7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:1-7 Set Apart for the Gospel

vs. 1  Paul’s Introduction

·         1: In Biblical letters, the author identifies himself at the start of the letter, not the end.  Paul is the author.

·         1: How does Paul describe himself in verse 1?  (There are three things he mentions.)  Discuss each of these.

• He is a servant of Christ Jesus. The word doulos means servant or slave.  Paul was saying that he is Christ’s slave.  Why did he say that?  Did he think of that as a bad thing or an honor?  Are you willing to view yourself as Christ’s slave?  Why or why not?  If so, how will that make your life different? 
• He is called to be an apostle.  Paul used to persecute Christians, but he was encountered by the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and had his life changed.  (Acts 9:1-31.)  Read Acts 26:1-23.  In that passage Paul gives his testimony to King Agrippa.  Notice how Paul’s life was changed and how he was literally called into service by God.  The word apostle means “one sent with authority.”  All true Christians are disciples, but not all disciples are apostles.  The only apostles were the twelve apostles, Paul, Barnabas and possibly a few others.  It was a special role specifically for the foundation of the church.  Ephesians 2:20 says that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.  The apostles had a unique authority and performed miracles as the mark of an apostle.  (2 Cor. 12:12)  There are some who claim that there are apostles today, but they have given the term a lesser meaning. 
• He is set apart for the gospel.  The Greek here literally reads, “having been separated to the gospel.”  He was separated, by God, away from some things in order to be devoted to the gospel message.  Why do you think Paul was “set apart” for the gospel?  

·         1: “The Gospel of God.”  As Leon Morris has written, “God is the most important word in this epistle.  Romans is a book about God.  No topic is treated with anything like the frequency of God.  Everything Paul touches in this letter he relates to God.”   The gospel is not mainly about us… it is about God. 

·         2:  What does the word “gospel” mean?  [The Greek word euangelion literally means “good news” or “good message.”]  What is the news and why is it good?   How would you summarize the good news?  (Take a few minutes to have everyone write down what they think the good news is.)  [The entire book of Romans is about the good news.  In 1 Corinthians 15:3 Paul writes, “For what I have received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”  The gospel in five words is “Christ died for our sin.”  God went to the cross and took the punishment for sin that we deserve so that He could offer us His righteousness as a free gift that we can receive by faith alone.  Keep studying Paul’s letter to the Romans to get a great understanding of what the gospel really is!] 

·         2:  The gospel message was not something completely new and novel.  It was promised by the prophets and written down in the Scriptures. 

·        3: The gospel is about God’s son, Jesus Christ.  Paul would completely reject any supposed gospel message that wasn’t focused on the Son!   

·         3: What does it mean that “in His human nature” the Son was a “descendant of David?”  [The Son always existed as God, but when He became a man, he added a human nature to Himself.  After that, Jesus had a divine nature and a human nature.  As far as His human nature was concerned, Jesus was a physical (through Mary) and legal (through Joseph) descendant of King David.  This is important because there were prophecies that the Messiah would come from the line of David.  (Psalm 89; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Isaiah 9:6-7; 11)] 

·         4: The NASB gives a more literal translation of verse 4.  “…who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord…”  Therefore it could mean that at the resurrection Jesus was declared Son-of-God-with-power.  The NIV translation assumes that it was by means of power that Jesus was declared Son-of-God.  Either way, the Holy Spirit gave testimony to the truth of who Jesus was through Jesus’ resurrection.   

·         4: Think deeply about the phrase “Jesus Christ our Lord.”  To think of it fresh, think of it as “Jesus Christ, the Lord of us.”  What does it mean that Jesus Christ is our Lord?  [Jesus is not only the Lord (God), He is also the Lord (Master) of us all.  Christians recognize and bow to His Lordship over them.] 

·         5: Paul says that they received apostleship (1) through Him, and (2) for His name’s sake.  Why are each of these important?  What does “for His name’s sake” mean?  [(1) Jesus is the source.  (2) Jesus’ fame/reputation/glory/renown is the purpose it all!  Do we realize that?]   

·         5:  “The highest of all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God, verse 18), but rather zeal—burning and passionate zeal—for the glory of Jesus Christ.”  -John Stott 

·         5: Paul’s mission was to call Gentiles [non-Jews] to Jesus Christ.   Further, he wanted to call people from all the Gentiles, not just some of the Gentiles.  The word for Gentiles also means “nations” or “people groups.”   

·         5: Paul’s mission was to call people from among all the Gentiles to “obedience of faith.”  The NIV translates this “obedience that comes from faith” although it could also mean “obedience that is faith.”  One would mean that faith produces obedience.  The other would mean that faith is the obedience that God requires; we obey God by trusting Him (although faith is not a work… as Paul will make crystal clear in Romans 4.)  Both happen to be true. 

·         6: All Christians are called to belong to Jesus Christ.   

·         7: Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome.  Paul writes that they are (1) loved by God, and (2) called to be saints.  Think about how powerful both of these facts are for believers.  God loves us, even though we do not deserve it.  He calls us all to be saints.  (Or as the NASB more literally translates it “called as saints.”)  God calls all Christians saints and calls us to act like saints.  Saints mean “holy ones” or “set apart ones.”)  Paul wishes the Roman Christians grace and peace from God the Father and God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

·          “To sum up, here are six fundamental truths about the gospel.  Its origin is God the Father [vs. 1] and its substance is Jesus Christ His Son [vs. 3].  Its attestation is Old Testament Scripture [vs. 2] and its scope all the nations [vs. 5].  Our immediate purpose in proclaiming it is to bring people to the obedience of faith [vs. 5], but our ultimate goal is the greater glory of the name of Jesus Christ [vs. 5].  Or, to simplify these truths… the good news is the gospel of God, about Christ, according to Scripture, for the nations, unto the obedience of faith, and for the sake of the Name.”  -John Stott

 11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

14I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.

16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Romans 1:8-17 Not Ashamed of the Gospel

vs. 8-15  Eager to Preach the Gospel to You

·         Note: Verses 16-17 are key verses for the book of Romans.  Therefore we will focus most of our time on those verses. 

·         8-12: What does Paul say about his prayers concerning the Romans?  [(1) He is thankful that their faith is being reported all over the world.  (2) He prays for them constantly.  (3) Paul prays that he might finally be able to come to Rome to minister to them and to be mutually encouraged.] 

·         13: Had Paul ever been to Rome when he wrote this?  [No] 

·         14: Paul said that he was “obligated” (literally “debtor”) to both the Greek and non-Greeks, to the wise and the foolish.  The word translated “non-Greek” is literally “barbarian.”  Paul is saying that he is a debtor both to the wise, cultured Greeks, and also to the “foolish” and uncultured barbarians.  (The word for “barbarian” is barbarois.  The Greeks gave them this name because they didn’t speak Greek and to them their language sounded like they were saying “bar bar bar.”)    If we keep the gospel to ourselves, we are living as if we somehow deserve God’s salvation while others do not.  The truth is that none of us deserve God’s salvation.  When we realize that, we realize that we need to share this news.  As John Stott has written, “Nobody may claim a monopoly of the gospel.  Good news is for sharing.  We are under obligation to make it known to others.”  What are different groups of people that God wants you to share the gospel with?  [For example, for high school students it might both to druggies and preps, etc.]  

·         15: Paul was eager to preach the gospel also to those in Rome.  Verse 16 gives us the reason why he was eager. 

vs. 16-17  The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

·         16:  The NIV unfortunately does not include the word “for” at the start of this verse.  (It is in the Greek.)  Paul is saying, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel…”  This means that Paul is giving the reason why he is eager to preach the gospel to those in Rome.  He is eager to do it for [because] he is not ashamed of the gospel. 

·         16:  Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel.  Does this seem to imply that some people are ashamed of the gospel?  [Yes.]  What does it mean to be ashamed of something?  [to be embarrassed]  Why would some people be ashamed of the gospel?  [The gospel is offensive to many people.  People don’t like to face the fact that they are sinners.  People don’t like to admit that they need a Savior.  They want to think that they are good decent people and that they can rely on themselves.  People hate to think of themselves as some sort of charity case.  In the ancient world, the Greeks thought that the idea of a “weak” crucified God was foolish.  The Jews were scandalized by the thought of God-cursed crucified Messiah.   (1 Corinthians 1:18.23)  Today, like then, people can be embarrassed when Christian truths don’t line up well with the popular beliefs.  Today, some are embarrassed at the idea that God could have “wrath” and so they never want to mention that.  Some supposedly-Christian writers claim that the idea of Jesus taking our punishment for us should be rejected as “divine child abuse.”  Some are embarrassed because they don’t want “intellectuals” to look down on them for being narrow-minded or primitive.  Basically, people are ashamed of the gospel whenever they care too much about other people’s approval or their own comforts.]   

·         16:  What are reasons why people your age might be ashamed of the gospel?  (Are those good reasons?  Why or why not?) 

·         16: What happens when people are ashamed of the gospel?  [For the average Christian, it probably means that they won’t tell people about the message of salvation because they are embarrassed.  Thing about that… should someone go to hell because you were too embarrassed to tell them how to be saved?] 

·         16: What would happen if a church was ashamed of the gospel? [Not many churches would admit that they are ashamed of the gospel.  Instead, they either water down the gospel or rarely mention it.  In fact, many churches do this either because they don’t really believe the gospel, or because they are afraid that the gospel message will drive people away from the church.  Some church growth experts tells church leaders to avoid talking about unpleasant things like sin and hell and God’s standards.] 

·         16: At the 2006 Desiring God National Conference, David Wells was speaking about those the book of Hebrews warned not to shrink back from the gospel.  He compared their situation to our situation today.  Wells lamented that so much of American Christianity is watering down the Bible’s message.  He said, “We are shrinking back from the full-orbed Biblical understanding of the uniqueness of Christ and His centrality.  They did it out of fear for their safety.  We are doing it out of fears that we will not be successful.”  In other words, first century Christians were ashamed of the gospel because they could be persecuted.  We water down the gospel because we want more people to come to our churches.  (Is that a good idea?) 

·         16:  Why is Paul not ashamed of the gospel?  [Because it is the power of God for salvation for all who believe.] 

·         16: The Greek word for “power” is dunamis.  We get our English word “dynamite” from this word.  Now, dynamite wasn’t invented when Paul wrote this.  He wasn’t thinking about dynamite or explosions, but it shows that this was a word associated with great power and force.  Also, in Greek dunamis is in a word order that shows its emphasis.  (Literally, “Power for of-God it is to salvation to everyone believing…”)  Paul was emphasizing how incredibly powerful the gospel message is for salvation!  That is why he wasn’t ashamed of it!  Paul knew that the gospel isn’t something that barely gets people saved.  It is powerful!  It was powerful in his own life, he had seen that it was powerful in other people’s lives, and he was confident that it would continue to be powerful in people’s lives!   

·         16: Have you seen the power of the gospel in anyone’s life?  Have you seen the power of the gospel in your own life?  (Can you tell about it?)  The gospel changes lives and saves souls.  There is no one so far gone that the gospel cannot save them if they will come to Christ.  This should give you confidence!  God will use the gospel message to save people whom you would never expect.  So, are you embarrassed to tell them about it? 

