Lawrence Taylor Ministry

Guest (Male): Hello and welcome to Teaching the Word with Dr. Lawrence Taylor. Each and every week, Dr. Taylor will be sharing a relevant message from the Scriptures designed to inform and instruct us in the ways of our God. Dr. Taylor has been the pastor of Kenilworth Baptist Church in the Midwood section of Brooklyn for the past 22 years. He brings a wealth of experience each broadcast, having been a New York City public schools teacher and a theology professor. Stay tuned to the end of the broadcast to find out how to stream today's message. Now, here's Dr. Taylor.

Dr. Lawrence Taylor: Welcome everyone to Teaching the Word with Dr. Lawrence Taylor. Today we will examine Romans chapter 3 verses 21 to 25. This is Paul's most detailed explanation of the Gospel. Most expositors title this section, that is chapter 3 verse 21 all the way to chapter 5 verse 21 as justification. Now, if you recall, we examine the word justification I'll spell that for you. d i k a i w o d k a o means to declare righteous, not to make righteous. This is a big issue. It was actually one of the issues that was at the center of the Reformation in the 16th century.

This declaration of righteousness is equivalent to an acquittal. In this section, that is chapter 3 verses 21 to 31 Paul uses the word justification in verses 24 26 28 and 30. This is obviously the theme of this section. While the word justification is not used in verses 21 to 22 the word righteousness is used. The word righteousness is in Greek I'll spell that. d i k a i o s u n e Like the word justification begins with d i k a i These words are closely related. They are part of what scholars refer to as the dikai family.

The root means righteousness in both words. Paul uses the word righteousness as a synonym for justification. Paul wrote in verses 21 to 22 quote but now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe for there is no distinction. The righteousness of God denotes justification. That righteousness that God confers on a person when he or she believe or she believes in Jesus as Savior. Therefore, Paul uses the word righteousness in verses 21 and 22 to denote justification.

This is an interesting turn of events because from chapter 1 verse 18 all the way to chapter 3 verse 20 Paul has been talking about the fact that the whole world stands condemned. But now he gives the solution. But first he tells us in verse 20 that the solution is not the law. No flesh shall be justified by the law. So what is the solution to this condemnation that the world faces? And the answer is the Gospel. How one gets right with God. We should notice that in verse 21 of chapter 3 Paul says that this system of how a person gets right with God was manifested.

Well being manifested in the Old Testament that implies that this is something that was hidden in the darkness but now is being brought to light. Paul does not say that justification by faith is a new revelation. In fact, he will show in chapter 4 that this mode of salvation was always the way in which God saved the sinner. This is precisely what he means at the end of verse 21 when he writes witnessed by the law and the prophets. The law and the prophets of course mean the Old Testament. In verse 22 Paul tells us how one gets justified.

The answer is through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not enough to say that I believe in God or I am very spiritual or I am a good person. Jesus must be the object of your faith. Many objections have been raised about this claim of exclusivity. Paul addresses these objections in verses 29 and 30, which we will look at next week. At the end of verse 22 Paul wrote for there is no distinction. What this implies is that there is no difference between Jew or Gentile. Both need the Gospel. And Paul explains why they need the Gospel in verse 23.

Quote, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Everyone needs the Gospel because everyone has sinned. How many sins, you may ask, does it take to fall short of the glory of God? The verb that's used here for sin is singular. Therefore, it implies all it takes is one. That's all. To fall short of the glory of God implies that everyone is deficient. There is a deficiency in human beings. No person can satisfy the holy standards of God's righteousness. You know, we have a tendency to compare ourselves with one another especially with other sinners because we think we look better than they do.

We even criticize or condemn their actions. However, in the sight of God all stand condemned regardless of the varying degrees of sin. Some people sin more than others. Some people's sins are considered more heinous than others. This is just the fact. But in the end, it makes no difference whether you sin a little or a whole lot. You stand condemned before God. If two men attempted to jump over the Grand Canyon one weighing 170 lbs and the other 300 lbs which one will jump the furthest? Well, it's quite obvious that the 170 lb man would jump the furthest, all being equal.

