Please open your Bibles to the book of Romans. And today we begin to look into the second section in the book of Romans. And that is Romans chapter 3 from verse 21 to Romans chapter 5 to the end of the chapter. This is the second section of the book of Romans. Romans, obviously we are not going to cover all this passage today, but we are going to deal today with Romans chapter 3 verse 21 to Romans verse 31. We are only going to deal with about 11 verses today. And so please follow me as I'm reading these verses. Romans chapter 3 and verse 21. Paul is writing and he said: "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets.

Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Messiah, unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no different. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Mashiach Yeshua, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness that He might be just and justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Where is boasting then?

It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, he says, but by the law of faith. Therefore, we concluded that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jewish people only? Is he not the God of the goyim, of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. Seeing it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid! Yea, we establish the law. That's the end of chapter 3, verse 31. When we begin today to study Romans chapter 3, beginning from verse 21, we are actually beginning to look into the second section of the book of Romans, which we can title it, "Salvation." We have already spoken from chapter 1, verse 1, all the way to chapter 3, verse 20, in our meetings before, and we looked at the fact that God has declared the whole human race fallen, sinful.

We have seen the climax specifically in the earlier verses of our chapter, Romans chapter 3. It says in verse 9 of Romans chapter 3, "What then? Are we better than they?" And he answered, "No." "In no wise." "For we have before proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin." That's the declaration of God. God has declared both Israel, the Jewish people, the people of God, and the Gentile nations. God has declared everyone under sin. And if we would stop, in the reading of Romans chapter 3 and verse 20, we have a terrible picture to look at. Because the description of what God was speaking about the whole human race is a sad description.

It says, "None understandeth." "No one is righteous." It says, "All seek their own." "No one seeks God." "All have gone out of the way." "They are altogether become unprofitable." "There is none that doeth good, not even you." "Not even me." "No, not one." That's a description. That is the conclusion that we have at the end of the descriptions of the condition of men. Both the pagan Gentile, the moral Gentile, the religious Jewish individual, all fallen into sin, all are being condemned. So what are we going to do right now? If Paul would have stopped here in Romans chapter 3 and verse 20, it is such a sad picture that we would be so hopeless and helpless and really we would be so discouraged that we would say, "That's it.

It is all in vain. There is no hope. There is nothing for me to be doing. And therefore I can carry on and live my life. And who cares about what's going to happen at the end?" Well, God, through the Apostle Paul, in the power of the Holy Spirit, giving to us in these passages that we have read, in fact, chapter 3:21 to the end of chapter 5, give us not only a description of sin, which he have done in the first section, but now he gives us a description of salvation. And so as we're going to look into those verses, we will see, first of all, he explained to us salvation in these verses that we have read today.

In chapter 4, he gives us an illustration of salvation, of justification. And then in chapter 5, he gives us the result that we have from the work of salvation. It is very, very precious, beloved brothers and sisters, as we are studying. And so today, I would like us to look into those verses. The word salvation, in Hebrew, by the way, the word salvation is the very same name that God gave his son, Yeshua. When you say Yeshua in Hebrew, you are saying salvation. That's what it means. And you shall call his name Yeshua, for he will save his people from their sins. Simply, it's really linking so beautiful with the name, the person, and the work of Yeshua the Messiah.

And so, what is salvation? You know what the Bible gives us now, as we see, explaining to us, that salvation that God had provided. By the way, there is what is known today, a theological term for the word salvation. Very important term. A theological term that Bible scholars give to the word salvation. Because salvation involves very much, many things. Salvation means forgiveness. Salvation means for a person that his sins have been taken away. Removal of sin. Salvation is a broad term. But there is a theological term for salvation and simply means justification by faith. That's what it means. When you're talking about salvation, the theological term for salvation is simply justification by faith.

What is justification? It's being declared just by God. It's being declared just by God. God declare you and me who believe in Yeshua the Messiah just. Just as if we have never sinned. He declares us justified. Now, justification is very important. Justification is not a process. It's one act of God. That's what justification. You know, sometimes we are saying these things over here, you know. People give a terminology to the word justification. They say, you know what? It's a process. You see, the more good I do, the more right things I do, the more I will be recognized by God as being justified. But it's not what the Bible teaches us.

It teaches us that justification is only one act of God. It's not a process. It's not a growth. It's one act of God whereby He declares righteous the one that believes in the Lord Jesus the Messiah. That's it. It's not a process. You don't need to grow into becoming justified. This is one act of God. Not an act of man. It is an act of God whereby God declares the believer in Yeshua righteous. That's what justification is. And therefore, you don't need to grow into it. It's not a process. It is one act of God. On the other hand, sanctification is a process. To be sanctified is a process.

It's a growth. As we walk with the Lord, the more we are close to the Lord, we are being sanctified. Practical sanctification. We are walking with the Lord. We are set apart. And we are growing in Christ, in the Lord Jesus. But when it comes to justification, it is one act of God where He declares the believer in Yeshua the Messiah as righteous, as justified. So, here in Romans 3:21 to Romans 3:31, the apostle gives us sevenfold descriptions of justification. He tells us point by point, and I think, beloved brothers and sisters, you've got to get a hold of this. You and I, unless we get a hold of the meaning of justification, we will never rest assured that we are forgiven and that we are right with God.

