Romans 3:21-31

No Room to Boast

Segment 1: The Righteousness We Could Never Earn

Romans 3:21-26

• The verdict: all are guilty - Romans 3:19-20

• The great turning point: "But now" - Romans 3:21

• God provides the righteousness He requires

• Righteousness comes apart from works of the law - Romans 3:21

• The Law and Prophets were always pointing to Christ

• Righteousness is received through faith in Jesus - Romans 3:22

• Salvation is received, not achieved

• "All have sinned" - Romans 3:23

• Sin is falling short of the glory of God

• We are justified freely by grace - Romans 3:24

• Justification: God declares the believing sinner righteous

• Our guilt goes to Christ, His righteousness is credited to us

• Redemption comes through Jesus Christ - Romans 3:24

• Grace is free to us, but costly to Christ

• Christ is our propitiation - Romans 3:25

• Jesus satisfies God's righteous judgment against sin

• The cross brings justice and mercy together

• God is "just and the justifier" - Romans 3:26

• The righteousness God demands is the righteousness God provides

Segment 2: No Room to Boast

Romans 3:27-31

• Grace eliminates human boasting - Romans 3:27

• Salvation gives God all the glory

• We are justified by faith apart from works - Romans 3:28

• Good works matter, but they cannot justify

• We do not work for justification, we work from justification

• Works are the fruit of salvation, not the root

• Grace exposes religious self-righteousness

• True spiritual maturity produces humility

• One God, one Savior, one gospel - Romans 3:29-30

• Jew and Gentile are justified through faith

• The ground at the foot of the cross is level

• Nobody has a spiritual VIP entrance

• Grace changes how we see other sinners

• Faith does not overthrow God's law - Romans 3:31

• Grace does not eliminate obedience

• Grace changes the motivation for obedience

• We do not obey to earn God's acceptance

• We obey because we have been accepted in Christ

• Never confuse the fruit with the root

• Christ is the root, obedience is the fruit

• We bring the sin, Christ brings the righteousness

• We bring the debt, Christ pays it

• Salvation is by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ

• Jesus gets all the glory