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Righteousness

Source of Righteousness

Caleb Combs · Sunday, 1 June 2025 · Romans 3:21-31 · 49:07 · 7,197 words

Romans S6 · 3:21-31 Holly

Listen to this message

Caleb preaches from Romans 3:20‑31, explaining three key ideas: justification (God’s instant declaration that a sinner is righteous through faith), propitiation (Jesus’ blood as the payment for sin), and righteousness (God’s perfect standard we cannot meet). He emphasizes that no one is justified by works, all have fallen short, and salvation is a free gift received by confessing need and trusting in Christ. The message calls listeners to abandon pride, rely on God’s grace, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform their lives.

What this sermon is about

Ranked by keyness against every other sermon in the corpus. Each one is a word this sermon actually said — nothing here was written by a model.

righteous 84 justify 38 standard 25 law 51 propitiation 13 become 24 idea 22 qualify 7 simply 14 replacement 4 bin 4 three 19

Topics

Righteousness 17 The Law 10 Faith 10 Atonement & Sacrifice 8 Justification 8 Sin 6 Grace 4 Prayer 2 Salvation 1 The Gospel 1 Sanctification 1

Scripture referenced 25

Verified against the transcript. A reference the recording does not support is never listed here.

Romans 3 4:13 Romans 3 4:13 Romans 3:20 4:20 Romans 3:31 4:20 Romans 3 5:00 Romans 3:20 5:00 Romans 3:20 8:44 Romans 3 10:44 Romans 3 14:05 John 3:16 15:38 Romans 3:23 17:19 Romans 3:20 18:35 Romans 3:20-21 19:10 Romans 5 25:32 Philippians 3:8 32:40 Ephesians 2 33:29 Genesis 15 33:37 Galatians 3 33:58 Romans 3 36:28 Romans 3:24-26 36:28 2 Corinthians 5 37:52 2 Corinthians 5:21 37:52 Romans 3 39:38 Romans 3 44:20 Romans 3 47:15

Transcript

Every word, as spoken, with the second it was said. Each word links to its own entry in the index.

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Good morning again. It's good to be here, good to gather with you.

If I don't know you, my name is Caleb. I am the location pastor here,

and just excited to gather with you this morning.

I was just chuckling as Ryan and I were able to talk about student ministries.

Over the last couple days, we took our staff up to our camp, New Life Camp up in Rose City,

spent a few days.

Just as a staff doing some different trainings and having a little fun and different things.

Ryan and I found ourselves telling all the dumb things we did in student ministry 15 years ago

and the things that you could do then you can't do now.

And so we're like, hey, we're going to tell you these things, but don't do these things.

And so it's classic do as I say, not as I do thing.

And so as we were standing here, I was just chuckling.

I'm like, well, that would be fun to tell, but I'm not going to tell.

And so I'm a locked vault, right?

And so some of you had children or students in our kids ministry or student ministry.

I'm sorry.

That's all I'm going to say.

All right.

That's good.

That's good.

Well, it's always great to open God's word with you.

I was able to last week, just sit with my wife and family, listen to this Roman series.

As we look at the words of the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit,

looking to see what and how God can shape, mold, convict, and guide us.

It's interesting.

I've had many conversations over just this, even six weeks that we began to talk about Romans.

And some of you are like, man, you're throwing some haymakers during this series.

And I'm like, no, that's Romans talking, right?

And so as the Holy Spirit convicts and guides and really kind of directs our lives,

it's easy to go, wow, those are heavy, heavy topics or wow, that's a, that's a big swing.

My older brother, Josh always says Romans is the deep end of doctrine.

It's no longer the milk as we dive in to the meat of God's word.

And so hopefully you're seeing that, understanding that, able to chew on that.

As we talk through as a church, as we study, as I introduced just six weeks ago, this series.

I want to encourage you.

There are some additional opportunities or ideas or ways that you can jump into this series.

I will always encourage you.

We have nine locations.

We have nine locations that post their messages.

Go listen to them.

You're like, wow, there'll be more ideas and thoughts and different looks at the passage.

