Romans 3:21-31 say, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins.  It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one - who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.  Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”

Dear brothers and sisters, peace be to everyone! I am very happy that we meet again. Today, we continue with the Gospel of Salvation. We are sinners and the wages for sin is death but Jesus Christ is a righteous person. He is incarnated, sinless and the way to eternal life. He is able to bear our sins as He is sinless. He has resurrected on the third day because His eternal life has overcome death as a result of our sins, thereby accomplishing the great work of salvation. However, people in the world today do not understand that and use their own ways for salvation. This is impossible! Therefore, Romans 3:27 tells us “By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.” 

‘Law of works’ and ‘Law of faith’

What is the “law of works”? It refers to people using their own ways and abilities to possibly achieve forgiveness of sins. The Bible clearly tells us that ‘law of works’ is futile because “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” (James 2:10). It means that when I sin and break a law in God’s commandments, I am guilty of breaking the whole law so I cannot save myself. For instance, a chain with ten rings pulled me up and hung in the air. I would fall down even if one of the rings is broken. Similarly, if I break one of the laws, I am a sinner. Sinners cannot save themselves as the wages for sin is death.

Confucius said this at the age of 70, “Do not go beyond the norms.” He meant he would not sin again. Upon hearing this, a man made a promise with himself that he wanted to turn a new leaf – only cash purchases in the future. The next day, he paid cash for his purchases in a grocery store and told the boss, “Boss, from now on, I will buy in cash, not on credit.” The boss asked, “When are you going to pay those purchases on credit in the past?” The man was shocked, “From now on, I am an honest person and make cash transactions. The past is gone. Do I still have to pay?” Is the man reasonable to say that? See, people thought it is fine not to sin from now on, break no laws and do anything illegal. What about our deeds in the past? We still have to pay a price. What’s more, people are originally created in the image of God and have the responsibility to do good works. Doing good is our duty so we should not claim credit for it.

On the contrary, people are in the wrong if they aren’t doing good. The dogs are in the wrong if they don’t guard the house. The cats are in the wrong if they don’t catch the mice. Dear friends, it is futile to depend on ‘Laws of work’. You and I need to return to God and hear His Word, “By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.” (Romans 3:27)

What is ‘law of faith’? When a person does not believe that he can save himself, the only way is to rely on God. He commits himself to Jesus Christ so it is known as ‘law of faith’. He believes that the only way to salvation is to trust in Jesus Christ and have forgiveness of sins.

How do I know that I believed in Jesus?

What is ‘faith’? Faith encompasses a few levels. Firstly, it refers to understanding. The Bible says: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17). When people hear the Word of God and comprehend it, it produces faith. In other words, there is reasoning through faith. It is clear and faith proceeds from our understanding of his Word. Otherwise, it would be superstition or blind faith. Faith is produced through understanding the words and works of Jesus Christ. When a person hears the Word of God, he gains spiritual understanding. He knows that he is a sinner and God is the Lord of salvation – for He had sent His only son Jesus Christ to the world. Through His life, we know that He is sinless and is the omnipotent and incarnated God. This is the essential core of our faith.

Secondly, faith involves acceptance. John 1:12 says: “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” When someone knocks on my door, I will peep through the door to see who he is before opening it. “Oh, it’s Pastor! He is a good man.” Then, I will quickly invite him in. On the contrary, I will not open the door if I don’t know him and he looks detestable. Isn’t it? A person will only invite someone in when he truly knows that the other party is trustworthy. In the same way, today, we know that Jesus Christ is the son of the eternal God. He works miracles, heals and drives out evil spirits. In addition, He loved us, was crucified on the cross for us and resurrected on the third day. I am willing to accept such a God by opening my heart to invite Him into my life. Therefore, this is the second level of ‘faith’.

The third level involves trust. My understanding needs to go beyond my reasoning ability and opening my heart to Him. I need to trust Him completely. Before sitting on a chair, I must believe that it is well-made and will not collapse. This is known as trust. Trusting in Jesus Christ means that we not only receive Him into our lives, but also acknowledge Him as our Lord in our lives, relying on Him. Just like the analogy of the chair. I need to rest my whole body weight on it in order to feel at ease. In the same way, when I believe in Jesus Christ, I cast all my burdens on Him and believe that He is able to save. I don’t feel troubled, worried or even afraid that the devil will attack me as I know that He will protect me. As a result, there is no fear in me and I can trust Him fully. Therefore, ‘the steps to believing in God’ includes knowing (at the level of reasoning), acceptance (as an act of our will) and trusting (through the complete surrender of our will).

Finally, it involves confession. Jesus Christ expressed His love for us openly. He is a God who reveals Himself; He is the light who shines on us and dispels the darkness in us. In the same way, today, we receive this light into our lives so we can honestly and publicly confess Him as our God. A person who truly believes in Jesus Christ will openly confess his faith and accept Him into his life through words and actions. After I had become a Christian and returned to my hometown, I saw a person passing a flyer to someone and said: “You must believe in Jesus and go to the church to hear His Word.” All the villagers knew that he was a believer. Why? It was because believing in Jesus Christ was a very happy and blessed thing. I would also naturally express such emotions. When a person loves someone, he will confess publicly “this is my lover.” Both of them will eventually walk on the red carpet and announce to the world that they are married. In the same way, after a person acknowledges God as Lord of his life, he will willingly express his trust in God and confess his faith through his words and actions. This flows from his love for God. Similarly, when we believe in Jesus Christ, we will confess to the world that we are Christians and belong to Him.

Once we believe in Jesus Christ, we must have the following levels – firstly, we must truly know Him as the son of the eternal God. Secondly, we are willing to open our hearts to receive Jesus into our lives. Thirdly, we trust Him entirely and not worry or rely on ourselves. Trusting in Jesus means from now on, we only trust in Him but not in ourselves. Fourthly, we confess Him as our Lord through actions. ‘Confession’ is derived from the Greek word “Doxa”, which means glory. We confess our faith in Him as He is the glory. Indeed, it is a glorious thing for us to trust Him. Therefore, we naturally acknowledge that we belong to Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters, may we who have received His salvation put our trust in Him every day. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” May the Lord bless us and our hearts are focused on Him. Let our lives convey Him, be a witness for Him and bring glory to Him. Amen!

Let us pray together.

Dear God, we are very thankful that while we were sinners, you sent your only son Jesus Christ who was crucified on the cross for our sins and he has resurrected. As a result of your great work of salvation, we have become children of God today. We are truly delighted. We want to acknowledge you and publicly proclaim you so that people in the world know that you are Lord, the eternal God and we are saved by your grace! We praise God for continually guarding our thoughts, words and actions every day so that we can witness for you and bring glory to your name. We pray in the holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen.