How Can We Have Victory Over Sin? Radio Program Romans 6:6-14

Brother Eric: What is the key to holy living?

6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

• Conversion: These truths can only be applied by believers.
• Biblical thinking: We cannot properly live in light of truths we do not know and understand.
• Personal responsibility: We need to respond to these truths with action. Knowing what is right is not enough

Brother Victor: What happened to us when we were converted?

• 6:6 Our old man was crucified with Him.
• 6:7 We were freed from sin.
• 6:9 Death no longer has dominion over us.
• 6:10 We have been made alive unto Christ.
• 6:14 We are put under grace.

Mr. Biney: What is our old man?

• Our old man is not our body that sins or our flesh.
• Our old man is the person that we were prior to our conversion.
  • A person that was born in Adam and under God’s wrath.
  • We know this, because he just spent Romans 5 demonstrating this truth.
  • A person who is powerless to live the Christian life and please God.

Romans 8:5-8  They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

• The new man is the man that we are now after our conversion.

2 Corinthians 5:17 If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Brother Eric: How has this death of the old man with Christ affected us?

6:7, 9 For he that is dead is freed from sin… Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

• Sin’s authority over us has been broken.
• Sin’s legal claim to us has been broken.
• We have been freed to fulfill the purpose God created us to perform.

Brother Victor: What do we need to do to walk in victory?

• Conversion: We need to receive God’s forgiveness through Christ.

6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him

6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

• Biblical thinking: We need to inform ourselves form the Bible what is true about our new identity in Christ.

6:6 Knowing this…

6:9 Knowing that…

6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves…

• Personal responsibility: We must take action based on what we know to be true about us in Christ.

6:12-13 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.   Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Mr. Biney: What are we doing when we sin?

6:7-9 He that is dead is freed from sin…death hath no more dominion over him.

6:17-22  ye were the servants of sin, ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; ye were the servants of sin, But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God…

• We are submitting to a master who is cruel and has no legitimate claim over us.

Mr. Biney: What are we doing when we walk in righteousness?

• We are fulfilling the will of God and the purpose He created for us.

Colossians 1:16-17 By Christ were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Brother Eric: Where do lusts come from?

• They come from within our own hearts?

James 1:14 Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Brother Victor: How is this truth significant?

• We alone are responsible for our sin.
  • We cannot blame God for our sin.
  • We cannot blame Satan for our sin.
  • We cannot blame the person who tempted us when we sin.

Mr. Biney: Could you summarize this whole section?

A Christian is something before he does anything; and we have to be Christian before we can act as Christians…To be Christian, I say, is to possess a certain character and therefore to be a certain type of person. So often that is misinterpreted…we are Christians and our actions are the outcome of that. Going a step further, we can put it like this. We are not meant to control our Christianity; our Christianity is rather meant to control us…I am to be dominated by the truth because I have been made a Christian by the operation of the Holy Spirit within…All our activities, therefore, are the result of this new nature, this new disposition which we have received from God through the Holy Spirit.

• Victory begins with our position in Christ.
• Just because something is true about us, does not mean we will believe it or experience it as we should.
• We have to study God’s word to know the truth about our position in Christ.
• Knowing what is true is not enough.

Brother Eric: Why is this topic so important?

• Many people think the way to become a Christian is to live like a Christian. This thinking is wrong and will ultimately lead to eternal destruction.
• Many people think they can live like a Christian by their own power. This thinking is clearly wrong.
• Many people think that the key to living the Christian life is an emotional experience. This clearly is not right.
• Right living begins with converted, and then leads to knowing the truth, and living in light of the truth.

Shall We Continue in Sin that Grace May Abound? Romans 6:1-7 Radio

Shall We Continue in Sin that Grace May Abound? Romans 6:1-7

Audience:

• Does God expect Christians to live holy lives?
• Is it possible for a Christian to live a sinless Christian life?
• Is it possible for a Christian to struggle with sin and still be a genuine beleiver?

Eric: How would you describe salvation: a free gift or an earned reward?

Romans 3:24 We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:15 The grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Romans 5:16 The free gift is of many offences unto justification.

Romans 5:17 They which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.

• We are saved freely by grace alone, not because of some work that we do for God, either in order to get saved or to stay saved! This means that eternal life is completely a free gift.

Victor: If salvation is a free gift, then why should I live a holy life?

