Read the Word
Romans 3:21-26; 5:1-11
Open your Bible and read Romans 3:21-26; 5:1-11
Prophecies for this step
See all 300 prophecies- Born in Bethlehem of Judea
Mic 5:2 Matt 2:1-6; Luke 2:4-7; John 7:42
Written about 700 years earlier: the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, yet exist "from everlasting". Ask: who else could fulfil this?
- Born of a virgin
Isa 7:14 Matt 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-35
God Himself gave the sign: a virgin will conceive. Jesus is not only a good teacher – He is "God with us".
- Mighty God, Everlasting Father
Isa 9:6 John 10:30; John 20:28; Col 2:9
The child who is born is called "Mighty God". Use it to show who Jesus really is.
- The righteous Servant will justify many
Isa 53:11 Rom 5:19; 1 John 2:1
"My righteous servant shall justify many" – the heart of step 2: the sinless One makes sinners righteous before God.
God sent His own Son
After the bad news comes the most wonderful news: God Himself acted. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Jesus is not just a prophet or a teacher. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). He lived among people, yet “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
He condemned sin
Paul writes: “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3).
The law can show sin, but it cannot remove it. So God sent His Son, who came “for sin” – to deal with it. Sin was judged and condemned in Jesus. That is why Paul can say in the very first verse of that chapter: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
He justifies us
To be justified means to be declared righteous by God – the Judge Himself pronounces a sinner “not guilty”. This is a gift:
- “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
- “By him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39).
- “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
God is both just and the One who justifies: He did not ignore sin, He condemned it in His Son; therefore He can justify “him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
How to say it
“Romans 8:3 says that what the law could not do, God did: He sent His own Son and condemned sin in Him. And Acts 13:39 says that by Jesus all that believe are justified from all things. Not by our works – by Him.”
This prepares the way for step 3: how Jesus did this – through His cross and resurrection.
Check yourself
Practise
Explain Romans 8:3 and Acts 13:38-39 to someone who says "I try to keep God's commandments, so God will accept me."
Tips
- Start with what the law cannot do (Romans 3:20; 8:3).
- Show who Jesus is – the Son sent by God (John 3:16-17).
- Emphasise "freely by his grace" and "all that believe".
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