“..and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24
October 26, 2022
There are times when the instrument panel on an unfamiliar car can be exasperating, especially if it is a rental car in an airport: headlights, wipers, gas cap, radio, air conditioner. It helps to have some basic understanding of the instruments. In the same way we need to know how to live by the gospel. Being guilty before a holy God demands a declaration of not guilty if we are to be accepted by God. The good news is that God credits the sinner with the righteousness which is required. Romans 3:24-25 is the place to be to understand what it means to be declared not guilty but righteous by the divine judge. What exactly is this justification of which Paul speaks? It is when God declares us righteous on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done. The guilty sinner is acquitted. There is a good illustration of this transaction in the book of Philemon. The debt which Onesimus, a runaway slave, owed to his master, Philemon, was to be charged to Paul’s account. The theological word for this is to “impute.” By faith in Christ, His righteousness is imputed to us. This is not done on the basis of our works but on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice. It is a grace gift. If you have received it, live the rest of your life rejoicing. H
“If Romans is a little Bible, then Romans 3:21-31 is a little Romans.”