Opening Prayer
Father God, we come here tonight to Study the words of Paul as given to us in his letter to the church in Rome. We pray that no word be spoken here tonight that is not in accordance with your will and that you will impart to us those matters You would have us learn from this study. We pray that your peace and comfort be with those of us who are sick or disabled or otherwise disposed and cannot be here tonight. We ask that you share our blessing with them. Lead us now and give us understanding as we study the teachings of Paul, The word of God.. In Jesus Name we pray Amen
Justification by Faith
Justification by faith was the great truth that ultimately led the church to alter our belief in being reconciled to God. Because Christians are justified by faith alone, their standing before God is not in any way related to personal merit. In Jesus’ day, the Jews gave great credit to works and personal righteousness. But now we believe that good works and personal righteousness do not provide the grounds for acceptance with God. God receives as righteous those who believe, not because of any good thing He sees in them—not even because of His own sanctifying work in their lives—but solely on the basis of Christ's righteousness, which is reckoned to their account. "To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness" (Romans 4:5). That is justification. However, to some who strive to be righteous in all they do, it is not quite that simple.
Scripture Study
Rom 3:21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Discussion
What is Justification? justification is the doctrine that God pardons, accepts, and declares a sinner to be "just" on the basis of Christ's righteousness (Rom 3:24-26); which results in God's peace (Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ), His Spirit (Rom 8:4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.), and salvation. Justification is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from all works and merit of the sinner.
Were it not for The Grace and Mercy of God, there is no escaping the consequence of our sin. But because there is God's Justification, and because we are made righteous by the sacrifice of His Son our Lord Jesus the Christ, there has been a way laid open for us. Jews and Gentiles alike are welcomed to God through Christ.
Discussion cont. Pg.2
There is no difference, his righteousness is upon all that believe. It is free grace, God’s unmerited mercy; there is nothing in us to deserve such favors. It is plain that God hates sin, when nothing less than the blood of Christ would atone for it. And it would not agree with His justice to demand the debt, when His Son has paid it. Jesus Christ is our surety. God's justice then, has been satisfied, our sins He will remember no more, The slate has been wiped clean. There can be no charge brought against anyone who through faith in Christ has accepted Him as Savior. Man is Justified by faith in what God has done for him through Christ.
Q.1 Redeem means to buy back or pay ransom. How does this apply to our justification? Q.2 What is it, that you did which qualified you for your relationship with Christ? Q,3 Is every righteous person deserving of justification? Why or why not ? Q.4 Consider the two thieves crucified with Christ, why was one justified and the other not?
Where is our boasting
The basis on which we as Christians live, is such that we are represented to God by His Son our Lord and Savior as righteous. But the truth is we are constantly needing forgiveness from the hand of God. because we often find ourselves filled with pride and acting in arrogance, being critical and resentful, and because of Christ, our relationship to a holy God is not affected. He still accepts us and highly values us. That is what God's gift of righteousness through Christ means to us. The God of ultimate holiness, has accepted us in the Beloved, and we stand on the same ground of worth that Jesus himself has. He is our righteousness.
Scripture Study
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Discussion
Justification by faith alone does not overthrow the law; rather, it upholds the law’s purpose in justification. The law tends to lead man to Christ by showing him his iniquity; and without this it cannot be fulfilled, and in vain will it require what ought to be done. The law leads us to Jesus Christ, it does not drive us to him, The belief of our faith is ours to define.
Paul Asks Three Questions
Paul’s First question: Who can boast? No one, absolutely no one. How can you boast when everyone receives the gift of grace without any merit on his part? This means that any ground for self-righteousness is done away with, and this is why the ugliest sin among Christians is self-righteousness.
Q. 1 Considering this question, how does this apply to the Pharisees?
Q. 2 Would this question apply to Christians today?
Pg.3
Paul's second question: Is anyone excluded from grace, Jew or Gentile? The answer is no. God has no most-favored-nation; there is only one God; Therefore he is equally the God of all mankind, no one can stand redeemed aside from the work of Jesus Christ.
Q. 1 Aren’t the Jews God’s chosen people, how does that change?
Q. 2 What of entire races of people who do not believe there is a God, or that have other gods ?
Paul's third question: Does this cancel out the Law? No, it fulfills the Law. The righteousness which the Law demands is that which has been given to us in Christ. So if we have it as a gift, the demands of the Law are met. Still when we sin the law shows us the error of our ways, and points us again towards the Christian life we have been justified into. And unlike the other thief on the cross, the Christian accepts the remaking of our lives that Christ’s work has accomplished. We do not reject Christ, and we are sorrowful for our misdeeds and need forgiveness again. This process is always at work in the life of the Christian, the “True Believer”.
Q. 1 Does this mean that we can continue to sin and just ask for forgiveness?
Q. 2 The Christian is dead to sin and alive in Christ. Give us your best explanation of that?
Q. 3 Why do you think people object to the teaching that they can do nothing whatsoever to bring about their justification before God?
