Sermon or Lesson:  Romans 3:21 (NIV based)
[Lesson Questions included]

TITLE:  God Has Revealed The Righteousness We Need

INTRO:  Can you remember ever having experienced a moment when an announcement came that an excellent solution has been found that completely solves a long-standing nagging serious problem you have been struggling with?  Did that moment create in you a welcomed sense of relief, hope, excitement, and eagerness, along with an immediate pressing desire to learn more and acquire the solution for yourself?
     In our verse of study today, we are going to see that God has made an announcement of a perfect solution that completely solves a serious spiritual problem we all face.  This announcement should be welcomed and exciting good news for you.
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TRANSITION:
- - Previously, we studied in Romans chapter 3 in verses 9c-18 the predicament we all face of automatically being rejected by God and unable by our own actions or means to make ourselves qualified to meet God's perfect righteousness requirements for being accepted by Him.
- - We also examined in verses 19-20 the reality that the Old Testament Law does not provide a means by which to achieve the perfect righteousness we need in order to remedy our rejected condition and predicament.
- - To the contrary, the Old Testament Law actually makes our predicament worse, making us conscious of and convicting us of every sin we ever commit in our entire life.
- - But now in verse 21, God wants to make us aware that He has provided a way for us to be rescued from our rejected predicament.
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READ:  Romans 3:21, with v.20 for context

[Lesson Question:  What are some main characteristics that are implied by the phrase, "But now a righteousness from God... has been made known"?]

SECTION POINT:  God has now revealed a righteousness for us humans that is acceptable to Him because it comes from Him.

"But now a righteousness from God... has been made known"
- - In verse 21 is being introduced a righteousness that is acceptable to God.
- - This righteousness has God as its source, it is of Him.
- - This righteousness does not come from us humans - i.e. this righteousness has a divine nature and not a humanistic nature.
- - Therefore, this righteousness is pure and perfect in every way, which is a quality that we humans desperately need but cannot generate because of our total depravity and corruption due to sin.  (vv.10-12)
- - And by implication, this righteousness has the quality and capacity to be sufficient to fulfill or satisfy God's requirements for us humans to be righteous.
- - The word "but" here in verse 21 distinguishes that the perfect righteousness that God possesses and accepts is in stark contrast or opposite to the corrupted unacceptable righteousness that we humans futilely try to achieve by observing the law.  (v.20)
- - This perfect righteousness from God now "has been made known" - it "has been revealed, and rendered apparent".  (Strong's #5319)
- - The word "now" indicates that this righteousness from God previously had not been fully revealed nor fully disclosed for us humans to fully know and understand - but now it is knowable.
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[Lesson Question:  What does the phrase, "apart from law", encompass?]

SECTION POINT:  This righteousness from God does not come from the law or from keeping the law.

"apart from law"
- - The distinction is clearly made here that this righteousness from God does not come from the law, nor originate from the law, nor contained in the law, nor be extracted from the law, nor be somehow obtained from the law, nor be achieved through the law.
- - This righteousness is "apart from" or "separate from or without" the law.  (Strong's #5565)
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[Lesson Question:  Drawing from a basic familiarity of the Old Testament Law, analyze the ramifications of the principle that the law and the prophets testify to this righteousness from God now made known.]

SECTION POINT:  The law and the prophets do point to this righteousness from God, functioning as foundational preparation for the coming of this righteousness from God.

"to which the Law and the Prophets testify"
- - The law does not provide a means to acquire this righteousness from God but yet the law does "testify" and "bear witness" to this righteousness from God.  (Strong's #3140)
- - i.e. - The law, along with the prophets, point to this righteousness, give some indication of it, and distinguish our need for it.
- - The law, the prophets, and by extension the books of the prophets testify about this righteousness, give some description about it, give it credibility, and give us some advance preparatory notification.
- - The testifying of the law and the prophets suggests that they are compatible with this righteousness from God, even though they are apart and separate from this righteousness from God that now has been made known.
- - Also implied here is the dynamic that the law and the prophets form a theological doctrinal basis upon which rest the principles for the application of this righteousness.
- - From this doctrinal basis then, the law and the prophets fit together perfectly and work together perfectly with this righteousness from God.
- - Furthermore and by determination, this righteousness from God is the only righteousness that is acceptable to Him, that is prescribed by Him, that is authorized by Him, that is required by Him, and that has been promoted by Him through the law and the prophets.
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[Lesson Question:  What is one major way the law and the prophets testify about this righteousness from God?]

SECTION POINT:  Through its sacrifice system, the law along with the prophets repeatedly highlight our need for righteousness from God that can remedy and save us from our fatal predicament caused by our sinning.

- - One aspect the law and the prophets testify to is the reality that we humans cannot keep every single law and command contained in the Old Testament Law.
- - Despite our best efforts, over time and at times we break some of the laws and commands, which inflicts, increases, and heaps upon us lasting guilt of sins with corresponding deserving of eternal punishment.
- - Thereby, we have a continually and compounding need for forgiveness of our sins from God.
- - The law prescribes a way for us humans to regularly deal with our sins through the sacrifice system, but the sacrifice system in the law only covers-over our sins and does not get rid of sins nor cancel the resulting consequences of sins.  (Hebrews 10:1-4)
- - So the law continuously convicts us of our sins and its sacrifice system repeatedly reminds us that "it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins".  (Hebrews 10:4)
- - By functioning in this way, the law testifies or points to our need to acquire perfection or perfect righteousness that is from God, which He must supply to rescue us or save us from the eternal punishment for our sins that we deserve.
- - The law and the prophets point us to our need for a savior.
- - Because the savior we need must possess God's perfect righteousness that is applicable to multitudes of humans over the rest of eternity, the savior will need to be of a divine or deity nature.
- - In other words, the savior we need will have to be God Himself - unlimited by time and intrinsically possessing unlimited perfect righteousness that is adequate or sufficient to eternally satisfy God's requirements for all of the perhaps trillions of humans He gives that righteousness to.
- - The God-savior we need has now been made known, has been revealed.  Hallelujah (or yahoo)!
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BIG IDEA:  God has now revealed a righteousness for us corrupted humans that He accepts because it comes from Himself.

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APPLICATIONS:

- - Are you gaining interest in acquiring the needed perfect righteousness that comes from God?
- - Or, are you going to stick with trusting in some other means by which you think you will be accepted by God?
- - Do you think it is wise to trust in some other means to achieve acceptability by God, knowing that God rejects all efforts outside of the means He prescribes?

- - If you are interested in learning more about this righteousness from God, then there are two obvious crucial questions to consider next:
- - "What or who is this God-savior we need?", and
- - "What conditions and requirements does God put on us humans in regard to acquiring from this God-savior the perfect righteousness we need to be accepted by God?".

- - Come back again next time, when we will continue our study in Romans chapter 3 to learn more and to ascertain answers to these two crucial questions.
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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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Updated: August 18, 2016