The Manhood Talks | Foundation & Identityনমুনা

Day 12 | Romans 3:21-28 | Righteous by Faith

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Men. This is The Manhood Talks week 2 day 4 and we have hit the big one. This is the heart of the gospel. Now maybe you already know the gospel and it might be tempting to skip ahead. But as you revisit the core of the Christian faith I want to encourage you to focus on how the gospel changes your identity as a man — and how you live it out.

Remember the whole point of this — is teaching you how to be a good man. This is The Manhood Talks — and I have to admit I am itching to start talking about character ... about courage and discipline ... integrity and work ethic ... loyalty and honesty. All of that will come soon enough. But without the right foundation we would just build houses on sand.

So today we get our foundations right. And by right — I mean right with God. Remember that’s called righteous. And back in Romans, Paul just got done proving definitively that we are not. We’re back in court — the godless, the wicked, and the religious are all proven guilty. Paul says

“There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10).

That’s the verdict. The court is silent. And just as the Judge is about to pass sentencing, we come to Romans 3, verse 21:

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe" (Romans 3:21-22).

That’s the heart of the gospel. We can be right with God not by working for it, not by following a bunch of rules, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Just confess your sins and put your trust in Jesus. You may or may not like it but this is God’s plan and God’s way to make us right.

Jesus stepped in to the courtroom — saw all who were guilty — and He took the punishment upon Himself. He took our guilt and died in our place.

And God accomplishes something important this way. See if we had to earn righteousness, then the ones who made it would look down on the losers who don’t. We’d be right back to judgmental religious people which God does not want. Christians who live that way get it wrong. That’s self-righteous, and all wrong.

But when it’s by faith, Paul says there is no difference between Jew and Gentile or whatever us and them you can think of. In verse 23:

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24).

Redemption is a crucial word. It means restored to freedom. Like a slave purchased and set free. God buys us back from sin and death and restores us to the humanity we were meant for in the Garden. And what was the price for that freedom? Verse 25:

"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith" (Romans 3:25).

The price paid for our sin was death. Jesus sacrificed His life and died on a cross to pay the full price for our sins. It was atonement.

Another key word. Think of atonement like when you and a good friend are divided. Like something serious came between you and it’s your fault. You lied ... you cheated — whatever it was, and you just wish you could figure out something — anything — to make it right between you. That something is called atonement. You could say at-one-ment. And Jesus’ death on the cross is atonement for you and God.

Paul says that God did this “to demonstrate his righteousness,” to show that He is good. He doesn’t just let sins go for nothing. He is just — and requires justice. But He is also merciful, so Jesus took the punishment upon Himself.

And so Paul says that God is both just and

“the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

Justify means He makes you right again — clears your record. You’re free to go. But you’re changed.

The religious hypocrites aren’t judging anymore. The godless and the wicked are forgiven too, and no one has any reason to think they’re better than anyone else. In verse 27:

"Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded" (Romans 3:27).

Understand that God doesn’t want any boasting in Heaven. Part of the character of a good man is not bragging about what a good man you are. It’s called humility. It’s awesome — and far too rare among men. So God devised a plan to get us there. You don’t earn righteousness. Jesus paid the full price so you and I have nothing to brag about.

Listen. This is the crossroads in our study. The point of no return. In all that’s ahead of us none of it works without this. We must get right with God. Maybe this is new — or maybe you’ve heard it before — but never decided. Now’s the time. Man up, take responsibility for your life — and for your sins — and come to God for mercy. Romans 10 says:

“If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

Three days after Jesus died He rose back to life. And the same power that raised Jesus will also raise you — reborn into the man you were meant to be. That’s the only way this works. You won’t change all at once, but you will change.

For Though & Discussion:

So for your journal today, I want you to answer something very simple.

Have you put your faith in Jesus? Simple yes or no. And then, why?

And second, what does Jesus’ sacrifice — his example — teach us about what it means to be a man?

And I’ll close with one of my favorite passages, this one in Romans 5:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8).

Read Romans 3:21-28

All verses quoted in NIV