You're driving to work.

Listen to it.

You're mowing the lawn.

Listen to an easy way for you to get deeper into this Romans series on our app.

There's a way you can download our app and follow daily devotions.

They'll look at what we're preaching and a weekly study guide.

We don't do that just to say, hey, we've got a book.

No, no, no.

We want.

We want to help equip as we, and I say that we study as the Bible says to show ourselves

approved workmen for Christ.

As we grow in knowledge and understanding and me as a pastor, I want to equip you for

the work of, of the ministry.

And what does that look like to grow in your understanding of God's word and your passion

and love for him?

That's my goal.

As we study this series or this book on Romans.

If you have a Bible.

If you have a Bible, a device, something to follow along, we're going to be in Romans

chapter three, this morning, Romans chapter three, we're going to look at 11 verses, starting

in verse 20, looking and finishing the chapter in verse 31.

As you flip there, we are continuing and really see a, I would say a transition in Paul's

And we'll look at that, what that actually means in just a few minutes, but Paul is continuing

to make a case, not just for case for Christ, but a case for the gospel, a gospel for not

just the Jews, but for the Gentiles.

And then the standard of how we have been called to live, what and how it should permeate

our lives and transform us.

And so.

We're going to look at verse 20 this morning of chapter 3.

For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight,

since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,

although the law and the prophets bear witness to it.

The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction.

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

And we are justified by his grace as a gift through redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith.

This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance,

he had passed over former sins.

It was to show his righteousness at the present time.

So that he might be just and the justifier of ones who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of our boasting?

Is it excluded?

But what kind of law?

By the law of works?

No, but the law of faith.

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Or is it the God of Jews only?

Is he not the God of the Gentiles also?

Yes, of Gentiles also.

Since God is one who will justify the circumcised by faith

and the uncircumcised through faith.

Do we then overthrow the law by this faith?

By no means.

On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Let's pray and we'll jump into that passage this morning.

God, we love you.

We praise you.

We honor you.

We glorify you.

You are worthy of our praise.

God, this morning as we open your word,

as we study it,

God, help guide my words.

Convict, lead, transform us.

God, we just seek to know you more.

We seek to give you more of ourselves.

God, surrendering our pride,

surrendering our preconceived notions,

surrendering what we want

and desiring what you want, God.

God, this morning I just ask that you continue to work.

God, we are just amazed.

Of who you are, God.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for loving us.

Thank you for giving us mercy.

Thank you for your grace.

Thank you for the cross.

God, we are eternally grateful.

We praise you.

We love you.

In Jesus' wonderful name, amen.

That passage was a lot as I read through it.

I read through it a bunch this week just studying it.

I go, man, there's a ton to it.

And so this morning before I preach,

and you're like, aren't you preaching right now?

Yes, I am.

But before we really get into the nitty gritty

of this passage,

I want to look at three terms

and teach for just a few minutes.

Looking at these three terms

because understanding these three terms

is, I would say, super important

for us to understand

what Paul is ultimately teaching or preaching

or communicating in this passage.

And the first term I want to talk through

is this idea of being justified.

Or he uses the word in verse 20 of,

being justified.

The definition is really God's gracious act

of declaring a person righteous,

free from guilt and condemnation.

Justified was used as a legal term.

There is no more debt.

You are free.

You are viewed as you have just

if you have never sinned.

That's what happens when you become righteous.

And we'll look through this idea of righteousness

or righteous in a few minutes.

this is really well articulated.

to justify is to declare righteous.

Justification is an act of God

where he pronounces a sinner to be righteous

because of that sinner's faith in Christ.

According to one theologian,

the root idea in justification

is the declaration of God,

the righteous judge,

that the man who believes in Christ,

sinful though he may be,

he is righteous.

He is righteous.

righteous is viewed as being righteous because in Christ he

has come into a righteous relationship with God. It is at that moment of becoming righteous that

you are declared at salvation of being justified. The weight, the cost of sin is no more on you.

And we'll talk just in a few minutes of why and how and when that happens. But it's important

that we understand this idea of becoming justified. God views us just as if we had never sinned.