·         16: Notice, it is not just that the gospel is powerful.  It is the power of God.  How powerful is that? 

·         16: What is salvation?  What are we being saved from?  [As we will see in verse 18, we are being saved from the wrath of God.] 

·         16: Who specifically does verse 16 say that the gospel saves?  [Everyone who believes.] 

·         16: Why did Paul say “to the Jews first and also to the Greeks”?  [The gospel message was presented first to the Jewish people, and then to the Greeks, or non-Jews.  We will see later in Romans that Paul was deeply concerned and sorrowful that most of his fellow Jews had rejected their own Messiah.] 

·         17: What do you think that “the righteousness of God” is?  [People have had various ideas of what this means in this verse.  When Martin Luther was a Catholic monk, he thought of God’s righteousness of God was a negative thing.  He viewed it as God’s punishment coming toward sinners.  However, by studying Romans, Luther realized that the righteousness of God was a good gift that God was offering to believers.  Instead of punishment, it means that God offers us the righteousness of Christ—credit for Christ’s goodness—as a free gift to all who trust in Christ alone for salvation.  Therefore, the righteousness of God does not just mean that God is righteous.  It is a righteousness from God to those who believe.] 

·         17: When Paul writes that this righteousness is “from faith to faith” (NASB) or “by faith from first to last” (NIV) he is probably using an expression that means that this righteousness is received completely by faith. 

·         17: Paul ends this verse with a quote from Habakkuk 2:4.  As John Stott writes, “The prophet had complained that God intended to raise up the ruthless Babylonians to punish Israel.  How could He use the wicked to judge the wicked?  Habakkuk was told that whereas the proud Babylonians would fall, the righteous Israelite would live by his faith, that is, in the context, by his humble, steadfast trust in God.”  Paul didn’t just mean that the righteous will live a life of faith; he also meant that we are righteous because of faith and escape eternal death because of faith.  The quote could be translated, “The righteous man by faith will live” or “He who through faith is righteous will live.”  As the rest of Romans will explain, salvation comes by faith alone, and only through faith can we gain eternal life.

“The chief purpose of this letter is to magnify sin and to destroy all human wisdom and righteousness, to bring down all those who are proud and arrogant on account of their works.  We need to break down our ‘inner self-satisfaction.’  God does not want to redeem us through our own, but through external righteousness and wisdom; not through one that comes from us and grows in us, but through one that comes to us from the outside; not through one that originates here on earth, but through one that comes from heaven.”  -Martin Luther  

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness

Romans 1:18 The Wrath of God is Being Revealed

vs. 18  The Wrath of God

·         What is the wrath of God?  [In short, God’s wrath is His intense anger against sin.]  What do you think that the average person thinks about the wrath of God?  Do they believe in it, or do they think that God can’t have wrath because He is loving?  If they do believe in it, how do you think they picture it?  (What do you think?  How do you picture the wrath of God?)   

·         Like it or not, God has revealed to us in the Bible that He is not only a loving God, but that He is also a God of wrath.  Some Bible teachers and theologians deny this, but they are denying the Word of God.  God’s anger burns against sin and unrighteousness.  What are truths about God’s wrath?  There are several: 

• God’s wrath is already something that is being revealed.  Notice that Romans 18 says that the wrath of God is revealed.  (present tense)  We will see in verses 24-32 that a large part of God’s present wrath is that God “gave them over” to their sin.   It means that God gives us over to the compounding consequences of our rejection of God and our sin.  (We will talk about this more when we get to these verses.)

• God’s wrath is being revealed, but there is much more to come for those who reject God by rejecting Jesus Christ.  Read 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 and Revelation 6:12-17.  (Notice that Revelation 6:16 speaks of the “wrath of the Lamb.”)  What do you think and feel as you read these passages?  Although these verses are frightening but important.  First, they are a warning about what a bad idea it is to go against God.  You do not want God as your enemy!  Also, I think that these passages help us to have a big view of God.  God is not a wimp.  Yes, God is a loving God, but He is also a God who can inspire awe and worship.  He is a God that we should have a healthy fear of.  He is not a safe God!  

• God’s wrath is not “out of control” like human wrath often is.  God’s wrath is a real emotion, but do not picture it as an out-of-control emotion.  God is not in a blind rage.  God’s wrath is not because God is grumpy at the moment.  He does not have an anger-management problem.  (In fact, the only reason why we continue to exist is because of God’s ability to control His anger!)  

• What is God’s wrath directed against?  [Human wrath is often directed at the wrong things.  God’s wrath never is.  God’s wrath is directed against “all the godlessness and wickedness of man.”  John Stott writes in his commentary on Romans, “In general, the wrath of God is directed against evil alone.  We get angry when our pride has been wounded; but there is no personal pique in the anger of God.  Nothing arouses it except evil, and evil always does.”]  What is “godlessness” (NIV) or “ungodliness” (NASB)?  What is “wickedness” (NIV) or “unrighteousness” (NASB)?  [In short, Godlessness is the rejection of God and His authority.  Wickedness is the sin—the evil thoughts and deeds—that result from this rejection of God.]

·         A recent episode of Dateline quoted the following statistics:
§         94% of American adults believe in God
§         89% believe in heaven
§         73% believe in hell
§         only 2% expect to end up in hell

If these are accurate, why is this important?  Why don’t most people think they are in danger of hell?  What does this mean for our mission to bring people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ? [Not only is it bad enough that 1 out of 4 people don’t even believe that hell exists, even those who believe in hell think they are in no danger of it!  Although most people believe in hell, they believe it is for other people—maybe terrorists and nazis—not themselves.  People don’t realize the danger that they are in.  This is tragic because as John Stott has written, “Nothing keeps people away from Christ more than their inability to see their need of Him or their unwillingness to admit it.  As Jesus put it: ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Mark. 2:17)] 

·         We usually think of atheists as people who don’t believe in God.  But according to God’s Word, does God believe in atheists?  [Atheists say that they don’t believe in God, but according to God’s Word, God doesn’t believe in atheists!  Deep down everyone knows that God exists.  As we will see in verse 19-20 God has made His existence plain to everyone.  There is no such thing as a true atheist!]  If this is so, what about all the people who claim to be atheists? [Atheists really are people who deny and suppress what they know, deep down, to be true.] 

·         What does it mean that people suppress the truth?  Why do you think they do that?  What are some ways they do this?

• What does it mean?  [Suppressing the truth means that people “push down” what they know to be true.  They deny it, even thought they know it deep down.]
• Why do they do it?  [Because they don’t want to believe in God.  Why?  Because of pride.   We want to take God’s place.  We want to do our own thing.  We don’t want to be accountable to God.  We don’t want to feel guilty for our sins.]
• How do they do it?  [People do this in different ways.  Some just don’t think about God.  Some find excuses for their unbelief.  (Ex. “Christians are hypocrites.”  “Churches just want money.”  “A Christian was mean to me.”)  Some use evolution as a Godless explanation for the origin of life.  Many substitute a false God for the real one.  As we will see in verse 23, this is what they commonly did in Paul’s time.  It is also something that people commonly do today.  Most Americans may not worship wooden idols, but most Americans worship a false version of God or Jesus in their mind that they have made to their own liking.]

·         If verse 20 is true, what does this say about the excuses that many people have for not believing in God?  How does this affect evangelism?  [Lots of these excuses are nothing more than smokescreens.  They are not the real reasons for their rejection of God.  To help people, you need to learn how to look through their smokescreens.  We also need to learn how to lovingly remove people’s smokescreens: sometimes by answering their questions, sometimes by breaking their expectations, and sometimes by calling their bluffs.] 

·         Is people’s main problem a head problem or a heart problem?  [The real reason people reject God is because of a heart problem, not a head problem.  Our deepest problem is moral not intellectual.  This explains well-educated people who know full-well all the reason they should believe in God, and yet reject Him.  It explains why some scientists can look into the heavens and realize the absolutely absurdity that this all came about by “chance” and yet still reject God.  God has made Himself plainly seen, but people don’t want what they see.] 

·         God is very angry against sin.  And as we will see in the first three chapters of Romans, every single one of us is accountable to God because of our sin.  This is hands-down the most serious problem that any human being has ever faced.  We are sinners and the wrath of God is coming at us.  Please ask yourself, do you realize the depth of this problem?  Are you concerned about this?  And most importantly, do you know what God Himself has done for you about this problem?  John 3;36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on Him.”  Have you accepted His salvation through the cross, or are you still under the wrath of God?

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Romans 1:19-20 Clearly Seen

vs. 19-20  Understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse

·         (18): Give a recap of what you learned from verse 18.  (Ask the students to give as much of a recap as they can.)    [The wrath of God is something real, not something we should ignore.  The wrath of God is God’s righteous anger against sin.  It is real anger, but it is unlike human anger because it is never out of control and it is never misdirected.  The wrath of God is being revealed against the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress truth about God.  This means that there is truth about God everyone knows, but that people deny and push down.  People suppress truth about God because—as sinners—we don’t want God.  We want to be our own authority.  People suppress the truth about God in different ways with different excuses.  This means that according to this verse, there is no such thing as an atheist deep down.  This also means that the ultimate reason people don’t believe in God is a heart problem, not a head problem.] 

·         19: According to this verse there is at least some truth about God that is plain to people.  Why is it plain to people?  [It is plain because God has made it plain.  Contrary to popular belief, God has not kept His existence hidden from anyone.  “Plain” means that it is out in the open and easy to see.  And the fact that God is the one who made it plain means that the job was done right.]  How has God made it plain?  [Through creation.] 

·         20: According to this verse, what is it about God that has been clearly seen?  What are these?  How does creation display these qualities?  [Creation shows us God’s invisible qualities, specifically His eternal power and His divine nature.  It shows us that God exists and that He is very powerful.  In the same way that a painting points to the existence of a painter, creation points to the existence of a Creator.  If a painting exists, there must be a painter.  So, if we see a painting, we can be sure that there is a painter and that this painter has the abilities to make the painting.  In the same way, when we see creation, we know that there must be a Creator, and that this Creator must have been powerful enough to make the amazing creation in all of it’s complexity and wonder.  You don’t need to be a scientist for this to work.  Although many suppress this truth (vs. 18), God has wired us so that when we see creation, we are lead to the conclusion that God exists and that He is powerful.  This is true for the people in Paul’s day and it is still true now.  In fact, the more we learn, the more impressed we should be.  If people were impressed back then, how much more should we be impressed now that we know how big the universe really is!] 

·         20: How are some of the ways that the existence and power of God are seen through creation?  What are some that have really impressed you?  [Examples: astronomy, the design of the planet earth for supporting life, aspects of the human body, the grandeur of nature, the intricacies of the design of life on a microscopic level, etc.]  

