The Best Truth of All: Forgiven and Free :: Romans 3:19-28

By

[Introduction]

There is nothing more precious than a newborn baby. There is no better feeling than cradling one. No one more beautiful in all of creation. When we look at them, newborns all seem to be so innocent, so pure ... their tiny fingers wrapped around your knuckle. They don’t dwell on yesterday’s regrets or plan for tomorrow’s anxieties. They’re untouched by cynicism and hate. Physically, they are astonishingly fragile ... a bobbing head, wispy velvety skin. 

Knowing they are completely helpless, our instinct to protect them manifests with a fierce strength that we often forget we have. And for once in our life, with a newborn in our arms ... cuddled next to our heart ... we stop thinking about ourselves, and we start actually guarding, protecting, and treasuring our neighbor as ourself. 

1. [We are born in sin.]

But a reality quickly sets in. That sweet child in your arms ... the one who seemingly has never lied, never lashed out, never schemed ... is already carrying something we cannot see. Nobody has to teach a baby to be selfish, to think only of itself. Nobody has to show a baby how to turn bloody red, screaming for what it wants ... demanding that the world revolve around its hunger, its comfort, its feelings, its needs. Nobody has to teach a child to hit or to bite or to hide the truth or to blame someone else. ... We spend years teaching children to share, to be honest, to be kind, and we never once have to teach them the opposite. 

Why? 

Because we were born into a world that is broken. And the brokenness is not only around us ... it is within us ... woven in our lives before our first breath. That incredible brokenness, original sin, is why babies die. The Augsburg Confession calls it a disease that damns and brings eternal death on those who are not born anew through Baptism and the Holy Spirit (AC II 2). 

That is exactly where the apostle Paul took us before our epistle reading today for this Festival of the Reformation. 

Beginning at Romans 3:10, he quotes God’s Word, which calls the courtroom to order. We all stand up, and the verdict is read to young and old alike. No one is righteous, not even one. All have turned away. Together they have become worthless. No one is producing kindness, not even one. Their throats are and continue to be an open grave. Their tongues continue to deceive. Poison ... is under their lips ... mouths are full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Ruin and misery are in their paths. And the way of peace, they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes (vv 10-20). 

2. [We cannot save ourselves]

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all guilty ... guilty of idolatry and adultery ... evil, covetousness, malice ... gossip, slander, hate ... insolence, haughtiness, foolishness ... faithlessness and selfishness (Rm 1:29-31). And there’s no excuse for any of it. We are all sinners who continue to sin, and we cannot save ourselves. We do not do what we want to do. We do what we hate (Rm 7:15). And we keep on doing it. 

You can admit this, calling yourself a poor, miserable sinner. You can acknowledge you deserve God’s wrath for your sin. You can say you repent. But words alone don’t change who you are under the Law. They don’t make sin go away.

Pharaoh said, I have sinned (Ex 9:27, 10:16). So did Achan (Josh 7:20), King Saul (1 Sm 15:24-25, 26:21), and Judas Iscariot (Mt 27:4). But none of those guys turned to the promise. All four turned away. Judas despaired of his so much, he hanged himself. The demons aren’t much different. As James wrote, Even [they] believe in Jesus, and they shudder (Jas 2:19). 

Knowing facts about Jesus does not save you. Pleas for mercy aren’t good enough. As the Apology of the Augsburg Confession says, If we merit forgiveness of sins by these acts, of what benefit is Christ? If we can be justified by reason, what need is there of Christ or regeneration? (Ap IV 12). This leads us into our reading.

We need the promise of God. We need to hear his Word. And we need to trust it. We need to hear the absolution of Christ, Holy Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, and believe they do what they say because Christ said it. We need faith that apprehends the Word ... faith in Christ, the faith of Christ. And thanks be to God, we receive it in the place he has promised to be ... in the Divine Service, in his Word and water ... body and blood.

3. [The righteousness of God is a gift.]

