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We have stated that Romans 3:21-26 might be the most important paragraph ever written. We might further contend that Romans 3:24-26 is the most important passage in the entire Bible. It is no less than the introduction of one of the most important doctrines: justification by grace through faith.

Wrath- Remover

The question is raised, on what basis can God justify - declare righteous - unrighteous sinners? If God's law demands that sin be punished, how was anyone in the Old Testament saved? How can God be true to His law and at the same time be generous with salvation? The answer: Jesus is our propitiation!

The importance of this word and its meaning cannot be overstated. If we deserve wrath and yet don't receive wrath, that wrath must go somewhere else. More specifically, that wrath must be endured by someone else. Otherwise, God is not being true to His word or His law. But that is not the case.

My Propitiation

Christ Jesus is the one on whom God's wrath is laid. Jesus is my propitiation. He turns God's wrath from me and takes it upon Himself. I deserve it - He does not. Jesus is more than merely a "sacrifice of atonement" on my behalf. He is definitively more than an "expiation" that simply covers my sin. No. Jesus became sin so that I might receive the righteousness of God.

Any description of the cross that does not describe the cross of Christ as a propitiation - as a wrath-removing, wrath-averting sacrifice - is false. (First John 1:2; 4:10) If you want total and absolute freedom, it is imperative that you grow in your understanding of the basis on which God releases us from the penalty of breaking His divine law.

What is your faith in? What is saving faith? If you died today, are you certain of going to heaven? Your ability to answer these questions is foundational to your living a transformed life.

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Study Romans Beginning With Episode #68

It's been called the greatest paragraph ever written. Romans 3:21-26 lays the basis for God justifying sinners - justification by grace. The fact that guilty people get to go free is simply amazing.

Guilty, Yet Pardoned

Justification by grace is a cornerstone doctrine of Christian faith. Understanding it - what it is and what it is not - is critical to your daily living. How? By helping you see yourself as you really are, not as you think you should be.

The difference between being declared righteous and being made righteous is foundational to your success. Today we explore a little about this difference and how understanding it rightly makes all the difference.

How can a sinner - like me - be justified before God? If I cannot keep His law through perfect obedience and can never pay the penalty due in full, how can I ever be saved? The law of God leaves no other alternatives. How can sinners be brought back into a right relationship with God and His law?

Finally, Some Good News

After hearing the charges against us - all of us - that we are guilty under the law of God, there is finally some good news. I'll be honest with you: I'm glad that section is over! Unless you're a masochist, I'm sure you're glad as well.

There is nothing "fun" or enjoyable about hearing that you're wretched, guilty, and deserve punishment. Even little children realize how unpleasant this is. Worse is the reality that there is no hope. There is no way for you get yourself out of this situation. You're going to go to court. You will stand before the Judge. It is an absolute certainty that you will be found guilty. There is definitely a penalty that must be paid. That's the way the law works.

But, there is good news. Now, there is an alternative that is not part of the law system. There is a way you can be justified before a holy and righteous God. But you can do nothing to earn it or deserve it. You can only accept and receive it. Why? Because it is a gift.

Getting What You Don't Deserve

Grace. That's the only way. It's the only alternative. But thank God there is an alternative! This section of Romans - chapter 3 verses 21 to 26 - has been called "the most important single paragraph ever written." The message conveyed here will literally change your life and your eternal destiny.

Now it's starting to get good. The gospel - the good news - has finally arrived! What we learn from this point forward is nothing short of miraculous.

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Series Starts With Episode #69

The "law system" is fair, just, and right. The "grace system" is unfair, justifies, and declares righteous. Which one are you choosing? Do you really want God to be "fair" with you on judgment day? Once you understand what that means, I'll bet you choose grace.

The Law System

For 64 verses (Romans 1:18-3:20) Paul has described our wickedness before God under the law system. The summary statement of this passage is basically found in 3:20: "...by works of law no flesh will be justified in [God's] sight...." Why spend so much time telling us about it? Because we each one need to be convinced...and then re-convinced...again and again.