There are those of us who are among the people of God, professing Christians, who have not assurance of salvation. They are walking constantly with the fear and with the question, am I right with God? Am I really saved? Am I really going to heaven? Am I really forgiven? They are not sure. And the Bible shows us in these verses, the truth concerning salvation, a justification, an act of God, whereby He, that is God, justify everyone that believe in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. So, here we have sevenfold ways in which He explained to us justification. And so, let's begin with verse 21. In verse 21, He gives us, first of all, the truth concerning the fact that justification is apart from any law.

He says in verse 21, He says, "But now, the righteousness of God without law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets." Okay, the first thing that we learn here from this verse. This verse, by the way, it says here, "the righteousness of God without," now here it says, "the law," but here we gotta go beyond the law, meaning the Old Testament or the first five books of Moses or the Ten Commandments. Okay, simply it says, "the righteousness of God without rule, without any precept, without any injunction, without any human rule." That's what He's saying here. "Righteousness of God without law is manifested." That is important, because you know what happened?

Many times, some might say, "You know, in order for me to be right with God, I gotta keep certain rules." If I don't keep those rules, God cannot declare me right. If I do keep those rules and those laws, then God will be happy with me, and He will justify me, and declare me righteous. Well, Paul is saying to us, in the power of the Spirit of God in this passage, that there is a righteousness that you and I can have, and it must be without law, without rules. Even, by the way, without the law that God had given the people of Israel. And why is it without the law?

Because the law that God had given to our people of old is holy, is pure. There is no fallacy in the law of God. The problem is not with the law, the problem is with the human race. And the more we try to keep laws and rules, the more we find out that we simply don't make it. We haven't arrived. We are trying to keep laws. Let's just look at the law of the land here. Those of you who drive on the highway, I use this because I drive a lot on the highway. Have you honestly submitted to every sign that is on the highway?

Have you stopped in every stop sign? Have you yield to every yield sign every time? Have you followed the speed limit of every sign on the highway? 100% at all times? Maybe you did 70%. Maybe 80%. Maybe some of you have done it 95%, 99%. Maybe. I doubt it, but maybe. But you know, beloved brothers and sisters, God's law, there is no limitation. In other words, God's law is perfect. God demands 100%. Who of us can submit to God's law 100%? Or any rule, by the way. We even making rules in our own life and we break our very own rules. So here the apostle tells us, listen, there is a righteousness of God without any rules, without any law, without any precepts, without any human or divine.

There is a righteousness that comes from God. And notice it's the righteousness of God. There is a righteousness that is being provided for us without any rules, without any law. You notice that it says here that it is witnessed by the law, verse 21, and the prophets. You see what he's saying, Paul is very wise because what he does, he always has a reference to the Hebrew scriptures. Again, I want to emphasize that he doesn't have the book of Romans in his hand. He's just writing it. He doesn't have the New Testament, the Brit HaChadasha in his hand. What he does have is the Tanakh, the Old Testament.

And every time when he's writing, he says, as it is written here, he says, that there is a righteousness that is of the righteousness of God without keeping of the human law or even without keeping God's law. It is God's righteousness, which is provided for men, but it is already have been witnessed or manifested by the law. This is the five books of Moses and the prophets. And so somebody might scratch his head and he or she will ask, where is this righteousness ever being written in the law and in the prophets? Well, if you will search carefully in the Hebrew scriptures, you will find out that God did speak many times in diverse manners in the Hebrew scriptures, that he promised that one day he's going to provide a righteousness that comes from him, not on the basis of the merit of the human race.

And the first time he found in the Bible is already in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. God had promised already in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 that he will provide the seed of the woman. Genesis 3:15 tells us this, I will put enmity between you and the woman, between her seed and your seed. It shall bruise thy head and thou shall bruise his heel. What does it mean? It means that one day he's provided to bring the seed of the woman, that is the Messiah. When the Messiah will come into this world, his heel will be bruised. That means that he will suffer by the hand of men and also by the hand of God.

But he will crush the head of the serpent, Satan. He will deal with the question of sin once and for all. And that is the promise that we have already in the law that God had given in the scriptures. That one day he is going to provide a redemption, a justification without human effort, without human interference. It will be totally the provision of God. And we can go on. You remember when the people of Israel came out of Egypt? Exodus chapter 12 and verse 13, God said to Israel, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." It is no human interference. It is simply God is looking at the blood of the lamb and God is being satisfied.

And he said, "I will pass over you, not when I see you, but when I see the blood." It is the blood atonement. The blood of the Messiah, the blood of the lamb that was making an atonement, making redemption, giving redemption, provision for mankind. It is no human merit there. It is the blood without the law. There is the righteousness of God. We have to learn to appreciate that because what a joy it gives our hearts when we recognize that God provides for us a redemption. And we don't need to have any human merit in it. It is on the basis of the provisions of God.

And we can go on to the book of Leviticus and you remember what God says, "The blood would make an atonement for the soul." It's not your works. It's not your merit. It's not your goodness. It's not your ability. It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Leviticus 17 and verse 11. And we can go on book by book and you will find out that it is witness presented to us. It is witness by the law. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. It is in the book of the law. It is found already in the scriptures, but not only in the law. It says here, but also in the prophets.

