LESSON 4   
   *July 17 - 23   
   Justified by Faith   
      
   SABBATH AFTERNOON   
      
   Read for This Week's Study:   
      
      
   Rom.  3:19-28.   
      
   Memory Text:   
      
      
   "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of   
   the law" (Romans  3:28).   
    In this lesson we  come to the basic theme of Romans: justification by faith.   
   The phrase is a  figure based on law. The transgressor of the law comes before   
   a judge and is  condemned to death for his transgressions. But a substitute   
   appears and takes  the transgressor's crimes upon himself, thus clearing the   
   criminal, who--by  accepting the substitute--stands before the judge, not only   
   cleared of his  guilt but regarded as never having committed the crimes for   
   which he was  first brought into court. And that's because the substitute--who   
   has a perfect  record--offers the pardoned criminal his own perfect   
   law-keeping. Thus, the  guilty one stands before the judge as having never   
   transgressed.   
      
   No one is saying that the person was innocent. On the contrary, his guilt  is   
   presumed. The good news is that, despite the guilt, he is pardoned.   
      
   In the plan of salvation, each of us is the criminal. The substitute, Jesus,   
   has a perfect record, and He stands in the court in our stead, His    
   righteousness accepted in place of our unrighteousness. Hence, we are    
   justified before God, not because of our works but because of Jesus, whose   
   righteousness becomes ours when we accept it "by faith." Hence the term    
   "justification by faith." No matter our past, when we accept Jesus, we stand    
   before God in His righteousness, the only righteousness that can save us.   
      
   Talk about good news! In fact, the news can't get any better than that.    
   *Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 24.   
      
   SUNDAY   
   July 18   
      
   The Deeds of the Law   
      
   Read Romans 3:19, 20. What is Paul saying here about the law, about what it   
   does and what it does not or cannot do? Why is this point so important for all   
   Christians to understand?   
      
      
      
   Paul is using the term law in its broad sense as the Jew in his day understood   
   it. By the term Torah (the Hebrew word for "law"), a Jew even today thinks   
   particularly of God's instruction in the first five books of Moses but also   
   more generally in the entire Old Testament. The moral law, plus the   
   amplification of this in the statutes and judgments, as well as the ceremonial   
   precepts, was a part of this instruction. Because of this, we may think of the   
   law here as the system of Judaism.   
      
   To be under the law means to be under its jurisdiction. The law, however,   
   reveals a person's shortcomings and guilt before God. The law cannot remove   
   that guilt; what it can do is lead the sinner to seek a remedy for it.   
      
   As we apply the book of Romans in our day, when Jewish law is no longer a   
   factor, we think of law particularly in terms of the moral law. This law can't   
   save us any more than the system of Judaism could save the Jews. To save a   
   sinner is not the moral law's function. Its function is to reveal God's   
   character and to show people wherein they fall short of reflecting that   
   character.   
      
   Whatever law it is--moral, ceremonial, civil, or all combined--the keeping of   
   any or all in and of itself will not make a man just in God's sight. In fact,   
   the law never was intended to do that. On the contrary, the law was to point   
   out our shortcomings and lead us to Christ.   
      
   The law can no more save than can the symptoms of a disease cure the disease.   
   The symptoms don't cure; they point out the need for the cure. That's how the   
   law functions.   
   How successful have your efforts in law-keeping been?  What should that answer   
   tell you about the futility of trying to be saved by  keeping the law?    
   MONDAY   
   July 19   
      
   Faith and Righteousnes   
      
   "Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed   
   by the law and the prophets" (Rom. 3:21). How are we to understand what this   
   text means?    
      
      
   This new righteousness is contrasted with the righteousness of the law, which   
   was the righteousness with which the Jew was familiar. The new righteousness   
   is called "the righteousness of God"; that is, a righteousness that comes from   
   God, a righteousness that God provides, and the only one that He accepts as   
   true righteousness.   
      
   This is, of course, the righteousness that Jesus wrought out in His life while   
   here in human flesh, a righteousness that He offers to all who will accept it   
   by faith, who will claim it for themselves, not because they deserve it but   
   because they need it.   
      
   "Righteousnessis obedience to the law. The law demands righteousness, and this   
   the sinner owes to the law; but he is incapable of rendering it. The only way   
   in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can   
   bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His   
   Son to the sinner's account. Christ's righteousness is accepted in place of   
   man's failure, and God receives, pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing   
   soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as He loves His   
   Son."--Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 367. How can you learn to   
   accept this wonderful truth for yourself? (See also Rom. 3:22.)    
      
