SUNDAY (LIVE) - September 27, 2026 | UNASHAMED: Romans 3:21-26 - Gods Rightness

Sep 27, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting the Right Path When God’s Way Feels Unfamiliar

A child insists her father is lost because he takes an unfamiliar route to school. Like her, we often mistake God’s unexpected paths for error, clinging to what feels familiar. Yet God’s righteousness means His ways are always right, even when they defy our limited understanding. His faithfulness spans decades, while our vision stretches only to the next turn. Trust grows when we release our need to control the map and embrace His navigation. [28:47]

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law… the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22, ESV)

Reflection: Where is God leading you through an unexpected route? How might your resistance to His path reveal a deeper need to control outcomes?

Day 2: The Cure That Changes Us from the Inside Out

The law exposes our sin but cannot transform our hearts. Like patients needing surgery, we require more than good advice—we need the Surgeon’s scalpel. God’s righteousness operates not through external rules but through spiritual heart-circumcision, creating new desires and capacities. This internal work makes obedience possible, replacing cycles of failure with Christ’s enduring victory. [38:37]

“And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6, ESV)

Reflection: What recurring sin makes you feel trapped in a cycle? How might focusing less on behavior modification and more on heart transformation shift your approach?

Day 3: Redemption as God’s Victory Over Our Captivity

Redemption isn’t a polite transaction but a rescue mission. Like Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, Christ’s blood declares war on our captors. God doesn’t negotiate with sin—He conquers it, liberating us from slavery to fear, addiction, and death. Our freedom cost Him everything, yet He paid nothing to the enemy who held us. [51:29]

“I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.” (Exodus 6:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life still feels occupied by “Egyptian taskmasters”? How does viewing redemption as conquest change your perspective on spiritual battles?

Day 4: Mercy That Withholds What We Deserve

Every morning we wake breathing is mercy. God’s patience delays judgment, not because sin is trivial, but because He desires repentance. Like a parent restraining justice to protect a reckless child, He endures our failures to create space for grace. His mercy is the pause between our rebellion and redemption’s crescendo. [59:34]

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: What consequence have you avoided that reveals God’s mercy? How might gratitude for His restraint soften your heart toward others?

Day 5: The Invitation for Every Thirsty Soul

The gospel excludes no one because everyone is excluded without it. Christ’s table welcomes addicts and Pharisees, the self-righteous and the shattered. Our unity comes not from shared virtue but shared need. The invitation echoes through time: “Whoever desires, come.” Righteousness is a gift, not a contest—a well for all who admit their thirst. [01:09:57]

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Revelation 22:17, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life seems “too far gone” for grace? How might embracing your own undeserved place at the table soften your heart toward them?

Sermon Summary

Paul’s turn in Romans 3 comes right after the bad news has landed: everybody has the deadly plague called sin, and nobody is righteous. The righteousness of God is the good news because God is right. God does not give bad directions, misdiagnose the disease, or hand out the wrong cure. His cure is right.

Romans says this righteousness is “apart from the law,” even though the Law and the Prophets testify to it. Moses already knew the law could expose the problem but could not change the person. Israel kept running the same cycle: sin, judgment, repentance, restoration, then sin again. Deuteronomy 30 points past external commands to God circumcising the heart. God must do an internal work so his people can actually love him and live.

Zephaniah carries the same promise. God says, “I will,” again and again. God takes away shame, cleans up the mess, deals with enemies, gathers his people, and sings over them with loud singing. The law is perfect, but the problem is not the law. The problem looks back from the mirror every morning. God himself has to be the cure.

Paul then says God’s righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Jesus himself gave the same answer when people asked for the works they needed to do: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” Faith in Jesus alone is not a narrow invitation for a select few. It is exclusive because Jesus is the only way, but it is wildly inclusive because there is no distinction. Good people need Jesus, and bad people need Jesus. Tax collectors, prostitutes, liars, addicts, slaves, masters, rich, poor, Jew, Gentile, all come the same way.

