This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "The Doctrine Of Salvation", 7/17/2016

THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION

Romans 3:21-31

JESUS THE LORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

V:21. " But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. "

A. This verse speaks of the first coming of Jesus Christ.

    1.Jesus is the author and the finisher of the Law.

    2. The Law was given to show man the righteousness of  God, which could not

        be obtained by keeping it.

    3. The Law was not given to save, but to condemn.

B. The Law and the Prophets spoke of the coming of the Messiah.  John 1:1-5, Dan 9:26

      Gen 3:15

   1. We are beneficiaries of the promises that God made in the Garden of Eden, and the

        promises God made with Abraham and confirmed with Daniel.

   2. God's plan  set before the foundation of the world included our redemption

       through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.   Eph 1:4-5

FAITH THE KEY TO SALVATION

V:22-23. " This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference.  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

A. We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity.

    1. It is not our fault, but it is our inherited unredeemed state.

    2. Through Adam's sin all flesh is sin. Rom 5:12

B. The  righteousness of Christ is imputed upon us immediate  at our

     faith in the death of Jesus on the Cross as our redeemer.

C. Those who believe, which includes us, are an elect group.  Matt 24:31

    1. The elect of God were predestined before the foundation of the world.

        Eph 1:4-5

    2. Our faith is not of ourselves since our election happen before man was

        created.

    3. After we were called out of the world, we were drawn to Christ. Rom 9:24

        John 6:44

MADE INNOCENCE BY GRACE

V:24. " And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ

         Jesus. "

 A. The word "justified" is from a Greek word which means "rendered innocence."

      1. It is the atoning blood of Jesus which covers our sins and makes us innocence

          before the father.

     2. Our justification is a voluntary effort on the part of Jesus.

     3. Jesus submitted Himself to the will of the Father for our sakes. Luke 22:42

     3. Our justification is a free gift from the Father.

 B. Grace is God's favor.

     1. God has favored us, His elect over the world.

     2. God does not tell us why He elected us.

     3. We should show Him  gratitude  for His favor.

     4. The word "redemption" is from a Greek word which means  "ransom in full."

     5. We were held captive by our sins until God favored us with His Son.

     6. The blood of Jesus set us free from our sin debt.

THE POWER OF THE BLOOD.

V:25-26. " God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. "

A. The Father selected the Son for the cross.

     1. The Father selected the Son for our redemption.

     2. Life is in the blood.

     3. The life of the flesh is  in the blood.

     4. The spiritual life of man is in the Blood of Jesus.

     5. Jesus the Just, is the justifier of all believers.

B. Without a perfect sacrifice, there would be no payment for sin.

    1. God established this concept in the garden of Eden.

    2. After Adam and Eve sinned, they realized they were naked.

        a. They covered themselves with leaves.

        b. God killed an animal and made a covering of animal skin for them.

        c. The covering of their sin was from a blood sacrifice.

   3. The covering of our sins is the blood  sacrifice of Jesus.  Romans 5:9

   4. Jesus is the only perfect sacrifice acceptable to God.

C. Prior to the death of Jesus, sin was covered by the promised redeemer, Jesus.

   1. By the Law no flesh is justified.

   2. Justification or innocence before the Father is through faith in the blood of

       Jesus.

BOAST IN YOUR FAITH IN JESUS

V:27-28. " Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law."

A. Faith is what you believe, not what you have done.  Eph 2:15

    1. Salvation cannot be by your works because you were chosen to believe in Jesus

        before the foundation of the earth

    2. Salvation cannot be by your works because you were given to Jesus as His servants

        by the Father.

       John 6:39 states, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all

       that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day."

B. Faith in Jesus is not a human characteristic.

    1. Romans 3:11 states that there is none that seeks after God.

    2. Romans 12:3 states "   to each is given a measure of faith."

C. Faith in Jesus is spiritually derived.

GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSON

V:29-30. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,  since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith."

A. Circumcision was the sign of a covenant God made with Abraham 400 plus

     years before the Law was given.  Genesis  17:11

   1. The covenant God made with Abraham included many nations, not just Israel.

       Genesis 17:4

   2. Jews and Gentile were included in the covenant with Abraham from the start.

   3. The physical circumcision was God way of separating Israel, the one He gave

       the Law, from Gentile nations

   4. Circumcision became part of the Law not to indicate salvation but to

       indicate dedication to God.

B. It is the circumcision of the heart , the doing away with sin that God promotes.

    1. Due 10:16-17 states; "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no

        more stiffnecked.  For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great

        God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward."

    2. The Law was given so man would know his sins, not to save.

        Gal 2:16 states: " know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith

        in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be

        justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the

        law no one will be justified."

MADE INNOCENCE  BY FAITH IN JESUS

V: 31. "Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law."

 A. Jesus death on the cross fulfilled all the requirements of the Law.

      1. Matthew 5:17 states: " "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the

          Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

      2. Because of the BLOOD of Jesus, Man is not under the penalty of the Law.

      3. We are under Grace.

 B. The Law still stands to show us our sinfulness and our need for a Savior.  

      Romans 7:7 states: " What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I

      would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have

      known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."

C. The sum of the matter of the law is this;

     Galatians 3:24-25 " So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be 

     justified by faith.  Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of

     the law.

THANK GOD FOR JESUS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst. Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Parkway

Houston Texas.

For a complete list of my lessons visit my blog

"goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com"