Not from something that we can do or accomplish or any works done. It simply comes through what

Jesus Christ did. And that's the good news of the gospel is Jesus Christ came, died on a cross,

rose again, and offers us a free gift. As Paul references, even in Romans chapter three, this

free gift of salvation. And we are at that moment of being transformed or receiving Christ,

viewed as justified. Justification has to do with God's justification or God's declaration

for us as a sinner, the change you are a sinner no more. So we, some of us will view this

justification as a process. Well, it's you're, you're becoming justified. No, no, no. You're

missing the point of this idea. Justification is in a moment, that moment of salvation,

becoming a child of God happens. And at that moment, post justification, sanctification begins.

That is the process or the purifying of us as believers. What does that look like? Simply means

I am justified. I'm saved and I become transformed in that process of becoming to look more like

Christ in my daily walk, in the way I talk, in the way I communicate, in my thoughts, in my

interactions. Those begin to change what I found important before those priorities begin to change.

Why? Because my heart and my mind and my soul, things begin to look more like Christ. That's

post justification. That's the sanctification process of simply becoming more holy,

not being better than we are prideful. It's becoming, you know what I'm pursuing to look

more like Jesus because I love him so much. I want to represent.

Being holy because he is holy. And in that sanctification process, you arrive at glorification.

See, I believe the Bible teaches we will not be glorified until we reach the pearly gates of

heaven. And God looks at us and says, well done, that good and faithful servant. And at that moment,

you receive your glorified body, a perfect body, if you will. See, we are justified, declared

righteous at the moment of salvation. Jesus Christ finished the work,

required for our justification on the cross. Since we now have been justified by his blood,

Romans five says, how much more should we save by the wrath through him? He was then raised to life

for our justification. Romans four, and I'm stepping on scripture that I'm going to preach

in a couple of weeks, but it's important that we see this, this idea or this word or understanding

of becoming justified. So that's the first term. The second one is a bigger term is propitiation.

All right. You're like, wow, that's a, that's a mouthful. I understand that. Okay. Simply put,

it's the act of appeasement or payment of debt. All right. It's the act of appeasement where in

Romans chapter three, Jesus became the propitiation for our sins. Can I simply, he became the payment

for our sins. He stepped in and took the wrath of God that you and I deserved. And you're like, why

do we deserve that? Why do we deserve that? Why do we deserve that? Why do we deserve that?

Simply because of our sin, our sin caused our, our, our need or our, our, I guess our,

our cost of death, if you will, as Romans six 23 says for the cost or the wages of sin is death,

but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ or Lord.

And so the propitiation is Jesus is that sacrifice or that payment. He became that his,

he paid a debt. He did not owe. And what is that? That great hymn. I owed a debt. I, I could not,

pay and that's simply

this idea of propitiation. He became that. Some of your translations may say ransom. Another one may

say he became the atonement, which simply becomes he was that perfect lamb that was slain, that his

blood was shed for you and I. That's that simple idea of propitiation. You see, there was a wrath

that had been deserved because of our sin. Yet God, through his great love and his great mercy,

sent Jesus Christ to become that replacement, if you will, for you and I. What a great act of love.

That's John 3, 16. For God so loved the world, he gave his only son. That is the idea of propitiation.

And so justify propitiation. And the last one is really where we're going to land most of the rest

of the morning. But this idea of righteousness or to become righteous. So the definition is acting

in accordance with divine

or moral law. I read this. This is good. The Bible standard of human righteousness

is God's own perfect perfection and every attribute, every attitude, every behavior,

and every word. Thus God's laws as given in the Bible, both describe his own character

and constitute the plumb line by which he measures human righteousness. I used an

illustration a few weeks ago of this idea of going to Cedar Point. They had a standard to go on to the

side. And that's this idea of righteousness. God is the standard of righteousness. And simply put,

he has committed no sin. He's perfect. He is the ultimate standard. And many of us will look and go,

well, you know what? I'm 75% righteousness or I'm 50% righteous. Well, I can say to you,

every one of us is 0% righteous and God is 100% righteous. All right? There's not a standard like

I'm a better sinner than you. Well, the truth of the matter is every one of us is lost,

broken, and in need of that perfect righteousness. I read this week, it was so good. Jesus is the

only human being to ever walk this earth that deserved heaven. Why? Because he was perfect.