It is witness by the law and the prophets. And oh, we read Isaiah chapter 43. And you remember God said to Israel, "I am your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah chapter 53 teaches us a beautiful passage that teaches us about the provision of God through the Messiah, Yeshua. I love this verse, Isaiah 53:6. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have all gone our own way. But God have laid upon him the iniquities of us all. Who is that one that God laid upon him our iniquities? Well, it is God's provision. Israel did not need to do anything about this. You and I do not need to do anything about this.

All we like sheep have gone astray. We have all turned each one to his own way. But the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all. The Hebrew verse there shows us that the word all twice is mentioned there. It's beginning with the word all and it's end with the word all. It doesn't exclude anyone. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have all turned each one to his own way. And the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all. And thank God that we have here an assurance that justification is an act of God. Where he that is God declare the believer in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah justified.

Righteous because of the work that the Lord Jesus the Messiah had accomplished on the tree. And so we can see in verse 21. Not by how one behaves. But by who do one believes on. And you can see in verse 21. Justification is apart from the law. And it is witnessed by the law and the prophets. Genesis 3:15. Exodus 12:13. Leviticus 17:11. Isaiah 53 and so on. And even Malachi at the end of the prophets. Malachi chapter 3. He promised that the Messiah will come. And God will be satisfied by the work of the Messiah. So it is very important to see that justification is apart from the law. And it is apart from any human rule.

Any human deed. It is a part of this. So don't try. And if somebody is coming to try to say to God. Listen God. I am going to do many good deeds. And if my good deeds will outweigh my bad deeds. God you are going to accept me. But this person have to learn very quickly. That doesn't matter how much good deeds we do. Even if we do. Even if the scale is so heavy on one side. Because of our good deeds. The scale will have something little there. That will remind God. And will show God the sin of this individual. And God will have to declare that person unjust.

And therefore not by rules. Not by works. Not by human merit. But it is simply on the basis of the work that the Messiah had provided for us. And so immediately in the next verse 22. In the first part. We find an additional explanation of justification. Justification is part of the law in verse 21. But justification is through faith. In Yeshua HaMashiach. In the Lord Jesus the Messiah. This is verse 22a. Again you notice this expression. Even the righteousness of God. Which is by faith of Yeshua the Messiah. You notice that? It is by faith of Yeshua Jesus Christ. Yeshua HaMashiach. Yeshua the Messiah. It is very important to understand.

That it is not through faith in anyone or anything. But it is through faith in the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Now that is essential to understand. This is very important to understand. That faith unto salvation. Is faith that must be in the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Now we cannot fool God. Beloved brothers and sisters. Nobody going to fool God. Because you remember in the Gospel of John. Some believed in Jesus. But it was not faith unto salvation. Because it was faith in the ability of Jesus to do some miracles. To do some works. You remember what we read in John chapter 2. In those last verses there.

In John 2 verse 23. We read this statement. Now when it was in Jerusalem at Passover. In the feast day. Many believed in his name. When they saw the miracles which he had done. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them. Because he knew all men. And he needed not that any should testify of men. Because he knew what was in men. Now that is amazing. Many believed on him. But it tells us the reason why they believed on him. Because they saw the miracles that he did. In other words. They did not see the reason that he came to this world. But they saw the miracles.

So for them he was a miracle worker. So they saw the miracles that he had done. And they said wow. He does a lot of miracles. So I will believe on his ability to do miracles. But that is not the reason why we come to Yeshua. The Lord. We don't come to the Lord because of the miracles. He can multiply the fish and the bread. He can heal the blind. He can raise the dead. He can give sight to the blind. He can give to the lame. He can make him walk. Well this is wonderful miracles. But that is not the reason why God is justifying a person who believes on him.

The reason that God can declare us just. Is because we believe that he came to deal with the question of sin. We have a disease called sin. And so when we have this disease called sin. We needed a redeemer. We needed a savior. We needed somebody that will declare me righteous. Though I am completely unrighteous. So I cannot only believe in the miracles that he is able to perform. I gotta believe in the person of the Lord. And the reason that he came to this world. He didn't come only to perform miracles. That everybody will have more food to eat. That everybody will have a healthier body.

That everybody will have a wealth and riches. That is not the reason why he came to this world. He came to this world beloved brothers and sisters. To deal with a problem that you and I have. And the problem is that we have sin. And sin will never be at the presence of God. And if we because of sin. Will not deal with the question of sin. God will have to tell us. Depart from me ye workers of iniquities. And so he says here in verse 22. The second reason that God can call us being justified. Justification is a part of the law. But justification is only through faith in Yeshua the Messiah.

And not faith in his miracles. But faith in his atoning death for us on the cross. What shall wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Yeshua. What shall make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Christ of the Messiah. That's the only way. That's why it's not faith in this one or in this one. It is specifically the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And you know what I was reading this morning. As I was preparing for the message today. And I was reading in the book of Acts. And in the beginning of chapter 4. Look what Peter said to the people of Israel.

