Study 4

The basis of the lesson of the evening is the latter half of the third

Chapter of Romans, beginning with the 19th verse, "Now we

Know that whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them that

Are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the

World may become guilty before God."

Verses 21-23 contain in condensed form all that is treated of in the

Remaining verses of the chapter, the remainder of the chapter is an amplifi -

Cation of that which has gone before, in this chapter also occurs the climax

Of the thought of the epistle, in the first part of this chapter is emphasized

The fact that God makes no distinction of persons; works alone are taken

Into account in the judgment, But while it is true that a tree is known by

Its fruits, it is also true that it is not within the province of men to judge

Of those fruits, God alone is judge. He looks upon the heart while man can

Judge only from appearances; therefore while the works of men may seem

Good to their fellows, to God, who sees what man cannot see, they are

Known to be corrupt,

Again: the just shall live by faith. How much of a man's life must be just?

All, every moment; for the just shall live by faith, But by the deeds of the law

Shall no act be just. This is a hard saying, but one that must be believed, for

It is what the Bible says.

No deed that we can do can be just by the law only. By faith alone can a

Man or any act of his is just. The law judges a man by his works, and the

Study 4 Justification by faith alone.

Christ — Creator and Preserver of

Romans 3:19-31 the new heart.

12 Bible Studies on the Book of Romans

Law is so inconceivably great that no human act can rise to its height. There

Must therefore be a Mediator through whom justification shall come? And

That justification properly belongs to him to whom it is granted by reason

Of his faith,

The heart unrenewed is desperately wicked. Only evil can come from

Wicked heart, to bring forth good deeds there must be a good heart, and

Only a good man can have a good heart.

But, as all have sinned and come short,

Therefore all the deeds of humanity are

Vitiated;

The law itself is the standard of perfect

Righteousness, but Christ is the truth, the

Way and the life, In Christ is the perfect

Righteousness of the law, and the grace

To bestow the gift of His righteousness

Through faith, And of this the prophets

They are witnesses, for they preached

Justification through Christ, by faith,

When a man seeks to justify himself

By his deeds, he only heaps imperfection

Upon imperfection, until, like Paul, he counts them all as loss, knowing that

There is no righteousness but that which is of Christ by faith.

There is but one thing in this world that a man needs, and that is

Justification — and justification is a fact, not a theory. It is the gospel. That which

Does not tend to righteousness, is of no avail, and not worthy to be preached.

Righteousness can only be attained through faith; consequently all things

Worthy to be preached, must tend to justification by faith.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." It is well understood

That no act of ours can make right that which is past, but it is just as

True that we cannot be justified in any present act any more than we can

Render the past perfect. We need the righteousness of Christ to justify the

Present just as much as to make perfect the imperfect deeds of the past.

In the case of the publican and the Pharisee, the one who put no trust in

His own works went down to his own house justified, but he who desired to

Assume righteousness in him failed of justification. Everyone can have it

Who will ask for it, but each must come to the level of all other sinners, and

There receive it with the rest, saying, "God be merciful to me a sinner."

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in

Christ Jesus." What is "redemption"? It is repurchasing. Righteousness is

An infinite gift, and bought with an infinite price. It is a free gift to us, but

It has been paid for. The blood of Christ has paid for it. We are exhorted to

Consider His greatness that we may know that although the thing to be done

Is beyond our comprehension, the power which is to accomplish it is also

Beyond our knowledge,

"To declare His righteousness" for the putting away of our sins, It is He

That puts away our sin and if we but yield ourselves to Him, they will be

Remitted utterly, Christ grants no indulgences, but His righteousness remit

The sins that are past, keeps the heart free from sin in the present so long as

His righteousness fills that heart.

Faith is the beginning of all wisdom; it lies at the foundation of all knowledge.

The child would never learn anything, if it did not believe what it is

Told, now, that being so in physical things, why can we not be as reasonable

In spiritual things,

Redemption comes through the creative power of Christ, and that is why

I love to think that He is the creator of all things; for He who created the

Worlds out of nothing, and who upholds all things by the word of His power,

Can by that same word create in me a clean heart, and preserve that which

He has created. To Him are all power, and also all glory.

It is God that worketh in you to will and to do of His own good pleasure.

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid;

Yea, we establish the law."