No Difference.

 All, leaving no one out, have sinned.

All, no matter race, sex, creed, nothing exempt… all have sinned.

No one person, no matter the circumstances, not a single person can escape their sinner status.  No one can buy sinlessness. No one can give another sinlessness. You birth does not matter, your station in life doesn't matter, absolutely nothing will keep you from being a sinner.

When Christ saves us He is saving a sinner. 

There is no difference in any human from another in the matter of needing the righteousness of Christ, not a single difference.

We are all in need of Christ and His righteousness.

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The Justice of Mercy

Romans 3:22-26

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference

22 There is no difference; 23 for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; 25 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; 26 to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

"No Difference." 

In what is there no difference? There is no difference in the way in which men receive righteousness. And why is no difference made in the manner of justifying men? Because "all have sinned."  

Peter, in relating to the Jews his experience in first preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, said, "God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." Acts 15:8, 9. "Out of the heart of men," not of one class of men, but of all men, "proceed evil thoughts," etc. Mark 7:21. God knows the hearts of all men, that all are alike sinful, and therefore he makes no difference in the gospel to different men.

"One Blood." 

This lesson is one of the most important to be learned by the missionary, whether laboring at home or abroad. Since the gospel is based on a principle that there is no difference in men, it is absolutely essential that the gospel worker should recognize the fact, and always keep it in mind. God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." Acts 17:26. Not only are all men of one blood,  but they are also of "one kind of flesh." 1 Cor. 15:39.

The great burden of the Epistle to the Romans, as has appeared up to this point, is to show that so far as sin and salvation therefrom are concerned, there is absolutely no difference between men of all races and conditions in life. The same gospel is to be preached to the Jew and to the Gentile, to the slave and to the freeman, to the prince and to the peasant.

If We Continue...

 Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell

(((The Father God knows and wanted all in all to be in Christ))))

Col 1:20  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 

(((The blood of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ for us brings the peace of salvation. Jesus Christ our Savior alone can reconcile us to God.))))

Col 1:21  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 

(((Separated from God by our own wickedness, we can be reconciled to God by our Savior.))))

Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 

(((JESUS' death allows Him to present US holy, unblameable, unreprovable!  Think about that!? You and I, HOLY, UNBLAMEABLE, UNREPROVABLE! The magnitude of such a miracle is truly beyond our ability to fully comprehend.))))

Col 1:23  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister

(((IF…IF… IF….IF….IF…  I can't stress this IF enough! IF WE CONTINUE IN THE FAITH.

Continue in the faith! Endure to the end! Confess always to be cleansed always! 

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

WE must continue just as we began in CHRIST, that belief, that zeal, that comprehension, that knowledge of being saved must be continued always. We can never get to a place we believe we are sinless and not in need of forgiveness. While we strive against sin, we know that only Christ is sinless, and our acceptance of His sinlessness is our salvation through Him. Never ever should we condone any sin. If we sin we must confess, we must recognize our Savior as saving us, not us saving ourselves with our own power to refrain from sin. ANY ability to keep from sinning comes from the power of God and we need to keep this in mind. Christ in us is our hope, not our hope in our own power to be sinless.

IF we continue...

We must continue in the faith, not step outside of it onto another path.  We must be GROUNDED and SETTLED. If you are grounded and settled in something you will not be moved from it ever! We must NEVER move away from the gospel of salvation through Christ!

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 

Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily

Christ - Creator.

 Col 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 

Col 1:2  To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Col 1:3  We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 

Col 1:4  Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 

Col 1:5  For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 

Col 1:6  Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 

Col 1:7  As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 

Col 1:8  Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 

Col 1:9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to 

DESIRE THAT YE MIGHT BE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL IN ALL WISDOM AND SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING

(((We need and can be filled with the KNOWLEDGE of CHRIST'S WILL - being given all wisdom and spiritual understand towards this end- knowing His will))))

Col 1:10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

(((Walking worthy of the LORD. Fruitful in good work. Gaining knowledge of God.))))

Col 1:11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 

(((Spiritually strengthened with all we need- by HIS glorious power, giving us PATIENCE, LONGSUFFERING while being filled with JOY!))))

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 

(((Thanking GOD the Father who made our spiritual INHERITANCE from CHRIST possible))))

Col 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 

Col 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 

(((Delivered from SATAN, given to CHRIST for His Kingdom. REDEEMED by CHRIST through HIS BLOOD, HIS DEATH- FORGIVEN of our SINS!))))

Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 

(((CHRIST JESUS- the image of GOD the Father- invisible to us.

CHRIST JESUS- the firstborn of every creature.  Holding the position of importance a firstborn holds, but not only the firstborn power position but the power over all created, firstborn over all firstborn.))))

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 

(((CHRIST CREATED ALL THINGS. Christ our CREATOR.  All created by Him and FOR Him!))))

Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 

(((CHRIST before ALL things, CHRIST - by HIM ALL THINGS ARE.))))

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 

(((CHRIST the HEAD of the body.

CHRIST the HEAD of His people.

CHRIST the beginning.

CHRIST the first risen from the decreed death - God forsakened.

CHRIST truly greater than all things.))))

Gods Power, Not Ours.

 Inward truth. 

It is so much more important for us to have truth inwardly than to appear to be truth followers and not be from the heart.  

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 

Jer 17:10  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. 

