The Epicenter of Paul's gospel

When I am asked to be a guest preacher at a church, I have a few favourite sermons that I like to do.

Sometimes it is Psalm 77 about remembering God’s faithfulness.

Sometimes it is about Colossians 2.13-13 about God’s victory in Christ.

Sometimes it is Mark 8.27-31 about costly discipleship.

But, more often than not, the text I go to for my one-off sermon is Rom 3.21-26. I choose this text because it is a dense and detailed explanation of Paul’s gospel.

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

The background is obviously what happens when God’s impartiality as cosmic judge of the world meets with God’s covenantal faithfulness to bring salvation to the world through Israel? How does God’s punitive justice comport with God’s saving justice? On what plane can God be both the judge of the wicked and the justifier of ungodly? That tension of course was not new since God in the biblical story is always portrayed as both judge and deliverer. Paul’s answer to this duality is given in Rom 3:21–4:25!

Here Paul begins to expound the gospel at theological depth by describing how God brings salvation to all who believe in Messiah Jesus. Sin, death, and condemnation are not the last word. God has a final word, his name is Jesus the Christ, and this word brings justification from condemnation, redemption from slavery, and reconciliation from hostility. In the end, human unrighteousness cannot indefinitely obstruct God’s righteousness. God’s intent to rectify, redeem, reconcile and restore will in the end triumph over the travails of the present evil age.

That’s a message worth carrying around with you from church to church.