In Acts chapter 4 and verse 12 he says. Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none other name under heaven given among men. Whereby we must be saved. There is no other name but the name of Yeshua the Messiah. It is through his name and his work. You see the leaders of Israel sadly told to Peter and the others. He says. We don't want you to speak in this name anymore. They answered them and he said. How come we cannot speak in the name of Jesus? He says. In the name of Jesus Christ Yeshua HaMashiach. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess. And Peter was speaking.

He says. Listen. Be it known unto you and to the whole people of Israel. That by the name of Yeshua the Messiah of Nazareth. Whom ye crucified. Whom God had raised from the dead. Even by him does this man stand here before you all. It is by the name of Jesus the Messiah. Who was crucified on a cross. He was crucified. He was set not by men. But God had been satisfied with the person of his son. And beloved this is important. Justification is a part of the law. But justification is through faith in the person and in the work of our blessed Lord Jesus the Messiah.

The Messiah. Otherwise there is no justification. God cannot declare us just. It is not what we do. It is who we believe upon. It is the name of Yeshua the Messiah. You remember he said in John 14. I am the way the truth and the life. No one come to the Father but by me. There is no other way. It is only through the person and the work of Yeshua the Messiah. So verse 22a. Justification is through faith in Yeshua the Messiah. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus the Messiah. Yeshua HaMashiach. Jesus Christ. So number one. Verse 21. Justification is apart from the law.

Number two. Verse 22a. Justification is through faith in Yeshua the Messiah. Number three. The second half of verse 22 including verse 23. And this is also very important. And here he shows us. That justification is not only for a limited amount of people. But justification is for all men and women. For all people. It is not limited to some. But it is for all people. And you notice that in these verses. Verse 22b. And verse 23. There are three times the word all is mentioned. It says here. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus the Messiah. And notice. Unto all. And upon all that believe.

For there is no different. For all have sinned. And come short of the glory of God. You see here. The apostles telling us. Justification is a part of the law. Justification is through faith in Yeshua the Messiah. But justification is for everybody. Is not only for a limited amount of people. Not only for the nation of Israel. For the Jewish people. But it is for all the people of this world. And he is telling us very interesting here. I don't know if you caught this expression. It says here. It is unto all. But it is only upon all that believe. It is unto all. In other words.

Everybody hear the message of salvation. It is unto all. But then notice. He adding. It is upon. Not only unto. But it is upon. Upon all them that believe. While the gospel goes to all the human race. It is only. The justification only comes upon. Them that believe. You cannot just say. Well. Everybody is saved. Because God sent the message of the gospel to everybody. So. It is unto all. You see. God loves all the human race. John 3:16. For God so loved the world. So. If God so loved the world. Then all the world is saved. Some may say. Paul is really clearing it up here.

It is unto all. But it is upon. All. That believe. Not everyone. If God gives you a gift. And he put the gift somewhere on the table here. You gotta get up. Come to the table. And take the gift. If God provides a savior to this world. There is a response. That must come from men. To come forward. And take the gift. If God is going to say to you. Tomorrow. I am going to put. One thousand dollars. In your bank account. You gotta get up. In the morning. You gotta take your car. Or take a bus. And drive to the bank. And go to.

Tell them. This is my account. I have this thousand dollars. That you have given to me. Now. We are not here. Talking about. The other side. Of election. And the truth of election. That you and I. Will deal with. Another time. Here we are dealing. With the fact. That God. Presented salvation. In a way. Of being saved. To all. The human race. But it is. Only. Upon. All. Them. That. Believe. Faith. Is. Essential. Here. For God. So. Loved. The world. That he. Gave. His only. Begotten. Son. That. Whosoever. Believeth. On. Him. Should not. Perish. But have. Ever. Lesting. Life. But it is. Only. Upon. All.

That. Believe. That. Is. Important. To. Grasp. When. We. Talk. To. People. About. The. Savior. They. May. Have. Heard. That. And. We. Can. Tell. Them. About. The. Provision. Of. God. But. Unless. To. To. See. Father. I. Believe. That. Your. Son. Yeshua. Died. For. My. Sins. That. Person. Is. Not. The. The. Provision. Of. God. To. God. God. God. That. God. God. God. We often use this explanation when we talk about Pesach, Passover. What about if some of the people of Israel would say, you know what, God, I'm not going to take this lamb and kill the lamb, and I'm not going to put the blood upon the doorpost and the lintel, God.

What's the use? You're anyway going to take us out of Egypt? You're anyway going to redeem us? No. God says, it is important for you to take the blood of the lamb, and you have to appropriate it to the doorpost of your home. You have to appropriate it to the doorpost of your hearts. That is essential. You have to believe. Whosoever believeth on me shall not perish. Yeshua said, faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God. Faith in Yeshua, the Messiah, is essential. And so, justification is for all, man. But upon all that believe in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. And why? Because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

All have sinned. This is one of the verses that we often use in a preaching of the gospel. There is not a person in the world that can say, I haven't sinned. All have sinned. And therefore, all are guilty before God. And if all are guilty before God, all need redemption and forgiveness. All need to be justified. So, one at a time. Each one individually must put his or her trust in the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. And so, justification in this verse 22b and verse 23 is for all people, for all mankind. It is not limited to a certain group, but it is for all the human race.

