Righteousness Revealed

Today on Senate life with JD Greer. Jesus paid the full price to buy us back full price to redeem us from condemnation of sin.

The offered it to us freely, not because it was free you. Everything was very costly to him. It was free to us was free to us. We presented the coupon of faith and his sacrifice with a Mars Bible teaching ministry at theologian JD Greer down wondering how to respond when Simon asks you why you think that Jesus is the only way to salvation. Pastor Jenny walk through one of the most important passages in Romans, Martin Luther called the very central place in the whole Bible, we find not only the answer to why Jesus saves, but also the confidence that is found only through our justification. Let's jump back into Romans chapter 3 today Bibles this weekend and I hope that you brought them if you will take them out and open them to Roman Shepherd. Verse 21. I hope that you came prepared today ever been one of those Brazilian steakhouse is never been one of those you have this little system, or you got green rock in a red rock or green right side to it. You remains to give me food in red converse on my ever experience that this sounds a little like I'm making this up, but I'm not how she was on a mission trip in Brazil and I was by myself in a certain area several years ago.

I never heard of the Brazilian steak outside no idea what concept was.

I didn't speak the language. I going there to eat.

They give me a little note rock. I have no idea what it means.

I guess it's on bring the whole time because it doesn't keep coming by putting food on my plate. I kid you not. There were 6 inches of meat plaque on my plate event. I don't know how to tell you guys to stop and I will do as we flip my rock to read, I tell you all that to say I hope that you were listening rocks are on agreement this morning because Paul has a lot of stuff in this passage that he is going to just keep piling on. This is not exaggeration what I'm about to say this might be the most important passage in the book of Romans. Some scholars say it is the most important passage in the entire Bible, Martin Luther, Martin Luther said this, he said that Romans 321 to 26 is the chief point in the very central place of this epistle, which just means a letter another scholar named Leon Morris, Leon Morris said that this is possibly the most important single paragraph ever in human history.

In this passage, Martin Luther said, is the heart of the Reformation behind the simple truth that he believed the church and corrupted and that the Roman Catholic Church, by the way, and Protestants today still disagree about some of you ask, I've heard you asked me over the years.

What is that that the major difference between what Protestants and Catholics believe or sometimes will say I grew up in a Catholic Church and what does the summit church teach that is different from what I learned Catholic Church: first say that were grateful for any heritage you have been taught you to know the love God's word, but you're going to hear today the answer to that question.

What is it that that that we believe that would differ from what will be taught in the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, this passage answers a couple of questions that I often get from people outside of the faith. The first of those questions is why do you Christians make such a big deal about Jesus. You probably grew up just assuming Jesus was a big deal if you grew up in a Christian context, but people outside the faith, like I just don't get the focus on Jesus. I know that we need God.

We also commune with the divine. But what does the life of a migrant Jewish rabbi who lived more than 2000 years ago.

What I got to do with me knowing God today.

While this talk about the cross in fact it sounds kind of primitive to say that some blood sacrifices necessary for me to relate to God, which leads to a second question that I get a lot why do Christians say that Jesus is the only way why do Christians say Jesus is the only way people outside the faith walk and say to me well I'm really glad Jesus works for you.

I'm glad he's your happy place and glad he's the missing piece that makes your life work, but why would you force that on everybody else.

Why can't we all just know God in our own way about me ask you if you are a Christian, then you probably heard that? How do you respond when you get asked that question other than you slowly trying to back out of the room and pray for the rapture. How do you respond how you respond.

Right now I suppose you could just quote John 14 six Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the father but by me and that would be fine but that's just a statement that he is the only way. Romans 321 326 is the explanation for why he is the only way to is not just declaration this explanation when you get asked this question. Romans 321 to 26 is one of the places that you should turn to. Let's start where were we left off with last week. In verse 20. Remember, in Romans, Paul is building a very careful argument, layer by layer.

So verse 20 nobody he says is good to be justified in his sight by the works of the law because the knowledge of sin. Only the knowledge of sin comes through the law.

Paul has spent nearly 2 chapters now explaining why the law is an insufficient answer to the universal human problem of sin and the law applicable law is basically whatever religion puts forward as a way to be right with God.

Every religion puts forward some lists on the law of things that you need to do and they say if you will do these things and you will do them well enough, then you will live. Religion works off of the premise. I obey I obey. Therefore, I will be accepted. If I obey well enough if I obey often enough, then I will be accepted by God. The problem with that is twofold verse you can't change the substance of the heart simply by giving it laws any more than you could change my pallet to change my taste buds by commanding me to eat certain things that I use example a couple weeks ago pigs eating pig slop to keep a pig from eating pig slop you have to put a barrier between the pig in the slot and if you remove that barrier. The pages can go hogwild after the slot, but for the average human. You'll have to commend them not to eat pig slop because pig slop is revolting to the average human. So no law is required when the same way God doesn't want spiritual pigs in heaven who only avoid the slop of sin because they're commanded to her because he threatens to punish them if they if they do touch it.

