19 Now we know that whatever the law says speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God's judgment. 20 For no flesh will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets 22 —that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 He presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law of faith. 28 For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law (HCSB).

Here we find the clearest explanation of the gospel in all of the Scripture. In seminary, I was required to memorize this passage of God’s Word through to the end of the chapter (along with many other passages). I immediately saw the wisdom of my professor’s choice in selecting Romans 3.

Too often, we as Christians are easily led away from the simplicity and purity of the gospel of grace into an unbiblical extreme. Some Christians may have a careless and low view of God’s holiness and righteous law and live as though it doesn’t matter how one lives. Or on the other hand, we over-shadow God’s grace by emphasizing God’s standards for righteousness and live in constant dread and shame because we fail to keep God’s law. Then there are those miserable souls who make everybody else miserable because they wrongly believe that they actually do keep God’s law, unlike everybody around them.

So we have those who err by emphasizing God’s grace to the neglect of His law, and those who emphasize God’s law to the neglect of His grace. The biblical balance is placing the proper emphasis on both God’s law and His grace. The apostle Paul understood and vigorously defended this balance.

In the opening chapters of the Epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul writes as God’s prosecutor with the entire human race on trial in the court room of Almighty God. In 1:18-2:16, Paul demonstrates the sinfulness and guilt of the Gentiles. In 2:17-3:8, Paul condemns the Jews. In 3:9-20, Paul brings the case against humanity to a head with a series of references to the Old Testament showing how sinful mankind is. The law stops every mouth and holds all the world guilty before God (3:19). The law cannot justify, only condemn (3:20).

But in 3:21 we find one of my favorite phrases in the Bible—“But now.” I love the “buts”of the Bible. Paul has just pushed us all below the line of despair up to 3:21 where he introduces the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. Here Paul declares that though we are all unrighteous in God’s sight due to our violation of the law of God, there is a rightouesness apart from the law which is available to those who exercise faith in Christ.

Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God against our sin (3:25), satisfying the righteousness of God so that God could show mercy and justify “the one who has faith in Jesus” (3:26). God has demonstrated infinite wisdom in the way He chose to save us. It is profoundly significant that God chose to save us by the death of His Son on the cross. God maintained His justice against our sin by punishing sin in Jesus. God can also show grace to us and declare us righteous becuase our sin has been taken out of the way.

What effect does this amazing reality have on the believer? For one, it excludes boasting (3:27). A proud Christian is as much an oxymoron as trying to imagine dry water. Left to ourselves, we are guilty sinners deserving of God’s eternal wrath. “But God…,” praise His name, God has intervened and redeemed us from our sin by the cross of Christ.

“We conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law” (3:28). In relating to God, we must be careful to avoid unbiblical thinking. We must avoid emphasizing God’s law to the exclusion of God’s grace and vice versa. When we embrace the gospel of grace we find ourselves responding to God out of pure love and devotion rather than legalistic pride, shame, or carefree indifference. God has removed every barrier to Himself in the gospel. Because of His grace, the child of God has His favor, acceptance, and right standing. The believer has been reconciled to God, adopted as His child, declared righteous, and purified from sin. Now all that remains for us to do is live like we believe it!