This is the realization Luther came to at the start of the Reformation. Reading Romans, Luther heard the Gospel with new ears: The righteousness of God is a gift to be received, not a standard to be met. 

Paul writes, Now the righteousness of God has been revealed and continues to be revealed apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it. It is the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe ... or better yet, who trust in the promises of God (vv 21-22). 

This is the gift of the Divine Service. And by Divine Service, I don’t mean simply our unique Sunday service. The Divine Service is how and where and when God gives us faith, nurtures our faith, strengthens our faith, feeds our faith, washes us with his Word, announces the Gospel ... and gives us Jesus. The Divine Service takes us to the cross and the empty tomb and calls us into the marriage feast of the Lamb in his kingdom. The Divine Service is how and where and when God fulfills his promises ... most notably, the promise that he would send forth his only begotten Son into the flesh ... the Son who knew no sin ... the Son who is, in fact, Immanuel ... God with us ... Jesus ... the Christ ... who was anointed to carry our sin and sickness ... our weakness and iniquity ... to the cross where he died for us. The Divine Service is what Jesus did and does.

Whereas, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ... we have been justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forward as a propitiation ... or we could say an atoning sacrifice ... in his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness (vv 23-25). On account of Jesus, he passed over our sins. 

That is Divine Service. Your sin was punished and died with Jesus. Your sin was silenced and buried with Jesus. And then he was raised from the dead to our joy. 

And yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, he now is risen! ...

Why? Because God is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in these words. 

Scripture teaches that to justify is to declare righteous. And that’s what he’s done for us. God declares that we are forgiven, righteous, and holy in his sight. Saint Paul teaches that justification is only by grace, through faith, apart from any works of righteousness on man’s part (v 28). 

This is not a process through which God makes us holier. It is God’s declaration that the dead are alive, the condemned are not guilty, and the sinful are forgiven because of Jesus.

Now forgiven he has poured out his Holy Spirit upon us to call us all by the Gospel. He has and continues to enlighten us all with his gifts ... drawing us all back to the baptism ... sanctifying us just like he did today ... cleansing us by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing (Eph 5:26-27). Through his water and word, body and blood, He works the forgiveness of sins. He delivers us from death and the devil. And He gives eternal life to all who believe this ... young and old alike.   

Therefore, Paul concludes, where is the boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but through the law of faith (v 27).

Boasting sounds like this: At least I’m not like so and so. I’m a good person. I’ve been in church my whole life. But Paul says that’s all gone ... not because we have been humbled enough, but because there is no ledger left to boast from. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law (v 28). 

[Conclusion]

This is the truth the reformers fought to restore. It’s the Gospel recovered. 

The same verdict spoken over your babies is spoken over every one of you who is baptized. While we once looked at a newborn and called them innocent, the truth is better. They are not innocent, and neither are you. They are forgiven, and so are you ... saved by grace through faith. As Jesus said in our Gospel reading, if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed (Jn 8:36) ... in his name.

Popular posts from this blog

Who We Are and What We Will Be :: 1 John 3:1-3

By
[Prayer] Blessed Lord, you have caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by patience and comfort of your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  [Introduction] Today we observe the Feast of All Saints ... aka All Saints Day. The Church has set aside this day to remember with thanksgiving all the saints who have gone before us ... the saints who now rest from their labors and are with the Lord. Though we cannot see them, we know they are with us. As the preacher in the Book of Hebrews teaches us, we are surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses to the faith ... the great communion of saints ... the whole church on earth and in heaven during every Divine Service (Hb 12:1; Proper Preface).  But All Saints Day isn’t only for those who have died in the faith. We are also called to remember that we too have been sanc...
Read more