But in the end, it doesn't make any difference because no one can jump over the Grand Canyon. So while some people may look better than others when it comes to sin we all fall short. A preacher once explained to me why he did not allow the homeless to attend his services in his church. He said that the Bible says that cleanliness is next to godliness. Now I know you all know enough Scripture to know that that is not found in the Bible. However, I responded to the preacher well, you really don't mind sinners coming to your church.

You just want clean sinners. See, you don't care whether a sinner is really sinful. It's just that he has to smell nice and look nice. However, in the sight of God all sins are filthy. That is why we need to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Paul says in verse 24 being justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. Now, I want you to know that in the Greek he begins that sentence with a participle. The participle being justified is really adverbial and means since we are being justified by faith we have absolutely no grounds for boasting.

That's the idea. The King James translates it being justified freely. And the New American Standard reads being justified as a gift. Well, the question is whether it should be translated freely or as a gift. Well, that really doesn't make much of a difference. See, the word freely is an adverb and is used, for instance, in John 15 25. New Testament scholars tell us that John 15 beginning at verse 18 all the way to chapter 16 verse 33 is a special section called hatred of the world. This section deals with the persecution that Jesus followers are going to experience because they belong to him.

In verse 19 Jesus said in John 15 quote if you are of the world the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Jesus tells his followers that the world detests them because they are not of the world. The disciples' affiliation with Jesus guaranteed that the world will persecute them. He tells them that they should expect the same treatment that he received from the world. So in John 15 24 to 25 it reads if I had not done among them the works which no one else did they would not have sinned.

But now they have both seen and hated me and my father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their law. They hated me without a cause. That expression without a cause is one word. That is the word that is translated in our text in Romans 3:24 as freely or as a gift. This adverb means for no reason at all. Jesus said the world had absolutely no reason to hate him. The sense of no reason is also implied in Romans 3:24. Why did God justify us? Well, here's the point.

We gave him no reason at all. To the contrary, we should have incurred the wrath of a righteous God. You and I were totally unworthy of this gracious thing God did for us. Whether you're a big sinner or a little sinner, it makes no difference. He justified us on one ground, and one ground only faith in Jesus Christ. Notice in verse 24 it says by his grace. You know what grace is? Grace is giving you what you don't deserve. And that is what salvation is. We don't earn it. We can't work for it. It is just a gracious thing that God has done for us.

The next word that is of utmost importance in verse 24 is the word redemption. The word implies to pay a ransom in order to set free. In 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 and 19 it reads knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers. But with the precious blood as of the lamb blameless and spotless, the blood of Christ. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 19 to 20 it reads or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you from God and that you are not your own?

For you have been bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. Note that redemption implies a price that was paid in order to ransom. However the Greek word that's used here for redemption and I'll spell that for you a p o l u t r o s i s means deliverance. So for instance, in the Greek Old Testament called the Septuagint in Exodus chapter 6 verse 6 it reads I will deliver you from bondage. I will redeem you. There's our word the verb form is used there. And there the verb denotes the promise of deliverance of the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage.

The same idea is expressed in the Greek Old Testament in Exodus 15:13 Isaiah 43 verse 1 Isaiah 44 verse 22 Hosea 13 verse 14 and many other passages. Now, we should note the notion of ransom is not found in these verses but liberation is clearly expressed. So the idea of redemption carries two notions. One, ransom, a price to be paid. Two, deliverance. Well, you may ask what price was paid? According to Romans chapter 3 verse 25 and 1 Peter 1:18 through 19 the price is the blood of Jesus. Just as the Paschal lamb blood was spilled for the Passover so was the blood of Jesus.

John the Baptist said in John chapter 1 verse 28 behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In Romans 3:25 in the New American Standard it reads whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in his blood through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins previously committed. End of quote. So there you see the notion of blood that is the blood of Jesus. Now, I want to say something and I want to be emphatic about this. It is not just the death of Jesus.