Q. 4 What must one do to become justified by faith?
To truly and humbly believe that Jesus Christ died to absolve you of all your sins, both now and forever This is one of the most precious truths in all of scripture. When we are saved, God first and foremost changes our status. He looks at the shed blood of Christ and regards his death as the perfect work, the perfect sacrifice, that covered all of our sins—past, present, and future. We are justified—to use Paul’s language—even while we are sinners, even while we are continually falling short of God’s glory. In other words, our salvation does not depend on our works. There is no work we can do to get ourselves saved and no work we can do to keep ourselves saved. We are declared righteous before God our judge because Christ has paid the price for our sin. It’s that simple. Once and for all time.
Scripture readings
Q.1 What is the source of our Justification? Turn to page 4 Read #1
Q.2 What is the ground for our justification? Turn to page 4Read # 2
Q.3 What is the instrument of our justification? Turn to page 4Read #3
Q.4 What is the principle of our justification? Turn to page 4Read # 4
Q.5 What is the basis of our justification? Turn to page 4Read #5
Pg.4
Scripture readings
1. The source of justification is God the Father. Since it is impossible for man to meet the righteous standard God’s righteousness demands, God offers Christ’s righteousness as a gift. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owe an infinite debt we can not pay. (Romans 8:33. Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.).
2. The ground of justification is the righteousness of Christ. His perfect life and sacrificial death satisfied the demands of God’s justice and thus frees God to justify all who believe Him. Christ’s finished work of redemption is the sole ground on which God can pardon sinners (Romans 3:24-26 …26 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.).
3. The instrument of justification is faith A repentant sinner is imputed with the righteousness of Christ when he believes Jesus is the only way of salvation. (Galatians 3:24; So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.).
4. The principle of justification is grace. We do not merit or deserve to be justified. It is a precious gift from God given freely by His grace. No one is justified by obeying the law (Galatians 3:11;Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because "the righteous will live by faith." (Romans 3:24; and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.).
5. The basis of justification is the blood of Christ (Romans 5:9. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him)!
Closing Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for approving and accepting your people, those who pay attention to your word, because of what Jesus did for them Give us the wisdom and strength to pursue, approve and do only what pleases you. Now we offer up those who are on our hearts, whose names are on our lips who need your healing touch__________. We pray that you will impart to them your comfort and healing touch, that they might be more able to endure and prevail over their illness. These things we pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Just as I am - Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
-O Lamb of God, I come!
Pg.5
Meditation: How is a sinner to be justified before God?
To Man whom God created perfect in every way, God gave a perfect law to which man was perfectly made to obey. That being the law of perfect obedience.
Such, then, was the state of man in Paradise. By the free, unmerited love of God, he was holy and happy: He knew, loved, and enjoyed God, And in this life of love, he was to continue to obey God in all things; but, if he disobeyed him in any, he was to forfeit all. "In that day," said God, "thou shalt surely die."
Then man did disobey God. He ate of the tree, of which God commanded him, saying, Thou shall not eat of it." And in that day he was condemned by the righteous judgment of God. Then the man hastened on to death everlasting; to the destruction both of body and soul, in the fire never to be quenched. Thus by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men. So by one man's disobedience, all were made sinners; It is God’s judgment then that all shall be condemned for the sin of one.
In this state we were, when God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, to the end we might not perish, but have everlasting life. In the fullness of time he was made Man, a second representative of the whole human race. And as such he bore our transgressions. The Lord laying upon him the iniquities of us all. Then was he wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. He made his soul an offering for sin. He poured out his blood for the transgressor, He bore our sins in his own body, that by his stripes we might be healed: And by that one offering of his crucifixion and death on a cross, he hath redeemed all of us, all mankind; having thereby made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice which paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world."
In consideration of this, that the Son of God hath tasted death for every man, God has reconciled the world to himself, not imputing to them their former trespasses. And thus, as by the offence of one man judgment came upon all men to condemnation, so by the righteousness of one man the free gift came upon all men unto justification. So that, for the sake of His beloved Son, who now has suffered for us all, God now offers redemption for all men, on one condition only, which shall both remit the punishment due to our sins, reinstate us in his favor, and restore our dead souls to spiritual life, and life eternal.
This, therefore, is the whole doctrine of justification. By the sin of the first Adam, who was not only the father, but likewise the representative, of us all, we all fell short of the favor of God; we all became children of wrath, and man is hopelessly enslaved by his sins (apart from God’s intervention) and that his good works are “dead” or worthless in meriting God’s favor (Ephesians 2:1-2; Matthew 15:18-19; Romans 7:23; Hebrews 6:1; 9:14).
Even so, by the sacrifice for sin made by the Second Adam, as the representative of us all, God is reconciled to all the world, and he hath given them a new covenant; the condition whereof being once fulfilled, there is no more condemnation for us, but we are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. There is none, other, who can from any other means of righteousness or goodness make salvation a reality for all of mankind, as does Our Jesus, the Son of God. For if such were possible then righteous goodness would nullify the purpose of God, and such can never be, since such purpose of God is perfect and made perfect by the life death and resurrection of His Son our Lord Jesus. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. We then, who are true believers, are forever justified.
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