Week 8 - Monday

How To Be Right With God

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, (Romans 3:21a)

Did you notice that the background color is different. After 50 lessons in the same color, today seemed like a good time for a change. Today's lesson represents more than a color change though. After spending most of the first 3 chapters of Romans describing the bad news, Paul is now going to begin presenting the good news of the gospel. So far in Romans Paul has told us about man's sinfulness, their rejection of God, and God's anger over it (Rom. 1:18-23). He has shown us that because men have rejected God, God has given them over to their own sinful desires and allowed them to fall deeper and deeper into sin (Rom. 1:24-32). Paul also warned that God's anger over sin is building and that a day of judgment is coming. He explained that God's wrath will not be just against the godless immoral sinners. Religious and moral people are just as guilty and equally in danger of being condemned (Rom. 2:1-29). Paul has convincingly demonstrated that every single person, Jew or Gentile, is guilty before God (Rom. 3:1-20). All men are utterly incapable of living up to the righteous standard that God requires of them. Faced with this seemingly hopeless situation, people all throughout history have asked, "How can a man be right with God?" Job asked that question about 2,000 years before the birth of Christ (Job 9:2). The crowds who heard the preaching of John the Baptist also wanted to know what they needed to do to be right with God (Luke 3:10). So did those who heard Jesus speak (John 6:28). After Jesus ascended back to heaven, the crowds were asking the apostles what they needed to do (Acts 2:37). How then can a man be right with God? This is the question Paul is now going to answer.

Paul has just finished giving the evidence regarding man's sin. The final verdict is in and every person stands guilty before God. They all deserve to be condemned. But in spite of that, God has provided a way for a man to be right with God. But is a transition word used to denote a change from, or a contrast to, what has just been previously stated. The good news of the gospel is that, even though all men are sinners, they can still be right with God. God has made righteousness available to man apart from the Law. There is a way for a man to be right with God, other than by keeping His Law. In order for a person to be right with God by their own efforts, they would have to be perfect. They would need to have never broken any of God's laws. But there is no one who can do that. The only kind of righteousness man can produce is unrighteousness. Because people's hearts are naturally sinful, even the good things they do are defiled. You can't pour fresh water from a dirty pitcher and expect it to come out pure. Both the container and the water must be clean before what comes out of it can be really good. Even if a person could be righteous for a while, there is no way they could stay that way forever. God's righteousness is perfect and everlasting though. Everything He does is perfect and right. He has always been that way and He always will be. No man can ever be right with God by keeping the Law. God's Law is good and He wants us to obey it. However God never intended for the Law to save anyone. The Law was given to men to show them their sin. The only way for a person to be right with God, is for God to give His righteousness to them.

Readings for today: Gal. 3:10-11; James 2:10; Gal. 3:21; Titus 3:5