He qualified for heaven. He committed no sin. And each and every one of us, as Romans 3, 23 says,

for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We've fallen short of that standard,

that perfect standard of righteousness. So we have no ability to achieve righteousness.

We have no ability to achieve righteousness in ourselves. It's important that we look through

that. And so in this passage that we read this morning, we saw those three terms. But as we look

at this becoming righteous, we'll look at three things just for the next few minutes of how we

become righteous. And you're saying, are there three different ways? No, they all encapsulate

one way, which Jesus describes. I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father

but by me. But there's three ideas that Paul uses as a way to become righteous. And he says,

a argument, if you will. He says, one, we are made righteous apart from the law. We're made

righteous apart from the rules and the regulations. Or if you want to define it, we're made righteous

not by our own works. Romans chapter 3, verse 20 says, for by the works of the law,

no human being will be justified. Another term, for the works of the law,

no human being will be saved. All right? Since to the law comes knowledge of the sin.

Now the righteousness of God has been manifested or been made known apart from the law. Although

the law and the prophets bear witness to this. This is a big transitory point in Romans, the

whole book, the whole letter, the whole argument. But even in Romans chapter 3, verse 20 and 21,

begin to paint a picture. It says, hey, you know what? We're seeing the depravity of humanity.

We're seeing the brokenness of what sin has done,

but God in his great mercy, God in his great love. But now I want to share the great news

of the gospel, the saving hope, the power of what Jesus has done, not what you can do.

And that's so important. Not what we can qualify for, not what we can accomplish,

but what Jesus accomplished on the cross. It is so important that we look through that.

As I was studying and looking at this passage, this idea,

of many of us

needing help. How many of you say, you know what? I am quick to ask for help. Anybody say I'm quick

to ask for help? You can participate this morning. It's legal, all right? Anybody say I'm quick to

ask for help? Like three of you. The rest of you, we're going to pray for this morning, all right?

How many say you're bad at asking for help? Okay. All right. All right. That's good. All right.

I'm judging. No, I'm just kidding. All right. I'm just kidding. It's interesting how we as human

beings are bad at asking for help. And I was thinking through this idea or this thought

process of us asking for help in all facets of life, whether that's our workplace and our home

and relationships or in conversations or just in every area of our life. Many of us are hard-headed

and we'll just try to figure it out on our own. Amen. Got lots of amens there, right? Lots of

nods. That was real. That was real. That was real.

What Paul is saying in this passage is so important is, yeah, you may think you don't need

help. You may think that you can do this on your own. You may think that you can accomplish this

idea of justification, but don't even try. Don't even pretend. Let's not even start off on the

right. I mean, let's start on the right foot of making sure we have to build this base premise

as idea. You can't do it. You must ask.

Ask for help. And it's important as we read through, and I almost used that illustration

before I read the Romans three, but I thought it was important that we build a baseline of those

topics of the idea of justification, propitiation, and righteousness, because those three don't

happen without Jesus. Okay? Those three don't happen with my own works. Those three don't

happen if I give money. Those three don't happen if I do this or that and that and that. Those

three are absolute.

And so, Paul is saying, righteousness has been known to all, even the prophets. Who's he speaking?

All the Old Testament, 39 books. Jesus is in each one. I just was going to do an exercise today,

but I'm not going to do it just for the sake of time, but you can walk through Genesis, Exodus,

Leviticus, Numbers, and I won't recite all of them, but all 39, every single one, the, the, the, the,

the foretelling of Jesus is there. The Messiah, where we see his very handprints, and they all

speak, the prophets, the law even. So what happens is, we have made the law separate than Jesus.

We said, okay, the law is now separate than Jesus. Well, the truth of the matter is, the law is the

measuring stick, as I used just a few minutes ago. It's the measuring stick for righteousness.