Christ accomplishes salvation through redemption and propitiation. Redemption is not God paying Satan off. Exodus shows God redeeming Israel by crushing Pharaoh’s power and bringing his people out of slavery. Christ brings believers out of the kingdom of darkness, the curse of the law, sinful flesh, and death, into the kingdom of light and life.

Propitiation means God’s righteous wrath against human evil has been dealt with through Christ’s blood. God is angry because people wreck what he loves, especially people made in his image. Yet Christ’s cross means God is no longer angry with those covered by his blood. Divine forbearance is mercy: God has withheld immediate judgment again and again.

God is both just and justifier. Justice does not disappear, because sin must be paid for. Jesus, God in the flesh, steps down to pay what no sinner could ever pay. Communion therefore comes as an invitation for beggars, hungry for what only Jesus gives: “Whomsoever will,” come and drink freely.

Key Takeaways

1. The law cannot change the heart [00:38:37] Moses shows that commands alone cannot break the cycle of sin, failure, and exile. The law tells the truth about what is wrong, but it cannot create the love for God that it commands. God must circumcise the heart, doing the inside work that human effort cannot accomplish. Christian obedience grows from that new heart, not from trying harder to earn one. [38:37]
2. Jesus welcomes good and bad people [00:46:54] “Good people get to heaven” sounds fair until the question comes: what happens to all the bad people? Paul removes the false categories because all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Jesus is the only way, but his invitation reaches farther than human respectability ever could. Nobody enters by being impressive, and nobody is shut out for being too wrecked. [46:54]
3. Redemption brings people into light [00:54:06] Biblical redemption looks like Exodus, where God does not negotiate with Pharaoh but brings his enslaved people out by his power. Christ redeems believers from darkness, from the curse, from corrupt desires, and from death itself. Salvation is not merely getting forgiven while staying trapped. Christ transfers people into his kingdom of life. [54:06]
4. The cross ends wrath for believers [00:58:36] Propitiation means Christ’s blood has dealt with the wrath sin deserves. God’s anger is not petty irritation but righteous indignation against the destruction of his good creation. Christ receives what sinners deserved so that believers can run to God instead of hiding from him. The Father receives them like the father who runs toward the prodigal. [58:36]
5. God is just and justifier [01:06:30] God does not pretend evil did not happen, because justice must be done. God also does what no human judge could do by stepping down in Christ and paying the debt himself. Jesus is not merely a fall guy or a created helper. Jesus is God in the flesh, lavishing his own life and goodness on people who did not deserve it.

## [66:30]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[27:12] - Prayer for Peace and Spiritual Understanding
[28:29] - Everybody Wants to Be Right
[29:58] - The Deadly Plague of Sin
[32:09] - God Is Right and His Cure Is Right
[34:28] - The Law Cannot Make Anyone Righteous
[35:06] - Deuteronomy and the Circumcised Heart
[39:25] - God Sings Over His People
[42:37] - Righteousness Through Faith in Jesus
[44:55] - Good People and Bad People Need Jesus
[49:22] - Redemption From the Kingdom of Darkness
[55:10] - Propitiation and God’s Righteous Wrath
[59:18] - Mercy and Divine Forbearance
[62:11] - God Is Just and Justifier
[69:03] - Communion and the Open Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 3:21-26
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” [32:12]

Deuteronomy 30:1-6
“And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. And the LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” [35:27]

John 6:28-29
“Then they said to him, 'What must we do, to be doing the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” [43:39]

Observation questions

In Romans 3:21–26, what words or phrases describe how God makes sinners right with him, and what part does faith play in receiving this gift? [32:32]
In Deuteronomy 30:1–6, what does God promise to do for his scattered people, and what internal change does he say they need? [38:29]
In John 6:28–29, what “work of God” does Jesus give when people ask what they must do? [44:09]
According to Romans 3, what two results of Christ’s work are described by the words “redemption” and “propitiation”? [49:13]

