September 8, 2020
Faith in the Gospel of Jesus = Freedom from Sin and Shame
Romans 1:16-17
David Hope
Central Truth
God is righteous (morally perfect), and we are not. God's law, given to Israel in the Old Testament, shows that none of us are righteous on our own. But God, in His goodness, has provided grace to cover all of our sins, which is accessible only through faith in Jesus.
Key Verse | Romans 1:16-17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
Romans 1:16-17
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, 1 1:17 Or beginning and ending in faith as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 2 1:17 Or The one who by faith is righteous shall live
Dive Deeper | Romans 1:16-17
My marketing class in college taught me two things:
1) I had no future in marketing.
2) In order to succeed, you have to know who has a need that you can meet.
In Romans, Paul gave his message with confidence because he knew that it applied (and still applies) to everyone. His audience at the time knew that they wanted to be right with God, but they were confused about whether that looked different for a Jew (part of God's chosen people of Israel) or a Gentile (everyone else).
Paul reminded them that no one, Jew or Gentile, deserves to enjoy God's glory and perfection (Romans 3:23). The law God gave to Israel wasn't a checklist for them to make themselves perfect, but rather a way for them to see how they had no chance of being good enough for God on their own. That goes for us, too. God judges all sin committed by us and against us, and none of us can match His standard.
But here comes the good news that also applies to everyone—Jesus died to pay the penalty for the sins of everyone who believes in Him. That is the only thing that can save us from punishment for our sin—not Jesus plus keeping the law, not Jesus plus living a "pretty good" life; just Jesus.
If we accept this gift, we are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1). Instead, we can have a new life (Romans 6:4), paid for by Jesus, that we offer back to Him by living a life of obedience to Him and love for those around us (Romans 12:1-2). God chose very deliberately to make this gift available to me and to you.
All of us have plenty of reasons for shame on our own, be it from a lifetime of sin or just from what we did yesterday. But it is Paul's great joy (and mine) to remind the church that we don't need to continue living in shame. Through faith in Christ, all of us can be free to walk in newness of life today (Romans 6:4).
Discussion Questions
1. Do you believe that you have sinned and that sin keeps you from being good enough for God on your own (Romans 3:23, 7:18)? How does this message in Romans impact your view of God?
2. Do you trust in Jesus' sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins (Romans 8:1, 10:9-10)? Do you ever feel that you need to "add on" to what Jesus has done to be good enough (e.g., be involved in a lot of church activities, know your Bible well, be a Christian for a certain amount of time, etc.)?
3. If faith in Jesus is what makes us right with God and not our attempts to be obedient, then why should we pursue obedience after trusting in Jesus (Romans 12:1-2, 6:12-14)?
4. Is there someone in your life who needs to hear the gospel? Given the opportunity, could you confidently present that message to them (see our key verse)? If not, is it because of lack of desire, fear, lack of knowledge, or something else?
5. Are you carrying shame from the sin in your life? Are you prepared to confess it, trust God for forgiveness, and turn away from that sin (Romans 6:2)? If not, why not? Also, consider attending re:generation at Watermark on Monday nights (or re:generation for students), where so many people have found freedom and recovery from the sin and shame in their lives.