He wants people in heaven who avoid sin because it is revolting to them and who pursue good because they delight in God and because they are more attracted to good than they are to sin. The second problem with the law and this is what Paul really focuses on today is that our sin has left us guilty before God legally guilty and no amount of good works can repair the damage that we've done I think of it like this. Imagine somebody broken your house and destroyed some of your most valuable things so they get caught.

They get hauled into court and as the record they begin to explain to the judge that they really are good person meeting admitted that there on the PTA their kids school may volunteer the soup kitchen and knew all these wonderful things right you would stand up at some point say hey that's great.

And why this person is is awesome and always other ways, but that doesn't repay what they have destroyed of my sin violates sin, destroys God's glory in the universe.

Sin overturns God's justice adjusters that God tells us is the very foundation of creation.

Psalm 8914 says this yada job is reference them righteousness and justice, righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. What that means is that God has built the universe. It sustains on justice and civil creation to remain good sustainable justice has to be upheld. So Paul explains.

Nobody can be justified in the sight by the works of the law because it is only the knowledge of sin that comes through the law below shows us. Verse 23 that that all of us. That means Jews and Gentiles alike. It means religious and irreligious alike. All of us have sand. We've all got the same part of sin in all of us fall short of the glory of God that would fall short in Greek scholar say it's a word they would use an archery I view.

If your point back in the bow and then releasing the arrow when you miss the target by 20 feet of exceeded 20 feet side target you would say it fell short. It fell short of the target, the law below. Paul says shows us how far we fall short of what God wants from us. Law is a precious gift to us.

Because without the wall we end up thinking were not that bad. You see, most of us most of us would define sin is doing wrong things. Most of us would admit that sometimes we do wrong things for most of us most of us assume that what's in our hearts is basically good and that occasionally we make mistakes below disabuse us us of that without the law were like the man who comes home from your shooting trying archery for the first time friends as well do not want it also I hit the bull's-eye. Every single time friends at once amazing your first time out. You gotta bull's-eye every time. How did you do that will symbol every time I shot when I went to where it landed in the woods not paid to the bull's-eye right around wherever he landed I got what you can do that. Wetzel people do with goodness they redefined goodness so that it corresponds to what's already in the heart, the law, particularly the 10 Commandments show us the real target God's target and revealed just how far our hearts have missed the mark. So Paul says nobody can be justified by the works of the law because the law's purpose is to diagnose the knowledge of sin comes to the law that all purposes to diagnose not repair the law. I've heard it said is like the thermometer in your house that tells you what the temperature is it's not the thermostat that can change the temperature.

It just reveals how messed up your heart really is. Or like we have said it in another analogy the laws like railroad tracks railroad tracks point to the direction we are supposed to go by the railroad tracks are powerless to move the freight along the tracks reading Romans two and three were Paul leaves in and out of the law is supposed to give you this feeling of spiritually drowning. Never had the sensation of drowning and never like almost died drowning, but I have had a couple of times where I was trapped under the water for an uncomfortably long amount of time. One of them was in a white water rafting mishap that took place several years ago it was up on the golly River in West Virginia archive before we went to this was for the reveries in a giving a three class for class V rapids in a row that was needed for the river he so whatever you do is as you can for the boat and the second one that's a pretty easy assignment don't follow the boat. Got it. Thankfully I kept his they obeyed his word to its exactness. I fill out in the first of those five rapids, right at the end of it where there was none of time to be back in the boat before we went right in the second. So I went in there, restless, just through this probably lasted 45 seconds or so and you go into this thing and just under the water in your under for what feels like forever.

And then you pop up just a second gas revenue back under your no idea what was coming.

You know if it was ever going to come out.

It is had the sense that every time you got a little bit of breath and you were just back down and give us you panicked in the end, and it was just like you're suffocating. When you read Romans two and three and you go through the wall. You're supposed to have this feeling of just had not only were to turn now look at the bad things I've done and I see that they're full of selfishness and rebellion and anger and then I look at the good things that I've done my religion and I see that my religion is filled with pride and competitiveness and selfishness. They are in and you say with Paul in Romans seven all wretched man that I am wretched I can't turn anywhere like the Puritans used to say. Even my tears of repentance have to be washed in the blood of the lamb. Even when I went on sorry over my sin, even they are.

