Not Guilty — Romans 3:21-26
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Introduction
Introduction
I wonder what this morning has you feeling guilty. Kevin DeYoung once said: “Guilt has metastasized in the modern West. The constant exhortation to not be so hard on yourself and to believe in yourself are cultural evidence that, no matter what we seem to do, the guilt lingers.” Our constant access to the internet and the 24 hour news cycles have made it so that we feel culpable for tragedies and calamities and atrocities with which we have, otherwise, no direct connection or control.
So, DeYoung suggests that one of our primary means of coping with the insurmountable feelings of guilt that we carry is to find ways to classify ourselves as sufferers instead of sinners. Intuitively, we have discerned that all that is broken in us and in our world, all that stands behind the guilt that we carry is either the wrong that we’ve done or the wrong that’s been done to us. So, as a culture, we have fixated on victimization in an attempt to absolve ourselves from our moral responsibility in hopes of easing our guilt. That is, you can either be a cause of suffering — you getting the job has kept someone else from getting the job, you driving a car to work to provide has ruined the ecosystem, you enjoying a round of golf has deprived a village of the drinking water you could’ve provided— so you can either be a cause of suffering — or you can be a sufferer yourself — you didn’t get the promotion you deserved, you didn’t get the opportunities your siblings did, you didn’t receive the intellect others received, you didn’t get the education or inheritance you deserved.
And, in a world where you are either culpable or a victim, people will choose victim every time. So, victimization has become the medicine of those living with perpetual guilt. But, it doesn’t work, does it? The constant mantras of our culture: “Believe in yourself! Don’t be so hard on yourself. Forgive yourself!” show the clear evidence of lingering guilt that we’re trying to absolve, and yet we’re trying to absolve it to no avail.
God’s Word
God’s Word
But, the literal Good News of Christianity is that it has a means of dealing with your guilt that is far better than anything you’ll find in the world. It’s a way that is honest, proven, and efficacious. So, let’s look at God’s Answer for Guilt: (headline)
“Own” your “responsibility.”
“Own” your “responsibility.”
Romans 3:21–23 “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,”
A few years ago, I was meeting with a young man who was shocked that his whole world was crashing down around him. He had repetitively made destructive decisions, and he couldn’t believe that HIS destructive decisions had destroyed his life. What I quickly discovered was that he felt like his destructive decisions shouldn’t destroy his life because, in his mind, his destructive decisions really weren’t his fault. His parents hadn’t given him enough. His wife hadn’t satisfied him enough. His kids didn’t love him enough. His job wasn’t patient with him enough. His church didn’t support him enough. He had come up with every possible way of being able to justify himself by victimizing himself, but his self-justification had not alleviated his guilt; it had multiplied it.
We prefer to “shift blame.”
It’s a tale as old as time. We’d all prefer to blame our sin and guilt on someone else rather than take responsibility for it ourselves. Adam blamed Eve for eating the fruit. Aaron blamed Israel for the golden calf. We blame our parents, our circumstances, even God himself for the things we do.
And, Paul won’t stand for it. The New Testament confronts head on what modern people are trying to avoid through blame-shifting and victimization. When Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Paul is summarizing everything that he has been saying for over two chapters. From Romans 1:18 through 3:20, Paul has been going into great depth about man’s rebellion against God and its repercussions. He has explained how clearly God has made himself known to man, and at the same time, how clearly man has rejected him. In fact, Paul has twice said that every person is ‘without excuse’ as they stand before God guilty of their sin — they can’t justify themselves because of their parents or their genetics or their government or their circumstances or their desires. Our sin is ours. It’s our responsibility. This is what Paul would have you to see.
You’ll notice that verse 21 says that “the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law.” I take this verse to mean both that salvation is now found in the New Covenant with Christ, not in the Old Covenant made with Israel, AND THAT, just as the OT Law revealed to us how righteous God is, Jesus has shown us in real life and up close God’s righteousness through his life. You see, there is a contrast being made between “all (of us who) have sinned and (fallen) short of the glory of God,” and Jesus through whom “the righteousness of God has been manifested.”