·         Astronomers are being forced to acknowledge that the earth and the universe seem finely tuned for human life.  This is called the anthropic principle.  Here some are quotes from atheist, agnostic, or formerly atheist astronomers.  They are taken from The Creator and the Cosmos, by Hugh Ross.  (Recommended reading; learn about creation!)  

o         “…a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology.”  -Sir. Fred Hoyle 

o         “[There] is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all… It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned nature’s numbers to make the universe… The impression of design is overwhelming.”  -Paul Davies 

o         “As we survey all the evidence, the thought insistently arises that some supernatural agency—or rather, Agency—must be involved.  Is it possible that suddenly, without intending to, we have stumbled upon scientific proof of the existence of a Supreme Being?  Was it God who stepped in and so providentially crafted the cosmos for our benefit?”  -George Greenstein 

o         “When confronted with the order and beauty of the universe and the strange coincidences of nature, it’s very tempting to take the leap of faith from science into religion.  I am sure many physicists want to.  I only wish they would admit it.”  -Tony Rothman 

o         “One would have to conclude either that the features of the universe invoked in the support of the Anthropic Principle are only coincidences or that the universe was indeed tailor-made for life.  I will leave it to the theologians to ascertain the identity of the tailor!”  -Bernard Carr 

o         “Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural’ plan.”  -Arno Penzias (shared Nobel prize for discovery of cosmic background radiation) 

o         “It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us.”  -Stephen Hawking 

• “For the scientist who has lived his life by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream.  He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greated by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”  -Robert Jastrow 

·         20: Application: Learn about God’s creation!  The more you know about God’s creation, the more impressed you will be by the Creator!  Therefore, the recent decision to spend money to repair the Hubble telescope isn’t just good for science; It’s also good for worship!  (But remember to only worship the Creator, not His creation!) 

·         20: How can invisible qualities be clearly seen?  Doesn’t that sound contradictory?  [The invisible is made visible by what has been made.  For example, you can’t see “talent” but an artist’s art lets us see her talent.]  

·         20: If you just focus on verses 19 and 20 you might come away from this with the wrong impression.  Verses 19 and 20 tell us that God’s existence is plain to everyone.  So then, why is it that not everyone seems to believe in God?  [Remember, verse 19 said that we “suppress the truth by their wickedness.”  Although God has wired us to be “pulled” toward knowledge of God, we are also being pulled away from God by our sin natures.  We are in conflict and can only find peace when we rest in God.] 

·         20: Creation testifies to the existence of God like a witness in the witness stand.  This is testified to our hearts, but people reject the testimony.  This is because of the effects of sin.  The fall (Genesis 3) has effected creation in many ways, including our ability to think correctly.  (Advanced note: theologians call this the “noetic effects of sin.”)  Not only did the fall reduce our capacity to think correctly, our sinful desires cloud our thinking.  Too often we believe what we want to believe rather than the truth.  We ignore evidence when we don’t want something to be true.  Often we are mentally lazy.  We have all kinds of excuses and smoke screens.  In short, although creation makes God’s existence “clearly seen” we twist that which we see because we don’t want to see it. 

·         20: Theologians speak of “general revelation” and “special revelation.”  General revelation is available to everyone.  Special revelation is not.  Here is a chart that compares these two ways God has revealed Himself.  (c.f. Psalm 19) 

·         20: Important: What does it mean when verse 20 says, “so that men are without excuse”?  This is extremely important to Paul’s explanation of the gospel message.  [As we will see, Paul is making the case that absolutely everyone needs a Savior because absolutely everyone is a sinner who is accountable to God.  (Rm. 3:9)  Paul’s first point is that even those without the written Word of God are accountable to God.  Their ignorance of the Scriptures is not an excuse.  Everyone has some information about God available to them and therefore, all are accountable to God.  If—theoretically—people responded positively to this revelation, God might give them more.  (Not that He owes it to us.)  However, the reality is that we all reject God and suppress His truth.  As we will see in Romans 3:10 none of us seek God on our own, and God does not owe us additional “light” once we have rejected the “light” that He has given us.] 

·         Note: Some theologians have made the mistake of claiming that we can know much more about God through nature than we truly can.  This is often called “natural theology.”  Some even claim that people can be saved if they respond properly to God’s revelation in nature.  I believe this is completely unbiblical and undermined Paul’s logic in Romans 10:13-17.  Saving faith only comes when the gospel message is told to people.  That is why evangelism and missions is so important.  There is enough information in general revelation to condemn all those who reject the God of Creation, but not enough to save them.   

·         This ties into the common question, “What about the innocent native in Africa that never heard the gospel?  Will he go to hell just because no one told him about Jesus?”  The Biblical answer is (a) there is no innocent native in Africa or anywhere else; we are all sinners. (b) Those who die without knowledge of Christ will be judged and sentenced based on their response to the truth they did possess.  And as Romans 1:20 states, we all have enough information from general revelation (the world, conscience, etc) to make us accountable to God.  Thus, people we be judged for their sins and for rejecting what they did know about God.  (However, since we’re all sinners who know some truth about God, this is not a good situation to be in.)  More light will be shed on this as we study Romans 1-3.   

·         Where are you at?  Have you rejected the light that God has given you, or have to heard the message of salvation through Christ and trusted Him alone for your salvation? 

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Romans 1:21-27 Therefore God gave them over 

vs. 21-23  Their foolish hearts were darkened

·         21: verse 21 starts with the word “for.”  It is important to notice these connector words because they help you see the flow of Paul’s argument.  (The word “for” means “because.”)  How does verse 21 connect with the previous paragraph?  [God has made His existence known through creation, therefore people do not have an excuse.  Why?  Because (verse 21) they knew God, at least basically, but they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him.] 

·         21:  What was the result of failing to glorify and thank God?  How does our sin affect both our thinking and our hearts/desires?  [Our thinking becomes futile and our hearts become darkened.  Sin has damaged both of these capacities.  We can no longer think clearly about a great many things, especially things concerning God.  This explains why otherwise intelligent people can look at the stars and ignore God.  This explains why people can believe that something as abhorrent as partial birth abortion should be legal.  This verse explains a lot about human nature.] 

·         22: Discuss the phrase: “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools”?    

·         23: The dark exchange of idolatry: Remember, for most of human history people did not become atheists when they rejected the true God.  Instead they became idol worshipers.  Do you think that there are people who worship an idol today?  What are some of the idol gods that people worship in America?  [Examples: Pleasure, entertainment, status, celebrities, money, fame, power, and the big one… SELF.  Most people also worship various false version of God.  They may still call God by the same name, but they are worshiping their own mental creation of God rather than the Biblical God who actually exists.  In additon, across the world there other major religions with false Gods such as Allah and the pantheistic versions of God found in eastern religions.]

vs. 24-27  God gave them over

·         24: Sin itself is one of the punishments of sin.  One of the consequences of sin is that God gives us over to the consequences of our sin.  Society is messed up like it is because God has given mankind over to our sinful choices.  It is somewhat like a parent saying, “Okay, you don’t want me?  Let’s see how well you do on your own.”  But remember, we the ones who abandoned God first.  Part of God’s punishment to us is letting us abandon Him.  Thankfully, God has not yet let us go as far aw we can, and sometimes (by what is called “common grace”) God even allows some partially good things to happen through unbelievers.  Still, the more we reject God, the more we reap the consequences of that choice. 

·         24: Sexual sins dishonor our bodies.  (Movies and magazines tell us the opposite.) 

·         25: There are two categories of beings in the entire universe: The Creator, and the created.  All false religion worships something created, rather than worshiping the One who made it all.   

·         26: What is the sin that is being referred to here?  [Lesbian sex.]  What does this passage tell us about lesbian sex?  [(1) It is one of the results of mankind’s rejection of God.  (2) God considers it “shameful” (NIV) or “degrading” (NASB).  (3) It is “unnatural.”]   

·         27: Verse 27 is about male homosexual sin.  Some people have tried to explain away these verses by various claims.  Some say that it only refers to the homosexual prostitutes in the pagan temples.  Some say that it only condemns “uncommitted” homosexual acts.  Some say that it is only against homosexual acts by straight people.  All of these attempts to explain away these verses fail.  Any sexual acts or lust between people of the same gender is always sin. 

·         Does society and the media share these views of homosexuality or are the Biblical views being rejected?  [Society no longer considers homosexual sin to be shameful.  Remember the Seinfeld episode where they were talking about homosexuality and always kept saying, “Not that there is anything wrong with it.”  There is tremendous societal pressure to accept homosexuality as being okay.  Those who have the Biblical view are considered judgmental or “homophobic.”  Even among those who claim to be Christians the Biblical view is being rejected.] 

·         26-27: With verses 26-27 in mind, how would you respond to someone who says that God must be okay with homosexuality since God made people that way?  [The Bible ways that homosexuality is something “unnatural.”  It is not something that He intended.  Homosexuality goes against creation.  Homosexuality is a corruption.  It is one of the results of mankind’s fall into sin.  Don’t buy into the common line that people are born gay and it is okay because God made them that way.  It is not natural.  Yes, some people might be more genetically presupposed to homosexual temptation, but that is not an excuse.  Some people are more genetically presupposed to other sins such as drunkenness, sinful anger, or heterosexual lust, but that doesn’t make those sins okay either.  Also, it is wrong to tell homosexuals that there is no hope that God can free them from this sin.  There are former homosexuals who have overcome their temptation by God’s grace.  There is all kinds of spin out there concerning homosexuality.  Christians need to learn to see through the spin and to think Biblically about the topic.] 

·         Other passages on homosexuality include Leviticus 18:22 and1 Corinthians 6:9-11 as well as the story of Sodom and Gemorrah in Genesis 19:1-29, especially verse 5. 

·         Homosexuality is a very controversial topic in our world today.  It is extremely important that we learn how to respond in the correct way.  On one hand, we need to be able to show love and compassion to homosexuals, especially by pointing them to the One who died to save them from their sin and who can set them free.  On the other hand, we need to be very clear that homosexual acts and lust are clearly a serious sin.  We dishonor the Word of God and we are not helping people when people who claim to be Christians soften God’s stance against this sin or make excuses for it. 

28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:28-32 A Description of Depravity 

vs. 21-23  What ought not to be done

·         28: How does this verse sum up some of the things that Paul has been teaching in Romans 1 so far?  [People have rejected the knowledge of the true God.  One of the punishments for this God giving people over to their sin.  Sin is not freedom.  Sin breeds more sin and bondage.  The rejection of God corrupts our minds and wills.]

·         29:31:  These verses list many sins and characteristics of sin.  Look at each of them.  What does each one mean?  Come up with at least one example for each one.  (Suggestion: Go around the group.  Each person pick one of the sins to comment about.  It doesn’t have to be in order.  Keep going around until you have talked about each one.)  As you read these, don’t just focus on the sins that you don’t commit.  Ask God to use this passage like a mirror and a scalpel.  Ask Him to show you your sin, and ask for his help to remove it from your heart and life.  Also notice how many of these are actions and how many are attitudes of the heart. 