So, justification is a part of the law. Verse 22a, justification is through faith in a Messiah. Verses 22b and verse 23, justification is for all people, for all mankind, but it is only upon them that believe. Now, verse 24. The fourth thing, and that's precious also, beloved brothers and sisters. Here he tells us that justification is freely by his grace. It's free. And it is only by his grace. It says here in verse 24, being declared righteous, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in the Messiah, Yeshua. That is also very precious. You know, we needed grace. We needed so much grace. In Hebrew, the word for grace is chesed, chen.

And grace, you remember when Moses went up to the mountain, after he had to come the second time to the mountain to take the law, because the law was broken because of the sin of our people. When they built the golden calf, and they said, this is the God that took you out of Egypt. God, when he gave the law to Moses, the law had to be broken before he came into the camp. Because had he come into the camp with the tablets of law in his hand that describe the holiness of God, the nation will be totally consumed. So Moses broke the law before he entered the camp, and God brought him up the second time.

Before actually he received the law in the second time, God proclaimed before Moses his person. And this is a very beautiful passage in chapter 34, where the Lord passed before Moses, and he proclaimed, The Lord God merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and in truth. This is Exodus 34 and verse 6. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, when the Apostle Paul is describing justification, he's showing to us that justification is totally by grace. Nobody deserved it. Nobody earned it. It is totally through grace of God. Verse 24, we are being justified, we are being declared righteous freely by his grace through the redemption that is in the Messiah Yeshua.

That is amazing. God, you are providing for a sinful man justification, garment of salvation. But it is freely, without any merit. It is by God's grace, unmerited favor of God. You and I did not deserve it. Nobody deserved it. And God is saying, listen, I love you. I love you so much. I know where you are. I know where you are standing. I know your sins. I know where you are. And I love you anyways. And I'm going to provide for you justification. And it is free. It is amazing that we are still sometimes thinking that it's God's part and we have a certain part to do.

You see, it is the Lord Jesus' death on the cross plus something that I can do. God says, no, there is nothing you can do. In fact, don't try to do anything because the only thing that you can bring to the table is your sins and no more. Even your righteous action. The Bible tells us that when it's come to justification, all our righteousness are filthy rags before him. That's all. And that's why he's saying to us in verse 24 that we, being declared righteous freely by his grace. Don't you add anything. Don't you try. You can't add anything. I cannot add anything. It is freely by his grace.

And we can go on to many verses that we can read in the Bible. And you remember Ephesians chapter 2 teaches us that Pastor Paul said to the believers at Ephesus chapter 2 verses 8 and 9. He says to them, We might say that there is something that I have done in order to receive this justification. And Paul reminds us again and again, justification is freely by his grace. And that is very precious. Freely means without a cause. Freely means without a cause. Nothing that you have done. Nothing that you and I have accomplished in order to give us justification. It is free. And you know what? Unfortunately, men still do not want that free gift of God.

When you freely present the law, there is still rejection. The human heart is still rejecting the free offer of God's grace. God proclaims their salvation through the Messiah, Yeshua. And men by nature still deny and do not want to accept the law, Jesus the Messiah. John in his gospel presents, he says, For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth, chesed ve'emet, came by Jesus the Messiah. That's what happened, beloved brothers and sisters. We got to get a hold of it. Justification is without the law. Justification is through faith in the Messiah. Justification is for everybody, for all men. And justification is only by grace, chesed, unmerited favor of God, without anything that we have earned or that we have done on our own.

And this is verse 24. So, so far we have covered actually four things about justification. It is part of the law. It is through faith in the Messiah. It is for all people, for all men, and it is by grace and by grace alone. Number five is in verse 24b and verse 25a. And now we find out that justification happened at the great cost. You know, it didn't happen just lightly. God didn't only kind of turn his face aside and said, you know, I'll forgive their sin. I'll just, you know, kind of move my face aside, not look upon the sins that men have committed, and I'm just going to let them come through.

I'm going to let them come in. Well, it's not true. It's not so. Notice in the next verses, where we are reading right now, it says it was not cheap. It was very expensive. Now, that is a mouthful, verse 24b and verse 25, because most of us do not understand this word propitiation. And when we read such a word, it's a terminology that is used in order to explain to us that God had to be satisfied. The word propitiation simply means that God's holiness needed to be satisfied. You see, when God cannot look upon sin, he will have to judge sin in you, sin in me, sin in everybody.

And because he is holy, he cannot look upon sin. So sin must be judged. The sin of the unbeliever will be judged. The sin of the believer will be judged. Sin cannot enter into the presence of God. Otherwise, when the Bible says that I am holy, be holy for I am holy, then God is not holy. If God allows sin into his presence, then he is not holy. He is not separated from sin. And that's why, in order to appease God, to satisfy his holy, righteous demand, the price had to be paid. And that's what we learn here in those verses. It was through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus at the end of verse 24.

What is redemption, by the way? The Hebrew word for redemption is geula, geula, lig'ol. Lig'ol means to buy again, to buy back. To buy again that which was taken away and lost. You see, we all, the human race, belong to God by creation because God created mankind. We belong to him. But we fell into sin. And in order to be God's people again, God had to pay a price to buy us back again. That's what redemption means. The story about the Redeemer that we read in the book of Ruth, for example. You remember? The Goel there. Boaz had to buy the property of Naomi. And he had to buy Naomi, who became slave.

