Lesson 7 - Deliverance from Sin, Romans 3:9-31

(To help you answer the questions see the Notes,  Charts: Salvation's Freeway and Crucial Concepts in Romans below)

I am not a lawbreaker. I have never been put in jail, nor do I expect to be. I am committed to keeping the law.

However, there are a few traffic laws I don't mind bending. I do go over the speed limit on long trips. And, I confess, I occasionally slip through a stop sign without a complete stop-if no one is around.

As with traffic laws, we sometimes bend spiritual laws without considering ourselves law breakers. We think certain commands can be altered or adjusted, as long as we don't commit a major violation. Who thinks a person should be severely punished for such things as envy, lust, hate or pride?

God thinks so. He holds us accountable for his law-even the parts we consider insignificant. And there are certain and fearful consequences for breaking them. What are we to do?

1. In what ways are you tempted to bend or break the law?

2. Read Romans 3:9-20. Notice Paul's use of the words all and no one (Romans 3:9-12). How would you respond to those who claim that anyone who seeks God and does good will be acceptable to him?

3. Paul mentions several parts of the human body-throats, tongues, lips, mouths, feet and eyes (Romans 3:13-18). How do these paint a vivid picture of our spiritual and moral condition?

4. Why do you think we seldom see ourselves or those we know as fitting his description?

5. Jews tried to follow the Old Testament Law as a means for overcoming sin. What was wrong with this (Romans 3:19-20)?

6. Read Romans 3:21-31. What hope does God offer those who are condemned, who have failed to become righteous by law?

   What is God's part and what is our part in this righteousness?

7. What key words in Romans 3:24-25 describe what God has done for us in Christ?

8. We are justified freely (Romans 3:24), which means to be legally acquitted of all wrongdoing. What is free and what is costly about our justification?

9. The word redemption (Romans 3:24) means to be bought from bondage to sin into fellowship with God. How have you experienced deliverance from the slavery of avoiding and disobeying God?

10. The words sacrifice of atonement (Romans 3:25) come from the temple sacrifices. How do you respond to the fact that Christ died the horrible death you deserved?

11. How does the righteousness from God demolish human pride (Romans 3:28-30)?

12. This passage shows all that God has done to restore our relationship with him. How do you feel toward God after reading this passage?

13. Based on this passage, how would you explain to a non-Christian both the bad news about sin and the good news about Jesus Christ?

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Romans 3:10-18

3:10-12 Paul is referring to Psalm 14:1-3. "There is no one righteous" means "no one is innocent." Every person is valuable in God's eyes because God created us in his image and he loves us. But no one is righteous (that is, no one can earn right standing with God). Though valuable, we have fallen into sin. But God, through Jesus his Son, has redeemed us and offers to forgive us if we return to him in faith.

3:10-18 Paul uses these Old Testament references to show that humanity in general, in its present sinful condition, is unacceptable before God. Have you ever thought to yourself, "Well, I'm not too bad. I'm a pretty good person"? Look at these verses and see if any of them apply to you. Have you ever lied? Have you ever hurt someone's feelings by your words or tone of voice? Are you bitter toward anyone? Do you become angry with those who strongly disagree with you? In thought, word, and deed you, like everyone else in the world, stand guilty before God. We must remember who we are in his sight-alienated sinners. Don't deny that you are a sinner. Instead, allow your desperate need to point you toward Christ.

Romans 3:19

3:19 The last time someone accused you of wrongdoing, what was your reaction? Denial, argument, and defensiveness? The Bible tells us the world stands silent and accountable before Almighty God. No excuses or arguments are left. Have you reached the point with God where you are ready to hang up your defenses and await his decision? If you haven't, stop now and admit your sin to him. If you have, the following verses are truly good news for you!

Romans 3:20, 31

3:20, 31 In these verses we see two functions of God's law. First, it shows us where we go wrong. Because of the law, we know that we are helpless sinners and that we must come to Jesus Christ for mercy. Second, the moral code revealed in the law can serve to guide our actions by holding up God's moral standards. We do not earn salvation by keeping the law (no one except Christ ever kept or could keep God's law perfectly), but we do please God when our lives conform to his revealed will for us.