      
   The faith of Jesus Christ is here doubtless faith in Jesus Christ. As it   
   operates in the Christian life, faith is much more than intellectual assent;   
   it is more than just an acknowledgment of certain facts about Christ's life   
   and His death. Instead, true faith in Jesus Christ is accepting Him as Savior,   
   Substitute, Surety, and Lord. It is choosing His way of life. It is trusting   
   Him and seeking by faith to live according to His commandments.   
      
      
   TUESDAY   
   July 20   
      
   Grace and Justification   
      
   Keeping in mind what we have studied so far about the law and what the law   
   cannot do, read Romans 3:24. What is Paul saying here? What does it mean that   
   redemption is in Jesus?   
      
      
      
   What is this idea of "justifying," as found in the text? The Greek word   
   dikaioo, translated justify, may mean "make righteous," "declare righteous" or   
   "consider righteous." The word is built on the same root as dikaiosune,   
   "righteousness," and the word dikaioma, "righteous requirement." Hence, there   
   is a close connection between "justification" and "righteousness," a   
   connection that doesn't always come through in various translations. We are   
   justified when we are "declared righteous" by God.   
      
   Before this justification, a person is unrighteous, and thus unacceptable to   
   God; after justification, he or she is regarded as righteous, and thus   
   acceptable to Him.   
      
   And this happens only through God's grace. Grace means favor. When a sinner   
   turns to God for salvation, it is an act of grace to consider or declare that   
   person to be righteous. It is unmerited favor, and the believer is justified   
   without any merit of his or her own, without any claim to present to God in   
   his or her own behalf except his or her utter helplessness. The person is   
   justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, the redemption that   
   Jesus offers as the sinner's substitute and surety.   
      
   Justification is presented in Romans as a punctiliar act; that is, it happens   
   at a point in time. One moment the sinner is outside, unrighteous, and   
   unaccepted; the next moment, following justification, the person is inside,   
   accepted, and righteous.   
      
   The person who is in Christ looks upon justification as a past act, one that   
   took place when he or she surrendered himself or herself fully to Christ.   
   "Being justified" (Rom. 5:1) is, literally, "having been justified."   
      
   Of course, if the justified sinner should fall away and then return to Christ,   
   justification would occur again. Also, if reconversion is considered a daily   
   experience, there is a sense in which justification might be considered a   
   repeating experience.   
   With the good news of salvation being so good, what  holds people back from   
   accepting it? In your own life, what kinds of things  cause you to hold back   
   from all that the Lord promises and offers you?    
   WEDNESDAY   
   July 21   
      
   "His Righteousness"   
      
   In Romans 3:25, Paul expounds further on the great news of salvation. He uses   
   a fancy word, propitiation. The Greek word for it, hilasterion, occurs in the   
   New Testament only here and in Hebrews 9:5, where it is translated mercy-seat.   
   As used in Romans 3:25, describing the offer of justification and redemption   
   through Christ, propitiation seems to represent the fulfillment of all that   
   was typified by the mercy-seat in the Old Testament sanctuary. What this   
   means, then, is that by His sacrificial death, Jesus has been set forth as the   
   means of salvation and is represented as the One providing the propitiation.   
   In short, it means that God did what was needed to save us.   
      
   The text also talks about the "remission of sins." It is our sins that make us   
   unacceptable to God. We can do nothing of ourselves to cancel our sins. But in   
   the plan of redemption, God has provided a way for these sins to be remitted   
   through faith in Christ's blood.   
      
   The word for remission is the Greek paresis, literally "passing over" or   
   "passing by." The "passing over" is in no sense an ignoring of sins. God can   
   pass over the sins of the past because, by His death, Christ has paid the   
   penalty for all men's sins. Anyone, therefore, who has "faith in His blood"   
   can have his or her sins remitted, for Christ has already died for them (1   
   Cor. 15:3).   
      
   Read Romans 3:26, 27. What point is Paul making here?   
      
      
      
   The good news that Paul was eager to share with all who would listen was that   
   there was available to man "his [that is, God's] righteousness," and that it   
   comes to us, not by works, not by our merit, but by faith in Jesus and what He   
   has done for us.   
      
   Because of the cross of Calvary, God can declare sinners righteous and still   
   be considered just and fair in the eyes of the universe. Satan can point no   
   accusing finger at God, for Heaven has made the supreme sacrifice. Satan had   
   accused God of asking of the human race more than He was willing to give. The   
   Cross refutes this claim.   
      
   Satan expected God to destroy the world after it sinned; instead, He sent   
   Jesus to save it. What does that tell us about the character of God? How   
   should our knowledge of His character impact how we live?   
      
      
   What will you do differently in the next 24 hours  directly as a result of   
   knowing what God is like?    
   THURSDAY   
   July 22   
      
   Faith and Works   
      
   "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of   
   the law" (Rom. 3:28). Does this mean that we are not required to obey the law,   
   even if it doesn't save us? Explain your answer.    
      
