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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll discover how God declares sinners righteous through faith alone, exploring Paul’s foundational teaching that transforms our understanding of salvation.

Key Verse

Romans 1:17: For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Introduction

One of the most life-changing discoveries in all of Scripture is the truth that we are made right with God not by what we do, but by what Christ has done for us. This doctrine—called justification by faith—stands at the very heart of the gospel message. It answers the most important question any person can ask: “How can I, a sinner, be accepted by a holy God?”

The apostle Paul spent much of his ministry explaining and defending this crucial truth. Before his conversion, Paul had been a religious expert who tried to earn God’s favor through perfect obedience to the law. But when Christ revealed Himself to Paul on the Damascus road, everything changed. Paul discovered that all his religious efforts were worthless compared to the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

This truth was so revolutionary that it sparked fierce opposition from religious leaders who insisted that people must earn their salvation through good works. But Paul refused to compromise this essential doctrine. He knew that if people could be saved by their own efforts, then Christ died for nothing. The gospel itself depends entirely on the truth that we are justified by faith alone.

Throughout his letters, Paul carefully explained how justification by faith works and why it is the only way sinners can be saved. He showed that this has always been God’s plan, even in Old Testament times. Abraham, David, and all the heroes of faith were declared righteous the same way we are—through faith, not works.

Here are the main points we will explore together:

• The Message of Galatians: Freedom from the law’s requirements
• The Message of Romans: Abraham’s example and God’s righteousness revealed
• The Message of Hebrews: Faith throughout history
• The Unity of God’s Plan: How Old and New Testament believers are saved the same way

The Message of Galatians

Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians because false teachers had invaded their churches with a dangerous message. These teachers, known as Judaizers, were Jewish Christians who believed that Gentile converts could not be fully saved unless they first became Jews through circumcision and law-keeping. They followed Paul from city to city, undermining his ministry by telling new believers that Paul’s gospel was incomplete. The Judaizers argued that while faith in Christ was important, it was not sufficient—believers must also submit to the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic law, including circumcision, dietary restrictions, and festival observances. Some of these false teachers even claimed that Paul himself required circumcision but was afraid to teach it openly to avoid persecution. This attack was particularly devastating because it made salvation dependent on human works rather than God’s grace alone.

This teaching struck at the very heart of the gospel. Paul responded with some of the strongest language found anywhere in his writings. He was not angry because his authority had been questioned—he was passionate because the truth of the gospel was at stake.

Galatians 1:8-9: But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

Paul explained that adding any human requirement to faith makes salvation impossible. If people could be saved by keeping the law, then Christ’s death was unnecessary. But since no one can perfectly keep God’s law, we all need a Savior who can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Galatians 2:16: Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

Notice how many times Paul emphasizes “faith” and “not by works” in this single verse. He wants to make absolutely clear that salvation comes through trusting Christ, not through human effort. (Notebook Moment: Why do you think people find it so difficult to accept that salvation is completely free? What drives us to want to contribute something to our own salvation?)

Paul used a powerful illustration to show the relationship between law and grace. He compared the law to a prison guard or a schoolmaster whose job was to watch over children until they came of age. The law served its purpose by showing us our sin and our need for a Savior, but it was never meant to save us.

Galatians 3:23-25: Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

The law reveals our sin but cannot remove it. The law demands perfection but cannot produce it. The law condemns the guilty but cannot justify them. Only faith in Christ can do what the law could never accomplish—make us righteous before God.

Paul also addressed the question of what happens to believers who continue trying to earn their salvation through law-keeping. His answer is sobering: they cut themselves off from Christ’s grace and fall away from the gospel.

Galatians 5:4: You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

This doesn’t mean that believers lose their salvation when they struggle with legalism, but it does mean that law-keeping and grace-receiving cannot coexist as the basis for our relationship with God. We must choose one or the other. Those who trust in their own righteousness cannot simultaneously trust in Christ’s righteousness.

