christ. He is just, because instead of ignoring sin, he punishes it thoroughly and completely in the death of his Son so that his justice is satisfied in full. God is just. And he is, at the same time, the one who justifies his believing people because he forgives us for what we have done wrong and he accepts us as righteous in his sight. And he forgives us and accepts us for sake the sake of Christ our Saviour, who gave up his life to pay for our sins and who covers us with his own perfect obedience.

Verses 27 and 28

Where, then, is boasting? That’s the question Paul poses in verse 27. Where, then, is boasting? Paul has already referred in chapter 2 to the law and to circumcision. And the Jews used to boast that they had the law and they had circumcision. In fact, they boasted that of all the nations of the world, God had chosen them to be his special people. And he had given his people the law to guide them and he had given them circumcision to mark them out as his special people. They boasted about these things. And before Paul became a Christian, he used to boast. In Philippians 3 he writes about the things he used to boast about and the things he relied on for peace with God. He was circumcised. He was of the people of Israel. He was of the tribe of Benjamin. And in regard to the law, he was a Pharisee and the Pharisees took great care in keeping the law. And in his zeal for God, he used to persecute the church of Christ. And as for legalistic righteousness, he was faultless. These were the things Paul used to rely on. These are the things he boasted about. Or think of the Lord’s parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector who both went up to the temple to pray. And when the Pharisee prayed, he stood up and prayed about how good he was and how he was so much better than other men.

The Jews used to boast. And people today like to boast about who they are and the things they have done. Even Christian people like to boast about who they are and the things they have done for the Lord. They boast about themselves and they look down on other people who have not done what they have done.

But all such boasting is excluded, says Paul. On what principle? Again, if you’re using the ESV, it says ‘By what kind of law?’ And that’s a better translation of what Paul wrote, but the NIV is correct nevertheless, because Paul is using the word law here to refer to a principle or a rule. Or we might say on what basis is boasting excluded? Well, boasting is excluded on the basis, not of observing the law, but on the basis of faith. And that’s because we’re justified — pardoned and accepted by God — by faith and not by observing the law.

So, if our justification before God depended on observing the law, then there would be room for boasting. There would be room for boasting, because the person who is justified could boast about his good deeds which led to his justification. He could boast about all the fine things he has done to earn his salvation. When he comes to church, he could boast to his neighbour about all the things he has done to win God’s approval. And when he enters heaven, he could stand around boasting to the angels about what he has done to reach heaven. He could boast about all his good deeds and his commitment and his zeal and the sacrifices he made and the hours he spent serving the Lord. He could boast about all these things if his salvation depended on doing those things.

But since we’re justified — pardoned and accepted — by faith and not by observing the law, then all such boasting is excluded. Since we’re saved by believing and not by doing, then there’s no reason for us to boast about ourselves, because the only thing we contribute to our salvation is our sin and Christ has done the rest. He has done it all to lift us from our sin and misery in this world and to give us eternal life in the presence of God. And so, when believers reach heaven, we’ll boast alright. But we’ll boast about Christ and what he has done for us.

And, of course, I should add that the reason we’re justified by faith and not by observing the law, the reason we’re saved by believing and not by doing, is because we’re unable to be justified by observing the law. None of us can be saved by keeping the law, because none of us is able to keep the law of God and nothing we do in the future can make us for our sins in the past. And so, we’re justified — pardoned and accepted — by faith in Christ and not by keeping the law. And since it’s by faith in Christ, then we have no reason to boast in ourselves and we have every reason to boast in the Lord and to praise his wonderful name.

And so, if you ever find yourself boasting about something you’ve done, or if you ever find yourself looking down on other people because they’re not like you, remember that justified sinners have no reason for boasting, because we’re sinners who deserve to be condemned and nothing we do now can make up for our sins and shortcomings. Our salvation depends, not on anything we have done, but solely on Christ and on what he has done for us.

Verses 29 and 30

We’ve thought about God’s justice. We’ve thought about how boasting is excluded. Next Paul tells us that there’s only one God and one way of salvation.

So, we’re looking now at verses 29 and 30. And in verse 30, Paul says there’s only one God. And he’s being wonderfully subversive here. What I mean is that he’s subverting what the Jews believed about God. He’s using what they believed about God against them. The Jews all believed that there is only one God. Every day the Jews would confess: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.’ The Lord is one. That is to say, he is one God and he is the only God. The gods of the nations are nothing. They are only false gods and idols who cannot see or hear or do anything. But Israel’s God is the true God. He is the one, true and living God who made all things.

That’s what every Jew believed. And since there’s only one God, then that means that the one God who exists is the God of the Jews and he’s the God of the Gentiles. There’s not one God for Israel and another God for the nations. There’s only one God and he’s the God of the Jews and the Gentiles.

And since there’s only one God, then there’s only one way of salvation. There’s not one way for the Jews and another way for the Gentiles. Since there’s only one God, then there’s only one way of salvation. And the one way of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles, for both circumcised and uncircumcised is by faith. God justifies circumcised Jews by faith and he justifies uncircumcised Gentiles by faith as well.

And that’s important, because if justification were by keeping the law, then the message of every preacher would be a crushing one, because their message would be that you have to do this and this and this and this and this in order to please God. You have to do this and this and more and more. You have to climb up to God by keeping the law. And when you slip, all you can do is try harder and harder. It’s a message that leads to despair, because none of us is able to keep the law perfectly. But the good news of the gospel is that we are saved not by doing, but by believing: believing in Christ and in what he has done for us. And so, even the worst of sinners can be saved, because we’re not saved by being good but by trusting in the Saviour.

Verse 31

And that takes us to the final verse. So, we’ve thought about God’s justice. We’ve thought about how boasting is excluded. We’re thought about how there’s only one God and one way of salvation. Finally Paul says that instead of nullifying the law, we uphold it. And that’s in verse 31.

So, does all this talk about believing mean that everyone who believes can do what they like? Will it lead to lawlessness? Will people disregard the law since we’re saved by faith and not by keeping the law?

Paul says that no, we uphold the law. And we uphold the law in several ways. Firstly, everything he has said about believing comes from the law. That is to say, it’s there in the pages of the Old Testament. And I quoted last week from Psalm 32 and Habakkuk 3 where it says that God does not count our sins against us and that righteousness with God is by faith.

Secondly, Christ has kept the law on our behalf. The law of God demands perfect obedience from us. And Christ has kept the law perfectly in our place. So, it’s not as if God has said that his law doesn’t matter anymore and he’s willing to forget about it and try something else now. No, God has not abandoned his law. He still demands that we keep it. But Christ has kept God’s law on our behalf. He hasn’t destroyed the law, but he’s fulfilled it for us.

And thirdly, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has fulfilled the law in our place, gives his justified people the Holy Spirit to enable us to do what the law requires. God pours his love into the hearts of his justified people by his Spirit. And his Spirit therefore enables us to know God’s overflowing love for us deep down in our hearts and he enables us to love God in return and to love the people around us as well. And that’s what the law of God requires from us. It requires us to love God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength; and it requires us to love our neighbour as ourselves. And God the Holy Spirit helps us to do that more and more. And so, all this talk about believing instead of doing does not mean we nullify the law. On the contrary, it’s those who believe and who are justified who are able to do what the law says, because those who are justified through faith receive from the Saviour his Holy Spirit to enable us to keep the law. And so, every day every believer should look to God for the help of his Spirit to walk in his ways and to do his will. And just as God gives us the forgiveness we need, and just as he gives us Christ’s record of perfect obedience, so he also gives his Spirit to all who believe in his Son.