The following are sermon notes from Romans Soli Deo Gloria. This is a study of the book of Romans. To read more about this series, including the introduction, download the study guide, resources and listen to audio content click here.

Picture this: you sit in a full court room and you are on trial. There is a judge at the bench, elevated above the entire courtroom and is guarded by armed law enforcement officers. He stares down at you with a piercing gaze and you look away worried that he may gaze into your eyes and instantly know what you’ve done. You glance to your right and see the a huge stack of papers at the prosecutor’s table and nervously wonder if all of the papers are about you.

The judge directs everyone’s attention over to a TV screen on the left side of the room and the most horrifying movie is about to play. Every sin, every detestable, sameful act that you’ve ever committed is about to be played in front of the court room. Things you never thought anyone would ever see will now be revealed. Furthermore, everything you should have done, but never did will likewise be revealed. You feel your stomach in anticipation of the worst film you’ve ever seen.

At some point, you will be judged. It is inevitable. Your life will end and you will be judge for everything you’ve thought, said, done and haven’t done.

Righteousness

From this passage we will be working with four different aspects of righteousness

1) Divine Righteousness. This is something that only God possess. It is His opposition to anything sinful, He is the definition of righteous and the standard by which all other righteousness is measured. Romans 3:21

2) Messianic Righteousness. Jesus Christ is righteous because He is God and therefore He has Divine Righteousness. Messianic Righteousness is something different, although it can only come through God. This is righteousness that is manifested through Christ’s incarnation, perfect life, substitutionary death and glorious resurrection. Romans 3:22; Romans 3:25

3) Imputed Righteousness. This is given to us by Christ when He died on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says it this way, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God.” This means we become righteous because of what Christ did when we are saved by His grace. So God will see Jesus’ righteousness instead of our sinfulness. Romans 3:24-25

4) Works Righteousness. Works righteousness is simply doing righteous things. Let me be clear: righteousness cannot be obtained through good deeds. However, we can do righteous things. Once saved, this is the life we’re called to. We’re called righteous through imputed righteousness and we’re called to do righteous things. So we do say works righteousness is important, it just can’t save you or make your righteous, it reveals the righteousness that has been given to you by Jesus. Romans 3: 27-31

Propitiation

This is the incredible truth that Christ diverted God’s just wrath from us to Himself when He died on the cross. All of the consequences for what we’ve been found guilty of were placed on Christ and we are set free when we trust in Christ! In many translations verse 25 gets translated as “payment”, “expiation”, or something other than propitiation. Yet this word is exceedingly important to Christian doctrine and needs to be maintained in Scripture and our understanding of the cross.

Even if Christ were to give us His righteousness, but the wrath of God not diverted, we are still doomed. We need both. We need Christ’s imputed righteousness and  we need God’s wrath satisfied. Paul specifically includes this in his argument because it would be incomplete without it.

Boast in the Judge

Back to our court room. The movie has finished and you sit there stunned. The room is silent after train wreck that was your life was revealed. The judge then begins to read all of the charges against you and the punishment that is deserved for them. When he is finished the final charge reads: treason. For every evil thing you’ve done and every good thing you’ve failed to do is aimed, directed and offending one person: the Judge himself.

While you sit here, ashamed, something incredible happens. The judge tells you that you are free to go. He wipes the charges clean, he erases the horrible tape and steps down from the bench. He then submits himself to what you deserved, paying your penalty.

This is the gospel. It requires great faith to know and trust that God has taken your punishment and not only that, has given you his righteousness! There is no greater act of kindness! There is no greater act of righteousness! This is the truth of the Scriptures.

You can be saved, Christ will give (impute) you His righteousness and you are called to live a life of good deeds (righteous works)! Praise the Lord of heaven and earth! Amen.

For more information about this series click here.

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