By Free Grace Alone
A Sermon on Romans 3:24
Originally preached March 8, 1957
Scripture
24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Sermon Description
Just as a prisoner needs to pay a price to obtain freedom, sinners also need to pay a ransom for freedom. However, the Lord in His kindness has paid the price and given freedom to the Christian. In this sermon titled “By Free Grace Alone,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches from Romans 3:24 and breaks the verse into three parts: the reminder of what salvation really is, how salvation becomes the Christian’s, and how it is possible for God to do this for His people. In this verse, Paul explains free justification by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Because of that work, the Christian has been declared righteous. This does not mean that they are currently righteous, but that the Lord has deemed them so. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the present tense of the word “justifying” means that Christians are currently being justified. The listener is reminded that this salvation is a free gift to all, both Jew and Gentile. While the law reveals sin, God’s grace gives a free pardon. This is only possible because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The term used here is the same term as a prisoner being set free and Christ has set His people free from the slavery of sin.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is emphasizing that God has provided a way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This was foretold in the Old Testament but has now been revealed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
- The word "now" is used to contrast the old way of attempting to achieve righteousness through the law versus the new way of receiving righteousness through faith in Christ. We now live in a new age where salvation is available through faith alone.
- Salvation is not just the forgiveness of sins but also being clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We need a perfect righteousness to stand before God, which we receive through faith in Christ.
- The way we receive this righteousness is through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith means knowing the truth, assenting to the truth, and trusting in the truth. It means looking away from ourselves and trusting completely in Christ's finished work.
- Our faith does not save us, only Christ saves us. Faith is merely the instrument through which we receive salvation. If we say our faith saves us, we have something to boast in, but salvation is by grace alone.
- This salvation is available to all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all sinned in Adam, and we continue to sin individually. We lack the glory of God, which is to know Him, rejoice in Him, and share in His glory.
- As Christians, we now share in the glory of God as we are being transformed into Christ's image. One day our bodies will also be transformed into glorious bodies like Christ's. Sin robs us of righteousness and glory, but salvation restores both.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.