THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
Romans 3:21-26
No one is justified by works of the Law for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). This was the purpose of the Law. The Law came in because of sin (Galatians 3:19) and was a tutor to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). But it didn’t justify anyone nor did it have the ability to do so. If it had then Christ died needlessly (Galatians 2:21). Rather the Law was a ministration of death and condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:7-9). “BUT NOW” apart from the Law (literally just ‘law’) the righteousness of God has been manifested. What relieving and elating words to share with someone striving for God through works. We are now told that God’s righteousness is imputed to us or credited to our account, not through us earning it, but rather through our faith in Him.
When we say righteousness we mean “right-ness”. Some today talk about being “right with God” summing up the meaning of the word. Righteousness is the state of innocence in the eyes of the Almighty. We are seeing through this book that righteousness is not attainable for man through adherence to a moral code or list of instructions – we fall short. The only righteousness that is acceptable to God is His own. This is the righteousness of God and the grace of God which we access through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:2).
WITNESSED BY THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS
The Law
1. Commandments demanded righteousness and made men aware of their unrighteousness
2. Sacrifices instituted to develop a pattern for atonement from unrighteousness
a. Particularly the Passover Lamb
b. “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7)
3. Priesthood set apart for this ministration
4. Tabernacle and temple built for this ministration and a dwelling for God
The Prophets
1. Spoke of a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
2. Spoke of a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26
3. Spoke of a righteous savior (Malachi 4:2)
4. Spoke of a freedom from our corrupt state (Isaiah 61:1-2)
Old Covenant Types
1. Abraham – righteous through belief
2. Moses – saved people from bondage
3. David – conquering king
THROUGH FAITH
Faith may begin in knowing that we need God’s righteousness; drawing us to Jesus (John 12:32). Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the words of Christ (Romans 10:17) and the Gospel is a proclamation of God’s righteousness through faith (1:16-17). When we trust in (faith) Jesus’ sacrifice and payment for sin on our behalf God credits righteousness to our account. He imputes sin to Jesus and righteousness to us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Through faith in these facts a man then calls upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13-17), confesses Jesus as the Savior and Lord of all, is granted repentance (Acts 11:18) and turns from his wicked ways (Luke 13:3), and is immersed into the death (Romans 6:3) that saves him (Acts 22:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21) and continues in faith being grounded by it (Colossians 1:23) and overcoming the world (1 John 5:4) being faithful until death (Revelation 2:10). Works then do not nullify faith but evidence and perfect it (James 2:22). Righteousness is the result of pursuing God by faith (Romans 9:32).
FOR ALL WHO BELIEVE
Righteousness is not credited to anyone who does not believe. But for those who do believe God, it is credited to them as righteousness as we will soon see in the example of Abraham (4:3). So what do they believe?
1. God (Isaiah 43:10; Romans 4:3; Hebrews 11:6; James 2:19)
2. Jesus is able (Matthew 9:28)
3. Believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15; Acts 15:7)
4. Believe all the Prophets have spoken (Luke 24:25)
5. Believe through John (John 1:7)
6. Believe on Jesus’ name (John 1:12; 1 John 3:23; 5:13)
7. Believe Jesus (John 4:21)
8. Believe Moses and Jesus and their writings (John 5:46-47)
9. Believe on Jesus (John 6:29; Acts 16:31; 1 Timothy 1:16)
10. Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16; John 8:24; 20:31)
11. Believe concerning Jesus (John 9:18)
12. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 9:35-38; Acts 8:37)
13. Believe the works of Jesus (John 10:38)
14. Believe on Jesus through the Apostles’ word (John 17:20)
15. Believe on God (Romans 4:24)
16. Believe in the heart that God raised Jesus (Romans 10:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14)
Righteousness is not through obedience to a commandment other than the commandment to believe in Jesus (1 John 3:23). Righteousness does not come through works of law but by the work of God (John 6:29).
The righteousness of God is for ALL THEM who believe. It is not for the children of Abraham by flesh but the children of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:25-29). There is no distinction in Christ. All believers are children of God by faith and God does not distinquish between whether they are Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, black or white, or English speaking or Spanish speaking. Today we betray our ignorance by speaking of “black churches” and “white churches” and “Spanish churches” when God notices “one church” – Christ’s church. Just as all have sinned and fall short, so all are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
JUSTIFIED
Those who are righteous through faith have been justified. Justified here come from the Greek word DIKAIOO (Strong’s 1344) while righteousness comes from the Greek word DIKAIOSUNE (Strong’s 1343). It is apparent that they come from the same root word and have very similar meanings but not identical. To be justified is to be declared righteous. Given Blakely says, “Righteousness is the state of unblemished character. Justification is the means by which this character is imparted to men.” Man, in all of his weakness and frailty, can have an unblemished character. This does not come by his morally perfect or sinless behavior but by being justified by God through faith in Christ Jesus. Justification is “a gift by His grace”.
REDEMPTION
The righteousness of God is by faith and is imparted by justification through redemption in Christ Jesus. Redemption is the payment of a debt or a ransom – it is a purchasing. To redeem something is to buy it or make the final payment to then have ownership. The righteousness of God is available through the redemption in Jesus. The payment of sin is the blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23; Hebrews 9:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Jesus gave Himself for us – to purchase us (Galatians 1:4; 2:20; Ephesians 5:2; 1 Timothy 2:6). In redemption we have the forgiveness of sins because sin has been paid for (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14) and because the sin has been paid for, we are no longer enemies and strangers to God but sons and have peace (Colossians 1:20-22).
PROPITIATION
The only other time this word in used in the Bible is 1 John 2:2 “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” and 1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” The final place it is used is in Hebrews 2:17, which is translated “reconciliation” in the KJV. The NASB reads “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” As you can see from the way the Spirit uses the word the actual payment in the redemption. In other words, we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus which is the propitiation for our sins. Jesus is our propitiation. Jesus is our wrath quenching sacrifice.
The doctrine of propitiation goes back before the incarnation to the time of the tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant. The mercy seat on top of the ark was the propitiatory. It was the place where the blood of the sacrifice was applied and God came down in a cloud and received the sacrifice and it quenched His wrath for the sin. Jesus is our propitiation because He sacrificed Himself on the cross and God saw it and was pleased because it quenched His wrath for sin for everyone who is in Christ Jesus.
The act of God giving Jesus as the propitiation demonstrates how right God is. Remember that Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This was always God’s plan and it demonstrates His righteousness. He is righteous because sin had to be paid for and He paid for it. He is righteous because in Christ He fulfilled His promises and prophecies concerning the New Covenant and will continue to do so.
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS MAKES HIM JUST AND JUSTIFIER
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The payment for sin is death and Jesus paid the debt. He couldn’t avoid or ignore sin because that wouldn’t make Him just. But the debt was paid through Jesus on the cross. This makes Him just.
“He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:25). Jesus was raised and is victorious of death and Hades. Anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus made righteousness and justification available. The fact that He raised Jesus and imputes righteousness to us through our faith makes Him justifier. God is just and the justifier!