Romans

by David Cook

Day 12

Read Romans 3:27-31

If faith is my response to what God has done, where does faith come from? If it comes from within, if it is my own contribution, then it could become a ground for my boasting.

He is the expansive God with no limited national interest. He is totally just and yet, as justifier, He is wonderfully merciful

Paul makes three points regarding justification:

  1. Verses 27 to 28: Justification is not earned. It is not based on keeping the law. Justification is through faith, and faith is God's gift. Otherwise justification would be a work. If it was a work, it would provide grounds for boasting. So, boasting is excluded.
  2. Verses 29 to 30: Justification means that God is not some localised deity having oversight and interest in the Jews alone. Justification is by faith. It is not by keeping the law or circumcision. Faith can be found in either the circumcised Jew or the uncircumcised Gentile.
  3. Verse 31: In justification, God does not set aside His own justice. He does not close His eyes to broken law (see Proverbs 24:24). He does not nullify the law. Rather, our faith is directed to the work of the One who fulfilled the law's demands. The law is upheld by the provision of a perfect life offered (redemption) and God's just wrath absorbed (propitiation).

Thus, in justification, God is seen to be central. He is the source of faith that we need to link us to the work of Christ. He is the expansive God with no limited national interest. He is totally just and yet, as justifier, He is wonderfully merciful.

The early theologian Saint Augustine prayed, ″O God, demand what You will, but supply what you demand!″ God demands perfection and He meets that demand in the provision of His Son.


Think through:

Do you give God the honour due to Him for the fact that you are a believer? See where faith comes from in Hebrews 12:2 and Ephesians 2:8-9. See how a person's conversion is described in John 1:12-13 and Acts 11:18, 13:48, and 16:14. How different is this to the way we describe the process of a person's conversion?

A former Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, said, ″All I have to contribute to my own salvation is the sin from which I need to be saved.″

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About Author

David Cook was Principal of the Sydney Missionary and Bible College for 26 years. He is an accomplished writer and has authored Bible commentaries, books on the Minor Prophets, and several Bible study guides.

Author of Journey Through Series:

Our Daily Bread Journey Through® Series is a publication of Our Daily Bread Ministries.

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