How to be Right with God

“Now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed...” [1]

Wait! There is a righteousness revealed that is apart from the law? Isn’t law-keeping the only way to be right with God?

“Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.” [2]

Wait! God accounts those who believe in Jesus Christ righteous?

YES!

“For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” [3]

Justified by grace? You mean that God has created a way around being a perfect law-keeper? YES! Through redemption! Believe in the Redeemer! God has set forth His Son Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.

“God set forth [Jesus] as a propitiation [a sin covering – a sin canceller] by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness...” [4] Through faith – believe in JESUS!

“That He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in JESUS.” [5]

Did you get that? God remains just by justifying sinners who have faith in His Son Jesus Christ. God imputes the perfect righteousness of Christ to everyone who believes in Christ.

So, what happens to the great American pass time of boasting?

“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.” [6]

Self-boasting is excluded because everyone is made righteous by One and the same Savior: Jesus Christ. No one can stand before God as perfectly holy apart from receiving God’s gift of righteousness; namely the righteousness of Christ placed into one’s account by God.

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” [7]

This is Paul the once great Pharisee talking. He used to pride himself in how zealous he was for keeping God’s laws. Now, he is boasting in Christ alone. He says that his and our only hope of being right with God is to believe in His Son Jesus Christ. YES! It is that simple because Jesus did all that was needed to make us right with God on the cross!

[1] Romans 3:21
[2] Romans 3:22
[3] Romans 3:22-24
[4] Romans 3:25
[5] Romans 3:26
[6] Romans 3:27
[7] Romans 3:28