Paul Preaches Faith in Christ

Romans 3:21-31; 5:1, 2

GOLDEN TEXT: “As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.”—Romans 1:17

THE apostle is addressing believers at Rome, some of whom were probably converts from amongst the Gentiles, while undoubtedly a considerable portion were converts from Judaism. This is implied by the fact that the apostle so particularly explains the law, not as to Gentiles having no knowledge of the law, but as to Jews having full knowledge of it.

The epistle is a very comprehensive statement of the entire plan of God. The apostle begins in the first chapter by showing that God was not responsible for the prevalent degradation, ignorance, sin, etc., throughout the world, and concludes with the crushing of Satan under the feet of the saints during the Millennial reign of the Christ.—Rom. 16:20

He explains that at one time God gave to mankind in general certain knowledge and blessings, but that “when they knew God they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise they became fools.” He explains that thus gradually men came down to idolatry and bestiality, dishonoring and degrading themselves, and “perverting the truth of God into a lie”; “for which cause God gave them up to vile affections and a reprobate mind, to do those things which were not proper.” Thus they became filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, dispute, deceit, malignity, etc. Thus he accounts for the various degrees of degradation and superstition prevalent throughout the world.—Chapter 1:21,22,25,26,28,29

The apostle’s argument is that none being righteous, none could be acquitted or approved before God, whether they had the law or did not have it, because none would be able to keep that law perfectly. Thus he proved that the Jews as well as the Gentiles, up to the time of Christ, were all under sin, all under condemnation, and that none of them had any claim upon eternal life, according to divine arrangements thus far made. For, “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight.”—Chapter 2:17; 3:9,10,19,20

Appealing to those who had formerly been Jews, and who had been inclined to boast of themselves as God’s favored people, and inclined to think that in some sense of the word they were still more favored of God than those formerly Gentiles, the apostle says, “Where is [the room for] boasting then?” And he answers, “It is excluded.” There is no room for boasting; the Jew and the Gentile having come into Christ are on a common level—both have been justified by faith in Christ; neither was benefited nor injured by his previous experience, whether under the law or without the law, if now by God’s grace they had received adoption into His family through Christ.

Boasting on the part of those who previously had been Jews would certainly be excluded, for they had not been able to perform the works which their Law Covenant had demanded, and now being exempted of God, under the law of faith, it would hinder them from any boasting as respects the law of works. “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without [necessity for] the deeds of [works demanded by] the law.”

As Abraham was justified, and received into favor with God, because of his exercise of faith, so, says the apostle, it is with us: “Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And how and why through our Lord? Because, says Paul, “He was delivered for our offenses [bearing the condemnation which those offenses implied and involved—the very offenses or weaknesses of the flesh which hindered Jews from keeping the perfect law at Sinai, and being justified under it by works of obedience to it].”—Chapters 4:25; 5:1

This justification which we receive through faith in Christ, becomes to us the basis of our new hope—of becoming His disciples, and if faithful, finally joint, heirs with Him in the Kingdom. This the apostle expresses in the words, “By whom also [additional to justification and its peace] we have access by faith into this grace [the privilege of adoption into God’s family] wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God [in the hope of sharing God’s glory and Kingdom with our Lord and Head].”

Our Golden Text refers to Habakkuk 2, where the statement is made, “The just shall live by faith.” Evidently this thought strongly impressed Paul, for he mentions it three times—in his letters to the Romans, the Galatians and the Hebrews. Real faith in the Lord implies not only justification and acceptance of the gift of righteousness through Christ’s sacrifice, but the acceptance of all the instructions of the Lord’s Word and loyal obedience to them. It is in accordance with this that the apostle says, “He that doeth the will of God, abideth [or liveth] forever.”

QUESTIONS:

Was the Church at Rome made up of Jewish or Gentile Christians, or both? Give reasons.

Were the Jews who became Christians hindered by their former experiences under the Law?

Why is faith so important an element in connection with the Christian’s justification?

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