What Becomes of Our Boasting? | Romans 3:27-31 | Ian Goodman

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

After Paul makes his grand statement on the doctrine of justification, that it is by grace through faith, and not by works of the law, Paul then mentions three outcomes of the gospel in the life and attitude of the Christian.

1. The exclusion of all boasting.

If we are saved by grace and not by works then there is no ground for boasting. This is a great test to see if you have understood the gospel correctly. If you can look at any part of your life and see there a reason for pride or boasting, then you have not understood the gospel truly. If you think that you became a Christian because of your righteousness, your intelligence, your humility, or even your free will apart from the enablement of God’s grace, and if you see in these things ground for boasting, then you have not understood the gospel truly. In the gospel we are instructed not to think this way.

2. The exclusion of all divisions among the justified.

If we are all saved in the same way, then we have no basis for separation or division. “God is one - who justifies the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.” It is profound to think that our unity in the gospel is actually based all the way back in the very unity and oneness of God!

3. Not the exclusion of the law but the establishment of the law.

After mentioning two things that are excluded by the gospel, Paul goes on to mention something that is not excluded but rather established—the law. Far from removing the law by faith, rather we uphold the law by faith. Faith gives us the energy and momentum we need to uphold the law. Like a rollercoaster that flies down a steep hill in order to be able to ascend the next, so our faith gives us the momentum we need to obey the law.

Sin, Sickness, and the Saviour (Matthew 9:1–7)

Context and Setting: Matthew 8 demonstrated Jesus’ authority through five miracles. Matthew 9 continues this theme but shifts focus to the forgiveness of sins, emphasizing humanity's greatest need.

Humanity’s Greatest Need: John 8:21–24 makes it clear that people are not condemned merely because they sin—but because their sins remain unforgiven. Forgiveness, not healing, is our deepest and most urgent need, as sin leads to eternal death without Christ. Even newborns, beautiful and innocent as they appear, are sinners by nature (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10, 3:23).

The Miracle in Capernaum: Jesus heals a paralytic who is lowered through a roof by four friends (more details found in Mark and Luke). Instead of healing immediately, Jesus says: “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

Theological Confrontation: The scribes silently accuse Jesus of blasphemy, believing only God can forgive sins. Jesus knows their thoughts and challenges them: Which is easier to say: “Your sins are forgiven” or “Rise and walk”? To prove His divine authority, Jesus tells the man to rise, pick up his bed, and go home—and the man does. This visible healing validates Jesus’ authority to forgive sins.

The Crowd’s Reaction: The people are amazed and glorify God for giving such authority to men. The crowd seem to have missed the deeper truth—that Jesus is more than a man; He is the Son of God.

Application for Believers: Spiritual paralysis with guilt, shame, addiction, bitterness . . . is real—caused by sin. Psalm 32 is cited to show how unconfessed sin can affect one physically and emotionally. Believers are urged to examine their hearts and come to Jesus for not just healing but deep, soul-level restoration.

The justification of God | Romans 3:24-26 | Ian Goodman

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The key concern that Paul has in verse 24-26 of Romans 3 is to do with this question: How can God be both just and the justifier of sinful people? Paul is deeply concerned with the glory of God, especially in the gospel. But there is one thing about the gospel that is a potential threat to the glory of God, that is that the justice of God and the righteousness of God might in fact be undermined if God is too gracious with sinners. If God simply justifies ungodly people by faith alone then surely God is Himself unjust? This is a problem Paul wishes to solve in these verses. He wants to show that God is not shown to be unrighteous in the gospel, but rather God shows his righteousness in the gospel.

He solves it by using two words to describe Christ’s work in the cross: Redemption and Propitiation.

Redemption means “to be bought back at a cost”. The idea is taken from the slave market. If a person got into trouble and couldn’t pay their debts, they were often sold at the slave market in order to pay the debt they owed. However, if this happened, it was also possible for a friend or family member to come along and pay the debt that was owed and so “redeem” the person who was being sold, so that they could go free. Christ is our redemption, and His death is the price paid for our freedom.

The other word used in Christ's work is the word Propitiation, which refers to the way in which Christ deals with or takes away the wrath of God toward the sinner. Christ is the propitiation that takes away the wrath of God. The way He does this, of course, is He takes the punishment for our sins on Himself. Isa 53:5 “upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace.”