And of course, Ruth the Moabite, he had to buy them back. He had to pay the price. The inheritance that belonged to Naomi was lost, was sold. And he had to buy it back. Boaz is a picture of Yeshua HaMashiach. And God had to buy back that which had gone away and gone astray. And beloved, that's what happened to mankind. Man, that we belong to God by creation. We have gone astray. Sin caused us to go far away from our Creator God. And in order to bring us back to himself, he had to buy us again. And the price now was not only recreating people.

No, there is a great price. The price was that he, the Creator, had to enter into this world And to become a man. And as man, to give his life a ransom for many. So God, the Holy God, can be satisfied. His holiness can be met. His demands for sin can be met. And the only way to meet his requirement, The blood of the Messiah had to be shed. And so verse 24, it is through the redemption that is found in the Messiah, Yeshua. Whom, Yeshua, God had presented him to be a propitiation, a mercy seat. The word here for propitiation in verse 25a is the very same word that is used in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 5 for mercy seat.

You know, mercy seat, in the Hebrew, it's kaporet. You remember in the Holy of Holies, in the temple, in the tabernacle, there was the ark. And upon the ark, there was a covering. And that covering was the mercy seat. That is called in the Hebrew, kaporet, in the English, mercy seat. Even though it's not seat, but it is a mercy place where the blood was sprinkled, the blood of the animals. And when Aaron came once a year into the Kodesh HaKodeshim, into the Holy of Holies, he had to bring blood for himself and his family and the nation of Israel. And he sprinkled it between the cherubim upon the mercy seat.

And God's holiness had been met. God in Yom Kippur, Yom HaKippurim, the Day of Atonement, and his holy demands with respect to the need of the nation had been met. And he was satisfied. And he can accept the nation right now. And it is the same thing, beloved, we have here in our chapter. God set the Messiah, Yeshua. He presented him, and he still presents him before mankind. And he says, listen, if you believe in Yeshua, the Messiah, and the cost that he paid, the price that he paid. Beloved, I don't think you and I grasp this. I don't think we understand it properly. I don't think we even evaluate to a small measure the price that the Messiah had to pay when he died for us on the tree.

We don't realize what it meant for him, who knew no sin, who was a just one, who walked with God from the day that he was born to the day that he died. We don't realize when he had to cry on the cross, when he says, my God, my God, why did you forsake me? He was forsaken by a holy God. The price was so expensive, we can't grasp this, beloved. But he could, but he could, when he looked up to heaven and he says, my God, Elohi, Elohi, lama az-zavtani, why did you forsake me? And he gave us the answer in the book of Psalm, where he says, you are holy, you that inhabits the praises of Israel.

I understand why you forsook me. You forsook me because you are a holy God and sin must be judged, God. I understand that. You are the holy one of Israel. And he smote him at the cross. The sun refused to shine. There was darkness upon the face of this land. And God dealt with his son the three hours of darkness. And it is there that he laid upon him the iniquities of us all. Stroke upon stroke when he laid upon him our sin and sins, beloved brothers and sisters. That's why we must grasp the fact that there is a price that was paid. The cost we can never measure.

And we can never take it lightly because the son of God was judged there on the tree by a holy and a righteous God. And that's why, beloved, he says here, listen, through the redemption that is in the Messiah, Yeshua, and God had presented him, set him forth to be a propitiation, satisfaction for him. He was satisfied with the finished work of the Messiah. And that's how you and I can today come into the presence of God with full assurance. Because God had been satisfied. Our need had been met, beloved brothers and sisters. God is satisfied. So today, if somebody asks you today, Dear friend, how do you know that God forgave your sins?

And you know the answer is simply this. The price was paid. The Messiah, Yeshua, have died on the tree. God had been satisfied. And he's presenting Yeshua, the Messiah, before all men. And he's saying, listen, I present him, I set him forth to be a fact of my satisfaction. But you understand, you must believe in him and in the shed blood that he shed for us on the cross, on the tree. And so you see, one by one, he gave us the fact of justification. Justification is apart from the law. So, verse 21, justification is through faith in a Messiah. Verse 22a. Justification is for all mankind.

Verse 22b and 23. Justification is by grace. This is verse 24. Justification was at a great cost. Verse 24b and verse 25a. That's amazing, beloved brothers and sisters. You know, it is so important never to forget the cost that Jesus, Yeshua, paid on the tree. Never to forget this. Every time when you go through some problems in your life, remember the price that he paid for your sins. Remember the suffering that he suffered by the hand of God. Remember what he had to pay when he was laying there on the tree, crucified, denied by men, rejected by a holy God. Remember this. Don't forget this. Because the price that he paid for you and I on the cross, we can never measure.

Only God can understand the price. That's why he's satisfied. That's why you and I can be sure that our sins are forgiven. Let's move now to the next verses. It's found now in verse 25b and verse 26. And here, beloved, look what we are reading here in these verses. Justification provided in perfect justice. God still is just when he forgives a sinner's sin. Look what we read. In verse 25b and verse 26. It says, To declare his righteousness. This is God's righteousness. For the forgiveness of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness. That he might be just and a justifier of him which believeth in Yeshua.

