Read the passage: Romans 3:21-31 (ESV, Bible Gateway)
Verse 21
- What is the ‘but’ at the beginning referring to and why is it so significant?
- Why is what follows the ‘but’ in the next verses stunning good news? How does it compare to other religions?
Verse 22
- How do we receive this righteousness?
- Why is it the object of our faith that matters and not faith in itself? For example what is wrong with someone saying, ‘what’s important is that we believe in something. What we believe is secondary’?
Verse 23
- According to this verse, who needs this righteousness?
- What does it mean to fall short of the glory of God?
Verse 24
- What does it mean to be justified?
- As a Christian, do you typically feel guilty or not guilty in God’s sight? What difference does it make to our lives when we understand we’ve been declared not guilty in Christ?
- What does ‘redemption’ mean?
- What are we redeemed from and by?
- Verse 24 makes it clear that we are justified and saved as a gift – by God’s grace alone.
- Why is this humbling?
Verse 25
- In this verse, Paul specifies what he means by faith. What is our faith to be in?
- What are the implications of this for what people say they believe?
- What is a propitiation? And how is Christ a propitiation by His blood?
- Given all this, what is faith?
- It is possible as Christians to trust in our faith and not in Christ. What are some signs that we might be doing this?
Verses 25-26
- What does it mean that God passed over former sins? How could this be just?
- What does it mean for God to be both just and justifier? Or, put another way, how can a just God justly justify us, although we are sinners?
- What goes wrong if we think God is one or the other but not both: just (wrathful against sin) but not a justifier, or that He is a justifying/forgiving God but not a just/wrathful one?
- What does it mean for God to be both just and justifier? Or, put another way, how can a just God justly justify us, although we are sinners?
Verse 27
- Having presented the incredible truth of a righteousness from God that’s a gift, received by faith, Paul turns to the issue of boasting. Why ‘boasting’ do you think? Why turn there?
- What problems does boasting bring to us as individuals or wider society?
- How does the gospel of justification by grace through faith undermine these negative effects of boasting?
- What are the kinds of things you are tempted to boast in, that make you feel good about yourself?
- Why does the gospel give us far greater confidence than anything we could boast in?
Verse 31
- How does justification by faith lead us to ‘uphold the law’?
The impact of this message
- What does the gospel of salvation by grace through faith have to say to the person:
- Who says that as long as they believe something, they’re ok…
- Who feels like they’ll never be good enough…
- Who looks at their life and works and thinks “I’m doing pretty well here!” (Whether they are a Christian or secular person)…
- Who tends to compare themselves (favourably or unfavourably) to other Christians…
- Who has done stuff in their past of which they feel great guilt and who feels unworthy of forgiveness…
- Who does not think deeply about these matters but is instead pursuing his or her ‘best life now’…
Leader’s notes
Verse 21
- What is the ‘but’ at the beginning referring to and why is it so significant?
Paul has just said in v20 that no one can be declared righteous/justified by obeying God’s law, that the law tells us how far short we fall. So our situation is hopeless. But then, in v21, Paul says ‘But…’ – our situation is bad, but… and we know something good is coming!- Why is what follows the ‘but’ in the next verses stunning good news? How does it compare to other religions?
Other religions say you must do this or that to be counted worthy before God. Paul says, God’s law tells us we can never be worthy, BUT God has revealed a righteousness that does not depend on our moral record. And this righteousness is given to us – it becomes our moral record. God makes us worthy.
- Why is what follows the ‘but’ in the next verses stunning good news? How does it compare to other religions?
Verse 22
- How do we receive this righteousness?
Through faith in Jesus Christ- Why is it the object of our faith that matters and not faith in itself? For example what is wrong with someone saying, ‘what’s important is that we believe in something. What we believe is secondary’?
Someone might say ‘I’m a person of faith, but I don’t believe what you believe. We can believe different things and that’s ok.’ This is misguided at best. You can have strong faith in something and be totally deluded about it; you can have shaky faith in something and yet that thing will not let you down. It is not faith that matters per se but what you are putting your faith in. And Paul says that our faith must be in Jesus Christ. This is the only way to salvation.
- Why is it the object of our faith that matters and not faith in itself? For example what is wrong with someone saying, ‘what’s important is that we believe in something. What we believe is secondary’?
Verse 23
- According to this verse, who needs this righteousness?
We all do – we’ve all sinned- What does it mean to fall short of the glory of God?
We were created as the crown of God’s creation, to bring God glory, as His image bearers in creation. Through our collective and individual rebellion we have fallen from this position and failed to fulfil this task. As a result we cannot enjoy the glory of His presence.
- What does it mean to fall short of the glory of God?
Verse 24
- What does it mean to be justified?
To be justified comes from the same word as righteousness. It means to be declared righteous, not guilty. When Paul says in v21 that the righteousness of God has been manifested, it could equally be translated ‘a justification from God has been manifested.- What does ‘redemption’ mean?