It's the standard. It was set as, as was given to Moses in Exodus. And the law was this standard.

And the truth of the matter is, no one can keep that standard other than Jesus. Every single one

of us, as the New Testament says, if you've committed or broken one part of the law, you've

broken all points of the law. So we must understand, this standard has been set of righteousness.

And so Jesus has, if you will, accomplished,

this righteousness, but yet you and I have not. See, righteousness of God is revealed through the

law, okay? Here's a standard. He accomplished it. We did not. And that doesn't mean like, oh my gosh,

God doesn't love you. No, no, no. I said that very clearly, but you have to see yourself clearly.

I read a quote by Joel Osteen this week that I'm like, man, he's not read Romans clearly then.

Like what? Yeah. You know what? Everything's all good. God loves you just the way you are.

You don't have to change. I'm like, well, no, no. What are we thinking? Read Romans. It's very clear.

No, no, no. We can't achieve that righteousness without what Jesus Christ has done. And this is

so important for us to understand. See, from a human perspective, Jesus

achieved this eternal life. And so when Jesus came, he wasn't throwing out the law.

It just revealed our need for Jesus even more.

Jesus came and said, hey, you know what?

The standard here, I accomplished it.

Now you need me.

That's why as Jesus is on the cross, what did he say?

It is finished.

It is finished.

See, the law and the prophets speak of it.

See, Jesus didn't come to abolish it or throw it away.

He came to fulfill it.

Matthew chapter five or 17.

Do not think that I've come to abolish the law or the prophets.

I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill it.

We need both the law and Jesus.

You're like, really?

That is super weird to say in 2025.

No, it's important.

The law pointed to our need for Jesus.

It's all part of the story.

You can't separate them.

This last week, my wife and I fulfilled our need to go into a bin store.

Have you been to these stores, by the way?

These bin stores, basically Amazon returns, all right?

And now they're popping up everywhere.

And man, for a guy that,

loves garage sales and Salvation Army's,

I'm in trouble in these bin stores, all right?

I don't know if you've been to there,

but hopefully I'm not creating an addiction for anyone in the room, all right?

But it is great.

And so they have bins, like Saturday, they're $12.

The next day they go down to 10.

And the last day they're like a buck.

And so you're digging through stuff that you really don't need in your house, all right?

By the way, all right?

Every one of us has all that dollar stuff.

And yet I still go for some reason.

So my wife and I last week went to this bin store.

And we were like,

we were digging through these bins and it was $12 a day.

And so you got to find something really special for 12 bucks.

And so I see this box.

It's an off-brand Roomba, all right?

I'm like, I have always wanted one of these things, all right?

And I don't know why I did, but I mean, I want one of these suckers.

And I'm like, this would be great.

And so I show my wife, it's like 12 bucks.

Look it up on Amazon, it's like 150 bucks.

This is fantastic, $12, great deal.

And so I bought it.

I buy this and I take it home, spend 12 bucks.

And Siri goes, you're not going to open it to see what's inside?

I said, no, it'll be fine.

It's clearly says on the box, never used before.

Well, I made a huge mistake, all right?

I get it home, the Roomba's in there, but it's missing the charge port.

And so I get it home.

And so the Roomba by itself is worthless.

And so I had to spend another 18 bucks on eBay to get a charger.

So I'm 30 bucks committed.

I'll give you the update of the story when the charger comes this week, all right?

I had to buy something else probably, pot committed.

And so I share that funny illustration to realize that's what happens.

The law is that standard separated from Christ.

It can bring no righteousness, right?

Once you add Jesus into it, it goes, hey, here's the standard.

And here's Jesus put together.

That's why Jesus said, I've come to fulfill it.

I didn't come to get rid of it.

The law only pointed to needing both.

And that's in our lives.

See the law.

The standard has been set.

It just points to our need for Jesus.

Don't try to separate them both.

And so as we look and see, we are made righteous apart from the law.

See, you can't work your way there.