Romans 6:3-4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

• The word baptized means placed into…signifying a new relationship or identification with Christ that we did not previously have.
• He then says that we have been placed into Christ, by the Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
• Those who have been placed into/baptized into Christ by the Spirit are called/expected to walk in newness of life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

• We should walk as new creatures because we are now identified with Christ and members of a new family.

Mr. Biney: Does living a holy life matter?

Romans 6:6-7 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.

• Yes, living a holy life is important, because this is one of the main reasons that God saved us.
• Before our conversion, we are slaves to sin, and under its rule and authority. Christ saved us by His death so that the body of sin might be destroyed and that we should no longer serve sin as a slave to a cruel master.
• Serving sin is like serving a cruel master who is killing you, and who has no right to demand your allegiance and obedience.

Romans 8:2-5 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

• God saved us in part so that the righteous requirements of the law would be revealed in us. He wants us to obey His laws, and He enables us to do His will through the new birth. He does not do this to add to our salvation. It is part of what He does in us when He saves us.
• Many people incorrectly think that faith + works = Eternal Life. This is not what the Bible teaches. Instead, the Bible teaches that Faith Alone in Christ Alone = Eternal Life which will be evidenced by a changed life. Bible salvation is free, but does not leave you as you were before your conversion. It radically changes you.
• Living a holy life is one of the evidences that follow a genuine trust in Christ for eternal life.

Eric: Is it possible to live a holy life?

• Yes, but not sinless perfection.

Romans 6:4-6 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

• We have been planted in the likeness of His death.
• With this death of the old man, we have been freed from our slave master sin: This means that we no longer have to serve sin.
• We have been raised in the likeness of His resurrection.

Victor: How is it possible?

• We have been planted in the likeness of His death: This means that the old man has been put to death.
• With this death of the old man, we have been freed from our slave master sin: This means that we no longer have to serve sin. We have a new master Christ.
• We have been raised in the likeness of His resurrection: This means that we are a new creature, whose will once was in bondage to sin, but has now been freed to obey God purely from the heart.

Mr. Biney: Do all believers live holy lives?

• All believers will have some evidence that they are in Christ, but no believer will live in sinless perfection.

Romans 6:4-6 We also should walk in newness of life…we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection…henceforth we should not serve sin.

• The future: We will be in the likeness of His resurrection
• The present: We should walk in newness of life and should not serve sin.
• The future: A promise of sinless perfection.
• The present: A command to walk in obedience.
• The future: Glorification: God is going to deliver us from sin completely, where we will have a glorified body that cannot sin, will not be tempted, and will never again experience the affects of the fall.
• The present: Sanctification: We are going through a daily process of becoming more and more likely Christ. This process is never complete until we die and stand complete before the Lord in our eternal glorified body.

1 John 1:6-2:3; 12-13 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments…I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.

• Notice the content of this letter and its parallel teaching to Romans 6: we sin, though we should not.  There is a cleansing available to all believers so that fellowship with God can be restored whenever it is lost. This is a relational forgiveness not a legal forgiveness. There are certain evidences that accompany genuine faith. Though no believer walks in sinless perfection, his way of life has a character that is distinct and in opposition to his former way of life in the world. The believer is called an overcomer whose sins are already forgiven, because his complete salvation is secure, based upon the promise and power of God, not in his imperfect performance as a Christian.

Eric: Doesn’t God get more glory as a gracious God the more I sin?

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

• Paul anticipated this question, but in his mind it was a foolish question. Rather than answering the question yes or no, he presents a series of reasons why every believer should walk in holiness.

Victor: So what is the point of salvation?

• Our salvation is multi-dimensional to the intent that God will be glorified and adored.
  • We are justified: God declares us righteous, based upon the righteousness of Christ imputed to us freely, meaning we are viewed by God as righteous and free from any legal guilt.
  • We are saved: God saved us from the wrath we justly deserve now and forever. He saved us from the bondage of our fallen wills, freeing us to walk in holiness, and He delivers us from the corruption of sin, death, and the grave. All that was lost in the fall will be restored, and we will enjoy Him eternally in His Kingdom ruling and reigning with Him forever.
  • We are adopted: God legally makes us His child and ultimately we will be joint heirs with Christ and members of His household.
  • We are called saints: He not only declares us righteous, but through a lifelong process of sanctification, He personally shapes our characters and wills into the image of His Son.
  • We are called overcomers: We must enter the Kingdom after a life of suffering and perseverance. When we enter His Kingdom, He will welcome us as those who have overcome and will enter into the joy of the Lord.
  • We are redeemed: He has purchased us to be His holy bride forever.