God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ, because through Jesus Christ, God has found a way to execute His justice and at the same time let the sinner go free. What an amazing God we worship!

Justified by His Grace as a Gift | Romans 3:23-24 | Ian Goodman

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

These verses are so precious and should occupy a privileged place in a Christian’s life and theology. Like the sun in our theological solar system, these verses give us light and life and warmth.

We shall consider four major phrases in these verses.

All have sinned . . .

This is the great equaliser of all mankind. All have sinned, and that means we have sinned. This needs to be a truth we hold onto. It needs to be part of the Sun that we rotate around. It’s good to think much about our sin, for it will lead us to think much about our Saviour.

. . . and have fallen short of the glory of God…

This phrase helps us to think big thoughts about our sin. Our sin is not ultimately against other human beings or against ourselves, but against the glory of God. Paul says in Rom 1:22-23 “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” We do this, in a sense, every time we sin. We exchange the glory of God in our minds for the glory of whatever sin we are tempted by. We exchange the glory of the immortal God for an idol. I believe this is what Paul means when he says “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

. . . and are justified. . .

What an incredible truth this is. Though we are sinful, yet we are justified! Justification means that God has declared us to be righteous despite the fact that we are not. Justification changes nothing about our moral nature, only our legal status, and that legal status is “not guilty”. Of course after this God also begins to change our moral nature through the process of sanctification, but this process does nothing to change our legal standing before God as justified!

. . . by His grace as a gift

God is not reluctant to justify, but eager! His love is what compelled him to send Christ, and it is by that same love that Christ came. God is abounding in love, and is quick to justify any sinner who repents.

Let this be the sun in the middle of your theological solar system - the light and life and warmth that you revolve around.

Revelation 17 “The Woman Riding The Beast”

Jesus the Son of God

Text: Matthew 8:28-34

C. S. Lewis writes in his book ‘The Screwtape Letters’ There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. Let us keep this warning in mind. Though this passage in Matthew 8 speaks of demons, our focus will be on Jesus.

Alleged discrepancies explained: When the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke are compared, we may encounter two difficulties.

The first difficulty is to do with whether the location is the country of the Gadarenes or that of the Gerasenes.

None of the gospel writers claim that the miracle happened in the city of Gadara or in the city of Gerasa. It is possible that the geographical boundaries of these two regions overlapped, and the incident happened in a place where the boundaries overlapped. The gospel writers are not interested in providing precise postal addresses. They were giving enough details for their audiences to be able to corroborate their accounts. Incidentally, Gadara was closer to the Lake of Galilee than Gerasa. But Gerasa was more well-known. It could be that Matthew names the region nearer the lake, while Mark and Luke used the name of the more prominent city to identify the general location where the miracle took place.

The second difficulty is that Matthew mentions two demon possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one.

There were actually two demon possessed men who came to Jesus. Perhaps Mark and Luke mentioned the one who was more noticeable or prominent for some reason. Authors have the independence to choose the material they want to include in their work, based on which aspects of the story they want to emphasize.

All of grace: Jews would avoid gentile areas, but Jesus went to a gentile region and near an area with tombs and pigs to meet the demoniacs. Jesus had an appointment to keep, an assignment from His Father. Every merciful encounter our Lord ever had with a human being was written down from eternity past.

Demon possession described: The demoniac was described by Mark as having been reduced to a number— Legion—a tragic hopeless figure, reduced essentially to the level of an animal. But this is an illustration of the human condition without God. Eph 2:1-3, Col 1:13, 21. But by nature, we were all under the power of dark forces. We were all under the power of evil. We were enslaved to sin.

The confrontation: The demons confess that Jesus is the unique Son of God and they want to be left alone until the time of their appointed judgment. How sad it is when we see men and women behave like this and want to be left alone without Jesus.

The dramatic deliverance: Matthew records only one word of Jesus in the whole incident. That is the word, “Go.” “The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure; / one little word shall fell him." The demons rush into the pigs and the pigs rush into the lake.

Some people have mourned the loss of the lives of the pigs. Our God who owns the cattle on a thousand hill and owns everything can do whatever He wants to do with His world. Everything we own has been given by Him and He can take them away too.

