notes by Rhyne Putman

A Demonstration of Grace
Romans 3:10-31

None Seek God

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt; they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.”

Psalm 14:1-3 (NASB Update)

“There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”

Romans 3:10-12 (NASB Update)

·        Born in sin, no man seeks God on his own.

·        In sin, man has no understanding of Holy God.

·        We were born corrupt, incapable of doing good on our own.  We are depraved—born with an internal state of evil, lacking good.

“‘Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving. The poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”

Romans 3:13-18 (NASB Update)

“There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)

·        We have all done the things that God hates.

God’s Great Forgiveness

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Romans 3:19-20 (NASB Update)

“Every mouth may be closed”.  Because we have the precious Law of God, we are aware that we don’t meet the requirements of it.  Because we have it, we know that we have done the things that God hates; we know that we have sinned.

·        The Word of God keeps us accountable.  Because we have it, we know that we have sinned.

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:21-24 (NIV)

·        God’s standard is perfection.  “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

·        All have sinned.  Everybody has fallen short of God’s glorious standard.

·        Righteousness is a gift from God.  We are given it by faith in Christ Jesus.  It’s not something we can accomplish by following the law.

“The Good News of the Gospel of Grace cries out: we are all, equally, privileged but unentitled beggars at the door of God’s mercy.”

--Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

“…Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Romans 3:24-26 (NASB Update)

PROPITIATION

·        Propitiation (v. 25)—the atoning sacrifice of Christ that has paid for our sins in full, allowing us to approach the throne of grace. 

·        In Christ’s death on the cross, the wrath of God is satisfied. 

·        The Propitiatory or “Mercy-Seat” is the blood-sprinkled lid on the Ark of the Covenant[1], symbolizing the place where God meets man.

·        The cross was a “public display” of His infinite grace.

·        Offending man can now have a friendly relationship with Holy God, because the punishment we deserve has been carried out on the cross.  

“He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished- 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.”

Romans 3:25b-26 (NIV)

·        On the cross, God punished all sin—past, present, and future—from the beginning of time.[2]

·        On the cross, God demonstrated His righteousness by punishing sin.  He also demonstrated His great grace by the greatest sacrifice imaginable, His Son Jesus.

·        Because of this propitiation (or atoning sacrifice), “those who have faith in Jesus” are justified.

“Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.”

Romans 3:27-30 (NASB Update)

·        The law of faith saves us.  Like a law of nature that is constant, anyone who goes to God with faith in Christ Jesus (circumcised Jew or uncircumcised Gentile) will be saved.

·        God is the God of all mankind, Jew and Gentile.  

“Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”

Romans 3:31 (NASB Update)

·        “It’s Just Jesus!”  The Law found in the Word of God was not done away with on the cross; it was fulfilled. 

·        All of the Law points to Jesus.  It shows us our sin and how we need the perfect sacrifice found only in Him. 

·        Paul gives us a warning against Antinomianism, or the thought that because Jesus has been obedient to death, we don’t have to be obedient to His commands.

·        The believer, through faith, is obedient in following living a godly lifestyle imitating Jesus.