Paul makes this statement in Romans 3:19-20: Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law so that every mouth is closed and all the world is accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. We are standing justified in the work of Christ alone.
In verses, 21-26 Paul lays out the work of Christ on the cross to teach that justification comes through His work and not our attempts at working.
For all those who believe, the righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ. We do not need to work for our salvation!
God is the just One, and He alone is the justifier of those who place their gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8) in His Son Jesus Christ. Our justification comes through the Atoning work of Christ! Romans 3:25 teaches us that God displayed Christ publicly as a propitiation. Christ was the perfect Lamb of God that would shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sin. Praise God; He was satisfied with the sacrifice of His perfect Son.
Where Then Is Boasting?
Romans 3:27, “Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of Law? Of Works? No, but by the Law of faith.”
In this verse, God throws out all possibility of boasting in our works for earning our salvation. There is no boasting except in the Law of faith. This means that the believer by faith believes and trusts in the work of Christ alone for his, redemption, sanctification, and justification.
Blessed is the Man who is Justified by Faith Apart From the Works of the Law.
In Romans 4:1-5, Paul uses Abraham as our example to explain this truth of justification through faith alone in Christ alone. He pulls out his Old testament scrolls and records this verse, ” Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6.)
In Romans 4:6-8, Paul uses yet another Old Testament example to prove this same point. In verse 6, Paul says that David speaks as a man who understands that God credits righteousness apart from the works of the Law. You remember David, the adulterer, the murderer, the liar! The man who broke all the Ten Commandments, God’s Law.
We believe David wrote this Psalm after his affair with Bathsheba.
Words of David in Psalm 32:1-2:
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD will not take into account.”
Righteousness is Credited Not Earned!
We learn from the life of David that if righteousness was earned by the works of the Law, he would be excluded from the grace of God! David and Abraham both understood that salvation comes from God through Christ on the basis of His work and not their own.
Grace is no longer grace if we can earn it. Romans 4: 4 says, “to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. After reading the first three chapters of Romans, our works earn us death and condemnation, not grace! But to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”
Do you understand the Blessing of not working for salvation? Oh, I pray you do!