Interpretation questions

Why is it important that God’s righteousness is revealed apart from the law, while the Law and the Prophets still testify to it? How does this protect believers from treating obedience as a way to earn acceptance with God? [42:06]
Deuteronomy describes God circumcising the heart so that his people will love him. What does this show about why repeated commands, rules, and good intentions cannot solve the problem of sin? [38:37]
Romans says there is “no distinction” because all have sinned. How does this truth challenge both the respectable person who thinks they are doing fine and the broken person who believes they are beyond hope? [46:50]
How can God remain just, taking evil seriously, while also justifying people who have sinned? What does Christ’s death reveal about God’s commitment to both justice and mercy? [01:06:19]

Application questions

Where are you most tempted to rely on your effort, good behavior, knowledge, or sincerity to feel right with God? What would it look like to put your confidence in Jesus rather than in your spiritual performance? [01:08:09]
Is there an area where you feel stuck in a repeated cycle of sin, regret, and trying harder? How does God’s promise to do heart-level work give you a more hopeful way to respond this week? [37:41]
When you think of people who seem especially far from God, what assumptions do you make about them? How can the truth that Jesus welcomes sinners reshape the way you pray for, speak to, and serve them? [47:12]
Christ redeems his people out of darkness and into his kingdom of light. What is one pattern, desire, relationship, or habit from which you need Christ’s ongoing rescue? What practical step could help you walk in the light this week? [54:43]
Do you ever pull away from God because you assume he is disappointed, angry, or tired of you? How can Christ’s propitiation help you run toward God honestly in confession rather than hide from him? [58:36]
Communion is an invitation for beggars who are hungry for what only Jesus gives. What would it look like for you to come to God this week with neediness, gratitude, and faith instead of trying to prove that you deserve his welcome? [01:09:30]

Sermon Clips

36s

#GoodNewsOfJesus

“The one that has it all, has all the power, has all the strength, has all the wealth, takes it all, and lavishes it on somebody that does not deserve it. Isn't our heart tuned to that story? That's every hero story because we know this is it. That God is just and justifier. That Jesus, God in the flesh, took all of his wealth, took all of his money, took all of his goodness, took all of his life, took all of his perfection, and spent it on you and me to redeem us, to propitiate us. That's the good news.”

37s

#JesusForEveryone

“The good news about Jesus Christ is this, he includes the bad people like you, like me. He includes the tax collectors who are traitors against their own people, collecting money, stealing from their own people, and giving the money to Rome. He he includes those people, prostitutes, drunks, liars, a thief on death row. Jesus Christ includes them. Here's the bad news for good people. You need Jesus Christ. And here's the good news for bad people. You need Jesus Christ. That's the way it is. There is no distinction.”

47s

#JesusIsGod

“It's exactly what God decided to do. I'm gonna be just, and I'll be justifier. Both of them. So if you back up for a second, you think about that. What does that mean Jesus must be? If God is both just and the justifier, what does God have what does Jesus have to be? He has to be God. He can't be a fall guy that God created like the Jehovah's Witness say, he's Michael the archangel or LDS believe that he's brother Delusiver. No. That's not love. Love would, I'll be the justifier. I realize the payment that has to be made. I realize no human can ever pay it, so I'll be the one. That's what true love is. And isn't our heart tuned to that?”

68s

#JustAndJustifier

“So be like this. Imagine that you have to go to court, and you need to stand before the judge. Some of you do not need to imagine this. You know exactly how it is. And you've done something wrong. You had a brush pile. You decide you had to burn it in August. It got out of control. Burn down a million acres. Burn houses. Burn tons of stuff. So you are standing in front of the judge. You plead insanity because of OCD. I couldn't have the brush paddle there anymore. I had to do it. The judge says guilty. Payment, a $100,000,000,000 or life in prison. You're doomed. You can't pay it. But that same judge gets off of his throne and comes down and stands by you and pulls out his checkbook and writes a check for a $100,000,000,000 and gives it to the cashier, and you're free. That's just and justifier. Nobody got off. People got their money back. People got their houses paid for. Justice was served. That's what this means.”

31s

#FaithAlone

“And I know I'm harping on this because I want every person to know the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want every person to put their faith in Jesus Christ alone, that he alone is the one that justifies us. Not works I do, not the law, not good intentions, not being sincere, not being dedicated, not being nice, not being whatever you want. Uh-uh. There is one way to eternity, and it's Jesus Christ, the just one and the justifier.”