We are stubborn. All of us makes excuses. We try to find loopholes that will somehow "set us free" from the guilt imposed by the law of God. But there are no excuses. There aren't any loopholes. Under the law we all stand guilty before a holy God. We are under condemnation and without hope of mercy. Why? God's holiness demands that sin be dealt with through wrath and punishment. Truth is, we don't really understand just how bad our situation is.

The Grace System

The law condemns us and leaves us doomed. But the law is good. How? By showing us just how badly we need an alternative solution. The law reveals our predicament and forces us to seek another way. That way is the way of grace.

Through Jesus Christ and His fulfillment of the requirements of the law, God offers grace. Grace is not fair. The law says: Keep the commandments, and therefore escape the penalty. Break the commandments, and therefore suffer the penalty. That's fair. It's just. And it is accurate.

The grace system is not fair. It says: Keep the commandments, but suffer the penalty. Break the commandments, but escape the penalty. That hardly sounds right and certainly not fair. In truth, the first half of the grace formula applies only to Jesus. He is the only one to have ever kept the commandments perfectly. It's the rest of us that get to take advantage of the second half. That is, to be guilty of breaking the commandments but yet escape the penalty.

This episode reviews the first three and a half chapters of Romans while giving a brief preview of the next main section. We discuss the grace system in anticipation of Paul delivering the gospel - the good news - in Romans 3:21-5:21. It's starting to get exciting!

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This Series On Romans Begins With Episode #69

We are all guilty! That's the message of Romans 3:9-20. None of us - Jew or Gentile - is exempt from judgment under the law. We have all broken the law of God - in whatever form He has given it - and are therefore sinners. First John 3:4 says, "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness." If you insist on dealing with God according to the law, you will stand condemned by that very law.

Under Law

We are all under law. Every human being who has ever lived - and will ever live - is under law. In Romans 1, Paul has pointed out that rejecting and living as though there is no law and therefore no Lawgiver, only results in more condemnation. On the other hand, living as though having the law is enough will lead to equally eternal punishment. Under law there is no other option.

When people live life under the pretense that their good deeds will outweigh their bad deeds in the final tally, they are choosing to deal with God in terms of the law. Under law, God has no alternative but to bring judgment and condemnation. Why? Because all us are guilty of breaking it in one form or another. Keep the law perfectly, and therefore escape the penalty. Break the law - even just once - and therefore pay the penalty. Under law, there is simply no other way.

Painful Reality

These first three and half chapters of Romans can be pretty painful to read. Especially when you realize they are describing you and me! But this is exactly Paul's point. The whole purpose in writing this is to understand that we are all going to be condemned if we remain under law. Or if we insist on thinking our good will ultimately outweigh the bad, we're going to be gravely disappointed.

But all of this is simply the diagnosis. "Dr. Paul" has to tell us the bad news before he gives us the good news. In order to resolve your problem you first have to accept and admit that you have a problem. You didn't think Alcoholics Anonymous came up with Step 1 all on their own, did you? But there is Good News - gospel - and Paul will deliver that beginning in Romans 3:21. But now, apart from law...

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This Series On Romans Begins With Episode #68

After learning that just having the Law of Moses is not enough, the question is: What advantage is there in being a Jew? Have the Jews been spinning their wheels for the past 2,000 years? Or is this God's idea of a bad joke - giving the covenant and a sign - circumcision? If the Jews aren't saved by the Law of Moses, how can they been considered "chosen"?

False Assumptions

The Jews' basic problem is one of false assumptions. They have presumed upon the law they possess. Israel has wrongly determined that "being chosen" is an advantage with regard to salvation. Even the Jewish leaders and teachers failed to understand that keeping the law was the requirement, not simply possessing it.