The Message of Romans

In his letter to the Romans, Paul provided his most detailed explanation of justification by faith. He began by proving that all people—both Jews and Gentiles—are sinners who fall short of God’s glory. No one can claim to be righteous based on their own goodness.

Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

But after this devastating diagnosis of humanity’s spiritual condition, Paul announced the wonderful news that God has provided a solution. Through Jesus Christ, God offers His own righteousness as a free gift to all who believe.

Romans 3:21-22: But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Paul then used Abraham as his primary example to prove that justification has always been by faith, not by works. This was a brilliant choice because Abraham was revered by all Jews as the father of their nation. If Paul could show that even Abraham was justified by faith rather than works, his argument would be complete.

Romans 4:1-3: What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

The word “credited” is an accounting term that means to deposit something in someone’s account. When Abraham believed God’s promise, God deposited righteousness in Abraham’s spiritual account—not because Abraham earned it, but because Abraham trusted God’s word.

This beautiful truth is often called “the great exchange.” In this divine transaction, God takes our sin and places it on Christ, while He takes Christ’s perfect righteousness and places it on us. We give Him our guilt and receive His righteousness. We give Him our condemnation and receive His justification.

Paul then dealt with a question that his Jewish readers would certainly ask: What about circumcision? Didn’t God require Abraham to be circumcised as a sign of their covenant relationship? Paul’s answer revealed perfect timing in God’s plan.

Romans 4:9-11: Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.

This chronology was crucial to Paul’s argument. Abraham was declared righteous in Genesis 15 when he believed God’s promise about his descendants. But Abraham was not circumcised until Genesis 17—at least fourteen years later! This proves that Abraham’s righteousness came through faith, not through the ceremonial work of circumcision.

(Notebook Moment: How does understanding the timing of Abraham’s justification help us when people claim that baptism, church membership, or other religious acts are necessary for salvation?)

Paul explained that circumcision was a sign and seal of the righteousness Abraham already possessed through faith. It was like a diploma that recognizes education already completed, not the education itself. Similarly, our good works are evidence of the salvation we already have, not the means by which we obtain it.

Romans 4:16: Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

The Message of Hebrews

The book of Hebrews provides us with a magnificent survey of how faith has operated throughout history. Chapter 11 is often called the “Hall of Fame of Faith” because it lists dozens of Old Testament believers who pleased God through their trust in His promises.

Hebrews 11:6: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

The writer of Hebrews made it clear that faith has always been the requirement for pleasing God. From Abel’s acceptable sacrifice to Noah’s ark to Abraham’s obedience, every example demonstrates people trusting God’s word despite circumstances that seemed to contradict His promises.

What makes this chapter especially remarkable is that these believers exercised faith without seeing the complete fulfillment of what they believed. They trusted God’s promises about the coming Messiah even though they lived hundreds or thousands of years before Christ was born.

Hebrews 11:13: All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.

The chapter concludes with a statement that connects Old Testament believers directly with New Testament believers. We are all part of the same story of faith, all depending on the same Savior for our righteousness.

Hebrews 11:39-40: These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

This “something better” that God planned was the actual sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Old Testament believers looked forward to this sacrifice through symbols and prophecies, while we look back to it as an accomplished fact. But both groups are saved the same way—through faith in God’s promise of a Savior.

The Unity of God’s Plan of Salvation

One of the most beautiful truths revealed in Scripture is that God has always had one plan of salvation. From the very beginning, God intended to save people through faith in the work of His Son. The animal sacrifices, the ceremonial laws, and the priestly system were all pictures pointing forward to Christ’s perfect sacrifice.

Revelation 13:8: All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

From God’s eternal perspective, Jesus was “slain from the creation of the world.” This means that when Old Testament believers exercised faith in God’s promises, their faith was credited to them as righteousness because of Christ’s future sacrifice. God accepted their faith as if Christ had already died, because in His eternal plan, Christ’s death was already certain.

