Romans 3:27, “27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.”

• You have to see how easy humanity gets involved in boasting, right? We boast about anything. We boast about success, “Look at how much I have achieved.” We boast about failure, “You wouldn’t believe the stupid things I have done.” We boast about anything!
• In verse 27 the Jews are boasting their ability to keep the Ten Commandments, who can pray better, fast better, and circumcision, and the Gentiles would boast just like we do today about our intelligence, strength, money, power, or social standing in the community.

Romans 3:28, “28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

• The word “justified” is a judicial term that means to be declared righteous.
• The word, “righteous” means the word “glory” and all of humanity is pursuing our own glory, and this is the exact opposite of why the God of Scripture created everything.
• In the beginning the God of Scripture created all of creation and all of humanity to live under His protection and His provision (Genesis 1-2), but humanity has abandoned His glory to pursue our own glory. This is called sin (Romans 3:23).
• Before you profess faith in Jesus you are pursuing your own glory, and you are filled with anxiety, fear, anger, pride just trying to gather your little specks of glory, but now, by grace through faith in Jesus you are “declared glorious!”

Romans 3:29-30, “29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.”

• In verses 28-29 the Jew and Gentile are boasting in their accomplishments, which is creating division, and you still see that mentality taking place in our culture today. Just turn on the news.
• But, in verses 29-30 the Apostle Paul writes, “No, the circumcised, and uncircumcised (Jew and Gentile) are both justified by faith,” because the God of Scripture is one, and all of humanity is invited into His glory as a gift by grace through faith in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
• The gospel is the great equalizer of humanity. Which means when you see boasting outwardly in your words, or inwardly in your thoughts, you are walking away from the gospel. That is why the Apostle Paul writes, “Where then is boasting?”

Romans 3:31, “31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”

• This is the glory of the gospel. Jesus doesn’t just come and say you are glorious. That would make His justice corrupt, because the wages of sin is death (Romans 5). Genesis 2, “If you eat of the tree you shall die.” Humanity has rejected His glory to pursue our own, and the consequence is eternal spiritual and physical death, therefore, there must be justice!
• Therefore, Jesus doesn’t come to nullify the Law, but establish the law because Jesus laying down His life at the cross for our sin as a gift by grace so that no man may boast.

Has that happened in your life? Have you received the glory of God made known in Jesus Christ? Won’t you receive His glory this morning?  Won’t you open the Scriptures on Monday to learn more about the righteousness you have been given in Christ? Won’t you talk of it with your friends and family?