But beyond this, Paul says there are great advantages to being a Jew. In fact, there is such a thing as "Jewish advantage" or Jewish privilege. The problem is that it isn't what they thought it was. Had they read and studied and been properly taught, they would have known.

A Fuller Understanding

What the Jews were given access to was a more complete view and understanding of who God is. Gentiles - through the "law of Creation" and the moral law written on their hearts - can know God as Judge, Lawgiver, and Creator. The Jews had a distinct advantage because of the Old Testament.

They could know God more fully and more completely. The Old Testament presented God as not just Creator and Lawgiver and Judge. But also as Shepherd, Savior, and King. God is rich in mercy. love, grace, and forgiveness. Something the Gentiles could not see or understand as clearly. The Law of Moses showed God to be faithful to His promises and just in His judgments. These are just some of the advantages to being a Jew.

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The Study of Romans

No one will be saved by his relationship to the law of God. Whether that law is the "law of Creation" - that God exists and deserves our honor and thanks - or the Law of Moses makes no difference. All law demands perfect obedience. Failure to be perfect results in condemnation. It's as simple as that.

Jews No Better Off Than Gentiles

Ignorance of the law is an unacceptable defense for Gentiles. Because they do know the law and have in fact, suppressed its truth. Jews will not be saved simply by their possession of the Law of Moses. Any law - every law system - requires perfect obedience in order to be justified (i.e. saved; in right standing with God). There are no exceptions. The Jews will not be shown any favoritism in the final judgment.

Paul makes the point that only doers of the law can be justified. An unqualified verb in the original text, doers implies perfect obedience. The hypocrisy of the Jews - possessing and teaching the law but not keeping it themselves - brings condemnation upon themselves. Worse, it brings ridicule and mockery upon God Himself. And that ain't good.

We Are All Hypocrites

The truth is, we're all hypocrites to one degree or another. None of us is able to live up to the standard of thought and conduct we set for ourselves. Whether we deny God exists or insist people live by the commandments of the Bible, we're all failing. This is exactly Paul's point. None of us can escape judgment if we continue to see law-keeping as the way out.

Understanding, accepting, and living in this truth will help us to keep a right and humble perspective. The value of studying this is surely not lost on you. Think of how different your work or home environment would be if everyone simply remembered this one thing...no one is perfect! Yeah, you laugh at that because we all say it. But how many of us actually believe it to the point of not expecting perfection in others...or ourselves? Again, our hypocrisy knows no bounds.

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This Series Begins With Episode #68

Is there such a thing as bad Jews or Christians and righteous unbelievers? Paul says there is and it's based on the reality of Romans 2. The Jews make the mistake of believing that possessing the Law of Moses should equate to special considerations and treatment.

The Impartiality of God

The overall subject of this first main section of Romans (1:18-3:20) is the inability of the law to save people from their sin. Sin, by definition, is lawbreaking; breaking even one of God's laws results in being a sinner. And although the law - whether spelled out or revealed in creation - helps keep us from further sin, it is unable to correct what has already been broken. In other words, once you sin, that sin cannot be undone by keeping the law. Keeping the law is just another way of saying obeying the commandments.

The problem regarding the Gentiles is, how can they be condemned by the law if, in fact, they do not have the law? In previous episodes, we've seen how the Gentiles do have a law they are responsible for obeying.

The problem regarding the Jews is they believe they cannot stand condemned by law, because they have a "special" relationship with God. As a nation, God gave them the written Law of Moses (i.e. special revelation). Their belief is that merely possessing the Law - simply being born a Jew - will shield them from God's divine judgment. They are sadly mistaken.

No Special Treatment

Paul's main point in chapter 2 is to show the Jews that they will not be treated with any special considerations on the Day of Judgment. They will have no special privileges, no advantages, and no partiality from God simply by virtue of being Jewish.

