Daily Thoughts from Romans: Righteousness Manifested, Boasting Excluded (3:21-31)

Daily Thoughts from Romans: Righteousness Manifested, Boasting Excluded

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.  (Romans 3:21-31 ESV)

Ah, here is the relief to our sin problem.  Being given a righteous standing before God comes through faith in Jesus Christ as a free gift of God’s grace.  God is righteous and must punish our sin, and there is no one who has managed to achieve God’s glory, that is, His approval of our works.  We’ve all fallen short so we are all incapable of being declared righteous by God through works.

Jesus Christ became our redemption.  Those He forgave in past generations before Jesus came He justified (declared righteous) in anticipation of Jesus’ death, thus still being just.  Those animal sacrifices did not really take away sin.  Jesus became the perfect fulfillment of sacrifice, the only propitiation (that which satisfies the just demands of God) that could cover our debt, shedding his blood so that we might be redeemed (purchased back from our slavery to sin).

This free gift salvation excludes boasting.  I can’t stand before God and say I deserve heaven because I am so good.  I deserve it only on the merit of Jesus’ death.  As a Gentile I am justified by faith just as the Jew must be, as the Law itself has taught.  What a plan!  No one could have anticipated God’s overwhelming grace to make this provision for guilty sinners, though it was played out in symbol in Israel’s daily ritual and predicted in Isaiah 53.

Here, in this one passage, Paul gives the heart of the gospel.  Righteousness is not achieved by works of law (that would be bad news, not good, since no one can measure up).  Righteousness is granted as a standing before God on the basis of Christ’s righteousness and his payment in his own death of the penalty we deserved.

It doesn’t get any clearer than this.

The movie Dead Man Walking is based on Sister Helen Prejean’s mission to care for the soul of death row inmate Matthew Poncelet. Poncelet awaits execution for brutally killing a young man and woman. Throughout the movie Poncelet vehemently denies any wrongdoing, even though the evidence contradicts him. At one point, Sister Helen gives him a Bible and tells him to read the Gospel of John. She persistently tries to help him face the truth, but he resists, blaming anyone else he can think of.

One emotional scene—the climax of the movie—shows Poncelet finally admitting his guilt.

Poncelet recalls, “My mama kept saying, ‘It wasn’t you, Matt. It wasn’t you.'”

“Your mama loves you, Matt,” responds Sister Helen.

Grieved by guilt, Poncelet begins to confess, but lapses as tears flood his eyes. As Sister Helen probes him further, Poncelet admits, “I killed [the boy].” Sister Helen then asks about Hope, the raped and murdered girl. Again, Poncelet forthrightly confesses.

“Do you take responsibility for both of their deaths?” probes Sister Helen.

Poncelet responds, “Yes ma’am.… When the lights dim at night, I kneel down by my bunk and pray for those kids.… I’ve never done that before.”

Sister Helen comforts Poncelet, saying, “There is a place of sorrow only God can touch. You did a terrible thing, Matt, a terrible thing. But you have a dignity now. Nobody can take that away from you.… You are a son of God, Matthew Poncelet.”

Sobbing deeply, Poncelet says, “Nobody ever called me no son of God before. They called me a son-of-you-know-what lots of times, but never no son of God.… I just hope my death can give those parents some relief. I really do.”

“Well,” continues Sister Helen, “maybe the best thing you can give to the Percys and the Delacroixs is a wish for their peace.”

Poncelet says, “I never had no real love myself. I never loved a woman or anybody else.… It about figures I would have to die to find love.… Thank you for loving me.”