The Road to Salvation – We study Paul's letter to the Romans

Still Bad News

We saw in Romans 1 and 2 that there are three groups of people, and all are bad, even if they do not believe it:

1. The unrighteous (Romans 1:18-26) are those who are not interested in God at all. However, they can learn about God through his revelation in nature (the creation, Eng. Creation). They have no excuse. This is the answer for people who ask "But what about those who live in the jungles and have never...?". You leave them alone. Concentrate on your own bliss;
2. The self-righteous (Romans 2:1-16) are those who blame others without looking at their own sin. However, their conscience (Eng. Conscience) accuses them, and they do not have an excuse either; and
3. The overly righteous (Romans 2:17-29) are the Jews, who think that the law they rely on is the solution. They have no excuse either.
4. The three Cs that cannot save you, but which point the way to the one C that can, are:
   1. Creation – Romans 1:20 ff
   2. Conscience – Romans 2:1 ff
   3. Commandment – Romans 2:17 ff
5. The one C that saves you is:
   1. Christ – Romans 3:21 ff

Read Romans through these glasses. Our own efforts fail us. God's solution saves us.

In the first two chapters, and the first half of the third chapter, Paul emphasizes the fact that the Jews do have an advantage, but that more accountability is also demanded of them because they should have known better. However, they are no better than anyone else (Romans 3:9). This is already seen in Psalm 14:3, which Paul quotes here in verse 10. Remember the following: if the Word says "It is written..." then you must look up these text verse(s). See Romans 15:4. In verse 11, Paul again quotes a psalm, Psalm 53:4. Indeed, no one seeks God, and no one is wise. Refer back to Romans 1:22 – they think they are smart, but really they are fools.

Verse 12 and the quote that Paul makes stand in stark contrast to what worldly false teachers teach. Joel Osteen says that "99.9% of people are actually good". You can go look it up on YouTube, but don't waste your time. He said that, and he is wrong. Read verse 12 again and focus on the word "no one" and the phrase "not even one". Then decide who you believe; people's opinions, or the Word.

Look at what people do - we also read in Romans 1 about a long list of things that people do wrong. Verses 13 and 14 talk about us and our words, and the words that so often get us into trouble. The other part is our feet, our actions. We are so quick to do the wrong thing, and we do not know the way of peace (verse 17). Read verse 18. Isn't that tragic? Look at how things are going around us. People live irresponsibly and think that because they do not believe in God, He does not exist, and therefore there is no judgment waiting for them. Yet the law is the one aspect that must convince man of his fallen state before God (verse 20). Until here the bad news.

Now the Good News

Paul uses two and a half chapters to give the bad news. Look at the change in thought that occurs in verse 21: But (opposite thought) now (at this time):

6. the righteousness of God has been revealed (Jesus Christ)
7. without the law (we do not need the law, and the law does not save us)
8. while the law and the prophets bear witness to it (which we read about in the Old Testament).

The justice is:

9. not by the law, but by faith;
10. not only for the Jews, but for all; and
11. not by works, but by grace.

The justice is now no longer impersonal nouns (creation, conscience, commandment), but a personal noun, Jesus Christ. He is the righteousness revealed, for all. None of these three groups is any better than the others. God's judgment is clear, as Paul will later write:

²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23

However, we are justified by grace without having earned any of it, through the salvation that Jesus Christ brings. His blood brings the atonement (verse 25). Through the work of redemption, we are now freed from the judgment for the sin that was our downfall before. God now shows his righteousness (Jesus Christ) in our time (verse 26) towards us. I have the same value in God's eyes as his Son himself. He sees me as justified by Jesus Christ's atoning work.

Paul makes the statement in verse 28 that we now assume that man is justified by faith, without the works of the law. Think about it - all the works of the Jews through all the ages mean as little as your "nothing" you have done in your life to try to please God! He states it clearly, and it may have come as a shock to the Jews, that God does not only belong to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles (verse 29). Both the Jews and the Gentiles are justified by faith. This is a hard lesson for the Jews in the congregation in Rome, and good news for the pagan Christians with them.

This statement, as Paul states it in verse 31, does not undo the law (it is not salvation), but rather fulfils it (it leads to salvation). See Matthew 5:17, Jesus' own words.

Main points in Chapter 3

1. No one seeks God – verse 10 – He came to seek us;
2. We have all sinned – verse 23 – we have no excuse;
3. We are saved by grace – verse 24 – not by works; and
4. We are all equal – verse 29 – no one has any advantage anymore.

Chapters

• Romans Chapter 1
• Romans Chapter 2
• Romans Chapter 3
• Romans Chapter 4
• Romans Chapter 5
• Romans Chapter 6
• Romans Chapter 7
• Romans Chapter 8
• Romans Chapter 9
• Romans Chapter 10
• Romans Chapter 11
• Romans Chapter 12
• Romans Chapter 13
• Romans Chapter 14
• Romans Chapter 15
• Romans Chapter 16

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