You notice, this is also, it's like building up. It's like building blocks that we have here. You see, somebody might say, how can God be holy and allow a sinner to come into his presence? How is it possible? Then God is not holy. So, Paul is saying, listen. God provides justification in perfect justice. He is perfectly just when he allowed the sinner to come into his presence because he had been satisfied through the work of the Messiah. And what the Messiah has done not only meet our need today, but also meet the need of those who believed in God in the past. Notice, he's using this expression here in verse 25b.

He says, he declared his righteousness for the forgiveness of sins that are past. What does that mean? How do you think Adam has been forgiven? How do you think Abel has been forgiven? How do you think any other of our forefathers, Noah and Abraham and Yitzhak and Yaakov and all the 12 tribes of Israel and so on. How do you think our forefathers have been forgiven? Do you think that they have been forgiven on a basis of the blood that was shed by the animals? Well, the blood that was shed by the animals only atoned, only covered temporarily the sin of man. But every one of these men and women who have obeyed God and believed God and submitted to him by offering the sacrifice, their sins were not yet removed, but only atoned temporarily.

They were being completely removed when Yeshua the Messiah finished the work on the cross, on the tree. You see, every sin that had been committed in the past had been forgiven only on the basis of the work of the Messiah. And all the sins that you and I have committed already, 2000 years after the death of the Messiah, our sins also have been forgiven on the basis of the same work of Yeshua the Messiah. Now, if you look at this, and if you understand this, if you look before the coming of the Messiah, and you look after the coming of the Messiah, this is Yeshua the Messiah, all the sins have been forgiven by the very same work of the Messiah on the tree.

In the past, in the present, and in the future. And so he says this, and look, justification is not only at the great cost, but also justification provided in perfect justice. It says here in verse 25, to declare God's righteousness for the remissions of sins that are past. Adam's sins have been set aside on the basis of the work of the Messiah. Abel's sins have been set aside on the basis of the work of Yeshua the Messiah. All the sins of the past of our forefathers have been dealt with in view of the coming of the Messiah. This is so beautiful to know all our forefathers who never yet knew, never have experienced yet faith in Christ, because they haven't come yet.

They anticipated him coming every time that they have gone to present on the altar a lamb, or any animal that they offer for God. When they looked at that sacrifice, they realized that this sacrifice was only a type and a picture of the once and for all coming Redeemer. And so God now can be just and he can justify them that believe in Yeshua the Messiah. You see, he provided justification in perfect justice. He didn't deviate from his holiness for one moment. He remained holy and yet forgave a sinner. He remained pure and yet allowed a sinful individual to come into his presence. Why? Because when we believe in Jesus, the Messiah, God can look at us and he look at us from a different glasses now.

He doesn't look at us anymore on the basis of our old Adamic nature. He looked at us through the glasses of looking at the Messiah. He was satisfied and he's looking at us and he says, Listen, you are clean. You are pure. You are perfect in my sight. I'm accepting you now because of faith in my dear son who finished the work on the cross. And so you and I have to realize that even though we look at ourselves today, we definitely know our imperfection. We know how failing people we are. But you know what? When God looks at us, he looks at us and he sees us suitable for his presence.

He looks at us and he says, Listen, wow, this person is pure, clean. As if he or she have never sinned. Clean cut. When you look at the pages and you open the page of a believer's life, even though we look at our life and there are so many things that are wrong in our life, but God looks at us and he wiped it all away. He looks at us through the blood, the shed blood and the finished work of Yeshua the Messiah. He looked at us and he says, That is a person who has declared righteous before me. There is a nice verse in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 17.

It says this, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. All things are passed away. Behold, all things become new. You and I might look at ourselves and we say, Oh, oh boy, look at myself. I know myself. I got up this morning with myself. I have seen what my mind is able to think about. What my desires in my sinful heart has so many wrong desires. The pride, the sinfulness, the ego, all that which we see in the old nature that we have. But God says, You in Christ? Are you in the Messiah? You are a new creation. I am just in justifying the one that believe in Yeshua because we are in Mashiach, in the Messiah, positionally.

Practically, we have a lot of work to be done. But positionally, God looks at us and he sees us in the Messiah. And now we know that when we're going to be in his presence, this old nature will no longer going to be here with us anymore. This old sin, everything is going to be set aside. We're going to have a glorified body in which we will honor the Lord eternally. But positionally, right now, those that believe in Yeshua, the Messiah, he consider us justified. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21 says, For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, in Yeshua.

And so, beautiful thought to learn here. So that's the six things that we learn about justification. It's not only apart from the law. It's not only through faith in the Messiah, Yeshua. It's not only that it is for all men. It's not only that it is by grace. It's not only at a great cost, and this is a cross that we will never measure. We'll never be able to grasp perfectly. And it is provided in perfect justice. God is just when he justified the believer in Yeshua, the Messiah. And finally now, as we read the last four verses, in verses 27 to verse 31, actually the last five verses, in these verses, we understand that justification actually establishes God's law.

