Dearly Beloved,
 kids, adults, family, friends, Romans, countrymen... lend me your ears! I am reading through Paul's letter written to the early church in Rome, and preparing my next cyberchurch epistle. Today's passage and indeed the whole letter to Romans is talking about "righteousness". And I am moved to share this with all of you in 3 parts:

PART I: For Kids, just a screenful
PART II: For Busy People, a slightly longer exposition
PART III: For people who got more time to read on

RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness. What a big word. 13 letters. Three syllables. A noun. A naming word.
It means being just. It means being perfect. It means being totally good.
It means being right. It means being right with God. Romans 3:21 tells us there is a new way that we can be right with God, without having to be measured and judged by God's law.

THOUGH FAITH
Romans 3:22 tells us that we can all receive this gift of being made right with God by simply believing in Jesus. It does not depend on trying to be good. It does not depend on doing good deeds. It depends on trusting in Jesus to be our Saviour.

EVERYBODY
The Christians in Rome were wondering was it only the Jews who could be saved, or if the Gentiles could be also be saved: Paul writes to say:
Everybody, all, Jew and Gentile are sinners, unable to be good by their own strength.
And everybody, all, Jew and Gentile, are freely justified, saved without cost.

JUSTIFIED FREELY
"Justified" means to be made innocent.

In law, a man who owes money but can not pay is a debtor. The debtor is thrown into jail until he pays his debt. After he pays his debts he is justified, he is free.

We are all sinners. We are all bad. We are to be blamed for our wrong doing. Our punishment is death. We can not repay our debt. We are dead! We can not justify ourselves. But God, by His kindness, His mercy, His Amazing Grace, through Jesus Christ, takes away our blame. Jesus paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross. Jesus proved He is powerful enough to forgive our sins by rising from the grave, resurrected, alive. He is alive today and He can save you. Jesus can justify you. For free.

HOMEWORK:
Can you think of some bad things you have done?
Don't tell me about it: I have probably done the same bad things!
Today's  bible passage tells us the only way for us to be right with God is through Jesus. Believe in Jesus. Trust Jesus to save you.
Do you want to say the sinners' prayer? Email me if you do.

.........................................

Post Script: Sinner's prayer

Dear God,
  I know I can not be good enough for you by my own strength.
I know Jesus died for my sins.
I need Jesus.
Jesus please come into my life and control me.
Jesus please come to save me.
Jesus please be my Saviour.
AMEN.

Hmm... looks like busy people just need to read Part I!
But I will persist!

In Romans 3:9-21 Paul proves that we are all unrighteous.

The text for today, Romans 3:21-24, (you should read it) tells of a new righteousness,
God's righteousness, hitherto unavailable, hidden, unknown, yet congruent with God's law as spelt out in The Law and The Prophets, the recognised canon of scriptures in Saint Paul's days.

This God's righteousness is made available to us, not by adhering to The Law,
but by grace, by receiving redemption, salvation, by believing the good news, by faith in Jesus Christ.

Grace is God's favour to us.
Blessings He bestows upon us.
Unmerited, because we do not deserve it.
Amazing because we can scarcely comprehend it.

There is a universal catholic application of the law and of God's grace.

ALL have sinned.
ALL fall short of the glory of God.
ALL are condemned.
ALL are freely justified.
ALL have been redeemed.
ALL are free to accept or reject His grace.
ALL are invited to have faith in Jesus Christ
 Son of God and son of man
 born of the virgin Mary
 suffered under Pontius Pilate
 was crucified, dead, and buried
 and on the third day He arose
 with a mighty victory over His foes
 He arose a victor of the dark domain
 He arose forever with His saints to reign
 He arose, He arose
 Hallelujah Christ arose!

Will you put your hands in the hands of the Man who stilled the waters?

Just Do it!
AMEN!

PART III For people who got more time to read on

In Romans 3:9-21 Paul proves that we are all unrighteous.

 RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness is an issue we need to ponder upon. The theme of "righteousness" is the core of the book of Romans. The Greek word in the text that Paul uses for "righteousness" is Strong's Concordance #1343, dikaiosune, "dik-ah-yos-oo-nay",  equity of character, Christian justification, righteousness: the essence of that which is just: conformity with the claims of higher authority, in direct opposition to anomia (Strong's Concordance #458) or lawlessness.

For God, righteousness is His perfect standards.
For us, righteousness is being right with God.

