LIVING BY THE LAW OF FAITH
Romans 3:27-31
Living by the law of faith means completely trusting trusting in God’s ability, not our own. It is a life of hurdling obstacles, defeating adversity, conquering strongholds, and overcoming the world (1 John 5:4). For we can only do those things by God’s grace and provision. This is the life that was lived by those mentioned in Hebrews 11. When they considered their own ability they paused but when they considered God’s ability they leaped and “gained approval”!
BOASTING IS EXCLUDED – (v. 27)
Because we are all, whether Jew or Greek, justified by faith there is no boasting. It would be foolish to boast in those things which God considers “filthy rags.”
An example of foolish boasting: In Jeremiah’s day there were false prophets who were preaching peace and safety to those living in Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar was coming to besiege the city. Jeremiah was told to prophesy telling the people to surrender, go to Babylon, and in 70 years they will return. But those who trusted in their own abilities believed the false prophets resulting in their own deaths by famine, pestilence, and the sword. Listen to the word of the Lord in those days, “‘Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,’ declares the Lord, ‘who steal My words from each other. Behold, I am against the prophets,’ declares the Lord, ‘who use their tongues and declare, the Lord declares. Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,’ declares the Lord, ‘and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit’” (Jeremiah 23:30-32). These men sought man’s praise by bringing a good word. But their word was not based on truth and benefitted no one.
Today, men do something similar concerning their existence. Our culture is being swept away by self-help books and a doctrine of “personal affirmation” where it’s okay to be anything as long as you are yourself. Some would add that you should be nice to one another and hope for world peace. But the truth is that men cannot help themselves into heaven and cannot affirm their own righteousness. Man is quite corrupt and needs much help and the only sufficient help he will find is from God. We are not okay as we are, we need to be changed; born again; transformed. We need to repent. We need a righteousness from God. This only comes by faith in Jesus and therefore, there is no boasting about what man has accomplished. We do not need the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day who did not have the truth but preached a positive message. Rather we need Jeremiah to call the nation (1 Peter 2:9) to repentance. We do not need someone to recklessly boast about the ability of man when we are at war. Rather we need Jeremiah to tell us what God will do.
JUSTIFIED IS BY FAITH APART FROM WORKS – (v. 28)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation, or here justification, is not a result or payment for works done in the flesh. It is the result of faith in Jesus and God. No amount of works, good or bad, will justify a man before God. The Jew is not justified by the Law for they all have fallen short. The Law made us aware that their works were not good and that they were in desperate need of propitiation. The Law served as a tutor to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:19-24). Furthermore, those trying to justify themselves by keeping the Law or by working their way there will stumble over the stumbling stone just as the Jews did (Romans 9:30-32).
Works have not and will not ever impart righteousness to a man. Jesus was the only one who could stand before the Father spotless, and He needed to in order to be that propitiation. Among the household of faith this truth is paramount, foundational and well known. “Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Galatians 2:16). Paul goes on to say that this is evident. “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, ‘The righteous man shall live by faith’ However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, ‘He who practices them shall live by them’” (Galatians 3:11). Those who preach an adherence to a written code of works or a moral set of rules will not be justified but will too stumble over Jesus. Those living by the law of faith will be justified and even victorious over sin and the devil. Those who do not live by faith will shrink back to destruction as it is written, “But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:38).
GOD IS ONE AND GOD OF ALL – (v. 29-30)
(1 Corinthians 8:4-6) “4Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are al things, and we exist through Him.”
(Galatians 3:20) “Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one.”
(Ephesians 4:6) “one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
(1 Timothy 2:5) “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
(James 2:19) “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”
There is one God, one salvation, one way to God and it is through justification by faith. As our text says, “since indeed God who will justify the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith is one.” This faith is the means of justification for Jews and Gentiles as Peter wrote, “to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours” (2 Peter 1:1). There are those who oppose this idea. Some say the Jew at Pentecost was saved in a different way than the Gentiles. Therefore, “repent and be baptized” doesn’t apply to us today. But the Spirit says here that God is the God of Jews and Gentiles and justification is the same way and Galatians tells us that there is only one gospel through which we are saved (Galatians 1:6-7). God is one and there is only one God and there is only way to Him – by Jesus (John 14:6).
The fact that there is only one God and all are saved the same way through Jesus has a great impact on our preaching. We do not need to preach a watered-down version of the gospel to some and a more sophisticated one to another but rather preach the truth in love. Obviously, we must meet a seeker where they are as Philip did “and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35). But the message of Jesus and justification is the same way for every person – by faith in Him. God is God of the Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, slave, free and any other demographic of man you would like to insert. He is God of all and all can come to Him through faith in His dear Son.
Keeping this fact in mind there is no room for division among His people. For they all had the same problem – sin, and they all have the same solution – grace, and they all appropriate grace the same way – faith, and therefore, they all have the same Father, making them brothers. Who is the man that will justify division among God’s people over a matter of opinion or preference?
WE ESTABLISH THE LAW – (v. 31)
Life in Christ doesn’t nullify the Law for Jesus Himself said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). In the same way those living by a law of faith do not abolish or nullify or make useless the law, instead we establish it. Establish means to make strong or to stand by. This is the opposite of what Paul was accused of teaching, “Let us do evil that good may come” (Romans 3:8). He frequently had to defend himself and answer the question on many minds, “Shall we sin that grace may abound?”
We establish the law because it is the Law that brings us to Christ. We realize our need of a Savior and so follow Jesus. We also establish the Law by agreeing with it. This is one of the reasons why those in Christ are sons rather than slaves – we agree with the Father. We are now able to uphold the Law because we prefer the Law of God. We also have a new heart and God’s spirit in us to help us (Ezekiel 36:26). We have the law of God written not on tablets of stone but on our hearts and minds (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10; 2 Corinthians 3:3).
The righteousness of God is reached by faith in Jesus Christ. Boasting is excluded because it is not through man’s working. God is God of all and the Father of those who believe on Jesus. We do not nullify the Law through the law of faith, rather we establish it, agreeing with it and being enabled to obey it by God’s grace.