Mr. Biney: How would you challenge our listeners?

Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?

• Do not neglect to respond to the gospel!
• Trust in Christ, turning from your self-righteousness and pride to be saved by the gift of His righteousness, through His sacrificial death on the cross and triumph over death in the resurrection!
• Live out the obvious implications of your position in Christ!
• Rejoice in what God has accomplished so that you could be redeemed.

 

How is Eternal Life Received? Faith Alone Romans 4:1-8 Radio

How is Eternal Life Received? Faith Alone

Romans 4:1-8

Eric: Why is this subject so important?

• Understanding how we receive eternal life is the most important set of truths you can ever know.
• If we hear a lie, and trust in it, we will suffer the consequences of believing that lie forever.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

• There are no second chances after we die, so we must be sure that we are trusting in the truth and not in a lie.

Victor: Was Abraham a perfect man?

• No, he Lied about his relationship to his wife: Genesis 12 and 20
• Fathered a child by Hagar: Genesis 17

Mr. Binney: Was David a perfect man?

• No, he acted like an insane man: 1 Samuel 21
• Lied to priest causing the death of several people: 1 Samuel 21
• Committed adultery with Bathsheba: 2 Samuel 11
• Murdered Uriah the husband of Bathsheba: 2 Samuel 11

Pastor Joel: Why are the details you shared important to this discussion?

Romans 4:3, 7-8 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

• These men broke God’s laws on several points, and therefore deserved to be condemned just like every other man who has ever lived.
• These men were sinners, and were guilty of some of the most serious sins we know about: murder, adultery, and lying.
• If God judged them on the basis of their performance, they are both in Hell right now.
• If God justified them though he was looking at their performance, then God has been unjust.
• If they were justified, and God was not unjust, then they must have been justified on the basis of someone else’s righteousness and not their own.
• His point in mentioning Abraham, was to show that Abraham was justified before their was a Mosaic Law or circumcision, therefore what the Jews were trusting in, was not what Abraham was trusting in for his justification.
• The purpose for mentioning David, is to show that David understood justification the same way.

Eric: When was Abraham justified?

• He was justified in Genesis 15, which was before his sin with Hagar and before his willingness to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God
  • This means, that his justification was not affect negatively by his sin with Hagar
  • His justification was not secured because he willingly obeyed God and was willing to sacrifice his son in Genesis 22.

Victor: Why is justification by faith alone?

Romans 4:2, 4 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

• If our works played a part, we would be proud in out salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

• If our works played a part in our salvation, then salvation would be a reward.

Mr. Binney: What hinders some men from being justified?

Romans 4:5-6 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

• Self righteousness: An unwillingness to stop working for our salvation, and to rather trust in what Christ has done for us. This is not the only hindrance, but it is a huge obstacle for many, especially those who are very religious.

Pastor Joel: Does strong faith bring eternal life?

• No, the point is not the strength of our faith, but rather the object of our faith.
• Illustration: Two hanging bridges at Kakum Forrest. If one has a fault and is weak, no matter how much we trust it, when we put our full weight on the bridge it will collapse. The strength of the bridge is not in my faith, but in the bridge itself.

Pastor Joel: What is the only object of our faith that can truly save us?

Romans 4:3, 5 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Notice the following important phrases:

• Abraham believed God
• To the one who believes on Him who justifies the ungodly.
• God and His gospel must be the only object of your faith: Christ’s person, Christ’s work, and Christ’s righteousness all offered to us freely and based upon the faithfulness of God must be the only object of our faith. We cannot add our own efforts and goodness to the object of our faith. The moment we introduce an additional object of our faith, we are no longer truly trust in God.

Eric: How would you challenge our audience?

• Have you been converted?
• Have you repented toward God, turning from any other object of faith and placed your faith alone in Christ and His finished work on the cross?
• There is no guarantee that you will live another day. Do not put off this very important decision to trust Christ.
• If you die today, are you sure that you would go to be with the Lord, or would you go to face His eternal wrath after the judgment day?

 

Was Christ’s Death on the Cross Necessary? Romans 3:24-28 Radio Broadcast

Was Christ’s Death on the Cross Necessary? Radio Broadcast

Romans 3:24-28

Pastor Eric: How did Christ actually purchase our salvation?

