“The Solution”

(Romans 3:21-31)

Series: Romans – United in the Gospel [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

February 13, 2022

Introductory Comments:

Have you ever received bad news but then it is immediately followed by good news? For instance, you may hear that you’re not able to drive your dad’s old car when you get your license, but then you find out that you’re getting a new car! [show picture on screen] Or, perhaps you find out that you didn’t get the job you wanted only to find out that your current employer is giving you a great promotion. [show picture on screen] Or, perhaps, like our church, you have the news that our worship attendance is down from what it was in early 2020, but then you realize that our church is growing in every area and some areas are larger than in early 2020. [show picture on screen] 

Well, Paul has spent the last several weeks giving us the bad news. He’s told us that the wrath of God is shown towards all those in humanity who reject God and His ways. It doesn’t matter if you are Jewish or non-Jewish. It doesn’t matter if you are religious or irreligious. If you reject God and His ways, you will be judged. Paul said in Romans 3:10, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”

However, Paul now has some good news for us. I want to start off where we ended last week. Look at the beginning of our passage today. Look at Romans 3:21-22:

21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.

If you’ve hung in this long with Romans, congratulations! Now, it’s time to talk about the good news. The good news is that although the law cannot save us, Jesus can!

I’m excited and ready to get into this sermon, but before we do, let’s pray together and God to speak to us.

(prayer)

Last week, one of the weekly challenges was to determine what your solution is. What is your solution to your problem of sin? Well, today’s sermon is entitled, “The Solution” [on screen]

So, let’s look at three aspects of the solution today from our passage. First, let’s look at . . .

I. The “What?” (21-24) [on screen]

So, what is the solution? There is a great problem: our sins lead to the wrath of God being poured out on us. What is the solution?

Well, let’s look at the passage again. Let’s look at Romans 3:21-24:

21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Ok, so Paul has just spoken in the previous verses about how the law of God is beneficial but it falls short of justifying us before God; it falls short of saving us from our sin and making us ok with God. 

In verse 21, Paul says these wonderful and powerful words, “But now.” [on screen]

God has done something new and special through Jesus the Messiah. 

But now, God has offered a solution to our sin problem. But now there is good news that is more powerful than the bad news. But now Jesus can do something that the law could not. But now there is hope for all humanity and that hope is Jesus!

So, Jesus accomplished what the law could not, and Paul indicates that this is not a new concept. 

Paul says in verse 21 that the Law and the Prophets attested to this. 

Of course, the Law and the Prophets represent the bulk of the Old Testament of the Bible. So, Paul is saying that the Scriptures have pointed to the fact that the Messiah was needed to bring us to God and Jesus the Messiah came, and did what we really needed. 

Well, what is it that we really need?

We need the rig