There is guilt and there is corruption that is how we read when reading Romans two and three. So then he gets to verse 21 and there's this huge turn but now but now but now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been revealed management tests at all on the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God is the faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe this, it is no distinction between Jew or Gentile religious religious. They're all just sinners and we says are justified freely, freely, some translations, they buy a gift by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus on my mind.

What a bunch of important words regarding that verse.

We gotta start defining there's a first when justified, justified, this is the word that Martin Luther said launch the Protestant Reformation. You see the Roman Catholic Church of Martin Luther's day listening to big boy theological plans on fermented again. The Roman Catholic Church of Martin Luther states all the justification was a process whereby God actually made you into a righteous person by infusing his righteousness into you by means of the seven sacraments baptism and Eucharist confirmation last rights in this, thanks. Eventually they thought through observing the sacraments and going to confession and doing good work, she would become a righteous and a person that God would declare you justified and if by the time you died, you had not become righteous enough you would go to purgatory where your sin would be purchased from you through fire and suffering. That's where we get the word purgatory purge adoring it was going to be purged out of you this, they taught was the process of justification God needs you into a righteous person and then he acknowledge that you were righteous enough to enter into his kingdom. But Martin Luther pointed out that that's not what the word justified means and it's certainly not how Paul talks about it in Romans three and four justification means a legal declaration that happens all at once justification is not a process whereby we become righteous justification is a pronouncement whereby we are declared righteous justification does not refer to that transformation of the heart. That is what we call sanctification segmentation Meijer but coming holy justification is a declaration of righteousness in justification God's righteousness is not infused into us in justification. It is imputed to us credited to us that anything like this.

If I get accused of a crime and I get hauled into court and the jury decides that I'm innocent of all charges and the judge brings down the gavel and declares me not guilty.

I am cleared all at once unjustified. These not given me a seven point program to go out and prove that I'm a good citizen. He declares me innocent all at once, and I walk out of three main back in Sunday school always learned that word justified needs just as if I'd never sinned, justified, just as if I had never sin in the gospel because Jesus righteousness is credited to me imputed to me. I in the clear justified at 1.1 time. That's were Martin Luther's phrase single uses that pack a tour. That's where it came from. And this is a Latin phrase of the navigable dimes meet simultaneously righteous somethings are justified and even while take a tour on the center, simultaneously unjustified, even while I am a sinner. It's not that I become righteous enough that God declares we righteous okay okay you good enough now McCauley righteous but that while I am still sinful.

God declares me righteousness because my righteousness is not my own. My righteousness is something that is given to me that Jesus earned in my place.

This was all pictured in the Old Testament process of sacrifice every year, each believing Jewish family would bring up a lame perfect spotless lamb to the temple. They would lay it on the altar, and as the priest or before that lamb, the father of the family as their representative would take his hand to put on the head of that lamb and he would begin to confess the sins of the family and as he was doing that the priest would take a knife and slit the throat of the Lamb whole process was showing that the sins of this family was being transferred in effect to this lamb. The lamb was dying in the family can walk out three in that moment they are justified because the lamb was held responsible for sin before God and so the family got to walk out free is another part of this process that happened at the end of the day of atonement, where they would take a goat, one goat, and symbolically. The priest would lay his hands on the goat and transfer the sins of all of Israel under this goat and then he would send the goat out of the city into the wilderness, never to be heard from again. By the way little-known things in Jewish history is a useful station.

A priest right outside in the woods that assumes the goat would leave the crease to grab the goat take them until them off the cliff so that he could never like actually wander back into the content because they thought that would be a bad omen. If the unit or that the goat came back in. But the point was seen the guilt, the sin was transferred elsewhere so that righteousness is what remain for the people. This is all what Jesus fulfilled when he came. That's why John the Baptist when he first time he sees Jesus says behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world on the cross, the sins of the entire human race were laid on the head of Jesus. Martin Luther said all the prophets for Saul was in this that on the cross, Jesus became the greatest murderer adulterer, the rebel and blasphemer that there ever was our most merciful father sent his only son into the world and said to him, Jesus your to become Peter the denier to become part of the persecutor blasphemer and cruel oppressor become David the adulterer you're gonna become Adam that sinner that did eat the apple in paradise you're going to become the husband who has neglected or abused his family. You're going to become the immoral woman who is Rex somebody else's marriage, you're going to become the drug addict you're gonna become the teenage girl lying to her parents. Become a hypocrite living a double life.

