Romans 3:21-25 * Midweek Lent 2, 2010 *
Pastor Leyrer
Dear Friends in Christ,
Some of you have been coming to Lenten services for many years, maybe even several decades. Others of you may be relatively new. Whether you are a midweek novice or a veteran, here’s a question to ponder:
What do you expect from these midweek Lenten devotions?
If you are hoping to hear something new or novel, or if you’re holding out that a new wrinkle or two may be added to the Passion history based on some late breaking information discovered since last year at this time, you’ll be disappointed.
But I don’t think that’s why any of us are here.
I think all of us understand that Lent is not a time for new discoveries; rather it is a time for the rediscovery of timeless truths that need to be re-heard and reviewed again and again.
We could look at it this way. In looking back over the years we sometimes wish that we could or lament that we didn’t get a second chance. Well, Lent might very well be designated as our yearly spiritual opportunity for a second chance.
In a life full of choices, Lent is a chance to get our priorities right. In a world that screams for our attention, Lent is a chance to focus on the important rather than the urgent. And in a culture that seemingly makes over-commitment and over-scheduling virtuous, Lent is a chance to slow down and think about the things that really matter most.
That’s what we’re going to do tonight. We’re going to review one of the clearest and most striking passages of the Bible on the great Lenten topics of grace and faith and salvation. We’ll hear nothing new; we will simply take the time to reflect upon and rejoice in the fact that we
JUSTIFIED BY GRACE ALONE
THROUGH FAITH ALONE
But now a righteousness from
God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets
testify. We
need to define some terms. God’s righteousness
that Paul talks about here can be understood in two ways. One way is as a characteristic or quality of
God. God’s righteousness in this way is
a reference to His holiness.
The other way to understand God’s righteousness is not as something He
is, but as something He does. In this
sense it is God’s declaration of
righteousness upon those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is brought out in the statement: This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. In effect, God says to the believer: “Through
your belief in the work of Jesus, I declare you righteous, or holy, or forgiven,
in My sight. As such, the door to heaven
is open to you.”
Furthermore we are told this righteousness from God is apart
from law. The word “law” refers to God’s commands, meaning this righteousness does not come to
us through our keeping of God’s commands or our doing something to gain
it. God’s declaration of righteousness
upon us is not something we earn through outward obedience. Salvation is not performance-based.
Moreover, this declaration of righteousness as the way in which God
saves people eternally was testified to by the “Law and the Prophets.” This is a
common Bible name for what we today refer to as the Old Testament. In other words, Jesus Christ and His
redeeming work was highly visible throughout the Old Testament with its hundred
of Messianic prophecies.
Sometimes even we as Christians can get the impression that the Bible
is a collection of doctrines and historical personalities and events that we’re
sure are related, but we’re not sure how.
Jesus is the “how.” Jesus Christ is
the glue that holds the entire Bible together; He is the scarlet thread that is
woven from the first book to the last.
He is the destination point upon which all paths converge and pass
through.
And trusting in His work and embracing Him in faith is what makes us righteous in God’s eyes. This is the only way we can be saved eternally. Righteousness through our own efforts is impossible because, as our text goes on: There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
“All” means everybody. Everybody
means you and me. Although sometimes
unwilling to admit it (or willing to admit it only on an intellectual level),
these are the facts: We are born
sinful. And even as Christians we
continue to sin – sometimes in weakness, other times in ignorance, still other
times in defiance. In its simplest sense
“sin” means to “miss the mark” that God asks us to hit. And as those who miss the mark we “fall
short of the glory of God” – that is, what God
intended and asks man to be: perfect.
It is important for us to recognize this, because we can sometimes
salve our conscience by comparing ourselves to those we feel are worse than
us. We engage in this kind of internal
conversation: “Well, I may not be
perfect but I’m better than that guy.” Lent
does not allow us to think that way.
Outside of
Do you think they understood they only had 38 more feet to go? Do you think they believed with a little more
effort and a better trajectory they could somehow make it to the top? Do you think the fish that jumped three feet
before it fell felt superior to the fish that only jumped two feet?
Fish don’t think, but we do and hopefully you understand the
point. When it comes to our salvation,
the standard is not trying harder or being better than the next guy. The standard is sinless perfection. And we can no more achieve that than a trout
trying to scale
Our sin disqualifies us from heaven. But we will be in heaven.
Why? The next
verse… And are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that
came by Christ Jesus. Words have meaning. Especially these. It
doesn’t matter how many times you’ve heard them talked about over the years;
reflect upon them, let them resonate in your soul and you’ll find that you’ve
been involuntarily flooded with the peace of God that passes all understanding.
“Justified” is a courtroom term that means “to declare
righteous” or to declare forgiven. This is the decision that has been rendered
by God, the Judge, upon each of us. This
decision has been done “freely,”
without cost to us, but at great cost to Him, “by His grace.” This is
key. Here is the motivation behind this
great act: grace.
Grace is often described as God’s undeserved love, and maybe that’s the best
we can do for a definition. The fact of
the matter is that grace transcends any description. God’s love for mankind is beyond our
understanding because it is so far removed from any type of love we know by
experience.
Perhaps the best we can do is contrast it to what we do know.
We mortals generally love others because they love us in return. God’s love is different. It extends to a planet full of creatures who,
judging from their disobedience toward Him, are by all rights unlovable.
Yet, He still loves us. Because
of His grace. Amazing.
Lent shows us God’s grace in action. Here’s what it looks like: …and are 1) justified 2) freely
3) by His grace 4) THROUGH THE
REDEMPTION THAT CAME BY CHRIST JESUS. Some translate the word “redemption” as “ransom.”
The idea is that a price had to be paid.
And it was. The price was God’s
Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ we
see in a most marvelous way the JUSTICE of God (which demands punishment for
sin) and the LOVE of God (which He has for us sinners) harmonized.
Now we are told how this harmony between God’s love and
God’s justice was brought about, as well as how it all becomes ours: God presented Him as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in His blood.
In the Old Testament an “atonement” was a sacrifice
in which the blood of animals was shed to restore peace between God and His
people. These atoning sacrifices did two
things for Old Testament believers.
First: It told them of the
seriousness of sin and how there could be no forgiveness without the shedding
of blood. Secondly: The blood of every animal sacrificed as an
atonement pointed to the ultimate sacrifice for sin which would be made once
and for all on cross of
Lent reminds us that day has come.
And along with it, spiritual peace and harmony and the quiet sense of
well-being that exists within us now and will extend throughout eternity.
It is ours not because of anything we can do or have done; it is ours “Through
faith in HIS blood.” That is, through
believing and trusting Christ as the Savior who gave up His life and shed His
blood as the sacrifice for our and
the world’s sin.
The hymn writer Johann Heerman tries to make sense of the blessed incongruity
of it all.
Oh dearest Jesus, what law have you broken
that such sharp sentence should on you be spoken?
Of what great crime have you to make confession –
what dark transgression?
The answer, of course, is none. Then…
Whence come these sorrows, whence this mortal
anguish?
It is my sins for which you, Lord, must languish;
Yes, all the wrath, the woe that you inherit,
This I do merit.
But it won’t be debited to our account. Because of this blessed, divine turn of
events:
What punishment so strange is suffered yonder!
The Shepherd dies for sheep that loved to wander;
The Master pays the debt his servants owe him,
Who would not know him.
But now, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we do
know him. And we know that we are
justified by grace alone through faith alone.
Amen.