Consider the difference. We have “fallen short of the glory of God,” meaning that as God’s image bearers created in the Garden of Eden to reflect his glory, we have failed to do so. We aren’t good in the same way that anything that doesn’t accomplish its purpose is not good — like a refrigerator isn’t good when it doesn’t cool or a car isn’t good when it doesn’t run or a furnace isn’t good doesn’t light, we aren’t good when we don’t reflect God’s glory. That’s our design and purpose. That’s what we’re meant to do. That’s why Paul says just above us in chapter 3 — “no one is good, no not one.” Sin has corrupted and defaced God’s image in us. Rather than enjoying the relationship with God that we were built for, our natural instinct is to rebel against God and to live for ourselves. And, our brokenness is total. There is no part of you that is unaffected by sin. Your mind is affected by sin. You’ve never had entirely pure thoughts. You’ve never used flawless logic. Your heart is affected by sin. You’ve never done something with perfectly virtuous motives. You want things that you shouldn’t want, and don’t want things that you should want. All of you is affected by sin. Your nature is a sin nature.
And, like the Law of Moses did in the OT, Jesus’s life in the NT shows just how far short we’ve fallen. Jesus came, and he showed us exactly what it looks like to perfectly bear God’s image. Just consider Jesus’ life for a second. There was never a single moment in which he was outside of God’s will. Never one time did Jesus lust for a woman or lie to his own benefit or gossip about his neighbor. But not only did Jesus not do anything wrong, but Jesus never failed to something right. Though Jesus was busier than any of us could ever dream of being, He always had time for prayer and God’s word and for others who needed him. He did not hold any grudges or harbor any bitterness, but offered forgiveness to everyone, even those who would drive nails through his hands. Jesus did not neglect a single beggar that crossed his path or fail to ensure that his mother was cared for. Jesus could pray in agony with a sincere heart, “Not my will, but your will be done.” Jesus was the righteousness of God made gloriously obvious.
A few years ago, I met with a woman who had fallen under the false teachings of Bethel Church. She told me that she didn’t believe that Jesus’ life and death were necessary for our salvation. She believed Jesus’ life and death were an example for us to follow. By my goodness, I’ll ask you what I asked her: Is that an example you can meet? If Jesus’ life is my example and not my salvation, all I know is that I don’t look anything like that.
And, that’s what we’re hiding from. We know we’ve fallen short, but we don’t want it to be true. So, we try to blame anything that moves.
We have to “own guilt.”
Aren’t you tired of hiding? Aren’t you tired of all of the guilt? Aren’t tired of trying to find ways to justify yourself? Paul isn’t trying to beat us down. He recognizes the truth that you know, but haven’t faced. Avoided guilt has compounding interest. It gets bigger with time, not smaller. The money you used unethically or the people you hurt to start your business still lingers every time you walk through the door, doesn’ it? We think the shame from the past sexual relationships will go away when we’re married. But, they seem to weigh heavier and heavier, don’t they? The guilt from not being the dad you should’ve been or the mom you expected to be feels like a cloud filling with rain, doesn’t it? Time makes you more bitter, not less. It makes you more enslaved, not freer. This morning, I want to call you to do the same thing I called that young man to do a few years ago. Own it. Own your sin. Every, last, ugly part of it. True repentance requires real ownership. It requires you to face it and confess it and grieve it so that you might kill it. Guilt is a paradox, you see. Before you can lose your guilt, you must face your guilt.
But, once you face your guilt, you’re ready to…
“Receive” God’s “grace.”
“Receive” God’s “grace.”
Romans 3:21–22 “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:”
Romans 3:24–25 “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.”
