Romans 3:20

"Therefore by the deeds of the law (in other words, by doing what the law commanded, by doing good) there shall no flesh be justified in his sight (the law can't do anything to justify a person): for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Jesus took the law even further. He took it where no one could wiggle out from under it. He said even if you think a wrong, then you've broken the Law.


Romans 3:21

"But (here comes the flip side, remember we are under a whole difference set of circumstances. Christ has died and paid the sin debt. He's been buried, and raised from the dead, and ascended to the Father's right hand, and He's interceding for us) now the righteousness of God (not the individual) without the law is (do you see that? That just puts legalism out in the cold) manifested (being put under the spot light), being witnessed by the law and the prophets (the Old Testament)."


I remember years ago a group of men approached me, and they wanted me to help them start a work in the ministry, and the first thing they told me as we began to visit about some of the things, was that they didn't want any Old Testament taught. I just stopped that conversation, and said I was going home, because I had nothing to teach if I couldn't use the Old Testament. You've got to use the whole Bible because the Scripture all dovetails together. Paul says it so beautifully here. That even though the law has nothing to do with our salvation with the imputing of righteousness from God to us, yet everything that you and I enjoy in this Age of Grace rests on what took place back there in the Old Testament. Now verse 22: