Romans 3 9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.

12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”

14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

“The righteous will live by faith” “By faith from first to last” “But Now” Romans 2:17 – 3 “The righteous will live by faith” “By faith from first to last” Today we are going to add more substance to the salvations story

Correct actions make you righteous You did it! Righteousness O. T. -- an action taken Correct actions make you righteous You did it! N. T. -- a state of being Paul is going to contrast the now and the new now

Romans 2 17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God;

19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?

Romans 2 21 …do you steal? 22 …do you commit adultery? …do you rob temples? 23 …do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

The Apostle Paul states the obvious No one is able to obey the Law

Romans 3 9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.

Paul places Jews and Gentiles on a level field We are all law breakers and all sinful Jew or Gentile, we are all imperfect

Romans 3  “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

If there is a question about the ultimate purpose of the Law Paul answers this once and for all The law is designed to show we are unable to obey

20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

The law could only point to our imperfection It highlights what we do wrong However, it could not save us But now… God has creating a new covenant of righteousness

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

By faith: believing in Jesus Righteousness: a saving relationship with God -- it is a state of being not an action! We were in trapped in our sins without hope, but now we can be in a state of salvation By faith: believing in Jesus

Faith opens the doors of grace: God's unmerited love and benefits By faith: Believing in Jesus Faith opens the doors of grace: God's unmerited love and benefits God’s grace through Christ justifies us: God declares us not guilty; not just from sin but the guilt of sin

There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace…

We are justified because we have been redeemed: Ransomed – Jesus robbed Satan of the power of death and sin Legally - Someone has to pay The payment was the blood of Christ: death and sin are defeated for us who believe in the blood (death)

There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

Grace brings Justification Faith brings grace Grace brings Justification Justification is possible through the redemption process Jesus paid the redemption price on our behalf… Jesus redeems us from the past, present and future We accept this gift by faith

The beauty of all this is… It has nothing to do with what we ourselves accomplish

27 Where, then, is boasting. It is excluded. On what principle 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Our salvation is a beautiful gift from God We can not earn it in any way The law stands but not as something to be obeyed to the letter Rather, the law points out our need for redemption

29 Is God the God of Jews only. Is he not the God of Gentiles too 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

The law has done what is was supposed to do Reveals our sins, our weakness and our need to trust God at a different level – by faith The law invites us to run to God to accept his gift

Putting it all together We live in a world of judgments, evaluations, measurements No such values can be placed on our salvation We are not qualified to judge other peoples salvation

Putting it all together We are brought into a relationship with God through Christ by faith That faith leads to justification by the redeeming blood of Christ It affords us forgives from sin, guilt and shame; past, present and future

Putting it all together Because salvation is a gift We can not brag about our goodness Nor can we make others feel less saved because of their behaviors

Imagine A relationship Keeping score Or Unmerited love

In the past we were under the law But now We are under the grace of God Which comes by faith Which justifies us through Christ’s redemption on the cross and the blood He shed

We are the Federated Church. Our Mission is to… Seek Christ, Serve Christ and Share Christ.