Page 4 - November 2023 - Truth & Tidings

he title of these articles is “More but they cannot justify them. An attempt
Than Conquerors.” These words on the part of the guilty to cancel their
Tcome from Romans 8:37. We will guilt by seeking to obey the Law of Moses
be looking at Romans 5:12–8:31, the theme is futile (3:20). Only God can justify the
of which is how we, as believers in Christ, guilty, and even He can only do it under
can live victorious, Christ honouring lives. the right conditions.
Finally, we will examine Romans 12:1,2. Paul goes on to state that we are “justi-
The major theme of Paul’s epistle to the fied freely by his grace through the re-
Romans is justification by faith. In the demption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom
first three chapters Paul establishes the God hath set forth to be a propitiation
universal guilt of the total human race. through faith in his blood, to declare his
In 3:19 he states, “Now we know that righteousness for the remission of sins that
what things soever the law [i.e., the Law are past, through the forbearance of God;
of Moses] saith, it saith to them who are To declare, I say, at this time his righteous-
under the law: that every mouth may be ness: that he might be just, and the justifier
stopped, and all the world may become of him which believeth in Jesus” (3:24-26).
guilty before God.” However, in the In simple terms, what these verses are
1
next section (3:21-31), Paul indicates that stating is that Christ willingly suffered the
God has provided a means whereby He wrath of God on the cross on the behalf of
can justify people whose guilt has been the whole human race, and by this means
proven, and yet be righteous in doing so. has made salvation available, first to Old
No court on earth can justify guilty people. Testament believers (“sins that are past”
They may pronounce them “Not guilty!” v25), and to all who will believe in Christ
though that would be a travesty of justice, in this present era (“at this time” v26). By
¹ Bible quotations in this article are from the this means God is able to justify guilty sin-
KJV. ners and be righteous in doing so. In fact,

324 TRUTH kTidings November 2023