Today’s passage: Romans 3:21-31
Helpful thoughts:
- The Law teaches us about righteousness, but it will not declare us righteous. We all fall short.
- Righteousness is given to us through faith in Jesus Christ.
- God is righteous and just. All sin must be paid for.
- Christ was put forward as an atonement, paying the penalty of our sin.
- When we confess our sin and place our faith in God’s work to atone for our sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we are given Christ’s righteous record and are saved!
- Whether a person is a Jew or a Gentile, no matter where they are from, no matter what their social/economic background, no matter what their religious background, all who are saved are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Questions to consider:
- What is the gospel message? Do you know that you are saved? Have you received God’s gift of salvation and righteousness by faith?
- What does it mean that God is both just and our justifier? How does that work out? How might you explain that to someone who has never heard it before?
- For the Jew who has been working hard to maintain a “righteous” or “righteous enough” standing before God, in what ways do you think they would object to what we learn in this passage? What offense might they take? What question do you think the Apostle Paul may answer next?