      
   In the historical context, Paul was speaking in Romans 3:28 of law in its   
   broad sense of the system of Judaism. No matter how conscientiously a Jew   
   tried to live under this system, if he or she failed to accept Jesus as the   
   Messiah, that person could not be justified.   
      
   This verse is Paul's conclusion from his claim that the law of faith excludes   
   boasting. If a man were justified by his own actions, he could boast about it.   
   But when he is justified because Jesus is the object of his faith, then the   
   credit clearly belongs to God, who justified the sinner.   
      
   Ellen G. White gives an interesting answer to the question "What is   
   justification by faith?" She wrote: "It is the work of God in laying the glory   
   of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do   
   for himself."--Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p.   
   456.   
      
   Works of law cannot atone for past sins. Justification cannot be earned. It   
   can be received only by faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Therefore,   
   in this sense, works of law have nothing to do with justification. To be   
   justified without works means to be justified without there being anything in   
   ourselves to merit justification.   
      
   But many Christians have misunderstood and misapplied this text. They say that   
   all one has to do is to believe, while downplaying works or obedience, even   
   obedience to the moral law. In so doing, they completely misread Paul. In the   
   book of Romans, and elsewhere, Paul attaches great importance to the keeping   
   of the moral law. Jesus certainly did, as well, as did James and John (Matt.   
   19:17; Rom. 2:13; James 2:10, 11; Rev. 14:12). Paul's point is that, although   
   obedience to the law is not the means of justification, the person who is   
   justified by faith still keeps the law of God and, in fact, is the only one   
   who can keep the law. An unregenerate person who has not been justified can   
   never fulfill the requirements of the law.   
   Why is it so easy to get caught up in the trap of  thinking that because the   
   law doesn't save us, we need not worry about  keeping it? Have you ever   
   rationalized away sin by claiming justification by  faith? Why is that a very   
   dangerous position? At the same time, where would we be without the promise of   
   salvation, even when tempted to abuse  it?    
   FRIDAY   
   July 23   
      
   Further Study:    
      
   Read Ellen G. White, "The Righteousness of Christ in the Law," pp. 236-239;   
   "Come and Seek and Find," pp.  331-335; "Perfect Obedience Through Christ,"   
   pp.  373, 374, in Selected Messages, book 1; "Things New and Old," pp.  128,   
   129, in Christ's Object Lessons.   
      
   "Christ's character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted   
   before God just as if you had not sinned."--Ellen G. White, Steps  to Christ,   
   p. 62.   
      
   "Grace is unmerited favor. The angels, who know nothing of sin, do not   
   understand what it is to have grace exercised toward them; but our sinfulness    
   calls for the exercise of grace from a merciful God."--Ellen G. White,   
   Selected  Messages, book 1, pp.  331, 332.   
      
   "Faith is the condition upon which God has seen fit to promise pardon to    
   sinners; not that there is any virtue in faith whereby salvation is merited,    
   but because faith can lay hold of the merits of Christ, the remedy provided    
   for sin. Faith can present Christ's perfect obedience instead of the sinner's    
   transgression and defection. When the sinner believes that Christ is his    
   personal Savior, then, according to His unfailing promises, God pardons his    
   sin, and justifies him freely. The repentant soul realizes that his    
   justification comes because Christ, as his substitute and surety, has died    
   for him, is his atonement and righteousness."--Ellen G. White, Selected    
   Messages, book 1, pp.  366, 367.   
      
   "Though the law cannot remit the penalty for sin, but charges the sinner  with   
   all his debt, Christ has promised abundant pardon to all who repent, and    
   believe in His mercy. The love of God is extended in abundance to the    
   repenting, believing soul. The brand of sin upon the soul can be effaced only    
   through the blood of the atoning Sacrifice . . .. of Him who was equal with    
   the Father. The work of Christ--His life, humiliation, death, and   
   intercession  for lost man--magnifies the law, and makes it honorable."--Ellen   
   G. White, Selected  Messages, book 1, p. 371.    
   Discussion Questions:   
      
     Read over  the texts for this week and then, in your own words, write a   
   paragraph summarizing what they are saying. Share your paragraphs with each   
   other in  class.    
     Think  about what it cost to save us: the death of the Son of God. What   
   should that  tell us about just how bad sin is? After all, if we stopped   
   sinning and never  did it again, why would that still not be enough to make us   
   righteous before  God? How can these facts help motivate us to resist the   
   temptation to  sin?    
     What  are ways one could be tempted to abuse this wonderful news about   
   salvation by faith alone? What trap is someone falling into who gets caught up   
   in that  kind of thinking? (See 2  Pet. 3:16, 1  John 3:7.)    
      
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