Romans 3 Lesson

EVERYONE IS A SINNER

Romans Chapter 3 makes it clear that EVERYONE is a sinner!

There is only One that has ever walked the earth perfectly, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The rest of us are sinners, as the Bible makes clear in the following three verses:

1. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” -Romans 3:23,
2. “There is none righteous, not even one.” -Romans 3:10,
3. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8.

And because we are sinners, we need God’s grace if we are going to go to Heaven.

WE NEED GOD’S GRACE

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans:

• “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.  Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.” – Romans 3:10-18.

In the above scripture (taken from Psalms 14:1-3, Psalms 10:7, Psalms 36:1, Psalms 53:1-4, Isaiah 59:7, and Isaiah 59:9), Paul makes it clear that all of us are sinners (both Jews and Gentiles). 

Therefore, we all need God’s grace to be saved.    It is as simple as that:

1. We are all sinners,
2. Therefore, we all need God’s grace to be saved.

GRACE DEFINED

Grace means, “Unmerited favor.”  

Or to put it in lay terms, receiving something that we have not earned.  

As we learn God’s commandments, He wants us to make a sincere effort to obey them. 

He also understands that we are human and will make mistakes and fall short from time to time. That is where the redeeming blood of Jesus and God’s unsurpassed grace can save us from our sins.

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT GRACE

The Bible has a lot to say about grace. For today’s lesson, we have highlighted the following four verses:

1. “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” -Hebrews 4:16,
2. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9,
3. “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” - James 4:6,
4. “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9.

WORKS CAN NOT SAVE US

We cannot make it to Heaven based on our own works!  

While there is no denying the importance of our works to accompany our faith (James 2:26), there are no amount of works that can save anyone without the grace of God.

FIVE MATTERS OF SALVATION

Different denominations have differing opinions about what is necessary to go to Heaven.  

In the end, the only thing that matters is what God says on the subject.

For today’s lesson, we are going to look at five things the Bible teaches us that are necessary for salvation along with the corresponding scriptures.  

1. Believe in Jesus.  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” –  Acts 16:31, 
2. Confess our belief in Him.  “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” –  Romans 10:10, 
3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins.  “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” –  Luke 13:3, 
4. Be baptized.  “ Baptism  now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ .” –  1 Peter 3:21  and “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” –  Mark 16:16, 
5. Obey God’s commandments.  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”  –  Mathew 7:21. 

When we obey the Gospel and commit to following Jesus, God’s grace saves us!

CONCLUSION

God's grace is a gift that we cannot earn.  

God gives grace to the humble and is opposed to the proud. 

We are saved by grace through faith, and there is work to be done!

If we want to go to Heaven, we need to be obedient to the following five matters of salvation:

1. Believe in Jesus.(Acts 16:31)
2. Confess our belief in Him. (Romans 10:10)
3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins.  (Luke 13:3)
4. Be baptized.(1 Peter 3:21 andMark 16:16)
5. Obey God’s commandments. (Mathew 7:21)

We will end today's lesson with the following scripture:

• “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.” - Titus 2:11.