Romans 3:21-31 - God Leaves No Room For Boasting

Today, Monday January 18 – Romans 3:21-31 – In this passage the big question is answered! “How can a holy and just God forgive a sinner without violating His own righteousness?” I think one of the hardest things to comprehend or understand personally, is how by simply putting my faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross of Calvary, I can totally be forgiven and cleanse of all my sin and have a right standing before a holy God. It seems too easy for me to receive such an awesome gift, I cannot do one thing to deserve it or to obtain it! Paul here is explaining the righteous God and His righteous demands were revealed in many ways before the full revelation of the Gospel in the Old Testament. They were revealed through His Law, His judgments against sin, His appeals through the prophets, His blessings on the obedient (v. 21). But now in the Gospel, a new kind of righteousness has been made manifest or revealed (Romans 1:16-17); and the characteristics of this righteousness are spelled out in this section. I’ll simply list them here: Apart from the Law (v. 21); Through faith in Christ (v.22a); For all men (vv. 22b-23); By grace (v. 24); At great cost to God (vv. 24b-25); In perfect justice (vv. 25b-26); And, To establish the Law (vv. 27-31). God obeyed His own Law in working out the plan of salvation. Jesus in His life and death completely fulfilled the demands of the Law. God does not have two ways of salvation, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles; for He is one God. He is consistent with His own nature and His own Law. And Paul’s whole point is, “If salvation is through the Law, then men can boast but the principle of faith, makes it impossible for men to boast!” Our only boast is in our wonderful Savior! Amen! God bless!