·         32: After this ling list of sins, what is the final thing that Paul mentions that tops it all off.  [Even though they know God’s commands and the serious nature and penalty for these sins “they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.]  Why is this so bad?  [It is bad enough to sin yourself.  It is even worse to lead someone else into sin.  When you do that, you are basically being Satan to them.  Read Mark 9:42.  How does Jesus feel about people who lead other people into sin?  “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” –Mark 9:42] 

·         32: Can you think of examples of how people do this?  [Examples: A Youth Group friend telling someone else at youth group how much fun sex is; a professor at a religious college who writes a book arguing that homosexual sex is okay; many other examples…]

·         32: Also, according to verse 32, what do the people who do any of these things deserve?  [death]  Have you trusted Christ as your Savior yet?

1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

5But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11For God does not show favoritism.

12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Romans 2:1-16 The “Moral” Man is Also a Sinner

vs. 1-4  You who pass judgment

·         What is the main point of Romans 1-3?  [Paul is making the case that all are under sin.  When Paul gets to 3:9-10 he will write, “What shall we conclude then?  …Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.] 

·         1-4: In chapter 1 Paul spoke about immoral Gentiles who denied God and descended into a lifestyle of obvious moral depravity.  However as New Testament scholar F.F. Bruce points out,

“We know that there was another side to the pagan world of the first century than that which Paul has portrayed in the preceding paragraphs.  What about a man like Paul’s illustrious contemporary Seneca, the stoic moralist, the tutor of Nero?  Seneca might have listened to Paul’s indictment and said, ‘Yes, that is perfectly true of the great masses of mankind, and I concur in the judgment which you pass on them – but there are others, of course, like myself, who deplore these tendencies as much as you do.’” 

How does Paul’s argument in Romans 2:1-4 speak to a “moral” person like Seneca, or a relatively moral person living today?   [As John Stott notes, In Romans 2, Paul is turning his emphasis “from the world of shameless immorality (1:18-32) to the world of self-conscious moralism.”  He is giving an argument to show those people who consider themselves as being good and moral that they too are under sin and in need of a Savior.] 

·         1-3: How does Paul show “moral” people that they are still under sin and in need of a Savior?  [“Paul uncovers in these verses a strange human foible, namely the tendency to be critical of everybody except ourselves.” -John Stott.  Paul’s argument is simple and powerful.  (1) We judge people for the moral wrongs that they do. (2) We do many of the same things.  Therefore, we have judged ourselves to be guilty as well.  Even if we don’t see these sins in our own lives now, our words and thoughts will be used to condemn us when we stand before God.  For example, we will not be able to say, “I did not know that lying was wrong.”  The reply will be, “You knew that lying is a sin.  You hated this sin when you saw other people lying.  Yet you did this yourself.  Therefore, you are a witness against yourself.] 

·         1-3: What are some of the sins that we judge other people for—but are guilty of ourselves?  Don’t just think about action-sins; also think about attitude-sins that we often (rightly) recognize to be sinful in other people.   

·         3-4:  Why do some people think they will escape judgment?  What is the point of verse 4?  [We wrongly assume that God’s patience toward us means that He is okay with our sin.  We assume, “God hasn’t blasted me with lightning from the sky.  God hasn’t given me consequences for my sin.  Therefore, I must not be offending Him with the way I live.  He is obviously fine with it.]  Why is this wrong?  What is the real purpose of the patience that God shows to us?  [He is giving us time to repent—to turn away from our sin and to turn to Him.] 

vs. 5-11  Storing up wrath against yourself

·         5: Think about what Paul says about “storing up wrath against yourself.”  This is a frightening thought.  Illustration: Have you even forgotten to return a rented video for several days?  Each day you thought everything was okay, but you didn’t realize that each day your fine was getting larger and larger.  Because of stubborn unrepentant hearts, people refuse to acknowledge the truth and come to the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Each day, they go on sinning, not realizing that they are racking up more and more wrath against themselves.  They think everything is okay, but there will come a day of judgment.  The more wrath they have stored up, the worse their judgment will be. 

·         6-7: These are verses that I have seen someone try to use to prove his (and his church’s) idea that God will admit people into heaven who have lived good lives.  (He was arguing against salvation by grace alone through faith alone.)  Do you that is what this verse is teaching?  Why or why not?  If not, what does this verse mean?  [This person was taking these verses completely out of context.  This is why it is incredibly important to study books of the Bible as a whole and to examine and understand the author’s flow of thought.  Paul’s purpose in Romans 1-3 is to show that all are under sin and need a Savior.  In this section he is showing that “moral” people are still sinners, because they condemn sins in other people but still do many of the same things.  Paul’s point here is not that God saves good people.  Paul is pointing out that it isn’t enough just to have good moral standards; you have to live up to those standards!  We don’t even live up to our own standards, much less God’s!  So, yes, hypothetically, if someone lived a perfect sin-free life—not just avoiding sin, but consistently performing God’s level of righteousness—then God would let that person into heaven.  However, only Jesus Christ has ever done that.  The rest of us are all born with a sin nature and act out that sin every day.  It is like saying, “If someone could jump over the Grand Canyon, they will land on the other side.  However, if they can’t make it, they will fall to their death.”  This statement is true, but it doesn’t mean that anyone actually could jump across the Grand Canyon.  Instead, we all face the consequences of falling short.  This is what verses 8 and 9 are about.] 

·         8-9: What do these verses say will be the end result of continuing a life of sin?

·         10-11: Paul is saying that this is true for both Jews and Gentiles.  He had been speaking mainly about Gentiles up to this point, but now he will start to transition the focus to the Jewish people. 

·         I mentioned that I had discussed these verses with someone who was trying to prove that the Bible taught salvation by effort.  I pointed out to this person that even if verses 6 and 7 really were teaching that people can be saved by good works, it still doesn’t help him.  Notice that it is talking about someone persistently doing good.  How many people always do good?  It is common to hear people say, “I think that God will forgive people as long as they try their best.”  Now, not to mention that this view is an unbiblical opinion and that it undermines the holiness of God, who would this actually help?  Who actually tries their best?   No one.  We always could have tried harder.  We may generate spurts of trying hard, but even then, how long does that last?  Even if God saved people who try their best, no one would be saved this way!  (Usually what people really mean when they talk about “trying their best” is something like, “I put some effort into trying to live a good life.  Shouldn’t that be good enough for God?”  Of course, no one would actually say it that way.  It is an insult to God to arrogantly assume that our inconsistent half-butt efforts measure up to His righteousness.

vs. 12-16  Not hearing but obeying

·         12: What are the two types of people mentioned in this verse?  [Those who are apart from the law and those who are under the law.  Both sin.]  Why would only some people be “under the law”?  Does this mean that God’s law only applies to some people and not to others?  [Everyone is under God’s moral law, but not everyone has God’s law written down for them.  At the time Romans was written, the Hebrews were the only ones with God’s written law.  Therefore, Paul is saying that the Gentiles who sin apart from God’s written law will perish, and the Jews who sin under God’s written law will also perish, being judged by that law.] 

·         13: Merely having God’s written law doesn’t save anyone.  Knowing the right thing to do doesn’t make someone righteous.  Many people, then and today, pride themselves on knowing the right thing to do (in many situations) and they think that somehow just having this knowledge makes them a better person.  But if they don’t follow what they know, it doesn’t help!  In fact, everything else being equal, it is worse to sin against knowledge than in ignorance.  

·         14-15: What do these verses say about all of humanity, even those who do not have God’s law written down for them?  [These verses show that God has hardwired much of His moral law into our hearts, through the conscious.  This means that we are accountable to God’s law whether we have it written down on paper or not.  There is enough of it written on our hearts to make us accountable to Him on the Day of Judgment.] 

·         14-15: This is an example of what theologians call “common grace.”  Common grace is grace that is given to unsaved humanity as well as saved persons.  (Saving grace is only given to those who are saved.)  Because God has given people an inborn—but not perfect—sense of write and wrong, it keeps society from being as bad as it could be.  Remember, the doctrine of “total depravity” doesn’t mean that people are as absolutely bad as they could be.  It means that sin has touched and marred every part of us.  It also means that we are completely unable to save ourselves or to come to God on our own power.  We may not be as bad as could possibly be, but we are deeply and seriously bad and absolutely in need of a Savior. 

·         The truths are a help to us in evangelism.  As John Stott writes:

“Dietrick Bonhoeffer was quite correct to write from [a Nazi] prison, ‘I don’t think it is Christian to want to get to the New Testament too soon or too directly.’  What he meant is that, until the law has done its work of exposing and condemning our sin, we are not ready to hear the gospel of justification.  …There is of course such a thing as false guilt.  But guilt feelings which are aroused by wrongdoing are healthy.  They rebuke us for betraying our humanity, and they impel us to seek forgiveness in Christ.  Thus conscience is our ally.  In all evangelism, I find it a constant encouragement to say to myself, ‘The other person’s conscience is on my side.’” 

·         16:  There will come a day when God will judge the world.  Are you prepared for that?  Maybe God has used these passages to show you your deep and serious need for a Savior.  Put your trust in Jesus Christ today.  Your good morals and your good efforts cannot save you.  Only the Son of God has lived a perfectly righteous life, and He offers you the credit for His perfect life, and has already died on the cross to take the punishment for your sin.  Turn to Him as your Savior today.

17Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; 18if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

25Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

28A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

Romans 2:17-29 Jews and the Law

vs. 17-24  The Jew and the Law

·         Paul’s point in Romans 2 is to show that even people with moral standards are accountable to God for their sin.  This is true both for those who do not have God’s law written down for them (vs. 12, 13-14) and for those who do have God’s written law.  Starting with verse 17, Paul is specifically turning his attention to the Jewish people.    

·         17-20: In these verses, what are the descriptions that Paul lists for these people?  [They rely on the law; they brag about their relationship to God, they know his will, etc.] 

·         17-20: Paul’s original intention her was to show that the Hebrew people are accountable for their sin, despite their knowledge of God and His law.  However, there are many similarities to people who grow up in a church environment.  Many of the same things in these verses could be said about them as well.  Therefore, the principles behind these verses can also show that those who grow up in church are accountable to God as well.   

·         21-23: How does this section help prove that everyone is a sinner in need of a Savior, including the Jews? 

·         24: According to this verse, what happened to God’s reputation among the Gentiles because of the actions of the Jews?  [His reputation is blasphemed.]  In the same way today, what happens to God’s reputation among unbelievers when church people act as hypocrites?  For example, Ted Haggard, the pastor of a large church in Colorado and current president of the National Association of Evangelicals.  He was also an outspoken opponent of gay marriage.  But then it was revealed that he had been having a three-yearlong affair with a male prostitute!  Now, that might be an extreme example, but what are some types of examples that happen every day at your schools and workplaces?  One main application for us here is the importance of practicing what we preach.   

vs. 25-29  Jews and Circumcision

·         25: What was the importance of circumcision for the Jewish people?  [Circumcision was the sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 17.  It was the sign that someone was a Jew.]   

·         25-27: With that in mind, what was Paul’s point in verse 25?  [Many of the Jews were relying on their heritage for their salvation.  They assumed that they were okay with God because they were Jews.  But Paul was telling them that they can’t depend on their heritage for their salvation.  Merely having the law doesn’t save them if they are lawbreakers.] 

