Right With God 

Scripture Reading:  Romans 3:21-31.

Memory Verse: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Introduction: "In our study of the Epistle to the Romans we have arrived at a point where two little words separate all that has gone before from all that comes after.
  "A mountain climber in the high Alps sometimes comes to the top of a ridge almost razor sharp, dividing two slopes. Such is the division which is to be found in the beginning of the twenty-first verse of the third chapter. Had I been the one to divide the Bible into chapters, I would have made the division here. Certainly this is the dividing line which separates the first two and a half chapters, which have been on the subject of man's complete ruin in sin, from the next section, which is occupied with God's perfect remedy in Christ.
  "The two little words are BUT NOW . . .
  "A careful study of the epistles of Paul shows that in his mind all time was divided into then and now. Then, was everything that had happened before Christ died. Now, is everything that is contingent upon the death of the Saviour. Then we were dead in sins; now we are alive forevermore. Then we were under the law, slain; now we are under grace, raised from the dead by the gospel."--Robert Haldane, An Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans, p. 120.
  "Over the paragraphs which we are now about to study, I had drawn a heart; and in my notes I said that this passage was not only the heart of Romans, but the heart of the New Testament and the heart of the whole Bible.
  "I am convinced today, after these many years of Bible study, that these verses are the most important in the whole Bible. Understand them and you will understand the whole Bible. Fail to comprehend their true meaning, and you will be in darkness concerning most of Scripture. For here is the revelation of the being of God and the nature of His being; here is the revelation of sin . . . here is the revelation of God's righteousness . . .here is one of the keys of human history and the explanation of much that happened before the time of Christ, as well as the revelation of the principles that were to prevail in God's dealings with men since Christ . . . here is the vindication of the nature and character of God, righteous in all that He does."--Donald Grey Barnhouse, God's Remedy, (Romans 3:21-4:1-25), p. 1.

Lesson Questions:

1. How is the righteousness of God now revealed? Romans 3:21,22a; 5:1,2; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 3:9; Galatians 3:21.
"The law of God is like a mirror. Now the purpose of a mirror is to reveal to you that your face is dirty, but the purpose of a mirror is not to wash your face. When you look in a mirror and find that your face is dirty, you do not then reach to take the mirror off the wall and attempt to rub it on your face as a cleansing agent. The purpose of the mirror is to drive you to the water. Any other use of the mirror is plain folly. At the same time that God gave the law, God gave the Lamb. At the same time that God gave Moses, God gave Aaron. At the same time that God said, 'Thou shalt not,' He said, in effect, 'But I know you will, and here's how to get out of it.' "--Donald Grey Barnhouse, God's Remedy, (Romans 3:21-4:1-25), p. 6.

2. To whom is the provision of righteousness which comes by faith in Christ Jesus given? Romans 3:22b,23; Acts 13:39; John 6:37; 2 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:3,10,11.

3. If all men have fallen short of walking in perfect holiness, then how can any be justified from sin? Romans 3:24; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:15; Revelation 5:9; Titus 2:14.

4. What was the propitiation [payment] for our sins? Romans 3:25a; Leviticus 17:11; 1 John 2:1,2; 4:10; Hebrews 2:17.
"What does the Bible mean by 'the blood of Christ'? It means the willingness of Christ to die (shed His blood) for man. It means the supreme sacrifice Christ paid for man's sins. It means the terrible sufferings Christ underwent for man's sins. It means the voluntary laying down of His life for man's sins."--Donald Grey Barnhouse, God's Wrath, (Romans 2-3:1-20), pp. 275,276.

5. What great message was declared when Christ became the appeasement for sin? Romans 3:25b,26.

6. Can believers rightfully take any credit for their redemption in Christ? Romans 3:27,28; Isaiah 5:21; 1 Corinthians 1:27-31; 6:11; 2 Corinthians 10:17,18; Jeremiah 9:24; Galatians 3:24.

7. What does the gift of faith freely given to anyone who receives it testify of God's impartiality? Romans 3:29,30; Acts 17:26; 10:34; Matthew 23:9; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 10:12,13.

8. Seeing that being right with God comes by faith and not by works, what should be done with God's law? Romans 3:31; Matthew 5:17.