ROMANS 3:25-31 GOD’S GLORY IN THE CROSS

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. The worldly spirit of self-ism is perhaps the major reason most Christians are not aggressive in witnessing to the lost. It is the reason the church, for the most part, is not moving out into the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Christian who is primarily concerned about his own comfort and blessings, even his spiritual blessings, does not have his focus on God. Consequently, his life will not be directed toward fulfilling God’s Great Commission. In the summer of 1865, Hudson Taylor became tremendously burdened for the land of China. His biographer reports that he also became greatly troubled about the church he was attending in Brighton, England. As he looked around the congregation he saw pew upon pew of prosperous bearded merchants, shopkeepers, visitors; demure wives in bonnets and crinolines, scrubbed children trained to hide their impatience; the atmosphere of smug piety sickened him. He seized his hat and left. “Unable to bear the sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing in their own security, while millions were perishing for lack of knowledge, I wandered out on the sands alone, in great spiritual agony.” And there on the beach he prayed for “twenty-four willing skillful laborers.” (Stott, p. 24) Out of that prayer eventually came the China Inland Mission. Due to that ministry and others like it, there are reportedly twenty-five million to perhaps fifty million believers in China today, despite its officially atheistic government. God could use men such as Henry Martyn and Hudson Taylor because their attention was not focused on their own interests but on God’s. Salvation is first and foremost a way of glorifying God. The fact that it saves men from hell and gives them eternal life, marvelous and wonderful as that is, is secondary to the glory of God. The cross of Jesus Christ had the most dramatic effect on mankind in[1] The greatest lie in the world, and the lie common to all false religions and cults, is that, by certain works of their own doing, men are able to make themselves acceptable to God. The greatest error in that belief is its sheer impossibility. But the greatest evil of that belief is that it robs God of His glory. His Name Praise Him 19 Times Glorify God 6 Times glory of God 17 times praise of God 2 times praise of His glory 3 timesThe cross exalts God through His righteousness The death of Christ then is for God, it propitiates God, it satisfies God. Two, it puts His righteousness on display. who believed." The Reasoning by God v27-3127 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. After explaining God’s provided righteousness for sinners, Paul considered five questions (in Gr.) which he anticipated his readers might ask. Two are in verse 27, two in verse 29, and the other in verse 31. The first is, Where, then is boasting? [1] If salvation is through the Law, then men can boast; but the principle of faith makes it impossible for men to boast. The swimmer, when he is saved from drowning, does not brag because he trusted the lifeguard. What else could he do? When a believing sinner is justified by faith, he cannot boast of his faith, but he can boast in a wonderful Savior.[1] The cross exalts God through His grace Everything was designed by God and achieved through Jesus Christ. Therefore, the cross is all grace. You look at the cross, it's all grace. There's no works there. Verse 24, "Justified as a gift by His grace." It's about faith and grace. It's a gift of grace, all we do is believe. We make no contribution. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. V28 Justified by faith... Nothing in my hands I bring, only to thy cross I cling Ephesians 2:8 and 9, "For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it's a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast." At the cross His integrity is put on display that He might be glorified. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the ...