And that leads to the next set of verses in verse 22 and verse 23.

We are made righteous by faith.

We're made righteous by faith.

Romans three verses 22 and 23 for the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all

who believe for there is no distinction later in this chapter.

He describes Jews and Gentiles, circumcised and uncircumcised.

But here again, he says, there's no distinction.

There's not two different paths.

There's not two different standards.

There's not a, hey, the Jews get saved this way.

The Gentiles get saved this way.

No, no, there's no distinction.

Very clear.

The standard is clear.

Righteous, unrighteous, a hundred percent, zero percent.

And then he continues in verse 23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Paul is saying here, no one can be made righteous.

Through works or obligations that the law puts on.

You go, okay, so how many laws is there?

I can, I can accomplish them.

Let's just start with the 10 commandments, right?

And Jesus doubles down even in the, in the sermon.

of the mountain he says hey if you look on a woman you've already committed adultery or if you as

ryan actually talked about last week this idea of of hating on someone you know i i man i hate that

person guess so you've already murdered them in your heart coveting man you can't have social

media without coveting i'm just kidding by the way that's i'm not joking i didn't i didn't lump

everyone but the reality is that's what happens we live in a commercialized world you're like man i

i want that i need like what we've done is that's just 10 you're not talking about the hundreds of

laws and the truth of the matter is those laws don't make us righteous anyways

jesus does not and so the reason the reason that all of us must come to jesus through faith

is in verse 23 all of us have broken the law every single one of us like man caleb that's

pretty harsh to say no no that's a loving thing to say every single one and that's okay remember

i said all of us need everyone just needs help every one of us is broken i commonly say this

all of us need help every one of us needs help every one of us needs help every one of us needs

it's okay to come to that conclusion i've missed the mark i'm a sinner but don't just stay there

come to going god i need your help i need you and faith which is the absence of of things not seen

as hebrews says i can't see it but i i have faith and i trust in you and i trust in you and i trust you

who you are and what you say see righteousness only comes through faith if it came through works

again it comes on us and what we just say every one of us is sinners every one of us is lost

every one of us is broken every one of us is mixed up and so if we have it put on us we're in trouble

it's okay to say we we've got mixed up we're like man i've got to be a christian i've got it all

together no actually it's the opposite i'm a christian and i don't have it all together yet

god loves me and it's great grace and his mercy and that's okay that's not a freedom to go hey go

to live however you want don't don't abuse the very grace of god but it's okay to come to that

conclusion i need help i trust who you are see philippians chapter 3 verse 8 indeed i count

everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord

for his sake i have suffered the loss all things and count them as a loss because of the surpassing worth of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord

for his sake i have suffered the loss all things and count them as a loss because of the surpassing worth of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord

for his sake i have suffered the loss all things and count them as a loss because of the surpassing worth of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord

and count them as rubbish in order that i may gain christ and be found in him not having a

righteousness of my own that comes from the law but that which comes through faith in christ the

righteousness from god that depends that's so it's it's all weighted there if you replace that

the righteousness of god that depends on my own works we're in trouble but yet it's god i trust

you believe in you it's ephesians 2 8 9 for by grace you've been saved

through faith not of yourself so that none of us can boast genesis chapter 15 abraham his righteousness

was counted him by what faith all the back in genesis it was faith all echoes the same

sentiment in galatians chapter 3 for all who rely on works of the law are under a curse for it is

written curse be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do

them this is a reference to the prophets here it is now it is evident that no one is justified before

god by the law for the righteous shall live by faith but the law is not of faith rather the one

who does them shall live by them christ redeemed us here it is from the curse of the law by becoming

a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone who hanged on a tree so that in christ

jesus the blessing of abraham might come to the gentiles so that may that we might receive the

promised spirit through the law and through the law and through the law and through the law and

what's it say faith and yet we've gotten mixed up religion has gotten mixed up well i can earn my

way there my works

You know what the Bible describes our works as?

And that's not demeaning and saying,

oh, they're worth, no, no, no, no.

They're worthless when it comes to righteousness

or qualifying for righteousness, if you will.