·         28: Paul is explaining what it means to be a true Jew.  To the Jews, being a Jew meant that they were God’s favored people.  But Paul is telling them that a saving relationship with God is not the result of anything outward or physical.  

·         29: What do you think Paul meant by “circumcision of the heart?”  [Circumcision is a surgery.  But the surgery that truly saves is not surgery on flesh, but spiritual “heart surgery.”  In Ezekiel 11:19 God says, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”  As we will see in Romans 3:11, our hearts are sinful and none of us would seek God or come to Him unless He did surgery to give us a new heart.]  

·         29: Who preformed the circumcision of the heart?  Do we do it to ourselves?  [We do not do it to ourselves.  Also, it is not done by the written law code.  Verse 29 specifically says that this heart surgery is something that the Holy Spirit does for people.  No one is saved without this work of the Holy Spirit.] 

·         29: John Stott makes the following comments in his commentary on Romans,

“Moreover, what Paul writes here about circumcision and being a Jew could also be said about baptism and being a Christian.  The real Christian, like the real Jew, is one inwardly; and the true baptism, like the true circumcision, is in the heart and by the Spirit.  It is not in this case that the inward and spiritual replace the outward and physical, but rather that the visible sign (baptism) derives its importance from the invisible reality (washing from sin and the gift of the Spirit) to which it bears witness.  It is a grave mistake to exalt the sign at the expense of what it signifies.” 

In other words, those who are raised in the church must never trust in any outward ritual—baptism, membership, profession of faith, or anything else—for their salvation.  Family and heritage does not save anyone either.  The only thing that saves is personal trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as one’s own sin-bearer.  It is important for this truth to be crystal clear.

1What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.

3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."

5But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.

Romans 3:1-8 Objections 

vs. 1-8  Objections

·         In the last section, Paul made the case that the Jews, as well as the Gentiles, are also under sin.  Many of the Jewish people had placed their faith in their circumcision and thought that they had a right relationship with God because of that operation in their flesh.  However, Paul had made the case that an operation on the flesh doesn’t get someone into a right relationship with God.  Instead, an operation on the “heart” by the Holy Spirit—the new birth—is what makes someone right with God.  Now in this letter, Paul is anticipating some of the objections that Jewish readers might have.  In these verses he gives brief responses to these objections. 

·         1-2: Objection #1: What advantage, then, is there to being a Jew?  If being a Jew doesn’t automatically mean salvation from sin, what is the benefit?  [Response: Paul’s response was that their main benefit was that they had the oracles of God—the Word of God.  No, salvation wasn’t automatic for them, but they had a huge advantage because they had the message from God in the Scriptures.  In the Scriptures we learn God’s requirements as well as His character and His promises.] 

·         3-4: Objection #2: Does human unfaithfulness cancel God’s faithfulness?  If God’s people are unfaithful wouldn’t that make their God unfaithful?  Jews might have thought that God guaranteed them salvation automatically because they were Jews.  Therefore they may have been accusing God of being faithless (in the sense of unreliable) and a liar if what Paul was teaching was true.  [Response: Paul responds by saying “not at all!”  (This is stronger in the Greek than in seems in English.)  God always remains true.  It would be better to call the whole world liars than to call God a liar.]    

·         4: If every person in the word thought that something was true, but God thought the opposite, who is right?  Doesn’t majority rule?  How can this verse help you to stand strong on God’s Word even if it seems like the whole world disagrees?  Truth is not a matter of percentages.  Truth is not determined by opinion poles. 

·         5-6: Objection #3: If our sin makes God look even more righteous, then God’s wrath is unjust.  [Response: God is the righteous judge of the world.  If He were unjust, then he could not be the righteous judge of the world.  Therefore, God is not unjust and the objection is false.] 

·         7-8: There were people who were depending on their obedience to God’s law for their salvation.  So many of them became upset when Paul came around teaching that obedience is not the source of salvation, faith in Christ as your personal sin-bearer is the source of salvation.  It seems that these people were slandering Paul by distorting what Paul was teaching about God’s grace.  Maybe they said something like, “Paul teaches that obedience doesn’t matter and that you can sin all you want and then simply pray a prayer and have it all forgiven.  Paul also teaches that the more you sin, the more loving and forgiving God seems.  If that is true, then you should sin a lot more because it will make God seem even better!”  They were saying this in order to make Paul’ teaching seem like non-sense.   

·         7-8: Objection #4: This objection in similar to the one in verses 5-6.  If our sin makes God look even more righteous—like a black cloth makes a diamond look even more spectacular—then wouldn’t it be good to be as bad as possible, because this makes God look even better?  [Paul doesn’t even honor this objection with an argument.  He simply says, “Their condemnation is deserved.”  God hates sin, even though He brings good out of it.  Grace is never an excuse for sin.] 

·         Paul anticipated some of the objections that people might have to his message.  In the same way, it is good for us to think about the mental objections that people might have today.  Being ready with a response can help make the truth more clear.  What are some objections that people have to the Gospel message today?   

9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10As it is written:

"There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 

12All have turned away, they have together become worthless;  there is no one who does good, not even one."

13"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."

"The poison of vipers is on their lips."

14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."

15"Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16ruin and misery mark their ways, 17and the way of peace they do not know."

18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

 19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Romans 3:9-20 No One is Righteous, Not Even One  

Note: we took two weeks to go through this section.

vs. 9-18  All Are Under Sin

·         We will start by having the students do a personal Bible study.  They will attempt to outline Romans 1-3, and then make observations about Romans 3:9-20.  We will keep the same small groups next week to finish this lesson.   

·         9: Notice the word “conclude.”  This is the conclusion of the argument that Paul has been making since Romans 1:18—that everyone, including both Gentiles and Jews—are all under sin and accountable to God.  Take some time to look back and notice the structure of chapters 1-3 to see how Paul is leading up to this conclusion. 

 ·         Observation: Notice how many times Paul uses the word “all” the phrase “no one” or the phrase “not even one” in this section.  Count them and underline them in your Bibles.  [In the NIV: “All” is used twice.  “No one” is used four times.  “Not even one” is used twice.]  Based on this observation, what do you think Paul is trying to make crystal clear?  [Paul is trying to pound it into our heads that every single person is a sinner.  There is no one at all who is not a sinner.  This is a universal feature of mankind since Genesis 3.  No one should think that Paul is just talking about “other people” and not them!  This means that you are a sinner.  This means that even the sweetest grandma is a sinner and a rebellious God-hater at heart!]   

·         Note: The obvious exception to this is Jesus Christ.  (Heb. 4:15.)  But that is so obvious that Paul doesn’t even have to mention it. 

·         9: Why does Paul say that all are under sin?  [We are under the dominion of sin.] 

·         10-18: Paul concludes by proving his point from Scripture.  He uses the phrase “as it is written” and then quotes several passages, stringing them together like pearls to hammer home his point.  The footnotes in the NIV show where in Scripture Paul is gleaning these statements from.  (Note: Some of these are not exact quotations.  That doesn’t mean that this is an error in the Bible.  Biblical writers are allowed to paraphrase and also to merely allude to a passage without quoting it word for word.  The Biblical writers were guided by the Holy Spirit to insure that even their paraphrases correctly communicate God’s truth even if it isn’t an exact quotation.)   

·         10-18: Think about each of these statements that Paul is making.  Many of these are very significant. 

• 10: No one is righteous (not even one.)  What does it mean to be righteous?  [To be righteous is to be in a right relationship with God because of our moral goodness.  No one is righteous in this sense.  Note: The Scriptures sometimes speak of some people, like Job, as being righteous.  This does not mean that Job was not a sinner.  It probably means that Job was in a right relationship with God because He had his trust in God and was forgiven.  For Job, it also means that Job did not have any particular glaring unrepentant sin that would have been the reason why God allowed Satan to oppress Job.]  Why does Paul add the phrase “not even one” in verse 10?  Isn’t that redundant?  [Paul adds the “not even one” for emphasis.  This does not mean that there are exceptions to the other statements such as “no one understands.”]
• 11: No one understands.  [I spent a good deal of time thinking about what Paul meant by “no one understands.”  What is it that we don’t understand?  God?  Sin?  Why is lack of understanding sinful?  I looked in commentaries for help, but didn’t find much.  Even detailed commentaries skimmed over this phrase.  My conclusion is that Paul is basically saying that we are morally stupid.  Because of sin, we don’t understand God or sin.  Why would anyone sin if we really understood these things and the consequences?  Sin causes our moral stupidity and moral stupidity causes sin.  Our sinfulness causes us to ignore the things of God—things that should have out utmost careful attention and mental effort.  Sin also clouds our thoughts about these things.  We tend to twist truth to our own desires—ignoring some subjects and reinterpreting other truths to our liking.  Therefore this lack of understanding itself is sinful because we are responsible for it.]
• 11: No one seeks God.  This is incredibly important.  No one really seeks God.  We all turn from God rather than seeking after Him.  What does this verse mean?  What are some of the implications of this if this verse is true?  

• Read John 6:44.  How does this verse mesh with Romans 3:11?  “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him on the last day.”  [These verses go together well.  We are sinful and do not seek after God.  Therefore God must draw us to Himself if we are to be saved.  It may seem to us like we choose to come to God, but when we look back, we see that it was God who choose us.]                                             
• Some churches describe themselves as “seeker” churches.  They are geared for people who are seeking God.  Is that term biblically accurate?  [The term “seeker church” is not biblically accurate.  People may be seeking after a spiritual experience, but Bible says that the natural man does not seek after God.  It is good for churches to be evangelistic, but we need to remember that God is the one doing the seeking, not man.  Jesus said that He came to seek and save the lost.  (Luke 19:10)  People only come to God when God draws them to Himself.  (John 6:44)  It is God who does the seeking, not us.  Thank God that He sought us, even though we were not seeking Him.  In reality, we are all like Paul who was on his way to persecute Christians when Jesus appeared to him and changed his life.  (Acts 9)  Paul wasn’t seeking Jesus.  Jesus was seeking Him!]
• This also means that, if left to our own choice, we would all reject Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  This should have a major impact on the way you think about “freewill.”  The Bible teaches divine sovereignty and human responsibility, but it doesn’t teach freewill, at least not in the way a lot of people think about it.  Some people think that freewill means that God cannot bring someone to saving faith.  They think that “freewill” means that the choice is completely ours to decide.  However, if this were true, then no one would be saved.  Some writers have gone so far as to say that if God changes our hearts, He is “raping” our wills!  On the contrary, I am eternally thankful that God did not leave me to the terrible destination I would have chosen for myself if He had not changed my heart! 