28s

#RedeemedToLife

“We've been redeemed from the inability of doing the law. Romans chapter six says that we've been redeemed from our sinful flesh, our desires that are corrupt and broken and wrong. Praise God. We've been redeemed from those. Galatians chapter six verse 14 says, we've been redeemed from death. We are carcasses dying. We've been redeemed from death into life. That's redemption.”

36s

#ForgivenessThroughChrist

“Imagine your son is bullied or stepped on or how would that make you feel as a dad? Well, there's righteous indignation. propitiation is this, God's wrath towards us, my unrighteousness, my human hurting weights, that wrath that I rightly have against me, that wrath has been taken care of on the cross. That on the cross, Jesus Christ reveals the heart of God toward me. That he'll forgive me of my pig wallowing, mud throwing, slandering, hatred ways.”

23s

#BeyondTheLaw

“So the witness of the Old Testament, Paul is saying, listen. If you read it carefully, what you see is God has to be the cure. You can't do it. The law can't do it. The law is perfect. No doubt. The problem is I'm not. I'm imperfect. I can't do it. And the law sets a standard that no one can ever meet.”

49s

#GodIsRight

“Guess what God is? He's right. Righteousness is right attitude, right actions. That's what righteousness is. God is right. Isn't that a comfort? Imagine if God could be wrong. Gave us bad directions. Sorry about the cliff, man. Didn't know it was there. If it could be wrong in the the diagnosis or the cure. Ah, sorry. Wrong medication. You're doomed. Your kidneys are gone. Oh, sorry. Amputated the wrong leg. I guess you're gonna be captain Dan from now on. Good luck with that. good news right here that Romans is getting to is you and I have this disease, no doubt about it. But the good news is God is right. His cure will be right.”

49s

#FinalJudgment

“It's like in the old testament. Before the children of Israel could move into the promised land, God had to drive out all the pimps and the human traffickers and the drug dealers so it'd be a safe place for his people to live. The book of Revelation is God doing that to the entire earth. I'm getting the evil out of earth. The chaos and the bad, and I will even the score. Vengeance is not bad. It's just vengeance is not my job. It's God's job. And there is a day when God will say, enough is enough. True and righteous are your judgments is the phrase that's used over and over in Revelation. Time is up. Justice must be done. God is just. Evil will be paid in full.”

40s

#GraceForTheGuilty

“So if you're a thinker, that should make you concerned because I've caused chaos, because I've done evil, because I've hurt people. I'm doomed. It's where the second word comes in. He's not just just, he is also justifier. So we can say this, that it's inexcusable to let people off, that don't deserve to be let off. I would say, who deserves to be let off then?”

22s

#RighteousByFaith

“That you and I are made righteous, not by the law, not by things that we do. We're only made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ. Did Paul just invent this idea? Because there are those right now that are saying that that Paul preached a different gospel than Jesus. Where did Paul get this? From Jesus.”

26s

#Revelation

“So if you read your bible, and I recommend it, the final book in the bible is called Revelation. Here's what Revelation is. God getting the hell out of earth. It's God saying, enough. Enough wickedness. Enough evil. God is slow to anger, but that does not mean he does not ever get angry. He does get angry. And God says, enough no more.”

28s

#HolyGod

“God is just. It means this. You read the Bible. This is God's character. God's character is holy. He is the thrice holy god of the universe. It means, god, there's no evil hint in him. There's no sin in him. There's no wrong in him. His character is perfect and just and right. And god wants his creation to be just like him. He wants a world that is free of evil and wickedness where kids do not get hurt.”

30s

#BelieveInJesus

“And I keep repeating this, and here's why. I want every single person in here to be in heaven with me. I don't want anyone to miss out. And the only way that you get there is through Jesus Christ. Faith in him alone. And if you don't believe, man, we'll miss you. We won't come visit you though. We'll miss you though. So believe in Jesus Christ. The good news is better than you and I can ever imagine.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Edgewater Christian Fellowship This sermon · AI assistant

What changes a sinner from the inside out?

How can God remain just while justifying sinners?

Why can’t the law make people righteous?