I mentioned earlier how really Paul has been making his case for human sinfulness for three chapters. And so, verses 21-26 are meant to be the sweet relief that you want more than anything in the world. He’s writing this to build into your heart the gravity of your circumstances so that you can savor the depths of what Jesus offers you. That’s why Paul starts with “but now.” You were condemned under the Law, “BUT NOW!” You were facing judgement for your sin, “BUT NOW!” You were impossibly dead without any hope of life, “BUT NOW!”
We could summarize Paul as saying: “But now” you don’t have to try justifying yourself. You don’t have to find an excuse for your sin any more. You don’t have to try to punish yourself for your sin as though you can atone for it your self. You don’t have to find someone to blame. “Now,” IF — AND I CAN’T OVEREMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT “IF” — you will own your responsibility and repent of your sin, Jesus will do all the justifying for you.
Justification is a legal term that is used as a the declaration of a judge to exonerate an accused man and declare him innocent. You see, you were to stand before the Great Judge of the Universe and Satan was to be your prosecutor. His only responsibility was to prove that you had sinned but once against God, and that sin would compel the Holy Lord’s righteous judgment by his own decree. You think, “For just one sin?” You do realize that God is an infinite God who is infinite in his holiness, don’t you? Any sin against an infinite God is an infinite offense. And so, you can know how strong your Enemy’s case was. He was to point out how wicked your thoughts are, how selfish your motives are, and how wasted your life has been. His case was airtight, and your life was indefensible. Except that Jesus came!
We “receive” Jesus’ “righteousness.”
Justification covers your sin and credits your account. Jesus mercifully endured our penalty, and then graciously gave us his righteousness. THAT’S the proposition of the Christian faith. THAT’S the gospel! Do you remember how hopeless it felt to compare your life with Jesus’ earlier? How hopeless it felt to realize that He is “the righteousness of God manifested (v. 22)?” Well, it’s only hopeless if you’re apart from him. Because, you see, IF you are in him, every good thing, every good motive, every obedience to his Father is given to you — NOT AS A MERE EXAMPLE FOR YOU TO FOLLOW, but “by his grace as a gift. (v. 24)” Paul says that through Jesus “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ FOR all who believe (v. 22).” It’s “FOR” you! Given to YOU. Advocating for YOU. Securing YOU. Jesus didn’t come to JUST give you a fresh start or to JUST wash you clean for the time being. Jesus went to the cross so that you would be made as righteous as He is. We call this imputation or imputed righteousness. His becomes yours.
And, that’s why his blood was shed. That’s why we love the cross so much. When Paul says, “whom God put forward as a propitiation (v. 25),” He is comparing Jesus to the Mercy Seat that was in the Holy of Holies. In the LXX, the same word that’s translated here as “propitiation” is translated there as “mercy seat.” The priest would take the blood of a bull on the Day of Atonement, and he would splatter it on the Mercy Seat. That blood was meant to satisfy God’s wrath toward sin and symbolize that the costs of sin had been paid — death. It was an atonement for the people. But, the blood of bulls and goats can’t atone for people. They were shadows — shadows that would be made clear by Jesus. That’s what we’re seeing in the Big Story! On the cross, Jesus paid our price in full by offering himself as the great sacrifice, atoning for our sins, that He as the Great High Priest might sprinkle us with his own blood — making us clean and pure.
We “pass” God’s “judgment.”
And, here’s what this means: IF you have owned your guilt and repented of your sins, IF you have placed all of your trust and hope in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, well then, in God’s court, the verdict has already been returned for those who are in Christ — “NOT GUILTY!” You don’t have to self-justify. Jesus has done it for you! You’re justified by faith alone through Christ alone, and when you’re justified, you’re a clean as He is. You’re as pure as He is. You’re as accepted by God as He is. So, when the shame and embarrassment and guilt come raging in your mind, you can talk back to your condemning conscience — “Not guilty!” When Satan tries to prosecute and remind you of the people you’ve slept with and the lies you’ve told and the people you’ve hurt, you can talk back to the devil himself — “Not guilty!” The offer this morning is that you could Make Jesus’ verdict the sermon than rings in your ears — “Not guilty.”
