From August to October of 2010, thirty-three Chilean miners found themselves buried over 2,300 feet underground. At first, they were feared dead. Sixty-nine days later, with the world watching, they were rescued. I’m sure that in the midst of their struggle, many of these men felt helpless, and their helplessness had to produce a certain amount of hopelessness. Helplessness and hopelessness. That has to be the feeling one has when buried alive.
Helpless and hopeless. That’s our plight too. When we are apart from Christ, we are helpless and hopeless in our sin. Fortunately, there’s some good news. There’s the gospel. God has a plan to rescue us. He has provided salvation.
“Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:19-20, ESV).
Our problem is simple (Romans 3:19-20). We are all sinners and stand guilty before God. The opening chapters of Romans clearly presents this. As Paul moves into chapter three, he continues to stress that none of us are righteous. We want nothing to do with God or His ways (Romans 3:9-11). We cannot deny that we are sinners. Our culture wants to redefine sin. Sin is such a harsh world. Let’s just label it something else. Let’s use terms like ”mistakes” or “errors in judgment,” (for a great presentation of this, see Jerry Bridges new book The Transforming Power of the Gospel). We must remember that sin is sin. Five plus three equals nine is a mistake. Driving too fast on an icy road is an error in judgment. Sin is a violation against God and His standards
Our proplem is further compounded because our religious efforts cannot save us. Our religious sentiments and activities cannot make us right with God. The Jews turned to the law as a means of salvation. They trusted their heritage and their ability to keep the rules, despite the obvious fact that they could not keep the rules. Many of us do the same thing. We trust that we are born into a “Christian nation” or we “believe in God” or we go to church. We trust our denominational labels and our religious rituals. We believe our church attendance and our pseudo-morality can make us stand approved in the presence of God. The harsh reality is that they cannot.
Thankfully, there is the gospel. There is some “good news.”
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:21-26, ESV).
God’s solution is the provision of salvation – the gospel (Romans 3:21-26). Paul gives us several characteristics of the salvation God offers. First, he tells us it is apart from the law. The law points out our need. It clearly demonstrates our sin and shortcomings. It cannot, however, save us. It identifies our problem, but it cannot solve it.
Second, it is through faith in Jesus. We’ve already established we can’t work for our salvation. Rather, we must trust in the person and provision of Jesus. We rest in Him. When my daughter was little, she would ride on my shoulders. Sometimes she would hang on, but her strength did not keep her in place. She had to rely on me.
Third, salvation is by His grace as a gift. We do not earn salvation. God gives it (Titus 3:4-7).
Finally, God’s provision is through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. A gift is free to the recipient, but it cost the giver. Jesus paid for the salvation given to us. Redemption is a term used to describe the purchasing of a slave. It speaks to the fact that we have been purchased and set free. Jesus gave Himself as our payment (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Jesus our propitiation. He fulfilled God’s righteous demands and satisfied His wrath towards sin. This demonstrated God’s righteousness Thus, God is the just and the justifier. Sin has been dealt with.
Since God provides this, we have no room to boast.
“Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one 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 God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law” (Romans 3:27-31, ESV).
That’s why Paul would only boast in the cross (Galatians 6:14). He clearly explains that we are not saved by our works
Some say “well, I’m glad that works for you, but I have my own way to God.” Paul would disagree. He says there’s only one God. There’s not different gods for different people. Since there is one God, there is only one way to that God. That way is through God’s provision of salvation through Jesus.
What then do we do with the law? Do we just walk away from the moral guidelines God provides? No. Paul says we have no right to throw out the law. The law is fulfilled by Christ. In Him, we are justified. Thus, we uphold it. We do not uphold it to earn salvation, but because God has given us salvation.
That’s some good news. That’s the gospel. That’s God’s plan to save us.
God has blessed me with a great wife, three great kids, and the privilege to preach and teach His Word. My prayer is that I'm faithful in all of those wonderful responsibilities.
