How are we justified according to Romans 3?
According to Romans 3, we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus. Justification is by faith in His shed blood, not by joining a church, getting baptized, or doing works. Christ is the justifier of them that believe, and this simplicity confounds many.
Les explains that Romans 3 first establishes that none is righteous and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God—the immoral, the moral, and the religious (s135-s142). Then the text declares that believers are justified freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus (s143-s147). The next verse adds that we are justified by faith in His shed blood, and Christ is just, fair, and honest as the justifier of them that believe (s148-s152). Les stresses this is not by the things many think they must do—join the church, get baptized, do this and do that—but He is the justifier of them that believe (s152-s157). This simplicity throws a curve at people and sends them into orbit (s157-s160). Les then points to chapter 4 and Abraham as the epitome of faith, who at 100 years old, with his 90-year-old wife, believed God and staggered not in unbelief (s163-s173). Then he moves into chapter 5 (s174-s175).
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;