Paul stated the central theme of Romans in Chapter 1.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:16-17).
The “righteousness of God” can be best understood as all that God does to restore a broken relationship with His people. “Salvation” is best understood as human beings responding in faith to God’s activity and restoring that relationship.
Paul outlines the nature of the broken relationship for both Gentiles and Jews, beginning in 1:18 and continuing through 3:20. He is now ready to return to the idea of restoring the broken relationship or the “righteousness of God.”
But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.
He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3.21-26).
The best way to understand the good news message that Paul proclaims is by examining some of his keywords.
(1) Righteousness – The Greek word for righteousness can be translated either as righteous or just.
If it is justice, then we get what we deserve, and that is a very sad story for us. If “righteousness” is God’s work to restore a broken relationship with humans, it is good news.
When the word righteous is used in the Old Testament by the law and the prophets, it describes God’s willingness to keep the covenant with Israel even though they’ve broken it.
God’s covenant-keeping ability is described as loving-kindness because He continued to keep the covenant even when Israel miserably failed.
(2) Sin – Sin is falling short of God’s intended purpose for His creation.
A few months ago, our washing machine broke down. It stopped working and could no longer serve the purpose for which it was created. Instead of throwing it out, we decided to repair it.
Similarly, when humans sin, we fall short of what God intends for us to be. However, just as we didn’t give up on our washing machine, God doesn’t give up on us.
(3) Justify – We are “justified by his grace as a gift” (verse 24). The word “justify” comes from the same Greek root word as “righteous.”
When Paul writes that we are justified by His grace, he is saying that God’s grace brings us back into a relationship with God that has been broken by sin.
(4) Redemption – This term originates from the language of the slave market. When someone is about to be sold into slavery, and another person buys them and then sets them free, we say that they have been redeemed.
(5) Sacrifice of Atonement – What is freely accepted by us through faith came at an immense cost to God. Jesus, the beloved Son of God, was the sacrifice of atonement that brought about the return of sinful humans to a relationship with God.
(6) God’s Justice – Abraham was right when he said to God: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:25).
One type of justice is called distributive justice, where we receive what we deserve. If this were the only kind of justice, we would all be in serious trouble.
However, there is another kind of justice that comes from God, known as creative justice. In this justice, God pays the penalty for our sins through the blood shed on the cross, and He creates in us, through His grace and the work of the Holy Spirit, new beings.
Praise God, this is the kind of justice He offers us through Jesus Christ.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 