You had to live as a sanctified person.

Those works should come into play, all right?

This is not, again, a freedom to go live however you want

and go, man, I've been justified.

I can act like a jerk to everybody.

That's not what it is, all right?

No, that's not what it's saying.

It's saying this, if you are thinking your works

are qualifying you for heaven, you are mixed up.

You can't get there.

You can't work your way there.

You can't say prayers to a priest to get yourself there.

You can't give to get your way there.

It is simply by faith in what Jesus Christ

has done for us on the cross.

It's very clear.

We're made righteous by faith or trusting in him.

His works, not my works.

The last one.

Is we are made righteous.

Here it is.

I know I've probably said this already.

We are made righteous by the work of Jesus Christ.

We are made righteous by the work of Jesus Christ.

Romans 3, we'll look at verses 24 through 26.

Here it is.

And we are justified by his grace as a gift

to the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

whom God put forward.

Here it is.

As a propitiation by his blood or, you ready?

As a replacement for you and I by his blood.

To be received by faith.

This was to show God's righteousness.

There it is, the standard.

He was the only one.

He was the perfect sacrifice.

That perfect lamb.

As being 100% righteous, he took our cross.

Became his divine forbearance.

He had passed over former sins.

It was to show his righteousness at the present time

so that he might be just and the justifier of the one

who has faith in Jesus.

It is a free.

It is a free gift, not earned, not qualified for.

Because if our acts had to qualify it, we are in trouble.

Jesus said, hey, I will be your replacement.

I'll do the work.

Just have faith and trust in me.

That's simply put.

He was righteousness or he was righteous

so that I could be, so that you could be.

Second Corinthians chapter five, verse 21.

It's one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible

for our sake, it's so important.

I have a hard time saying it

without even tearing up a little bit

because I tend to replace myself.

For my sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin

so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.

Man, that's the heaviest verse that I could read today.

Jesus, the standard of righteousness, of perfection.

Said, hey, you know what?

You're a sinner.

You're lost, you're broken.

I will take your sin on the cross.

I will become that sin

so that you can be a sinner.

So that you could slide over and become righteous.

I'll take your place.

I will substitute myself for you.

I will shed my blood for you.

I will have my body beaten for you.

I will die for you.

That's the heaviest thing I can say

is because for many of us, we think,

oh my goodness, I'm righteous because of me.

No, you are not.

And I love you enough to say that.

It's overwhelming for us as Christians

when you read this passage

because we look and go,

Jesus and his great mercy and his great grace

will begin to define and understand mercy and grace

so much clearer

because wow, he became sin.

I don't want to be disrespectful.

And so know my heart here.

He became messed up for me.

See, I'm messed up.

I'm lost.

I'm a sinner.

Just like each and every one of us

as Romans 3 says.

And he became messed up, broken for you and I

because of the great grace.

And he brought us from,

a 0% standard to say,

hey, you know what?

You become righteous just like me.

Just have faith and trust.

What I've done.

It's for you.

See, the beauty of this, that justification is

when you are justified, God looks at you for eternity as righteous.

What does that mean?

You know what?

He doesn't see your sin.

He doesn't see your brokenness.

He doesn't see that we're lost.

He doesn't see that we're messed up.

He doesn't see us and say, you know what?

I love them because I see them through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Through that propitiation, through that replacement, through that atonement.

This means that we are made righteous in the sight of God.

We are accepted as righteous, treated as righteous.

We are given the inheritance of God on the account of what Jesus has done.

This chapter is, and really Romans is like, man, this is so weighty.

The chapter finishes with, again, a lean into ones that will see themselves as better

so that we can be prideful of our works.

No.

So we'll be prideful of what we think we can do.

No.

We just come to that realization.

Here it is.

You ready?

As I said earlier, God, I need you.

God, I need you.

God, I need you.

God, I need you.

God, I need you.

That's it.

And being okay as a place of, I'm in need.

Not feeling like, oh my goodness.

I think Ryan used this idea.

He says, hey, you know what?

God is lucky to have me on his team.