We can't let our own heart deceive us. We have to pray that God creates a clean heart in us, because we cannot do it for ourselves.

Psa_51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Eze 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh

Eze 36:25  Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 

Eze 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 

Eze 36:27  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 

God does all this FOR US we have to LET HIM, and we have to LET HIM daily. We can choose at any moment to stop letting God work in us, we mustn't do that. We must learn to surrender always, recognizing all glory belongs to God!

*******

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.

Within and Without. 

This righteousness of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ, is unto, literally into, and upon all them that believe. Man's own righteousness, which is of the law, is only on the outside. Matt. 23:27, 28.  

Mat 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 

Mat 23:28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 

But God desires truth in the inward parts. Ps. 51:6. 

Psa 51:6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 

"These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart." Deut. 6:6. 

And so the promise of the new covenant is, "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts." Jer. 31:33.

He does it, because it is impossible for man to do it. The most that men can do is to make a fair show in the flesh, to gain the applause of their fellow men. God puts his glorious righteousness in the heart.

But he does more than that, he covers men with it. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness." Isa. 51:10.

"He will beautify the meek with salvation." Ps. 149:4. 

Clothed with this glorious dress, which is not merely an outward covering, but the manifestation of that which is within, God's people may go forth, "fair as the moon, clear as the sun; and terrible as an army with banners."

Keep the Faith Given to You.

 Keep the faith.

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.

(Excerpt)

"By Faith of Jesus Christ." 

In another place Paul expresses his desire when the Lord comes to be found "not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Phil. 3:9.

Here again we have "the faith of Christ." 

Still further, it is said of the saints, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12. 

God is faithful (1 Cor. 1:9) and Christ is faithful, for "he abideth faithful." 2 Tim. 2:13. 

God deals to every one a measure of faith. Rom. 12:3; Eph. 2:8.

1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

He imparts to us his own faithfulness. 

This he does by giving us himself. 

So that we do not have to get righteousness which we ourselves manufacture; but to make the matter doubly sure, the Lord imparts to us in himself the faith by which we appropriate his righteousness. 

Thus the faith of Christ must bring the righteousness of God, because the possession of that faith is the possession of the Lord himself. 

This faith is dealt to every man, even as Christ gave himself to every man.

Do you ask what then can prevent every man from being saved? The answer is, Nothing, except the fact that all men will not keep the faith. If all would keep all that God gives them, all would be saved.

Perfect Law.

 

The righteousness of God.

Nothing can compare to the righteousness of God, nothing.

Jesus the One who lived the law perfectly.

 

How do I know this?  Because Jesus was without sin. To be without sin means to have kept the law perfectly because sin is the transgressing of the law. To be without sin is to have never transgressed the law of God. 

The law of God is a heart law, so far beyond the mere letter of the law. Jesus explained that truth fully when He walked the earth in human flesh. He explained that our thoughts alone can be sinful- is it any wonder there is no human besides our Savior who hasn't sinned? 

The righteousness of God is the perfection of His law in the flesh, kept from the heart perfectly. 

All glory to God! All praise and honor unto Him!

(Excerpt) 

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.

The Righteousness of God. 

While there is no chance for the despiser of God's law to evade its claims under cover of the expression, "the righteousness of God apart from the law," there is also no need for the lover of that law to fear that the preaching of righteousness by faith will tend to bring in a spurious righteousness. 

Such is guarded against by the statement that the righteousness must be witnessed by the law, and further by the statement that this righteousness which is manifested apart from the law is the righteousness of God. No one need fear that he will be wrong if he has that righteousness! 

To seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness is the one thing required of us in this life. Matt 6:33.

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

Moses Wrote About Christ.

Moses. You know who Moses is, most people with even a little Bible knowledge know who Moses is. It helps that there have been movies about Moses- exposing those who watch them to this Biblical figure. Moses - the giver of the Ten Commandments given to Him to bring to the people by God. Moses- the one who God parted the Red Sea for.  Moses- used by God for God's purposes. Moses- as a baby taken in by Egyptian royalty- grown to a man who chose to abandon the riches and power of Egypt to embrace his heritage as a  Hebrew. Moses- the leader of the freed Hebrew slaves for forty years in the wilderness.  

You know Moses.

Moses wrote about Jesus Christ our Savior.  Thousands of years before Christ was born, Moses wrote of Him. From the beginning, God determined we would be His if we choose to be His, by the grace of His Son through His sacrifice!

Joh 5:46  For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 

Gen. 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. 

Deu 18:15  The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 

Deu 18:16  According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 

Deu 18:17  And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 

Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 

Deu 18:19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. 

(Excerpt)

The Grand Conclusion Romans 3:19-22

19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.

Witnessed by the Prophets

When Peter preached Christ to Cornelius and his family, he said, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10:43.  

The prophets preached the same gospel that the apostles did. See 1 Peter 1:12. 

1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 

There is but one foundation, and that is "the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." Eph.  2:20.

This also suggests another thought about "witnessed by the law." It is not simply that the righteousness which is manifested in Christ is approved by the law, but it is proclaimed in the law. In the portion of Scripture specifically known as "the law," the portion written by Moses, Christ is preached. 

Moses was a prophet, and therefore he testified of Christ the same, "for he wrote of me." John 5:46. 

Joh 5:46  For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 

More than this, the very giving of the law itself was a promise and an assurance of Christ. This will appear when we come to the fifth chapter of Romans.