• 12: All have turned away.  (“Useless” NASB)  Verses 11 and 12 are all from Psalm 14:2-3.  However, the theme of “turning away” also reminds me of Isaiah 53:6, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”  We have all turned away from God. 
• 12: All have together become worthless.  And as a result of turning away from God, we become “worthless” or “useless.”  What do you think this means?  [We were created to glorify God, and when we turn away from Him, we turn away from our purpose for being created.  (Although, the cross fixes this problem... and then some!  Also, even those who turn away from God permanently, such as the devil and others, will still be used for His glory, like it or not.  However, they will not benefit from God’s glory the way believers will.  For us, His glory is also our greatest good.  (Read John Piper or go on this year’s Spring Break trip to find out what this means!)  Note: Sinners still have some inherent worth as human beings because they are created in the image of God.  That is why it is wrong to kill people.  (Gen. 9:6)  I don’t think Romans 3:12 is denying that.  However, it does mean that we shouldn’t get all caught up in our supposed self-worth.]
• 12: There is no one who does good (not even one.)  How can Paul say that no one does anything good?  How can that be true?  [No one ever does anything that is truly good.  Even the best things we do are tainted with impure motives.  For example, an unbelievers might give money to the poor, but part of the reason is so that he can feel good about himself, or maybe part of the motivation is to offset guilty feelings.  Isaiah 64:6 says that even our righteous works are like “filthy rags” before God.]
• 13: Their throats are open graves.  What is reoccurring theme of the phrases in verses 13-14?  [These all have to do with sins of speech.  Paul is making the point that we have all sinned with out mouths.  I don’t think we realize how much the Bible emphases that our speech is a reflection of the sinfulness of our hearts.  We are proven to be sinners by the things we say.]
• 13: Their tongues practice deceit.  We have all lied and that makes us all liars. 
• 13: The “poison of vipers” is on their lips.  This is a reference to words that harm.
• 14: Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.  And this reflects our hearts.
• 15: Their feet are swift to shed blood.  What is the common theme in verses 15-17?  [These verses show that we have all sinned in the way we have treated other people.  We have all caused harm to other people.  No, not everyone has literally shed blood, but remember that Jesus said that hatred is murder in the heart (Mt. 5:21-22).  Not only are we all guilty of hate, I think it is safe to say that we are all guilty of causing harm to other people in one way or another.]
• 16: Ruin and misery mark their ways.  [Look back on the path you have left behind you.  Sadly, we all have at least some people who are worse off, not better off, because of our impact on their lives.]
• 17: The paths of peace they do not know.  Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (Mt. 5:9)  But what is your record as far as peacemaking? 
• 18: There is no fear of God before their eyes.   What is the “fear of God?”  It is something people should have or something people should not have?  How does having the fear of God impact the way we live?  [The fear of God is something healthy and good.  It means having a deep respect for God and a fear of sinning against Him.  Having the fear of God means that you think it is a serious and dangerous thing to rebel against God.  Having the fear of God helps keep people from sin.  On the other hand, when someone lacks the fear of God, they treat God casually and have no problem sinning against Him.   Most people lack the fear of God.]

·         Conclusion: We are deep in sin and have absolutely no hope of standing before God on our own merit.   Sin touches every part of us and everyone of us.   

·         Applications:  Hopefully you have been thinking of ways to apply this passages as you have been studying it.  But just in case, here are some:

• Why is the doctrine of total depravity so important?  What does this say about our need for a Savior?
• Moral bankruptcy: One of the most helpful illustrations I have heard is from the first chapter in Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges.  He talks about how there are two kinds of bankruptcy, “Chapter 7 bankruptcy” and “Chapter 11” bankruptcy.  Salvation depends on which type of bankruptcy we declared before God.  One is temporary; the other is permanent.  When a company files Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they are temporarily protected from the people they owe money to and are given time to work through their financial problems.  However, Chapter 7 bankruptcy is for a company that has no hope for a future.  The company is finished and the owners and investors lose everything.  We need to realize that we are spiritually bankrupt before God.  We need to declare Chapter 7 bankruptcy before Him.  It is not as if we can pull ourselves out of the pit with a little help from God. 
• Why is it important for Christians to come to grips with their own depravity?  [The more we realize the depth of our sin, the more we realize the heights of God’s love and grace.]
• If no one seeks God, is it a better idea for churches to try to give unbelievers what they want or what they need?  What could happen if a church focuses on what people want instead of what they really need?  
• As Christians, we also need to turn away from our sin!  How does this passage convict you as far as sins of the mouth?  (vs. 13-14)  How does this passage convict you as far as sins of the way you treat others?  (vs. 15-17)  How does this verse convict you about your fear of God, or lack thereof?  (vs. 18) 

·         Quotes

• “Sin is the revolt of the self against God, the dethronement of God with a view to the enthronement of oneself.  Ultimately, sin is self-deification, the reckless determination to occupy the throne which belongs to God alone.”     -John Stott
• “What he means is that there is not a single person who, apart from God’s justifying grace, can stand as right before God.”  -Douglas Moo (Romans 1-8: The Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary)
• “Because of the universal fact of sin, the way of acceptance with God by reason of our works of righteousness is closed—the notice is clearly worded: No Road This Way.”  -F.F. Bruce

vs. 19-20  No One Will Be Declared Righteous By Keeping the Law

·         19: According to verse 19, what is the purpose of God’s law?  Is it to save?  [The purpose of God’s law is not to save.  No one can be saved by observing the law.  The purpose of the law is to silence people’s mouths and to make the accountable to God.  The law shows us that we are sinful.  When we measure ourselves against God’s law, we realize how badly we break it and how much we need a Savior.] 

·         19: In this verse, what does it mean to have your mouth silenced?  What does it mean to be held accountable before God?  [When people are accused of being guilty, they often have lots of excuses.  We want to speak out in our own defense.  However, God’s law shuts our mouths.  It silences our objections because we realize that we are sinners and that we have no excuse.  We are accountable before God.  This means that we are responsible to God for our sin against Him.] 

·         20: Many people make the mistake of thinking that salvation comes by being good.  They think that God gave His rules so that people can be right with God by obeying the rules.  However, this is not the reason God gave us His rules.  The primary purpose for His law is to show us our need for a Savior.  The law makes us realize our sin.    

·         We can make two mistakes.  We can teach people about God’s law in such a way that makes them think that they can be right with God by “being good.”  On the other hand, if we don’t teach people about God’s law, then they will never realize their sin and they won’t come to Jesus as their Savior from sin.  (They might come to Jesus for “life enhancement” or something like that, but they will miss the real reason why Jesus came and died on the cross.)  

·         Quotes:

• “They will never accept grace until they tremble before a just and holy law.”  -Charles Spurgeon
• “A gospel which merely says ‘Come to Jesus,’ and offers Him as a friend, and offers a marvelous new life, without convicting of sin, is not New Testament evangelism.  The essence of evangelism is to start by preaching the Law; and it is because the Law has not been preached that we have no much superficial evangelism.  True evangelism… must always start by preaching the Law.”  -Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
• “The first [use of the moral law] is this: While it shows God’s righteousness, that is, the righteousness alone acceptable to God, it warns, informs, convicts, and lastly condemns, every man of his own unrighteousness… The law is like a mirror.  In it we contemplate our weakness, then the iniquity [sin] arising from this, and finally the curse coming from both—just as a mirror shows us the spots on our face… The wickedness and condemnation of us all are sealed by the testimony of the law.  Yet this is not done to cause us to fall down in despair or, completely discouraged, to rush headlong over the brink… they flee to His mercy, repose entirely in it, hide deep within it, and seize upon it alone for righteousness and merit.”  -John Calvin       
• “…don’t make the unbiblical mistake of giving the cure before you’ve convinced them of the disease.”  -Ray Comfort
• “We cannot come to Christ to be justified until we have first been to Moses, to be condemned.  But once we have been to Moses, and acknowledged our sin, guilt, and condemnation, we must not stay there.  We must let Moses send us to Christ.”  -John Stott  (note: remember, the 10 Commandments were given to Moses)

·         As we learned a few months ago when we went through the Way of the Master evangelism training course, God uses the law to convict people of sin.  Without true conviction of sin, people do not truly come to Christ for salvation.  (If you missed this series, visit www.WayOfTheMaster.org for information and free MP3 downloads.)

21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement ["propitiation" in ESV and NASB], through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26 Just and the One Who Justifies – PART 1, TERMS 

vs. 21-31  Terms

·         Some have said that Romans 3:21-26 is the most important paragraph in the Bible.  I agree.  Paul’s letter to the Romans is the most in depth treatment of the gospel and the meaning of the cross in the entire Bible.  And Romans 3:21026 is the focal point of the letter.  Up to this point, Paul was describing man’s universal problem of sin.  He just finished saying that contrary to popular belief, salvation does not come from obeying the law.  The purpose of the law was to show us our unrighteousness, not to make us righteous.   But now in this paragraph Paul turns from the problem to the solution: righteousness from Christ received through faith.  Romans 3:21-26 is a tightly packed explanation of the gospel message, and it’s core message of justification by faith alone based on the cross of Christ.  The rest of Romans is a defense and further explanation of these truths, and then application of these truths.  Therefore, it is absolutely critical that you understand this passage. 

·         In order to understand anything in writing, you need to understand the words that are used.  Once you understand what the words mean, then you can understand the connections between the words.  For example, what good it is to know the phrase “justified by faith” if you don’t know what it means to be justified or what faith is?  It also doesn’t help if you have the wrong definition of these words in your head.  So, we are going to use our time this week to learn the meanings of these words.  These meanings are incredibly important and absolutely worth learning.  (For these terms, ask the students to describe what they think the term means before giving the description or definition from these notes.  I am listing them in the order they appear in this paragraph.  Note: I will sometimes give the Greek word in parenthesis.  I do not expect beginning students to learn these.)  

• Righteousness  (dikaiosune)  The character or quality of being right or just.  For God to be righteous means that God is morally good and upright.  For people to be righteous means for them to be in a right relationship to God.  Although they look like two different words in English, in Greek the words righteousness and justified are almost the same word.  So, in verse 20, when Paul says that no one will be justified by observing the Law, he is using a form of the same word as he uses in verse 21 for righteousness.  Therefore, Paul is contrasting an (impossible) righteousness that comes through the Law (vs. 20), with a new righteousness that comes apart form the law (vs. 21.)

• God.  (Theos)  Paul is referring to the God of the Bible.  (I’m not going to try to give a definition of God.  Ultimately, we don’t define God anyway.  We let Him define Himself as he reveals Himself to us through the Scriptures and history.)

• Law  (nomos)  The Law is God’s moral standards.  Sometimes it specifically means His moral standards that were written down in the Scriptures.  In verse 21 it means that there is a way to be right with God that does not come through keeping God’s moral standards.  

• “The Law and the Prophets”  (tou nomou kai ton propheton)  The Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) were divided into three sections, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.  Sometimes Jesus or New Testament writers will refer to the Old Testament Scriptures by saying “The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.”  However, sometimes they will just say “The Law and the Prophets.”  Other times they will just say “the Law.”  Usually, this was just a shorthand way of referring to the entire Old Testament Scriptures.  So, in verse 21 Paul is saying that this “new” way of righteousness does not come through (keeping) the Law, but the Law and Prophets (the Old Testament) predict it and point to it.  

