LESSON - Romans 3:27-4:17 (NIV based)

THEME - Illustrations of Justification

     Q: Does mankind play any part in this justification/salvation process?  Do we do anything to facilitate our justification before God?
vv.27-30  see 2 Cor. 6:2 = God helps us in our time of salvation

v.27 a work exclusively by God - no room for boasting

v.28 based on faith completely apart from observing the Law

vv.29-30 for everyone - both Jews & Gentiles
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     Q: Does justification by faith nullify the Law?  How do we determine which laws/commandments we are going to keep and which to ignore?

v. 31 does not nullify the Law but upholds it: the Law is designed to lead us to Christ.  UPHOLD = (GRK #2476) to establish, confirm; to cause to stand, to place
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ILLUSTRATION OF ABRAHAM (Rom. 4:1-5):

v.3 Man is without righteousness; if he is to be just in God's sight, God must reckon His own righteousness to man's account through trust in Him.

v.4 if man worked for or earned his righteousness, he would have something to boast about
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CONFIRMATION OF DAVID (Rom. 4:6-8):

v.8 "...whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
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ILLUSTRATION OF CIRCUMCISION (Rom. 4:9-12):

    Q: Does circumcision save a person?  If not, what significance does it have?

v.11 circumcision is a sign - a seal of the righteousness

v.11-12 righteousness by faith is for both the circumcised & the uncircumcised - i.e. for both those who observe the ritual & those who do not

    Q: Based on the illustration of circumcision, would baptism fall into the same category in terms of it's saving merit?
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ILLUSTRATION OF HEIRSHIP (Rom. 4:13-17):
    Q: Heir means what?  A: Someone who inherits

    Q: Have you ever met someone who claims he or she was born saved - that because his or her parents were saved, therefore he or she was at birth physically born into the family of God, thus saved at birth?  A: rebuttal: vv.13-17 humans do not just inherit by natural birth righteousness from God

v.16 by grace - guaranteed

    Q: What does the phrase in v.17 God "calls things that are not as though they were" mean?  A: we are not righteous in & of ourselves.  We have the righteousness of Christ credited to us by faith = JUSTIFICATION (imputed righteousness).  We are not completely holy and righteous yet but are viewed as such through Christ - we are in the process of being made holy and righteous = sanctification

v.8 the Lord will never count our sins against us
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BIG IDEA: Some of us may at times believe a falsehood that we are personally an unworthy, unacceptable, sin-sick person who will never amount to anything in God's eyes.  This thinking may commonly occur right after we have sinned in a major way.  Believing this falsehood will lock you and I into a defeated, fruitless life.  But God says in Romans 3 that you and I true believers in Jesus are saints whom God has declared righteous.  Believing God's truth about our true identity will set you and I free.

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Works Cited:
Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

“Strong's Greek Dictionary.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
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Translation used: NIV
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Updated: 1-3-15