3:31 There were some misunderstandings between the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. Worried Jewish Christians were asking Paul, "Does faith wipe out everything Judaism stands for? Does it cancel our Scriptures, put an end to our customs, declare that God is no longer working through us?" (This is essentially the question used to open Romans 3.) "Absolutely not!" says Paul. When we understand the way of salvation through faith, we understand the Jewish religion better. We know why Abraham was chosen, why the law was given, why God worked patiently with Israel for centuries. Faith does not wipe out the Old Testament. Rather, it makes God's dealings with the Jewish people understandable. In Romans 4, Paul will expand on this theme (see also Romans 5:20-21; Romans 8:3-4; Romans 13:9-10; Galatians 3:24-29; and 1 Tim. 1:8 for more on this concept).

Romans 3:21-29

3:21-29 After all this bad news about our sinfulness and God's condemnation, Paul gives the wonderful news. There is a way to be declared not guilty-by trusting Jesus Christ to take away our sins. Trusting means putting our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way he taught us. God's solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past behavior.

Romans 3:23

3:23 Some sins seem bigger than others because their obvious consequences are much more serious. Murder, for example, seems to us to be worse than hatred, and adultery seems worse than lust. But this does not mean that because we do lesser sins we deserve eternal life. All sin makes us sinners, and all sin cuts us off from our holy God. All sin, therefore, leads to death (because it disqualifies us from living with God), regardless of how great or small it seems. Don't minimize "little" sins or overrate "big" sins. They all separate us from God, but they all can be forgiven.

See Chart: Salvation's Freeway below

Romans 3:24

3:24 Justified means to be declared not guilty. When a judge in a court of law declares the defendant not guilty, all the charges are removed from his record. Legally, it is as if the person had never been accused. When God forgives our sins, our record is wiped clean. From his perspective, it is as though we had never sinned.

3:24 Redemption refers to Christ setting sinners free from slavery to sin. In Old Testament times, a person's debts could result in his being sold as a slave. The next of kin could redeem him-buy his freedom. Christ purchased our freedom and the price was his life.

Romans 3:25

3:25 Christ is our sacrifice of atonement. In other words, he died in our place, for our sins. God is justifiably angry at sinners. They have rebelled against him and cut themselves off from his life-giving power. But God declares Christ's death to be the appropriate, designated sacrifice for our sin. Christ then stands in our place, having paid the penalty of death for our sin, and he completely satisfies God's demands. His sacrifice brings pardon, deliverance, and freedom.

3:25 What happened to people who lived before Christ came and died for sin? If God condemned them, was he being unfair? If he saved them, was Christ's sacrifice unnecessary? Paul shows that God forgave all human sin at the cross of Jesus. Old Testament believers looked forward in faith to Christ's coming and were saved, even though they did not know Jesus' name or the details of his earthly life. Unlike the Old Testament believers, you know about the God who loved the world so much that he gave his own Son (John 3:16). Have you put your trust in him?

See Chart: Crucial Concepts in Romans below

Romans 3:27-28

3:27-28 Most religions prescribe specific duties that must be performed to make a person acceptable to a god. Christianity is unique in teaching that the good deeds we do will not make us right with God. No amount of human achievement or progress in personal development will close the gap between God's moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance. Good deeds are important, but they will not earn us eternal life. We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us (see Ephes. 2:8-10).

3:28 Why does God save us by faith alone? (1) Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do. (2) Faith exalts what God has done, not what people do. (3) Faith admits that we can't keep the law or measure up to God's standards-we need help. (4) Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God.

Romans 3:20, 31

3:20, 31 In these verses we see two functions of God's law. First, it shows us where we go wrong. Because of the law, we know that we are helpless sinners and that we must come to Jesus Christ for mercy. Second, the moral code revealed in the law can serve to guide our actions by holding up God's moral standards. We do not earn salvation by keeping the law (no one except Christ ever kept or could keep God's law perfectly), but we do please God when our lives conform to his revealed will for us.

3:31 There were some misunderstandings between the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. Worried Jewish Christians were asking Paul, "Does faith wipe out everything Judaism stands for? Does it cancel our Scriptures, put an end to our customs, declare that God is no longer working through us?" (This is essentially the question used to open Romans 3.) "Absolutely not!" says Paul. When we understand the way of salvation through faith, we understand the Jewish religion better. We know why Abraham was chosen, why the law was given, why God worked patiently with Israel for centuries. Faith does not wipe out the Old Testament. Rather, it makes God's dealings with the Jewish people understandable. In Romans 4, Paul will expand on this theme (see also Romans 5:20-21; Romans 8:3-4; Romans 13:9-10; Galatians 3:24-29; and 1 Tim. 1:8 for more on this concept).

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CHART: SALVATION'S FREEWAY

 CHART: CRUCIAL CONCEPTS IN ROMANS

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