Teaching of Paul - Bible Study 9

Readings: Romans 3:21-31

Questions and Comments

1. What further conclusions does Paul reach in Romans 3:21-31?

• Righteousness is provided by God.
  • God's righteousness is apart from the law (v 21).
  • God's righteousness is through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (v 22).
  • God's righteousness is a gift to man through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ (v 24).
     
• We can be made right in our relationship with God in Christ.
  • This is the good news (Romans 3:21-31).

2. We receive the righteousness to which:

• The law bears witness
  • Compare Numbers 21:4-9 with John 3:14-15.
     
• The Prophets bear witness
  • Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12.

3. What does it mean that all fall short of the glory of God?

• Glory (doxa) in Greek means ‘the visible brightness and splendour which emanates from the perfect character of God’. For example:
  • In the Old Testament the glory of God filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34).
  • In the New Testament the glory of God is seen in Jesus Christ (John 1:14).
  • All people have sinned and fallen short of God's perfect standard but we can be justified or made right in Jesus Christ.

4. What is the basis of this justification in:

• Grace– Romans 3:24 (Compare with Ephesians 2:8).
  • Justification is a term taken from the law courts. It is the picture of the guilty criminal standing before the judge for sentencing, and then learning that because of what someone else has done for him, he is to be set free.
     
• Redemption– Romans 3:24 (Compare with 1 Peter 1:18-19).
  • Redemption conveys the picture of the slave market in which the slave is purchased and thus acquires a new master. It emphasizes a price and thus expenditure on the part of the owner.
     
• Propitiation– Romans 3:25 (Compare 1 John 2:2).
  • Propitiation belongs to the language of sacrifice. Paul contends that the sacrifice of Christ gives content to the sacrifices of the Old Covenant and not as we suppose that the old sacrifices cast light on the work of Christ. Sacrifice in its deepest sense is not that which man offers to God, but what God offers to man in Christ.
     
• Blood– Romans 3:25 (Compare 1 John 1:7).