Romans 3:19-31, Romans 5:5, & Romans 13:8-10 (All verses from the NLT)

Romans chapter 3:

19-20 “Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show the entire world is guilty before God. (20) For no one can be made right with God by doing what the law commands.  The law simply shows us how sinful we are.”

21-22 “But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. (22) We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.  And this is true for everyone that believes, no matter who we are.”

23-26 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (24) Yet, God, with undeserved kindness, declares we are righteous.  He did this through Jesus Christ when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.  (25) For God presented Jesus as a sacrifice for sin.  People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.  This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, (26) for he was looking ahead including them in what he would do in this present time.  God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. 

27-28 “Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God?  No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law.  It is based on faith. (28) So we are made right with God by through faith, and not by obeying the law.”

29-31 “After all, is God the God of the Jews only?  Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles?  Of course he is.  (30)There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. (31) Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.” 

My comments:  So we are not saved or justified by our self-efforts by keeping the Law, we are saved and made right in God’s eyes only by having faith in Jesus.  But verse 31 tells us that if we have faith, then works will follow, and we will end up fulfilling the Law because of our faith.  In Romans 5:5 it says that the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with love, and in chapter 13 it tells us that loving our neighbors fulfills God’s moral law, the 10 Commandments.  Let’s take a look at those verses:

Romans 5:5 “…For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”   

Romans 13:8-10:

8-10 “Owe no man anything—except for your obligation to love one another.  If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of the law. (9) For the commandments say, ‘you must not commit adultery.  You must not murder.  You must not steal.  You must not covet.’ These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  (10) Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”