• Last week we discussed justification: God legally declares someone to be righteous before Him, not on the basis of His own works, but on the basis of the righteousness of another, the perfect righteousness of Christ.
• This week we look at redemption and propitiation: This means that Christ’s death satisfied God’s wrath that we justly deserved, and it paid a price that freed us from sins bondage.  Propitiation means that Christ was a sacrifice that bore God’s wrath so that God’s wrath could be replaced with His favor.  Romans 3:24-25 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.

Brother Victor: Was the cross really necessary? Yes

Galatians 3:10-13 As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them…Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

• Because we are all born sinners, we are all born under a curse.
• Because we all break God’s laws, we are under a curse.
• The only way the curse can be satisfied, is that someone dies the death of hanging on a tree, and that is what Christ did for us. He became a curse for us.

Mr. Binney: What actually happened on the cross?

• There was a great exchange.

2 Corinthians 5:21 He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

1 Corinthians 15:3 Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.

• Our sin was placed on Christ, and He was punished in our place.

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all…for the transgression of my people was he stricken. It pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities…he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

• His blood was an atonement for our sins.

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Hebrews 9:11-14 Christ by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, which was once offered to bear the sins of many.

• God’s wrath was poured out on Christ.

1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Pastor Joel: Is God really angry with our sin?  Yes

Romans 5:8-11 God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

• His cross work, saves us from His wrath.

Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

• God’s wrath is against all men who in their ungodliness suppress the truth.

Psalm 7:11 God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.

• He is angry with the wicked every day.

Psalm 2:10-12 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

• He warns us to worship and submit to Him, or we will face His righteous anger.

Pastor Eric: Is this anger pure and sinless? Yes

Jeremiah 10:10-15 The LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation…The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. Idols are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

• The Bible presents God as good, just, holy, righteous and unable to sin: these perfections of God force Him to hate sin, idolatry, and rebellion.  His wrath is the result of His righteous love of the truth alone.

Mr. Binney: How would you challenge our listeners?

• Have you been converted?
• Have you repented toward God and placed your faith alone in Christ and His finished work on the cross?
• If not, you are under His wrath.
• There is no guarantee that you will live another day.
• If you die today, are you sure that you would go to be with the Lord, or would you go to face His eternal wrath after the judgment day?
• If you are converted, take the time to reflect on the blessing of the gospel. Be thankful that Christ received the Father’s wrath so you could be redeemed.

What is the Heart of the Gospel? Romans 3:21-24 Radio Program

What is the Heart of the Gospel? Radio Program

Romans 3:21-24

Pastor Eric: What does gospel means? It means good news, and when we are talking about the gospel in the Bible, it is talking about the only message that can give a person eternal life:

Romans 1:16-17 I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; for therein is the righteousness of God revealed…

1 Corinthians 15:1 I declare unto you the gospel…by which also ye are saved… that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

• Salvation: deliverance from sin and its just condemnation.
• God’s righteousness is revealed: God’s righteousness demands death for sin, God’s righteousness demand He accomplish everything He promised to accomplish, God justifies us on the basis of imputed (credited) righteousness that comes from Christ’s faithful life.
• Christ died: He really died on the cross and this death was significant in His plan to save us from sin.
• For our sins: His death was to take our sins upon Himself and be punished for us.
• Rose again: It demonstrated His power over sin and death proving that He was God in flesh and providing for us the guarantee of eternal life.

Victor: What makes it good news? 3:10, 20 There is none righteous, no, not one…therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

• Since we are unrighteous, and it is impossible to be justified by our works, that leaves us with no hope. If God leaves us as we are, no person can receive eternal life.
• 3:21 But now…These two words tell us there is hope, when there was none before. This is wonderful news. God has not left us without hope, but has provided the possibility of forgiveness and eternal life in this message.

Mr. Biney: Is the New Testament gospel the same as the Old Testament gospel? 3:21 “being witnessed by the law and the prophets…” This tells us that the Old Testament message of redemption is not different than the New Testament message of redemption. In fact, the Old Testament pointed to what Paul was preaching.

• Genesis 3 God would send salvation through the seed of the woman.
• Genesis 15 God would send salvation through the covenant He made with Abraham and Abraham was justified by trusting in God’s promise.
• The sacrifices in the law pointed to Christ.
• The Passover Lamb was a picture of Christ.
• The prophets, especially Isaiah made clear the Messiah would die as our sin bearing substitute and we are justified by faith.

