The Big Read – Romans

Powerpoint Pictures: Bank Robber; Man in Handcuffs; Speeding Car; Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Imagine you were a judge in a courtroom and before you stood the following people [Someone who robbed a bank; a murderer; someone caught driving 150mph down the High Street; the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang].  What verdict would you give?

GUILTY!

In the book of Romans we find ourselves in a courtroom again, except we are not the judge.  This is God’s courtroom and He is about to give His verdict on our lives.

Romans 3:23 sums up our lives.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

What do you think the verdict on us should be?

GUILTY!

But astonishingly the verdict we are given if we have put our faith in Jesus is:

NOT GUILTY!

How can this be?  The answer is because Jesus is our righteousness.

We are unrighteous, we have sinned, but Jesus never sinned and is righteous.  When Jesus died on the cross, our unrighteousness went to Him and He was punished, He received the guilty verdict we deserve, and His righteousness went to us so we can get the not guilty verdict He deserves.

Romans tells us how Jesus is our righteousness and because of this we can be saved from the judgment we deserve for our sin.