ROMANS UNWRAPPED 53

                                  

                                    "Where is boasting then...........?  Romans 3v27. 


Paul has completed the declaration of the gospel, which he describes as "the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ". The verses Romans 3v21-26 are an exposition of Romans 1v17, and contain the main features of the gospel: they are as follows;
Apart from law, witnessed by the law and the prophets, through faith in Jesus Christ, available to all who believe, declared freely by the grace of God, procured at great cost to God, has met all the demands of God, declares God as a Saviour "just and the justifier of all who believe".


He now anticipates three issues in Romans 3v27-31, arising from this gospel exposition;

a)  Boasting is excluded.    v27-28.
b)  All distinctions eradicated.   v29-30.
c)  The law is established.   v31.

These issues add nothing to the content of the gospel, but do add to the character of it, and they are important enough for us to regulate our thinking.


a) In the gospel all human boasting is excluded.

At the heart of all human boasting is PRIDE. We all have, deep within us, the need for self-worth, and this is manifested in one-upmanship, a sense of personal achievement. This is of course within us all by nature; we boast in what we know, whom we know, what we have done. This natural trait is important, since it reflects our survival instinct, and promotes progress, which is no bad thing. We boast in our family connections, in our intellect, in our prosperity, in our athletic, musical, influential status achievements etc. Without this, the world would come to a standstill. The problem is that this strong, natural, beneficial instinct, has become corrupted, by the entrance of sin. Because of sin, enterprise has become exploitation, love has become lust, status has become power, need has become greed etc. Boasting has no part to play in God's salvation.......it is excluded!

Absolutely nothing of human effort, or worth, or accomplishment, is involved. The very word used for this "salvation" alone tells you. We do not need reformation, we need regeneration, and only God can give us that.

Listen again to the language of this Roman epistle: it is "the gospel of God" 1v1, it is "the righteousness of God" 1v17, it is "the power of God" 1v16, God has manifested His righteousness 3v21 God has set Christ forth as the mercy seat 3v25 God has declared His righteousness to all generations 3v26.     It is all of God, there is no human hand in it at all. Bishop Lightfoot once said "the only contribution I made to my salvation was the sin that needed to be taken away"


Boasting is excluded, I can contribute nothing, save the heart acknowledgment that the divine assessment of me is right, that His solution through Christ is the only one.


"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, apart from the deeds of the law" Romans 3v28. Paul crowns this principle when he writes to the saints at Ephesus "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" Ephesians 3v9.

"Nought have I gotten, but what I received, grace has bestowed it, since I have believed;
boasting excluded, pride I abase, I'm only a sinner saved by grace.
Only a sinner, saved by grace, only a sinner saved by grace, this is my story, to God be the glory
I'm only a sinner saved by grace"


To be continued,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,