In the Name Above All Names :: Luke 11:14-28

By
In the name of Jesus ... The demon came out, the mute man spoke, and the crowd marveled (v 14). [Introduction] For the third time in three weeks, we have heard of a conflict between God and the devil. Two weeks ago, our Lord rebuked satan for his accusations against God himself. Last week, our Lord walked into a pagan wilderness to answer the prayer of a faithful woman whose daughter was being tormented by a demon. And now today, our Lord has given a faithful confession to a man who had been silenced by a demon. In all three cases, we learned that “The One” who is stronger than the unholy trinity of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh has arrived. Jesus has come and brings great blessings. Jesus has come to cleanse and set us free. Jesus has come to leave those of us who actively hear his Word and guard it ... holding it close ... blessed and in awe.  IN THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES, JESUS HAS COME TO GIVE US A FAITHFUL CONFESSION  1.  Now, before we get into this text...
Read more

Faithful Stewardship of God’s Gifts :: Luke 16:1-9

By
[Prayer] Almighty and Most Generous Lord, forgive us for our unrighteous use of Your gifts. Grant us repentance that we receive from You the True Wealth of Your Son, Jesus, who took our  unrighteousness to the cross and grave, and granted us everlasting life in Your heavenly dwelling. Sanctify us with Your Spirit, that we use your riches rightly and enable us to cling alone to the faithfulness of Your Son. In Jesus’ name. Amen. [Introduction] Our reading from Luke 16 ... the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward ... is widely considered the most difficult reading of the lectionary to understand. It’s riddled with problems of interpretation, not the least of which are, Is Jesus commending a man for being dishonest? And Where’s the Gospel?  So I will start today by telling you what this parable is not about. It is ... NOT ... encouraging you to be dishonest. It’s NOT about what WE NEED TO DO to pay off our debt to the Lord. And it’s NOT about what WE need to do to gain access to ou...
Read more

Sounds of the Passion: Weeping Tears :: John 11:35

By
[Introduction] Weeping. This is one of those sounds we never want to hear. When you hear the sound of weeping, you want it to stop. Though sometimes we weep tears of joy, mostly we weep because something’s wrong. Maybe we are confronted with death or the loss of a career. Maybe the loss of a relationship brings us to tears. But sooner or later, we all weep. Jesus wept (v 35). This two-word verse in the Bible eloquently and powerfully proclaims that we actually have a high priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses (Hb 4:15). Jesus is the Lord who rejoices with those who rejoice and he mourns with those who mourn (Rm 12:15).  He weeps because he is True Man. He weeps because he is True God. Our Lord saw the pain that sin and death causes ... and he wept. And like Joseph, our Lord weeps over those who reject his peace (Gen 50:17; Lk 19:41).  Can you hear how he loves you? 3. The first time we encounter Jesus weeping is at the death of Lazarus.  Lazarus was a cl...
Read more

We Are His Highest Priority :: John 6:1-15

By
When the men saw the sign that he did, they said: “This One is truly the Prophet, the One Coming into the world (v 14). [Introduction] Apart from the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, the feeding of the five thousand in the wilderness near the Sea of Galilee is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. That should tell you something about how important this great event is in the life of the church.  THROUGH THE FEEDING OF THE 5,000, OUR LORD TEACHES US THAT HIS HIGHEST PRIORITY IS OUR ETERNAL WELL-BEING Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Gospel of John not only specifically associates the feeding of the five thousand with Passover and that it happened on a mountain, the place where heaven and earth meet ... we learn that it is Jesus himself, Jesus alone, who sees a need among the people, fills that need himself personally, and doesn’t wait for his disciples to do it. His highest priority is our eternal well-being. After taking bread and giving thanks, in John’s Gospel, it is Je...
Read more

Sounds of the Passion: Sloshing Water :: John 13:1-15 (34-35)