Paul points out that a person could be saved by keeping the Law - provided they keep it perfectly. The problem is that no one has - or ever will - keep the Law perfectly. All have sinned - all have broken God's law - and by works of law no one will be justified. If someone were able to keep the law perfectly, they would be justified before God. But no one has or will. Only Jesus - the Messiah, Christ, and God-man - has fulfilled the law perfectly. In fact, this is what makes Him the viable "Lamb that takes away the sin of the world."

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This Series on Romans Begins With Episode 68

The wrath of God is revealed in many different ways. From the immediate and actual consequences of our sin to eternal punishment in hell. As Paul describes, God's wrath is also experienced in daily life and in real time events. These events and actions happen to both individuals and societies.

God Gives Them Over

Being given over to the "desires of our heart" might not sound like much of a punishment. But when those desires are wicked and sinful, being turned over means being let loose to the full consequences of sin.

Sin leads to more sin. Sin is both the cause and the effect. And the depth of our sin when unrestrained is scary. When God turns over a nation or individual, He is pulling back His hand of restraint. His protection is a restraint that keeps us from sinning as completely as we otherwise would. Those who suppress the truth about God and deliberately fail to give honor and thanks, will be allowed to go their own way.

Hard To Hear

This passage of Scripture can be difficult to read or to hear and you can come away from it feeling condemned. But that's not all together bad. The truth is, under the law system we are all condemned. This is Paul's point. Another point is that everyone has been given the Law of Creation and God's Moral Law written on the heart.

Trying to concisely convey all the information contained here is difficult. After several attempts I've decided to let a more experienced teacher convey these truths. John MacArthur, Minister of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA preached this passage in 2006. He has preached it several times before as well. John does a masterful job working his way through this last half of Romans 1.

Keep in mind that he is coming at the passage from the perspective of God's wrath on a nation. It is important to recognize that the same truths apply to individuals as well.

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Previous Episodes in This Series

Romans

Link to full audio and visual versions of John's message: When God Abandons a Nation

Grace To You Copyright Policy

John MacArthur appears courtesy of Grace To You (GTY.org)

Copyright 2006-2019, Grace to You. All rights reserved.  Used by permission.

God's wrath revealed from heaven is purposeful and intentional punishment for sin. In this passage, it is specifically punishment for the sin of the Gentiles. That is, those who have not been given a specified written law, as the Jews have been given. Specifically, the sin of the Gentiles is their rejection of the One True God.

Everyone Knows

Everyone knows there is only one God. Why? Because God has made it evident. How? Through creation. The mere fact that we are alive and breathing is evidence that we are creatures and that there is a Creator. The simple act of acknowledging Him and saying, "thank you" is enough to move us forward toward redemption. It won't redeem us, but it will be honored by God and He will make a way for us to learn the gospel.

On the flip side, suppressing this truth - and thereby rejecting God - is enough to condemn. People who have never heard the gospel will not be judged by their response to what they have never heard. They will be judged based on what they have known all along. Gentiles are not exempt from punishment for lawbreaking nor from their need for grace.

Turned Over

The punishment for rejecting God is severe. It is also experienced in real time events. More specifically, it is experienced in our very own bodies. The practice of idolatry leads us further down the road of immorality. The punishment is the experience of these immoral desires running rampant and producing the due penalty. This can be hard to hear. But so is learning you have terminal cancer.

Paul lists several consequences and results of this punishment, not the least of which is futile thinking. Later, in vv. 26-32, he will describe the utter depths of human depravity when suppressors of truth are "given over" these desires.

Yes, It Matters

You might wonder why we need to know this and why I'm spending time covering it. First, so you are aware of the realities of this world and thus your life in it. You are a broken person living in a broken world and are not immune to the residual effects of sin. It is a condition of this life.

On the other hand, your redemption by grace through faith gives you "eyes to see" what is really going on. It also reminds you - frequently - that your greatest problem has already been solved. When you can live in that truth, you can consistently move forward.

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Previous Episodes on Romans

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