Your to become the proud, the selfish, your to become the apathetic become all those things for them so that my people can be innocent of them, bearing shame, and scoffing rude in my place condemned, he stood sealed my part in with his blood, hallelujah what a Savior so that when I lay my hand of faith on him. My sin becomes his and his righteousness becomes my simultaneously justified even while I am still a sinner. It's not that I become righteous enough to observing all the things Gus is now your righteous is that he declares me righteous at once because of what Jesus did in my place single uses a backup tour.

By the way you looking for a cool tattoo in another language to put on your body let me suggest this one right here okay because the whole gospel is right in that phrase you can explain it every time somebody asked you about it.

Okay, that's the first word justified second word redemption redemption to redeem means to buy something back to bring it back from destruction, to restore it word we use a whole lot in common language anymore. Everybody knows that great scene from dumb and dumber were Lloyd Christmas trades in their van for the cross customer. Current literature for that moped because it gets better gas mileage member Harry says Lloyd like just when you thought you could just when I thought you couldn't possibly do anything dumber to do this and totally redeem yourself right. You have brought yourself back from this destruction you are restored. People do use the word redeem again this is not super common. But if you were to sell something to a pawn shop is you needed � and so you know something very precious to you with his fortunes change and you get money back and you want to try to get it before this pawn shop sells it. If you were to go back to that same pawn shop and taken out of money and buy back the diamond ring we would say that you work redeeming a you work were bringing it back so that it was not lost. Sometimes we use the word we talk about coupons what you call it when you train in a coupon you redeem the coupon you are given a cash equivalent for what would otherwise be a worthless piece of paper right so your Harris Teeter and then Lucy prints out of the checkout process. Congratulations you've been chosen to receive a free ham just present this coupon to check out what you do. Put your groceries in the car you go back to and you'll get the ham you bring it up you put it back down at the checkout and the person brings it up and the cashier says that'll be $23 in your life, maybe for the average amount that will be $23 but not for me because I have a little coupon so you hang the coupon to her and boom, it's really you get a free ham.

What is you think what you pay nothing, or the manufacturer say full price course the pig is a real hero in the story because the pig paid it all. The pig paid it off your coupon just connected you to the big sacrifice and that's how you get saved okay you present faith in what Jesus did as yours. And boom to become source so me you were going to get that big part next time your heresy or picking out a.m. to see the big paid it all and I get it for free. So when you get saved to Harris Teeter.

You can thank me okay right. Jesus paid the full price to buy us back. He paid the full price to redeem us from condemnation the sin he offered it to us freely, not because it was free when you know he paid everything was very costly to him. It was free to us was free to us.

We presented the coupon of faith and his sacrifice with a Mars God presented him.

Paul continues as an atoning sacrifice some translations as a propitiation. The record is Phyllis theory on Phyllis theory on what it means is that anger is assuaged God's claim against you is settled with training rear message is titled series walking through Romans on the previous messages or if you wanted you the transcript. You can find them online@jeanniegreer.com and I study Romans. In the past I've noticed that Paul references the Old Testament Scriptures a lot ways that yell course, the New Testament didn't exist. At least it didn't exist before the polls. Around the leather bound volume with the Gideons stand on it when Paul wanted to make a point from Scripture and really mean a show that what he was saying was built what God had already said he reached for the Old Testament right to when you're studying Romans is important to pay attention to when and how Paul uses the Old Testament the ground is his argument arose, arguments, strange word to use when you talk about the Bible but really is.

It is a logically tight premise by premise explanation for why God did what God did what he said Jesus and why we the church have to tell everybody about in Romans 39 through 18 is a great example. When Paul wants to prove that everybody is on righteous before God. Not only does he give examples of of what that looks like EE reaches back Old Testament versus just one after another, is essentially basically saying is eight guys, this is not anything new. I'm just simply making clear, I am really feeling what has always been there in the Old Testament we get a lot more into this in our new resource study at the Romans. The first Bible study go to the first five chapters. It's a collection the first in a collection of three studies will be given out throughout the year, you get the first part in the box that will house all three books. It's really really well done.

Very attractive you go to JD where.com and reach out to us. We would love to help get that into your library is really helpful thinking. We are so grateful for your support and establish a book innocently box our way is making our appreciation tangible.

This is a timely resource as we study Romans together throughout this year and we would let it's perfect to use as the basis of a small group study or personal devotional where you can go through the lessons with a friend men's where our spouse friends. I am laying in the box to keep income. I think you need any thanks for this ministry so that more people can dive into the gospel with us on a daily basis and then replace the first Roman statement when you call 863-3550 228-663-3552 24. You can ask the setting. We need any online activity and rest.

So glad to have you with us today and be sure to listen Wednesday, seven life JD.