 OT
"Righteousness" is not only a New Testament concept. The Hebrew word was Strong's Concordance
#6666, tsedaqah; "tsed-aw-kaw", a feminine Hebrew noun (ultimately derived from #6663) : it means righteousness, rightness, moral rectitude, virtue, divine & human justice, faithfulness, mildness, prosperity, piety, mildness, moderation, prosperity. It is a forensic term. It is often used to describe the relationship between God and man.  It is about man being right with God.

God is righteous...
And God makes us right with Him, by His grace.

 GRACE
The word "grace" in the text is the Greek word, Strong's Concordance #5485, charis, (pronounced khar'-ece) derived from #5463 chario. Chario is a primitive verb; to be cheerful, calmly happy or well off. Charis is graciousness, as gratifying, of manner or act, abstract or concrete, literal, figurative or spiritual, especially the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life, including gratitude; acceptability, acceptance, benefit, favour, gift, grace, joy, liberality, pleasure, thank, thanksworthy, a kindness granted (or desired), a favour done without expectation or return, a one way act of kindness, the absolute freeness of the lovingkindness of God to men finding its only motive the bounty and freeheartedness of God. Unearned and undeserved, unmerited and unwarranted gift, that brings out joy and gratitude in the recipient.

The Old Testament equivalent is seen in Gen 6:8, the Hebrew word, Strong's Concordance #2580 chen; "khane". It is a masculine Hebrew noun. It appears 69 times in the Hebrew OT, 47 times of which are in the phrase "find favour in the eyes of". It means grace, favour, kindness, loveliness, charm, preciousness: it speaks of a bending or stooping in kindness of a superior to an inferior to bestow kindness, mercy.  The superior-inferior relationship is a significant aspect of the word.

 SHO-WD: STARTER: HAPPENING: OUR: WHY: DO:

 STARTER:
The text is Romans 3:21-24

 HAPPENING:
In  Romans 3:21-24, what is HAPPENING?
What do we SEE?
 What are the FACTS presented to us?
v21 God's righteousness has now been MADE KNOWN.
This righteousness is CONGRUENT with what we know before from the old testament.
v22 This righteousness comes to us,is bestowed upon us, through FAITH.
This righteousness is available to ALL of us.
v23. ALL have SINNED
There is NO DIFFERENCE between all men (and all women); all are sinners.
Gews and Jentiles (Yes I like that typo error) all are sinners.
Black, White, Yellow Red, Brown Green; No matter the colour of your skin or blood: you are a sinner. King, slave, governor, citizen, child, man woman, no matter what your station in life, you are a sinner.
v24 ALL are freely JUSTIFIED
The free justification comes to us by GRACE
The justification is possible because of the REDEMPTION
The redemption is caused by JESUS CHRIST

 OUR/YOUR
DOES this apply to your life?
Are you a sinner?
Are you in need of righteousness? faith? justification? redemption? salvation?
Have you called on grace?
Do you need a Saviour?

 WHY?
In PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) this is where you break up in groups and talk about how you got into this mess (WHY)  and what you can do about it (DO).

So it would be good at this point to evaluate, either singularly, with your wife, or in a small group, your relationship with God.

Are you right with God?
How far away are you from God?
Comparing with the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32)
 are you off to the bright city lights with your back to God?
 are you down in the pits with the pigs?
 have you reached the point of confession and repentance and turning around
 have you already been met by the Father
  at your point of need
  received reconciliation
  received the hug and kisses
  received the best robe
  received the ring of authority
  received footwear of the family
  celebrated with the fatted calf?
Do you have a personal relationship with God?

 DO
What can and will you do about the situation?
Are you happy to let matters lie?
To remain in status quo?
Are you drifting away from God?
Spiritually dry?
Lost?

Do you have debts to be cancelled?
Do you want to be freely justified?

Today's text points us to God's Amazing Grace.

Righteousness for the unrighteous.
Forgiveness for the sinner.
A clean record for those whoes book is full of black deeds.

God will wipe the slate clean.
(Love keeps no record of wrongs).

God will let you be right with Him,
no matter what your past sins have been.
If only you will have faith.
If only you believe Jesus died on the cross to save you
and rose from the grave to sit at the right hand of God
there to rule for ever and ever and ever.

Will you believe in Jesus?
Will you have faith?
Will you accept Him as LORD and Saviour?

 CLOSING PRAYER
Mighty God, we praise you for you are worthy to be praised.
Thank you for your amazing grace.
Thank you for justifying us freely,
through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour
AMEN.