Why questions are asked?

When I was growing up and going to school I didn’t pay attention. Then the teacher would ask a question I would get it wrong. So I had to learn to pay attention in class or I would miss the answer to the questions being asked. Today we will come to the end of Romans Chapter 3 where Paul is going to ask six questions that will cause us to stop and reflect on what the Lord has done for us and what he has taught us.
“Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” (Romans 3:27-31)
These questions cause us to stop and think about the two principles that are taught in this chapter. The two principles are: that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law and that God is the God of both Jews and Gentiles. The first three questions that Paul asks are concerning a person being justified by faith apart from the works of the law. None of us can boast about our salvation in Jesus. We didn’t do the work to pay the penalty for our sin debt. Jesus did that work on the cross to make salvation possible for all people.
The next two questions Paul teaches us that God is the God of both Jew and Gentile, all other people who are not of Jewish blood. After Jesus’ death burial and resurrection he deals equally with everybody. So it doesn’t matter what family you are born into, or what religion you were raised with, God’s way of salvation is the same for all humanity. For any person desiring to go to heaven when they die, or have a new life that is different now on earth they must by faith, repent of their sins and call on Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior. When they do this God fulfills his promise in their lives. The last question is what happens to the Law. Jesus taught us saying that the Law would not pass away but that He came to fulfill the law. Let’s reread the first three chapters of Romans again and ask the Lord where we need to examine ourselves in relation to these questions. I invite you come and worship with us or another church in the local area.