Pastor Joel: What is the main point? God can only declare us righteous, if we have a righteousness that is acceptable to Him. And clearly, we do not have that in ourselves. 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested…3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe…3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

• Righteousness of God: This section tells us how we can receive a righteousness that is from God and outside of ourselves.  This righteousness is Christ’s righteousness. Our righteousness is filthy rags and unacceptable to God, but Christ’s is perfect.
• Without the law: This righteousness has nothing to do with your ability to keep the law.
• Being justified: Remember from last week,
  • Justification is a legal declaration by a judge that someone’s claim to innocence is just and right when the evidence is weighed and compared to the law.
  • The law is the standard.
  • The judge has the final say and is required to be completely objective and truthful.
  • The evidence will be compared to the law, and the accused person’s claim of innocence.
  • The ruling of the court is final.
  • If God justifies someone, He is saying as their Judge, that they are innocent and righteous before His court.  They are free and not under the punishment legally demanded by the law for law breakers.
  • God can declare us righteous, if we are placed into Christ, where His righteousness becomes our own, by imputation.

Pastor Eric: How is this righteousness received? 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe…3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

• By faith: It is by faith, meaning that this righteousness is given to us the moment we trust in the gospel.
• Upon all them that believe: The moment we trust alone in the gospel, God declares us righteous on the basis of Christ’s imputed righteousness.

Victor: What is saving faith? Saving faith is a faith that is focused on the finished work of Christ alone. Saving faith is a repentant faith, that recognizes that our works, goodness, and righteousness play no part in our salvation. It is focused only on Christ: His person, saving work, and sinless life.

• Saving faith has to understand the basic truths of the Gospel: Who is Christ, what did He do, why did He do it.
• Saving faith involves the heart wholeheartedly turning to embrace these truths.
• Saving faith involves a decision that the will makes to turn from anything keeping the man from trusting in Christ, and trusting alone in His finished work on the cross.
• Saving faith is not a faith that adds Christ to your own ideas about salvation, or that rests in a combination of Christ’s work and your own. It is a faith that turns away from all other hopes, and trusts alone in His work.
• Saving faith is humble not proud because it realizes that we contribute nothing to our standing before God.
• Saving faith is a living faith that will manifest itself in genuine fruits of righteousness.

Mr. Biney: Does God save us because we have strong faith? No, faith is not the basis of our salvation; rather it is the instrument that God uses to join us to the benefits that were purchased by Christ.

• The basis of our salvation is the finished work and righteousness of Christ. Our repentance and faith are not that basis. God saves because of what Christ did, not because our repentance and faith gives us some merit before God.
• Our faith is the instrument that God uses to connect us to the benefits of Christ’s work. When we truly trust Christ, at the very moment, that God in His mercy brings us to faith in His Son, He imputes the righteousness of Christ to us and legally declares us righteous on that basis.  Since God’s Son has taken our sin debt upon Himself, we are forgiven, and God’s justice has not in any way been compromised.
• We are saved when our faith, no matter how immature, is placed simply in Christ alone.

Pastor Joel: Is the gospel available to anyone? 3:22 unto all and upon all them that believe

• It is able to save anyone who is will believe.
• It is available and presented to everyone.
• Its benefits are only applied to those who exercise genuine faith in the finished work of Christ.

Pastor Eric: Is justification earned or given freely? 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace

• Freely: We do not pay anything for it. You could say that it is paid in full by another on our behalf
• By His grace: This is undeserved favor. Grace is not getting what I deserve. It is something that a person gives to the undeserving by His good pleasure, and that is how we should view salvation.
• The moment our works play a part, no matter how small, we are no longer looking at something that is free and by grace, but something that is a wage and earned.

Victor: What is the basis of our justification? 3:24 Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

• Redemption has the idea of buying someone out of slavery. We are slaves to sin and under God’s wrath, therefore, unless a price was paid to free us from our terrible position, we could not free ourselves.
• His righteousness, and sacrifice paid the price that was demanded to free us from bondage to sin.
• Our union with Christ is the only thing that can bring us this redemption.

Mr. Biney: What can keep us from being justified?

• Ignorance of the truth.
• Self righteous pride.
• A love for sin that produces willful rebellion.

Pastor Joel: How would you challenge our listening audience? 

