Read Romans 3:21-31

   Some sins seem bigger than others because their obvious consequences are much more serious. Murder, for example, seems to us to be worse than hatred, and adultery seems worse than pride. But this does not mean that because we only commit “little” sins we deserve eternal life. All sins makes us sinners, and all sins cut us off from our holy God. All sins, therefore, lead to death because they disqualify us from living with God, regardless of how great or small they seem. Don’t minimize “little” sins or overrate “big” sins. They all separate us from God, but they all can be forgiven. 

   Paul explains that God declares us not guilty. When a judge in a court of law declares the defendant not guilty, all the charges are removed from his record. Legally, it is as if the person had never been accused. When God forgives our sins, our record is wiped clean. From His perspective, it is as though we had never sinned. 

 

   Christ set sinners free from the slavery to sin. In Old Testament times, a person’s debts could result in his being sold as a slave. The next of kin could redeem him: buy his freedom. Christ purchased our freedom and the price was His life. 
Christ died in our place, for our sins. God is justifiably angry at sinners. They have rebelled against Him and cut themselves off from His life-giving power. But God declares Christ’s death to the appropriate, designated sacrifice for our sin. Christ then stands in our place, having paid the penalty of death for our sin, and He completely satisfies God’s demands. His sacrifice brings pardon, deliverance, and freedom. 

 

   What happened to people who lived and died before Christ came and died for sin? If God condemned sinners, was He being unfair? If He saved the righteous, was Christ’s sacrifice unnecessary? Paul shows that God forgave all human sin at the cross of Jesus. Old Testament believers looked forward in faith to Christ’s coming and were saved, even though they did not know Jesus’ name or the details of His earthly life. Unlike the Old Testament believers, you know about the God who loved the world so much he gave His own Son (John 3). Have you put your trust in Him? Yes, God forgave all human sin on the cross, but you have to come to Him and accept that forgiveness. 

 

   Why does God save us by faith alone? 1) Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do. 2) Faith exalts what God has done, not what we do. 3) Faith admits that we can’t keep the law or measure up to God’s standards: we need help. 4) Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God. 

 

   Most religions require specific duties that must be performed to make a person acceptable to a god. Christianity is unique in that no good deed that we do will make us right with God. No amount of human achievement or personal goodness will close the gap between God’s moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance. Good deeds are important, but they will not earn us eternal life. We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us (Ephesians 2).
After all this bad news about our sinfulness and God’s condemnation, Paul gives the wonderful news. There is a way to be declared not guilty: by trusting Jesus Christ to take away our sins. Trusting means putting our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way He taught us. God’s solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past behavior. 

 

   There were some misunderstandings between the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. Worried Jewish Christians were asking Paul, “Does faith wipe out everything Judaism stands for? Does it cancel our Scriptures, put an end to our customs, declare that God is no longer working through us?” “Absolutely not,” says Paul. When we understand the way of salvation through faith, we understand the Jewish religion better. We know why Abraham was chosen, why the law was given, and why God worked patiently with Israel for centuries. Faith does not wipe out the Old Testament. Rather, it makes God’s dealings with the Jewish people understandable.