It's really proved to us. It is establishing what God said in the scripture. It's not against it. It is exactly what God have intended to be. Let me read those verses. And you notice, he asks questions. In verse 27, he asks three questions. In verse 29, he asks two questions. In verse 31, he asks one question. And he gives us also an answer. Verse 27, three questions. Where is the boasting then? Question one. It is excluded. By what law? Question two. And then question three. Is it of works? Then he gives us an answer. And he says, no, but by the law of faith. He asks a question and he gives us an answer.

And he's saying to us in verse 27, really, that there is no room for boasting here. Where is the boasting then? You see, none of us can boast. None of us can say, I can boast. I have done it, something on my own. None of us can exalt ourselves and boast and say, you know, I have done something. I have earned it. I have paid for that. I have worked for that. He says, where is the boasting? By what law? Which rule did you fulfill and committed fully that you are going to be saved and redeemed? And which rule, which law did you do perfectly? Not the law of God and not the law of men.

Not the rules of God and not the rules of men. We broke our own rules. We broke God's rule. We broke government's rules. We broke teacher's rules. We broke parents' rules. Every rule we have broken. In one way or another, we're broken. And there's no room to boast. There is no law or rule that we can say, we have accomplished redemption, justification on a basis of this rule. Oh, which works? What works have you done? How much money did you give to earn your salvation? How much help you have given to the poor to get your redemption? How much good have you have done and I have done in order to earn something before the Lord?

All our righteousness. Isaiah 64 has filthy rags, God says. So there is no boasting. There is no works of law. There is no works of men. There is no works. There is nothing that we have done. Nay, but by one law. And that's the law of believing. The law of faith. Whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Simply faith in the finished work of the Messiah. That's it. And then he said, And therefore we conclude in verse 28 that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Just simply by faith. Believe on the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and you shall be saved.

That's it, but not merely saying that you believe, but an honest faith in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. What does that mean, honest faith? Saying, God, I have nothing to bring. You remember the song that we often sing? Just as I am without bad plea, but that your blood was shed for me. That's it, God. I don't come because of something either. Just as I am. You see me clear, God. But I come because of the blood that Yeshua the Messiah shed. Therefore it's concluded that a man be justified by faith without the deeds of the law. So he asked those three questions. He gave us an answer.

And now he's asking in verse 29 and 30, he asks another two questions. And he gives us an answer. Is he the God of the Jewish people only? That's question one. Question two. Is he not the God of the Goyim of the Gentiles as well? See, he's asking another two questions now. You see, somebody might say, well, we are Jewish. And we receive God's law. And we receive God's commandments. We have the Bible in our hands. We have been a privileged nation. And sure indeed, the people of Israel are a privileged nation. We read today that Israel is called to be a light to the Goyim, to the nations.

But still, even though Israel is a privileged nation, he is not only the God of Israel, the God of the Jewish people, but he's the God of all the nations of this world. He loves people. He loves mankind. And so the answer here in verse 29, yes, he is the God of the Gentiles also. And that gives a hope to the nations of the world that they didn't have the privileges that Israel had, that the Jewish people had. They are privileged to have the fact that they can be redeemed as well. And so he says to us in verse 30, seeing it is one God, that interesting here, he's using the word one God.

You know, when we recite every Shabbat, every Saturday, we say, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. There's only one God. But this one God will justify the circumcision through faith and the uncircumcision through faith. That's how people can be justified. It says here in verse 30, there is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith. He will justify the Jewish people if they will believe in Yeshua the Messiah. And he will justify the Gentiles if they will believe in Yeshua the Messiah. This is, beloved brothers and sisters, is essential. So you see, justification does establish the law.

It is exactly what the law had promised. Justification through faith. And finally, in verse 31, he asked one more question. Do we then make void the law through faith? In other words, all what God had given in the law, is that void? It is empty? It is nothing? So in other words, God had given us the law for nothing? And the answer is simply this. God forbid. May it never be. Yeah, he said, we actually establish the law. We establish the law. And the next time that we are going to have in chapter 4, he shows us an illustration how the law is being established. When we understand that faith in the Messiah is the way of salvation.

It was never intended to be on the basis of law. Never. It was always intended to be on the basis of faith in the Messiah. And in the next chapter, chapter 4, he gives us an illustration how a man such as Abraham, before the law, and how a man such as David, during the law, who were under the law, they have been justified simply on the basis of faith in God and faith in his provision. That is the beautiful thing, beloved brothers and sisters, that we learn. And I hope today that as you have listened to me today, to this message, I hope that the Lord will give you simple understanding.

We don't need human wisdom. We don't need human wisdom here. All that we need is to submit to what God said in the Hebrew scriptures, in the Bible, in the word of God. Justification is justification is apart from the law. Justification is through faith in the Messiah. Justification is for everyone, for all men. Justification is only by grace. Justification had been brought about through a great cost. The cost was the blood of Yeshua the Messiah. Justification had been provided for you and I in perfect justice. And finally, justification actually is establishing the law which God had given to his people Israel. So, get a hold of it.

Enjoy it. Think of what the Lord Jesus provided for you and be freed from the fear of not being accepted by God if you truly have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you truly confess your sins, God look at you, at me, and he says, these are new creation. All things have passed away and all become new because of the work that Yeshua had accomplished on the cross.