• Do you understand what the Bible is saying?
• Is this what you have always believed or is this old message new to you?
• Do you feel the convicting work of the Holy Spirit working to convince of your need to turn to Christ and trust alone in His finished work?
• Go back carefully through these scriptures, and read them, to see if what we are saying is true.
• Pray that God will give you the understanding of what He has preserved for us in His word.
• If you are under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, do not fight His convicting work in your heart. He is diligently working to convict you of your sin, His righteousness, and the reality of the judgment that is to come.
• Do not put off your response. God commands us to repent and to trust in the gospel.
• There is not more serious matter in the entire world.
• Do not let the cares of this world and the challenges of your day distract you from what God is saying.
• Do not allow the things that this world has to offer deceive you into putting this off.
• Do not let your love for sin harden your hear to what God is saying.

Are We Better Than They: Romans 3:9-20 Radio Discussion

Are We Better Than They

Romans 3:9-20

Audience:

• What is man’s greatest problem?
• Does God see anyone as good?
• Can someone receive eternal life by keeping the law?

Mr. Binney: Are we better than people who make excuses to God?

3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

Victor: What does it mean to be under sin?

3:9 they are all under sin…

• It means we are under sin’s dominion or rule.
• Sin is our master and judge. We obey it like a slave obeys his master.  We are indebted to it and can only get out of its dominion if we are delivered by someone stronger than us and sin itself.

Pastor Eric: Can you explain verses 10-18?

• All men are unrighteous 3:1-10 There is none righteous, no, not one…
• All men are without understanding 3:11 There is none that understandeth…
• No man naturally seeks God 3:11 there is none that seeketh after God…
• All men have a life that is twisted away from its original purpose 3:12 They are all gone out of the way…
• All men live empty lives without God 3:12 they are together become unprofitable…
• No man does good in God’s eyes 3:12 There is none that doeth good, no, not one.
• What comes out of men in as offensive and disgusting as the rotting body of a dead man 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulcher…
• Men are liars: 3:13 With their tongues they have used deceit…
• Men’s speech is like snake poison 3:13 The poison of asps is under their lips…
• Men’s speech is full of profanity and bitterness 3:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness…
• Men love to hate leading to murder 3:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood…
• Men are walking down the path of destruction 3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways…
• Men are at war with one another, themselves, and God 3:17 The way of peace have they not known…
• Men do not fear God at all 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes…

Pastor Joel: Can you summarize my greatest problem according to these verses?

• Man thinks his greatest problems are physical issues like: good health, money, education, a better job, nicer house, or different family situation.
• But: Man needs to be rescued in two ways
  • From God: He needs to be rescued from God’s legal wrath. (Romans 1:18; 2:5_
  • From himself: He needs to be rescued from the corruption and dominion of sin.

Mr. Binney: Can I overcome these problems by striving very hard to do good?

3:19 We know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

• No, we have just heard that no man is seeking God, doing good, or even fearing God on his own.
• What we think is good is not good, and what we know is bad, we do not see as bad enough.
• We are not compared to other sinners, but to God’s perfect righteousness, and we fall short.  We do not even begin to approach God’s perfection.
• No striving can even come close to what God demands.

Victor: What does it mean to be justified?

• Justification is a legal declaration by a judge that someone’s claim to innocence is just and right when the evidence is weighed and compared to the law.
• The law is the standard.
• The judge has the final say and is required to be completely objective and truthful.
• The evidence will be compared to the law, and the accused person’s claim of innocence.
• The ruling of the court is final.
• If God justifies someone, He is saying as their Judge, that he is innocent and righteous before His court.  He is free and not under the punishment legally demanded by the law for law breakers.

Pastor Eric: Can I be justified by keeping the law?

3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

• No, his point is very clear. No man: Jew, Gentile, religious, irreligious, is innocent before God.
• We do not even come close to His righteous standard the law.
• The law does not reveal our innocence, rather it reveals our guilt.
• It stops our mouths from any claim to innocence and removes all excuses.

Pastor Joel: How should I apply this scripture?

• Do I see myself the way that God sees me?
• Why do I go to church, strive to do good deeds, read the Bible, and pray?
• Do I think that these good deeds will help my cause on the final judgment?
• Do I hope that my good deeds outweigh my bad, and that God will accept me?
• God will never save a person who claims to trust Him for salvation yet is still full of self-righteous pride.
• Saving faith is humble and brings no excuses or substitutes, because it begins with a genuine repentance before God.
• I plead with all our listeners to be honest and objective about what the Bible is saying.
• Come to Christ, trust in His work and His righteousness alone, not in your own works and goodness!