And, the Good News is that when you declare that verdict you can…
“Trust” God’s “justice.”
“Trust” God’s “justice.”
Romans 3:25–26 “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.”
Proverbs 17:15 “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.”
What is a good “judge?”
The shocking question that feels great urgency in answering here is whether or not God is actually a good judge. Now, why would God’s goodness be questioned here? That’s the shocking part for our American sensibilities — God’s goodness is in question because He forgave you. But, we should slow down to ask: what makes a good judge — good?
Imagine that, God forbid, I went home this afternoon, and found a man in my living room standing over my family whom he had just killed. I manage to draw my gun, and I’m ready to just blow him away right then and there. But then, I think to myself, “No, I’m going to make him face justice.” So, I call the police and they come. Finally, this man’s trial has come. Imagine that when the judge reads the verdict he says: “By your own admission, you are guilty. All of the evidence corroborates it. But, I’m a good and gracious judge. I’m a loving judge. So, don’t sweat it. Don’t worry about it another day. You’re free to go.”
Now, let me ask you: Is that judge good? No! Not a single one of us would say that’s a good judge. Why? He’s betrayed justice. He isn’t just. And yet, this is how our culture demands God’s justice be — not good.
Is God a good “judge?”
Here’s Paul’s shocking point in Romans 3:25-26. The focus of Jesus’ incarnation was not primarily to forgive man’s sin but to guarantee God’s righteousness. Paul says this directly twice, once in verse 25 and again in verse 26. Jesus came ‘to show God’s righteousness’ (v.25) “so that he might be JUST and JUSTIFIER.” (V. 26) In fact, Proverbs 17:15 says: “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” Do you see the problem? God, in his sufficient and inerrant word, has declared it to be equally unjust and immoral to acquit a guilty person as it is to condemn an innocent person. Yet, God didn’t kill Adam and Even in the Garden. God didn’t kill David after his affair. God didn’t wipe Israel from the earth, even though she blatantly rejected Him. No, God forgave them and acquitted them. This is the ‘divine forbearance’ that Paul is talking about in verse 25. God had passed over these sins of the past. So, does this make God an abomination to himself? Does this mean that God has himself performed an immoral act repeatedly over the scope of history? You see, The Divine Dilemma is not what everyone thinks it is. It’s not: how can a good God send a good person to hell? That’s never happened. None of us are good. The Divine Dilemma is: how can a good God forgive sinners without becoming an abomination to himself? How can He justify sinners while remaining just?
And, the solution to the divine dilemma is the cross. Your sin was infinite because it was an offense to a God who is infinite. You could never pay the price — not with a thousand deaths or penances. So, the infinite God became flesh HIMSELF and dwelt among us HIMSELF so that He could offer an infinite substitute in your place — HIMSELF. On the cross, we see that God has dealt severely and justly with sin that He might deal gently and mercifully with YOU. It is at the cross where we see God’s love and wrath, mercy and justice intersect. And so, it is the cross that pays for our “redemption” that we are “justified by his grace as a gift.” It is the cross that God has “put forward as a propitiation by HIS blood.” And, it is the cross that shows that God is both “just and the justifier.” His justice is true, and his judgments are trustworthy. That’s the point. You can trust that his gospel is true because it’s been paid for and revealed in real life through Jesus who was born, lived, died, and was raised.
So, the question this morning is: what will you do with all of your guilt? Will you look for excuses? Will you blame someone else? Will you try to punish yourself? Will you hope they’re overlooked? Or, will you visit the cross? At the cross, you have to own it, and you have to repent of it. You have to stop believing in yourself and put all of your hope in Jesus. But at the cross you can be declared: “Not guilty!” and know that the judgment is final.