To redeem someone is to buy them out of slavery, or debt, or slavery as a result of debt!- What are we redeemed from and by?
We’re redeemed from our sin and the penalty for that sin (judgment and death), by the sacrificial death of Christ – He paid the debt that was ours to pay. - Why is this humbling?
We are enslaved and under a debt we could never repay. No amount of effort on our part – by our works, or by thinking we deserve salvation because of our faith – can save us. When we realise how helpless we are to sae ourselves it is deeply humbling.
- What are we redeemed from and by?
- What does ‘redemption’ mean?
Verse 25
- What are the implications of this for what people say they believe?
The sacrificial death of Christ on our behalf. It is not enough to like Jesus, or admire Him, or look to Him as a spiritual guide.- What is a propitiation? And how is Christ a propitiation by His blood?
To propitiate someone is to do something that turns aside their anger/wrath. Christ turns aside the wrath of God from us by taking it upon Himself. God does not abandon His justice, instead His Son takes His justice for us. - Given all this, what is faith?
Faith is simple trust in God that what we needed He has done for us; that what we need He gives us, even though we don’t deserve it. It is believing that it’s Christ’s perfect life and sacrificial death that makes us acceptable to God, not ourselves. It is to receive this salvation as a gift.- It is possible as Christians to trust in our faith and not in Christ. What are some signs that we might be doing this?
This can be very subtle, but pride, feeling good about yourself because your level of faith is currently high; or, feeling bad about yourself because you’re having doubts.
- It is possible as Christians to trust in our faith and not in Christ. What are some signs that we might be doing this?
- What is a propitiation? And how is Christ a propitiation by His blood?
Verses 25-26
- What does it mean that God passed over former sins? How could this be just?
Paul is saying that in the Old Testament, it is not that God forgave their sins because of the sacrifices, but that He left them unpunished until the sacrifice of Christ, when Christ bore the punishment for them. This means that every sacrifice was really pointing forward to Christ’s once and for all sacrifice. So every faithful Israelite, who trusted God for their forgiveness and salvation, was in effect accepted by God on the basis of Christ’s future sacrifice.- What does it mean for God to be both just and justifier? Or, put another way, how can a just God justly justify us, although we are sinners?
At the cross, God was proved just as His wrath against our sin was poured out on Christ. He didn’t just brush our sin under the carpet – that wouldn’t be just. But He was also the justifier – because He gave His very own son, Christ, to take the punishment that was ours to bear. United to Him by faith, His death was our death, and His righteousness becomes our righteousness.- What goes wrong if we think God is one or the other but not both: just (wrathful against sin) but not a justifier, or that He is a justifying/forgiving God but not a just/wrathful one?
In the first scenario we end up with a God who is cold and distant, who we live in fear of, but never love; in the second we have a God who we will struggle to respect, honour or worship – like a child with no boundaries we will live as we please, but never knowing the love and delight of a Father who cares enough about us to set us boundaries.
- What goes wrong if we think God is one or the other but not both: just (wrathful against sin) but not a justifier, or that He is a justifying/forgiving God but not a just/wrathful one?
- What does it mean for God to be both just and justifier? Or, put another way, how can a just God justly justify us, although we are sinners?
Verse 27
- Having presented the incredible truth of a righteousness from God that’s a gift, received by faith, Paul turns to the issue of boasting. Why ‘boasting’ do you think? Why turn there?
What you boast in is what you get your confidence, your security, your self-worth from. It’s what tells you ‘I’m ok, I’m good, I’m someone.’ But faith in what Christ has done undermines any reason for boasting, because we’ve done nothing to deserve it!- What problems does boasting bring to us as individuals or wider society?
Division and hostility; lack of love for our neighbour – if we think ourselves better than others we won’t see those areas where we are harming them; it makes us shallow – unable to take criticism; we become fearful and anxious when the thing boasted in is threatened or undermined. - How does the gospel of justification by grace through faith undermine these negative effects of boasting?
It humbles us, healing divisions; it gives us a security that means we can look at criticism honestly, it gives us confidence, because what our greatest hope is in can never be shaken.
- What problems does boasting bring to us as individuals or wider society?
Verse 31
- How does justification by faith lead us to ‘uphold the law’?
The gospel does not say that the law doesn’t matter. It says it absolutely matters and Christ has kept it and fulfilled all its requirements for us. He took our punishment and we receive His perfect record of keeping the law, His perfect obedience is counted to us: 2 Cor 5:21. So the law is upheld in Christ’s life and death. And as we trust Christ and not ourselves, our love for God’s standards and justice grows, it doesn’t diminish, and we desire and do become more like Him.
Download the complete study: Bible study on Romans (PDF) and leader’s guide (PDF)