Unfortunately, we had some Bibles that translated it that way but it is the blood. It is the blood of Jesus. But I also want you to take note of what the New American Standard says displayed publicly. It's translated differently in the King James. It does not say displayed publicly but it says set forth whom God set forth. Well those are two different ideas but I believe that both those ideas are correct. In the Gospel of John chapter 18 the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, brought Jesus to the governor Pontius Pilate. The governor told the Jewish council to take Jesus back to the Sanhedrin and judge him yourselves.

Note John 18:31 it reads so Pilate said to them take him yourselves and judge him according to your law. End of quote. Now here's the response that the Jewish people give to Pilate. In that same verse the Jews said to him we are not permitted to put anyone to death to fulfill the word of Jesus which he spoke signifying by what kind of death he was about to die. Well, if the Sanhedrin had the prerogative of executing capital punishment Jesus would have been stoned to death because he was accused of blasphemy and the penalty for blasphemy in the Torah was to be stoned as you can see in Leviticus 24 verses 10 through 23.

However, John tells us in John 18:31 to 32 that Jesus was destined to die on a cross. The words displayed publicly imply that God the Father wanted Jesus to die a public death. That is just what crucifixion was, a public death. The criminal was taken out of the city forced to carry his cross, his instrument of death nailed to a cross suspended between heaven and earth put on public display for all the world to see his shame. He was put on public display to be mocked and ridiculed. He was put on public display to be shamed and pitied.

He was put on public display for people to conclude that he was on that cross because he was a criminal who had violated the public trust or even worse had been cursed by God. However, this public display was God's announcement on how he deals with sin. The world did not understand that but that was God's intention. He wanted the world to see how he deals with sin. God told Aaron, the brother of Moses, the high priest that Aaron could only meet with God once a year in the Holy of Holies. He says there will I meet with thee.

However, he told Moses that Moses could meet with him at any time. You know what God is telling the sinner today? He says to the sinner you can meet me at any time at the cross. There will I meet with thee. Weary sinner laden with care Jesus says meet me at the cross for there will I meet with thee. Beat down with the burden of sin Jesus says to the sinner meet me at the cross there will I meet with thee. Confused and perplexed, drained of all inner strength Jesus says come meet me at the cross there will I meet with thee.

Cast down, depleted of inner strength Jesus says meet me at the cross there will I meet with thee. See, the blood has been shed and redemption has been procured. So Jesus says meet me at the cross. Unfathomable grace awaits you coupled with inexhaustible love. Jesus says meet me at the cross there will I meet with thee. Fretful and anxious of the future because of the rapid changing tides of life Jesus says meet me at the cross. I remember a number of years ago when I was teaching at Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan in New York City at New York School of the Bible I was on the fifth floor in the Salisbury Hotel.

And this woman who was not part of my class came into the class and she just took a seat in the back. And after the class she came up to me and she said I want to introduce myself to you. And she said I want to tell you something. I don't know anything about this place. I don't know anything about you or this class. I was just walking down the street because I left my child at home. And I decided tonight because my husband left me and I lost my job and I had nothing that I was going to take my life.

And I was I was passing down this block. There was something that told me to go into this hotel to go up to the fifth floor where you where you're teaching now and to go into that classroom. And that's exactly what I did. And so I sat there not knowing what was going on who you were what you were teaching what this was all about. And she said I heard for the first time that God loves me and that he wants me for his own. And I want you to know that that God that you were talking about I want him as my Savior.

And she gave her life to Jesus in that room that night. Jesus says come to me and meet me at the cross. Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to today's program. This broadcast is an extension of the ministry of Dr. Lawrence Taylor and the Kenilworth Baptist Church. To stream today's message, please go to lawrencetaylorministry.com and click on lawrencetaylorministry.com/message. Please join us again next week at the same time for Teaching the Word with Dr. Lawrence Taylor.