He said that last week.

I'm like, I just sat there and laughed.

I'm like, yeah.

I don't think we say that, but sometimes I think we think it.

Did good today.

God, you're lucky I'm on your team.

No.

It's the opposite.

God, you have justified me.

You are making me a new creation.

You are sanctifying me through what you have.

You have done.

You have paid my debt.

And I am forever indebted to you, God.

I just want to live for you.

I just wrote in my notes.

I wish I could show you.

I probably should.

That's what the law clearly shines a light on.

We are in need.

It's okay.

Like, man, I feel like you're heavy on us today.

No, no, no.

This is probably heavier on Caleb than anybody in this room.

Because I'm going, man, we can think.

We can do.

We can do all these things.

No, no, no.

I just need Jesus.

And then I watch him change.

And change and transform.

I'm thinking about that.

And through the perspective of my marriage.

Man, I just need Jesus.

I'm in need.

Comes to my workplace.

I just need Jesus.

Every facet, every area of my life.

I can list them over and over and over again.

Because what happens is we compartmentalize and go, you know what, God?

I'm good here.

My works are okay here.

When in reality, they're not.

These are standard.

God, if you will, gave up the standard so that we could become righteous.

Sitting here today to Caleb.

Man, that was a lot.

That was heavy.

I think that was heavy.

That was heavy for every single person that could hear it.

I don't say those words without realizing that.

But you're sitting here and going, Caleb, I don't know if I've ever been justified.

And I don't know if I've ever been made righteous.

How does that happen?

Well, it's simply with us realizing we're in a need.

As Romans 3 says, I am fallen short.

I've missed the mark.

If you come to that realization of understanding of I am lost.

I'm a sinner in need of a savior.

And what happens is.

For each and every one of us, we come to that place and that realization.

And Jesus says, hey, I've got a free gift for you.

Free gift is my son, Jesus.

He died on a cross.

He took your punishment.

He took my punishment.

He took our punishment.

Nailed on the cross, shed his blood.

That would be the payment.

Or again, that propitiation.

for you and I, the payment of the very wrath of God

that each and every one of us deserve.

It's not until we come to this says,

God, be my savior, be my Lord.

My hands are open.

My hands are up.

I'm no longer going, I've got this.

I'm okay with it.

Okay to say, God, I am in need.

I am desperately wicked, broken away from you.

And yet you love me so much.

You gave me a free gift of opportunity of salvation.

And God, I want to be justified

and viewed as if I have never sinned.

My past, my present, my future sins have been forgiven.

Be a child of God.

That can happen in your seat.

That can happen in this moment.

It's not a special prayer that will save you.

It simply comes to that heart change

of confessing out loud and going, God, I need you.

Confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart.

He's very true.

He was our standard by his works, not ours.

Let me pray for you.

God, we love you.

We adore you.

We glorify you.

God, thank you for this morning.

Thank you for this passage, God.

I pray I faithfully taught it.

Pray that your words,

through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

leading and guiding the Apostle Paul,

permeate our lives today.

God, if there's somebody sitting in this room

that doesn't know you, God,

may they in this moment believe in their heart,

have faith and trust in you.

Confess their sins.

God, there's many others that have already done this.

Yet we slide into,

the Apostle Paul talks about in Romans 3,

of being prideful or feeling like we've qualified

or earned our way there.

God, I don't want to demean any of us in this room,

but God, there's none of us that can get close

to the righteousness without you.

And we're okay with that, God.

Makes us worship you more, more authentically,

more desperately, more in a way that our understanding

of that free gift of grace and mercy,

that you took our place,

that you became the propitiation,

the payment for my sin.

God, I'll never be able to say thank you enough.

So God, we worship you this morning.

One, because you're good,

but two, because what you have done for us,

you took a debt, you became sin

so that we could become righteous, God.

I'll never understand why,

yet I lift my voice as desperately as I can to you, God.

We do that in unity as your church,

realizing our need for you.

We praise you, love you.

We glorify you.

you, God, you're worthy of our praise.

In Jesus' wonderful name.

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