The reaction of the crowd: The sight of the demoniac sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, instead of making the public amazed and joyful caused them to beg Jesus to leave their region. Men and women by nature do not seek God. We run away from God. Jesus clothes us in His righteousness when we came to Him in faith, just as the demoniac who had been naked sat fully clothed at Jesus’ feet. The demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God. James 2:19 The demons believe and shudder because their faith makes them realise the consequence of rejecting God. If I acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, then I need to love Him, serve Him, and walk in His ways; otherwise I will be no different from the demons.

Jesus the Son of God has all authority in heaven and on earth. He has authority over sickness; He has authority over nature and has authority over the domain of darkness. Those who have trusted in Him have been delivered from the domain of darkness and have been transferred to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son Jesus. His deliverance is an act of His sovereign mercy. Do not tarry!

Who is Jesus? | Matthew 8:23-27 | Philip Dhinakar

Matthew summarises the response of the crowd to the Sermon on the Mount at the end of chapter 7 by writing: And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. (Matt 7:28,29).

Wanting his readers to know that Jesus not only taught as one having authority but also did mighty works as one having authority, he packs ten miracle stories in chapters 8 and 9. After a first set of three miracles, Matthew inserts the stories of two men who wanted to follow Jesus. The first man was very enthusiastic because of his ignorance of the cost of discipleship and the second man was reluctant because of his awareness of the cost. Despite the great cost of following Jesus, we should follow Him because of who He is. This will be the focus of my message from Matthew 8:23-27 for which I have given the title ‘Who is Jesus?’

The disciples’ words to Jesus

The disciples found themselves in the middle of the storm not because they were disobedient or because they had made foolish choices, but in obedience to the word of Jesus who has said: “Let’s go over to the other side” And Jesus had led them straight into a storm! And in the same way, obediently serving Christ may place you right in the middle of storms you would have avoided if you had stayed on the shore. Jesus has neither promised to steer us away from every storm nor promised to still every storm that we encounter.

Mark 4:36 records that other boats were with them. This storm hit those with Christ in their boat as well as those without Christ in their boat. Just because you’re in Jesus’ boat doesn’t mean that it’s going to be smooth sailing. Christians are not exempt from trials.

Even before the disciples called on Him, Jesus was there with them in the boat, going through the storm with them. He has promised, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).

Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples

In the thick of all the confusion Jesus awoke and spoke to the disciples. About this, Spurgeon remarked that Jesus spoke to the men first, for they were the most difficult to deal with: wind and sea could be rebuked afterwards.

Jesus asked the disciples “Why are you afraid O you of little

faith?” The seas were shaking, the waves were crashing, and the boat was about to sink. Who wouldn’t be afraid! Not all fear is wrong, but it is excessive and wrong when it causes us to forget the goodness and power of God. More than others the disciples had witnessed the Lord’s power on a consistent basis. Theirs is an impoverished faith, because they had not yet recognized who Jesus really is. It is comforting that even when our faith is excessively fearful, Jesus hears our cry, gets up, rebukes wind and sea, and creates calm.

Jesus calming the sea and the disciples’ amazement.

Having rebuked the disciples, Jesus then rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm instantaneously. The creation recognizes its Creator. And seeing this, the disciples marvelled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?” The disciples knew that only God is able to direct the wind and the waves. The account of Jesus calming the sea is a perfect illustration of Psalm 107:25-31. In Matt 14:33, the next time the disciples are on a boat—the time when they see Jesus walking on the water—they will answer their own question, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

The ultimate application of our text is for us to sit in awe and wonder at the truth that God the Son became man and lived and died for us. Do you think that God the Son who took on flesh and humbled Himself to the point of being beaten, flogged and crucified in order to redeem you, will He then forget all about you as you go through the storms of life? You are secure simply because you are in the hands of the One who has all authority in the whole world, and because this One with all authority loves you and cares for you.

If you are not a Christian, can I draw your attention to that question of the disciples in 8:27: ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him? If Jesus is who the Bible says He is, if He is who He Himself claimed to be, then He really does have all authority, He has authority over you and me. If all of creation is at His command, if this whole world responds to His word, how can we reject Him as our Ruler? How can we justify refusing Him as our King? The question “Who is Jesus” is of crucial importance. Don’t ignore it or put it off.