Justified by Faith

View this lesson in a browser and print a "take-away" weekly copy. CLICK HERE (see link below)

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.