By
[Out of sight, behind the pulpit, pour water into a bowl.]  [Introduction] Did you hear that? It’s the sound of water being poured from a pitcher into a bowl.  [Show the bowl, set it down, and pour more.] That was a common sound in the days before running water. It was common in every bedroom to have a pitcher and basin to wash in before beginning the new day. And the sound of sloshing water had a special significance in the Passion of our Lord. The sound signified a special cleaning ... By washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus made the disciples clean.  Jesus also gave us a washing. He washed us in Baptism. Through the washing of water and the Word of God, he made us clean. So tonight, therefore, listen ... WE HEAR THE SOUND OF SLOSHING WATER TO REMIND US OF OUR CLEANSING 1. To understand the importance of sloshing water, we need to remember the customs in Jesus’ day.  First, anything dealing with the feet was considered dirty and disgusting. Cleaning feet was fit ON...
Read more

The Truth Leads to Reformation :: John 8:(28-30) 31-36

By
Therefore, Jesus said, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM and (that) I do nothing from myself, but just as the Father taught me, these things I speak. And the One who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone because I always do those things pleasing to him.  As he was saying these things, many believed in him. Therefore, Jesus said toward the Jews (who believed and continued to believe in) him: If you remain in my Word, truly you are my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. They responded to him: We are the seed of Abraham and (we have never been, nor continue to be) enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be free’? Jesus answered them, Amen, Amen, I say to you: Everyone doing sin is a slave of sin. Now the slave does not remain in the house forever. The son remains forever. Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free (vv 28-36). [Introduction] Why do we celebrate the Reformation every...
Read more

He Has Provided Salvation on the Mountain :: Genesis 22:1-14

By
And Abraham called the name of that place, YHWH will provide (v 14).  [Introduction] Scripture was written to tell us about Jesus. As that sign on the wall in the back of the sanctuary says, It’s still all about Jesus! Every word of it. It’s all about how YHWH shows us our salvation. When Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible ... Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, he was writing about Jesus as the promised redeemer who fulfills the Law, who acts as the ultimate sacrifice and completes the story of salvation. It’s all there: His birth, his life, his death, his resurrection. Consider that Genesis 3 promises that the son who crushes sin, death, and the devil will come from the woman (v 15) and that God will cover our sin and shame (v 21). Genesis 37-50 describes his death and resurrection. It tells us that our redeemer will come from Judah, and that there is unconditional forgiveness. Exodus then highlights that God is always with us and that he sets us free...
Read more

Have in Mind the Humility of Christ :: Philippians 2:5-11

By
[Introduction] The Palm Sunday parade for our Lord Jesus is one of the more vibrant scenes in the Bible, and it gets people excited. Today we see and hear Jesus coming. And THAT’s exciting. Like the Greeks who went up for worship in our Gospel reading, we also long to see Jesus (Jn 12:21).  Now picture this: the streets of Jerusalem are packed with people, ten times more than normal, all for one of the most important celebrations of the year, Passover. Many of those people had heard about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 12:1). As Jesus entered the city, all but a handful of them began singing ... Hosanna to the Son of David ... that is, Save us, please, Jesus!  While Roman leaders typically entered Jerusalem from the north on war horses to display their pride and power, Jesus has come riding a donkey from the east in humility. By identifying Jesus as the Son of David, the people are acknowledging that he is in fact the Messiah ... the Prophet like Moses. And by paving...
Read more

Your Redemption Is Drawing Near :: Luke 21:25-36

By
Now when these things begin to happen, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. [Introduction] Once upon a time, Christmas didn’t begin until midnight Christmas Eve, and it lasted for a full twelve days. But the world has hijacked Christmas. Now Advent is largely ignored. Christmas ends the day after, gift-giving ends, and thoughts of self begin. And that’s too bad. Advent is a season that we need to pay attention to. Advent reminds us [our] redemption is drawing near.   Advent is a season that helps us prepare for the coming of Christ. He is drawing near. The word advent literally means coming. Christ is coming. The first coming of Christ was a couple thousand years ago ... at his birth in Bethlehem. The second coming of Christ will be on the clouds in power and great glory (v 27). As we will sing soon, Christ is near with his cheer; Never will he leave me (LSB 756:1).  The first Advent of our Lord was one of humility. On Christmas, God hu...
Read more