February 2 Click on verses for Full Scripture

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Today's Pathway: Romans 3:26-30 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

Yesterday we saw Paul's statement in verse 25 that Christ's sacrifice declares that God was righteous in His handling of sin and salvation in the Old Testament. In verse 26 Paul writes that Christ's sacrifice declares God to be both just and also the Justifier of those who believe. This is an interesting passage of Scripture, for it deals with a difficult theological question: How can a just God declare sinful people to be Not Guilty? Charles Ryrie explained the issue this way:

“If God, the Judge, is without injustice and completely righteous in all His decisions, then how can He announce a sinner righteous? And sinners we all are. There are only three options open to God as sinners stand in His courtroom. He must condemn them, or compromise His own righteousness to receive them as they are, or he can change them into righteous people. If He can exercise the third option, then He can announce them righteous, which is justification. But any righteousness the sinner has must be actual, not fictitious; real, not imagined; acceptable by God’s standards, and not a whit short. If this can be accomplished, then and only then, can He justify."

But this seems to be an impossible scenario. Moses had given instructions to the Israelite judges that they were to decide cases referred to them by justifying the righteous, and condemning the wicked (Deut 25:1). In Proverbs 17:15 Solomon wrote,

"He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD."

"I will not justify the wicked".

So, how does God do it? Through the acceptable substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus. On the cross Jesus took upon Himself my sin. He was "made sin for us" (II Cor. 5:21). By taking my sin on Himself He became my propitiation (Rom. 3:25). His sacrifice appeased the wrath of God against my sin. Then, when I placed my faith in Jesus for salvation, God imputed the righteousness of Christ to me (Rom. 4:24). In other words, as we will see in Romans 4, God placed righteousness on my account in place of the sin that had been there. Christ took my sin, and God gave me His righteousness. So, if my sin has been judged on the cross, and God has given me the righteousness of Christ, He can certainly justify me without compromising His own justice.

It was mentioned recently in one of our church services that no man would ever have been able to devise the plan of salvation that God did. What an amazing God He is! Through Christ's death on Calvary He is able to declare sinners to be Not Guilty without compromising His perfect holiness and justice. Our only responsibility is to believe. Thus Paul writes in verses 27-30 that man can not boast about what he has done, for it has all been done by God. Salvation by good works would result in men boasting of their goodness (Eph. 2:9), so salvation can not come through keeping the Law. That being the case, both Jews and Gentiles can be saved, because there is only one God and one means of salvation for all of mankind: FAITH.