• Faith  (pistos)  The word translated faith or believing has the basic meaning of trust.  It does not mean “blind faith.”  It doesn’t mean a shot in the dark.  It doesn’t mean believing something that you know isn’t true, or believing something without reason.  It doesn’t just mean something you say to believe.  To have faith in someone or something is to trust that person or thing for something specific.  When you cross a river on a bridge, you are placing your faith in that bridge to support your weight and to get you to the other side.  Reliance would be another way to put it.  Faith can be misplaced.  You can have your trust in the wrong thing.  If you trust a dishonest person with your money, you may get swindled.  If you are in a boat with a big hole in it to keep you from drowning, it won’t work.   The sincerity of your faith doesn’t make a difference if your faith is in the wrong thing.

• Jesus Christ  (Iesou Christou)  Hopefully, this term is well known to you!  However, in the world we live it, we should stop being so certain that people automatically know who we are talking about when we talk about Jesus Christ!  Also, some people may have such warped and unbiblical views about Jesus that they may be talking about someone else, or someone imaginary, when they use Jesus’ name.

• Believe (pisteuontas, literally [the ones] believing in verse 22)  The Greek word for believing is the same basic word for having faith or trusting.  It does not merely mean intellectual assent (“I believe this is true”) but also that one is trusting in something or someone for something in particular.  Therefore, saving saving faith in Jesus doesn’t just mean that you believe that He exists and that He is God, but that you are personally trusting in the Lord Jesus as your sin-bearer and Savior!

• Sinned  (hemarton; the word for “sin” is hamartia)  Literally, this word for sin means to “miss the mark.”  Sin means moral badness, or disobedience to God.  To have sinned means to have disobeyed God, to have broken God’s law, or to have rebelled against God.

• Justified  (dikaioumenoi)  To be justified means to be declared righteous.  Out of all the terms from this passage, this is one that you need to remember!  Notice that the Greek word for justified is the same root word as that of “righteousness.”  They look different in English, but very similar in Greek.  Justification is the act of God by which a believing sinner is declared righteous in God’s sight.  It is a legal term, something a judge does it a courtroom.  To justify is the opposite of to condemn.  Think of a judge lowering his gavel and saying, “I declare you not guilty.”  But actually, justification is more than the judge declaring someone “not guilty.”  God is declaring believers to be just through Christ.  For example, a chair might be “not guilty” but a chair isn’t morally good.  But when God justifies us, He is not only declaring us forgiven, but He is declaring that we have the righteousness of Christ credited to our account.    Note: Justification does NOT mean “just-as-if-I’d-never-sinner.”  This is a common way the word is explained to children, but it isn’t completely accurate.  You need to move on to a more accurate definition: declared righteous.  Yes, being “just as if I’d never sinned” is one of the results of justification, but it isn’t the total meaning of the word.  

• Grace  (charis)  When the Bible talks about being justified by grace, it means being justified as a free gift.  As we will see in Romans 4;4-5 grace is the opposite of works.  Works give you what you have earned.  Grace gives you something you have not earned.  Note: when we say that grace is a free gift, it doesn’t mean that it was free to the one who gives the gift.  It is free to the one receiving the gift.  

• Redemption  (apolutrosis)  Liberation through the payment of a price.  This term was used when someone bought a slave form the slave market in order to let the slave free.  

• Propitiation  (hilasterion)  The NIV translates this as “sacrifice of atonement.”  You should learn the word “propitiation.”)  A propitiation is a sacrifice that satisfies the wrath of God.  This a very important term and we will talk about it more next time.  Some people object to this term because it sounds too much like throwing someone into a volcano to appease the volcano god.  There are both similarities and differences between pagan ideas of propitiation and the Biblical meaning.  But any version that denies the reality of the wrath of God, or the effect that Christ’s death has on the wrath of God is unbiblical.  

• Forbearance  (anoche)  “holding back”  (somewhat like patience, but don’t think of it as something easy)

• Justice  (dikaiosunes)  righteousness  (In verse 26 the NIV says that God “did it to demonstrate His justice.”  The NASB uses the word “righteousness.”  They are the same thing.  (Just don’t think of justice meaning “fairness.”)

• Just  (dikaion)  To be just is to be righteous.  Note: Verse 26 is saying that the cross allows God to be both “just” and the “justifier” (or those who have faith in Christ.)  You do not understand the cross until you understand this.  The cross is the only way for God to be both righteous and the one who declares believers to be righteous.  Without the cross, God could not declare believers righteous and still be righteous Himself!

21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement ["propitiation" in ESV and NASB], through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26 Just and the One Who Justifies – PART 2

vs. 21-26  Righteousness from God through faith in Jesus Christ

·         21: Take time to notice the connection between Romans 3:21 and Romans 1:17.  The good news (gospel) is that now a righteousness from God has been revealed! 

·         21: Paul uses the word “law” twice in this verse.  Is the righteousness that Paul is talking about here (the righteousness of the Gospel) connected with the law or not?  [Righteousness does not come by obeying the Law (God’s moral standards) by the “Law and the Prophets” (a reference to the Old Testament Scriptures) predicted this way of salvation.] 

·         22:  This verse is very important.  Dissect it and examine the meaning of each phrase.  Pay attention to the way the words are connected by words like “of” and “through.” 

• “righteousness from God”  [This righteousness is a gift from God.  Is not from us; it is from God.]
• “comes through faith”  [It does not come through works or the law; it comes through faith/trust.]
• “in Jesus”  [It comes specifically through faith/trust in Jesus, not just faith in general.]
• “to all who believe”  [Again, the element of trust/belief/faith is emphasized.  Also, this righteousness comes to all who have their trust in Jesus as their Savior, not just Jews or Gentiles.]

·         22-23:  What specifically does Paul mean when he says that there is “no difference?”  Paul says that “all… fall short of the glory of God.”  What does this mean?  What is an illustration that you could use to explain this to someone?  [When we compare people to other people, some seem to be more righteous than others.  An grandma who teaches Sunday School seems to be a better person than a drug dealer.  Now, this might be true in a sense, but it really doesn’t amount to much.  An Olympic athlete can jump further than a couch potato, but if the goal was to jump across Lake Michigan, neither of them even come close.  That is what it would be like to try and earn your salvation by your own righteousness.  When we compare ourselves to God’s standard, none of us even come close.  Another example could be two buildings: the Sears tower seems much taller than your house, yet neither of them come close to the star Alpha Centari, 4 light years away.  None of us come close to God’s standard of perfection.  The application of this is that it should humble the proud, and give hope to the humble.  Those of us who think that we are so great should realize that we have greatly overestimated ourselves.  And to those who think that they are beyond God’s grace because they are supposedly so much worse than other people should realize that they are not all that much worse than other people.  We are exceedingly less good than God, but not from other people.  Mother Theresa and Hitler are both in the same boat.] 

·         24: What does Paul mean when he uses the word “justified?”  How could you explain this to someone who didn’t know the Gospel?  [“Justified” means “declared righteous.”  It a courtroom term, like a judge declaring someone innocent rather than guilty.  Through faith in Christ and His sacrifice in our place, God declares not only that we are forgiven, but that we have the righteousness of Christ credited to our account.] 

·         24: Why is it important to understand what Paul means by “justified?”  What would be the difference if someone thought Paul meant “made righteous” instead of “declared righteous?”  [There is a big difference!  If God actually had to make us righteous before He saved us, then salvation would be a long process.  Worse, who of us would claim to have reached God’s standard of perfection, even with His help?  Also, this tends to make salvation a cooperative effort between God and man.  Although this became the official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church with the Council of Trent, it is dangerously wrong and a false gospel.] 

·         24: Talk about the words “justified freely” and the word “grace.”  Why are these words such an important part of the Gospel message?   

·         24:  HOW is it that people are justified freely by God?  How can God do this?  (Notice Paul’s use of the word “through.”  This word will show us the “means” by which God can do this.)  [God is able to justify sinners “through [because of] the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  You cannot separate salvation from the cross!] 

·         25: Paul says that God presented Christ as a hilasterion.  The NIV translates this word as “sacrifice of atonement.”  Other versions such as the ESV and the NASB translate it as “propitiation.”  What does this mean?  [A propitiation is a sacrifice that satisfies the wrath of God.  Jesus paid the price for our sin, in our place, on the cross.] 

·         25: There are many theologians and pastors who don’t like the idea of propitiation.  They try to describe salvation in other ways because they don’t like the idea of God’s wrath.  Now, there are other aspects to salvation, but you can’t remove the idea of Christ’s death being a propitiation to satisfy the holy wrath of God.  The Bible clearly teaches the wrath of God (Rm. 1:18, John 3:36) and so propitiation is necessary.  As John Stott has said, “…where there is divine wrath, there is a need to avert it.  We should not be shy of using the word ‘propitiation’ in relation to the cross, any more than we should drop the word ‘wrath’ in relation to God.” 

·         25: Is Jesus Christ the only one who could have made propitiation for mankind’s sins?  If so, why?  [Only Jesus was qualified to propitiate God’s wrath.  He was the sinless Son of God.  He was fully God and fully human.  He needed to be fully human to pay for the sins of humanity.  He needed to be fully God for His death to be worth enough to pay for all of mankind’s sins.  Also, He needed to be completely sinless and righteous so that He could take our sin and give us the credit for His righteousness.] 

·         25: Someone might object to the idea of propitiation because it sounds too much like pagans throwing a virgin into a volcano to satisfy the volcano god.  If someone said this to you, how might you respond?  What are some of the differences?  [I compiled the following chart using material from John Stott’s commentary on Romans.] 

·         25: Verse 25 says that Christ was a propitiation in order to demonstrate the justice of God.  What does this mean?  [God could not merely forgive us.  God is holy and He is a God of justice, therefore He cannot let sin slide without being punished.  The price had to be paid, and Jesus paid it as our substitute.  God would not be a God of justice if he didn’t account for sin.  God would not be a God of justice if He saved people merely because He is nice or merely because people are sorry.  That is not the Biblical teaching about salvation!] 

·         26: The Bible answers many questions that we aren’t even asking.  We don’t usually think about the fact that the cross was for God as well as us.  Today, our focus is usually on our own happiness, not God’s glory.  The reason that Christ went to the cross was not just so that God could save us.  He went to the cross so that He could save us while still being a God of holiness and justice.  Ancient people understood this better than we do.  We assume that it is easy for God to forgive sinners.  We get hung up about God’s “injustice” when He doesn’t forgive.  Ancient people, and God, were more concerned about God’s justice or injustice when He did forgive!  (This should be a reminder to us that if we only come to the Bible with our questions, we will miss a lot of what God is telling us.  Not only we do often have the wrong answers, we often have the wrong questions!  We need to let God speak, not just answer our questions.) 

·         26: How does this cross allow God to be both just and the one who justifies?  [Think about what would be the case without the cross.  If the cross never happened (and never would happen) then God could not forgive people and still be a God of justice.  Without the cross, God could still be just, but he couldn’t forgive people of their sins.  If He forgave people of their sins without the price being paid, then He would no longer be just.  Therefore, the cross was absolutely essential if God wanted to forgive people!] 

·         26: If this is true, how does the cross help you see both God’s holiness and His love?  And, how should your life be changed by seeing God’s holiness and love more deeply?  