Old Testament Believers	New Testament Believers
Looked forward to the promised Messiah	Look back to the accomplished work of Christ
Offered animal sacrifices (temporary covering)	Trust in Christ’s perfect sacrifice (permanent payment)
Followed ceremonial laws as pictures/symbols	Follow moral commands as expressions of love
Trusted God’s promises about a coming Savior	Trust in the finished work of the Savior
Faith credited as righteousness (future basis)	Faith credited as righteousness (historical basis)
Saved by faith in what God would do	Saved by faith in what God has done

When Abraham offered Isaac on Mount Moriah, when David confessed his sin and trusted in God’s mercy, when Job declared “I know that my Redeemer lives”—all of these acts of faith were effective because they pointed to the Savior who would come.

Romans 4:23-25: The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

The law and sacrificial system served important purposes in God’s plan, but they were never intended to provide permanent solutions for sin. They were shadows that pointed to the reality found in Christ.

Hebrews 10:1-4: The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

(Notebook Moment: How does understanding that Old Testament believers were saved by faith help you appreciate the unity of God’s plan throughout history? What does this teach us about the reliability of God’s promises?)

When Old Testament believers obeyed God’s commands—offering sacrifices, keeping the ceremonial laws, observing the festivals—they were not earning their salvation through these works. Rather, they were expressing their faith in God’s promises and participating in the pictures He had given them of the coming Savior.

Here are some clear examples of Old Testament believers who were justified by faith:

• Abel offered a sacrifice by faith, trusting God’s way of approach (Genesis 4:4; Hebrews 11:4)
• Enoch walked with God by faith and was taken to heaven without dying (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5)
• Noah built the ark by faith, believing God’s warning about the coming flood (Genesis 6-9; Hebrews 11:7)
• Abraham believed God’s promise about his descendants and was declared righteous (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3)
• Isaac blessed his sons by faith, trusting God’s future plans (Genesis 27; Hebrews 11:20)
• Jacob worshiped God by faith even while dying in Egypt (Genesis 47:31; Hebrews 11:21)
• Joseph trusted God’s promise about Israel’s exodus from Egypt (Genesis 50:24-25; Hebrews 11:22)
• Moses chose to suffer with God’s people rather than enjoy Egypt’s pleasures (Exodus 2:11-15; Hebrews 11:24-27)
• Rahab protected the Israelite spies by faith and was saved from Jericho’s destruction (Joshua 2; Hebrews 11:31)
• David confessed his sin and trusted in God’s mercy and forgiveness (Psalm 32:1-2; Romans 4:6-8)

Their obedience flowed from their faith, just as our obedience should flow from our faith today. They trusted that God would provide the ultimate sacrifice for sin, and their trust was credited to them as righteousness because of Christ’s work on the cross.

Conclusion

The doctrine of justification by faith stands as one of the most liberating truths in all of Scripture. It frees us from the impossible burden of trying to earn God’s acceptance and assures us that our salvation rests entirely on Christ’s perfect work, not our imperfect efforts.

Understanding this truth transforms our relationship with God from fearful effort to joyful rest. We can approach God boldly, knowing that Christ’s righteousness is our only qualification and perfect guarantee of acceptance. This brings complete confidence that our salvation is secure, deep humility knowing we have nothing to boast about except Christ’s grace, and motivation to live in grateful obedience because we already have God’s love.

The same God who credited righteousness to Abraham’s account will credit righteousness to your account when you believe in Jesus Christ. The same gospel that transformed Paul from a self-righteous legalist into a grace-filled apostle can transform your life as well.

This is the heart of the gospel message: Christ has done for us what we could never do for ourselves. He lived the perfect life we could never live and died the death we deserved to die. When we trust in Him, God declares us righteous—not because of anything we have done, but because of everything Christ has done. This is justification by faith, and it is the foundation of all our hope for eternity.

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