Dock Resource Kit
Sunday sermon, 16 February 2025
This week, Brigid spoke to us about what it truly means to be saved by grace, drawing from Romans 3. She reminded us that sin is not just about breaking rules but about missing the goal of loving God and others. Paul makes it clear that no one is righteous on their own—we all fall short. But then comes the turning point: “But now…” God, in His mercy, has made a way for us to be made right with Him, not through our efforts but through the faithfulness of Jesus. Our salvation doesn’t rest on how strong our faith is but on what Christ has already done. We have been redeemed, set free from sin, and invited to live in the light of God’s grace. This isn’t about trying harder—it’s about receiving the gift of salvation and allowing it to shape every part of our lives.
Wow, there’s some big theological words in that paragraph - don’t worry Brig unpacks them in her talk!
Dock Discussion Questions
Paul says, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Do you find it difficult to accept that we all fall short? Why do we sometimes compare ourselves to others instead of recognising our need for grace?
Paul’s turning point is “But now…” What does it mean to you that salvation is not based on our efforts but on Jesus’ faithfulness? How does that change the way you approach your relationship with God?
Redemption means being bought back into freedom. In what areas of your life do you still live as if you are enslaved? What would it look like to fully embrace the freedom that Jesus has given you?
Grace is not about proving ourselves. How can we better live as people who are loved, rather than striving to earn God’s acceptance? What practical steps can we take to rest in God’s grace this week?
Long-form, editted transcript
This morning, we are diving into Romans 3, one of the most significant passages in all of Scripture for understanding salvation, grace, and our standing before God.
Romans 3:9-26
What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.'
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law, we become conscious of our sin.
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.'
This is the word of the Lord!
Last week, we introduced this series by asking three important questions: What does it mean to be saved by grace? What does it mean to live by the Holy Spirit? How do we live together as the Church? For the next few weeks, we’re focusing on that first question: What does it actually mean to be saved by God’s grace?
Because let’s be honest—“grace” is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot in church. We sing about it, we say it before meals, we nod along when we hear phrases like “saved by grace through faith.” But do we really understand what it means? What does it actually mean to be saved? What have we been saved from? What have we been saved into? And more than that—how should this shape our daily lives?
So let’s dive in.
The Problem of Sin
Paul begins this section of Romans with a hard truth. He writes: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but when I read this, I feel like, “Wow, Paul, tell us what you really think!” Because this is strong language. He’s making it absolutely clear that sin is universal—it affects everyone. There is no special category of people who are exempt from this. Whether you’ve been in church your whole life or have never set foot in one, Paul says the same thing: we all fall short.
And this is hard for us to hear, isn’t it? Because deep down, we want to believe that we’re doing alright. That, sure, we mess up now and then, but fundamentally, we’re good people. But Paul is dismantling that idea completely. Because sin isn’t just about breaking a few rules—it’s about missing the goal.
In Hebrew, the word for sin is hata—which literally means to miss the mark. And what’s the goal? To love God and love others perfectly. That’s what we were made for. That’s what God designed humanity to do. But sin is when we fail to do that.
And here’s the kicker: sometimes we don’t even realise we’re missing the mark. We deceive ourselves. We tell ourselves, “I’m not that bad,” or “At least I’m not like that person,” or “I do a lot of good things, so surely that makes up for the bad.” But Paul is saying no. It’s not just that we occasionally make mistakes. It’s that our whole nature is bent away from God.
Sin is not just about individual acts—it’s about a power that rules over humanity. It distorts our thinking. It fractures our relationships. It makes us believe that we have to fend for ourselves, that we have to prove our worth, that we have to work hard to make God accept us. And Paul is saying, “No one escapes this reality. No one is righteous.”
We are all trapped in sin. And if we’re honest, we feel that, don’t we? We see it in the way we hurt others, even when we don’t mean to. We see it in the way we hurt ourselves, making choices we regret. We see it in the way the world is broken, full of injustice and suffering. Sin is a force that enslaves us.
But then—Paul gives us two of the most beautiful words in Scripture.
“But now…”
The Turnin Point: “But Now…”
This is the moment of hope. This is the moment where everything changes. This is the Lord of the Rings moment when the elves arrive at Helm’s Deep, just when all hope seems lost. This is the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special moment when Smithy realises he’s loved Nessa all along.
Just when it seems like sin has won—Paul says, “But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known… This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
This is what grace is. We are not saved by trying harder. We are not saved by following the rules. We are not saved by getting our act together. We are saved by Jesus.
Faith in Jesus, or Jesus’ Faithfulness?
Paul tells us we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. But did you know the original Greek phrase dia pisteos Iēsou Christou can be read in two ways?
Faith in Jesus – meaning we are saved by our belief in Him.
The faithfulness of Jesus – meaning we are saved because of His obedience to the Father.
Many scholars argue that Paul is actually saying: We are not saved by the strength of our own faith. We are saved by Jesus’ faithfulness.
And that is really good news. Because let’s be honest—our faith wavers. Some days we feel close to God, other days we struggle. If our salvation depended on our ability to believe strongly enough, we’d be in trouble. But it doesn’t. It depends on Jesus. It depends on His faithfulness—His unwavering love, His perfect obedience, His sacrifice.
Redemption: Bought into Freedom
Paul then uses the word redemption. In Roman times, to redeem a slave meant to buy them back and set them free. That is exactly what Jesus has done for us. Sin enslaves us. It traps us. It convinces us that we can never change. But Jesus paid the price. Not because of anything we’ve done—but because He is faithful. And in Him—we are free.
Living in the Light of Grace
So what does this mean for us? We don’t need to prove ourselves—we are already declared worthy. We don’t need to compete—God’s grace is enough for all of us. We don’t need to pretend—God sees us, loves us, and meets us right where we are. This changes everything.
Pause to Respond
Let’s pause and take a moment to respond. If you’re here today and you just need to know God’s love afresh, I want to invite you to receive it now.
There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. There is nothing you can do to make God love you less. His grace is enough.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we bring you our brokenness. We bring you our sin. And we thank you for your faithfulness. We thank you for your grace. We thank you for your love that never fails. Come, Holy Spirit, and meet with us today.
Amen.