·         25-26: The Old Testament saints were saved because of the cross as well.  God saved them “on credit” because He knew that the price would be paid on the cross.  God could not have forgiven them if the cross never happened.  We are saved by looking back to the cross.  The Old Testament saints were saved by looking forward to the cross, which the Old Testament sacrifices symbolized. 

·         26: Who specifically does verse 26 say that God justifies? [No]   Does it say that He justifies everyone?  [Those who have their faith in Jesus.  They have to have faith (trust), and that trust needs to be in Jesus.] 

27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
 

7"Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."

Romans 3:27-4:8 Justified by Faith Apart from the Law 

vs. 3:27-31  Where is boasting?

·         27: Why does this way of salvation eliminate all boasting?  [If salvation is a free gift, then no one can boast as if they earned it.  Also, as we will see, the very nature of faith makes it incompatible to works and boasting.] 

·         28: This is the key teaching of “justification by faith alone.”  Although those exact words are not used here, it is obvious that this is the meaning.  We are declared righteous by faith, apart from works.  The recovery of this biblical doctrine was the reason for the Reformation.  What does “justification by faith alone” mean, and why is it so important?  [This teaching means that sinners are declared righteous by God simply by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as their sin-bearer, not because of their good works, effort, zeal, or even good intentions.  Jesus did 100% of what it takes to earn our salvation.  We did 0% of what it takes to earn our salvation.] 

·         28: What might someone believe instead of justification by faith alone?  What is the difference between believing in “justification by faith” and “justification by faith alone?”  [There is potentially a huge difference between these two views.  Now, when some people say “justification by faith” they mean “justification by faith alone.”  But there are many others who might say “justification by faith” but mean “justification by faith and works.”  Hardly anyone thinks that people can be saved without any sort of faith, but there are many people who think that salvation is the result of faith and works: believing and effort.  In fact, the Council of Trent cemented this as the official position of the Romans Catholic Church.  Even before the Council of Trent, this is what was being taught and one of the things that the Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin were teaching against.  It is incredibly important to believe in justification by faith ALONE.  As Martin Luther said, this is the article (teaching) by which the church stands or falls.] 

·         28: Justification by faith alone does not mean that there is no place for works in a believer’s life.  Good works are evidence of salvation, but not the cause of salvation.  They are the effect, not the cause.  So, although no one is saved without good works, no one is saved because of their good works.  As Martin Luther said, “We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.” 

·         29-30: Both Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way. 

·         31: Someone might say, “If people don’t go to heaven because they obey God’s law, then God’s law is pointless.”  What would you say to that person?   (Remember what you have already learned about the role of God’s law.)  [The first purpose of God’s law was the make us conscious of sin.  (Romans 3:20)  Also, once we are saved, we should obey God’s moral standards to show our gratitude to God, but not to earn or keep our salvation.] 

vs. 4:1-3  Abraham was justified by faith

·         1:  Why do you think Paul thought it was important to talk about Abraham to prove his point?  [Abraham was considered the father of all the Jews.  If Paul could show that even Abraham was justified not by works, but by faith, it would be a lot easier for those with an Old Testament background to see that Paul’s teaching was true.  Also, Paul wanted to show that salvation has always been by faith, although most of the Jews had misunderstood and thought that salvation came by observing the law.  It would be a mistake to think that Old Testament people were saved by works.] 

·         2-3: Paul is making a reference to Genesis 16:6.  God had promised Abram (Abraham) that He would give Abraham physical offspring as numerous as the stars he could see.  Even though Abram and his wife were very old, Abraham believed God.   This passage shows that God gave Abraham credit for being righteous because of Abraham’s trust in God.  The word “believed” is important because it shows that this was by faith.  (Remember, “to believe” really means “to have faith”, or “to trust.”)  Also, the term “credited” is important because it means that God gave Abraham “credit” for being righteous, not that He made him righteous. 

·         2-3: Note to leaders: James 2:14-26 seems to contradict Paul’s teaching about justification by faith, and the statement that Abraham was justified by faith.  It is an apparent contradiction, but not an actual contradiction.  Paul and James were using terms in slightly different ways to make different, but non-contradictory, points.  This is an important aspect to discuss, but it could distract you from studying the rest of this important passage.  Please save any detailed discussion about this until the end of today’s study so that you are sure to have time to look at today’s material.  You can refer the students to Nate’s online Bible Study notes on James on the youth group website. 

vs. 4:4-8  To the man who does not work, but trusts God who justifies the wicked

·         4: It is extremely important to understand the difference between grace and works.  This passage is great for helping us with that.  Remember, you need to learn this not only for your own salvation and spiritual growth, but to help other people understand God’s plan of salvation!  What is the difference between a wage and a gift?  [A wage is something you earn.  A gift (a real gift) is something that was just given to you without you earning it.  Paul is saying that if salvation were by works, then God would be obligated to give it to us.  Therefore salvation cannot be by grace and works.  It has to be by one or the other.] 

  ·         5: Make sure you look at all the important aspects of verse 5:

• “Does not work”  IMPORTANT: In order to be saved you need to stop working for your salvation.  As long as you are trying to work for your salvation, or as long as you think you can contribute to it, you are unsaved!  If you are trusting in your own good works, it means that you are not truly trusting in Christ as your Savior!  It is very important for people to realize that they need to stop depending on their own goodness, or any other goodness, in order to depend entirely on Christ’s righteousness to save.  If are depending on yourself 25%, then you are only depending on Christ 75%.  You need to stop trusting in your own righteousness entirely.  In order to have saving faith, you need to transfer all of your faith to Christ, trusting that He did everything needed to get you to heaven.   (Note: This obviously doesn’t mean that you should stop doing good works.  Ephesians 2:10 says that we are saved for good works.  This verse means that you need to stop doing good works depending on them to save you.)

• Illustration #1: If you are hanging from a branch on the side of a cliff, you need to let go of the branch to let someone save you. 
• Illustration #2: When someone is drowning, they have to stop trying to swim to let the lifeguard save them.

• “Trusts God who justifies the wicked”  First of all, we need to trust God, not someone else.  Moreover, this verse not only says that we need to trust God, but that we need to trust God that He is the one who justifies the wicked.  Trusting God in some other way—for example, as a God who lets good people into heaven—is not what saves.  This verse doesn’t say that God justifies the “righteous.”  It says that He justifies the “wicked.” 
• “Faith credited as righteousness”  Through our faith—our works-repudiating trusting—God gives us the credit for Christ’s righteousness.  God saves us because of Christ’s righteousness, not our own.  (This is called the “imputed” righteousness of Christ.)

·         6: Again, Paul speaks of this righteousness as something “credited” to us, not something inherent in us.  And also, he again speaks of it as being “apart from works.”  Now, Paul quotes from David’s Psalm 32, verse 1 and 2, to again show that this teaching is biblical, and to show the results of justification by faith alone.   

·         7-8: What are the three things that David writes concerning the sins of those who have been justified apart from works? 

• Their transgressions are forgiven
• Their sins are covered
• The Lord will never count their sins against them

·         7-8: What does it mean to be “blessed?”  [To be “blessed” means to be deeply happy because of a blessing that God has given you.]  Do you agree it is worth being deeply happy about these things if they are true?  Maybe you only wish that these things were true for you… that you could know that your sins are forgiven, and that God will never count them against you.  You can know this, by placing your trust in Jesus Christ alone for your righteousness. 

·         As you close in prayer, make sure to spend time worshipping God for the truths in verses 7 and 8.  Live your life to feel them deeply. 

9Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

13It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Romans 4:9-25 Abraham and Faith

vs. 9-12  The promise and circumcision

·         9: What is the “blessedness” that Paul is talking about here?  [Look back to verses 6-8.  This is the happiness that comes from knowing that God has forever forgiven your sins.]

·         The big question that Paul is dealing with here is whether or not circumcision was necessary for salvation.  In the time this was written, Gentiles were uncircumcised, while Jews circumcised their boys on the eighth day as a sign of the covenant (promise) that God had made to Abraham, their forefather.  Circumcision was the sign that they were a part of this covenant group.  Remember, the first Christians were all Jewish.  After that, Christianity spread to the Gentiles.  This caused a lot of controversy about the necessity of circumcision for salvation.  Would an uncircumcised Christian need to be circumcised?

·         Is circumcision necessary for justification?  What is Paul teaching here?  Explain his logic.  [Circumcision is not necessary for justification.  Abraham was justified (“credited to him as righteousness”) at least fourteen years before God even told him about circumcision.  Therefore circumcision is not required for justification.]

·         12: What does it mean to walk in the footsteps of Abraham?  [to have faith/trust like he did]

vs. 13-17  The promise comes by faith

·         13-14: Receiving the promise of God does not come by observing the law either.  For one, the Mosaic Law wasn’t given to Moses until about 500 years after the time of Abraham.  But even more, the very concept of “law” doesn’t match with the concepts of “grace” and “promise.”  As John Stott writes,

“Law and promise belong to different categories of thought, which are incompatible.  Law-language (‘you shall’) demands our obedience, but promise-language (‘I will’) demands our faith.  What God said to Abraham was not, ‘Obey this law and I will bless you’, but ‘I will bless you; believe my promise.’”

·         16: In Greek, verse 16 literally read, “therefore by faith in order that according to grace.”  Why do grace and faith go together?  Why does salvation need to be received by faith if it is to be given by grace? 

·         17: Why does Paul say that God is the one who “gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were”?  [God is the only One who has the power to truly create that which does not yet exist.  Specifically, Paul is remembering how God did the impossible when He caused Sarah and Abraham to conceive Isaac in their old age, just as He had promised.]   How does it matter to you that God can call into being that which does not yet exist?

vs. 18-25  Being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He promised

·         18-22: Review the story about God’s promise to Abraham.  From a natural viewpoint, it would have been impossible to believe.  But what makes it believable is that God said it.   

·         21: There are several things to think about in verse 21: 

• (1) Think about faith as “being fully persuaded.”  Verse 20 said that Abraham was “strengthened in his faith.”  As believers, we too need to constantly be strengthened in our trust in God.  That is the bedrock of the Christian life.
• (2) Think about God’s power and ability, and that He truly does have the power to do whatever He promises.  Humans often make promises that they cannot keep.  Sometimes it is because they don’t have enough knowledge.  Sometimes it is because they don’t have enough power.  Does God ever make a promise that He cannot, and will not keep?  Do you really believe that?  How will being “fully persuaded” of this change your life?
• (3) Remember, God keeps His promises.  Believing a promise of God (something He actually said) is vastly different from wishful thinking.  Having faith in something that God did not promise doesn’t work.  (By the way, can you believe the promises of God if you don’t know them or if you hardly understand them?  Nope.  Therefore, what should you do?)

·         22-24: Remember, the main point of this all is to teach us that justification comes through faith.  Justification means being declared righteous.  It means having the righteousness of Christ credited to your account.  Remember, Biblical stories aren’t there for mere entertainment.  What is written is written for us.   

·         25: Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, and was raised to life for our justification.  I think that this verse is pointing to the two halves of salvation: Jesus (a) takes our sin on the cross, and (b) gives us resurrection life.