The Righteousness Of God Series

The Righteousness of God

Romans 3:20-26

What is your response to “the righteousness of God”. Does it make you excited to know more about God? Are you indifferent about “the righteousness of God”? There was an Augustinian Monk that found the concept of “the righteousness of God” repulsive.

He hated this concept because God is righteous, we are unrighteous, and God punishes the unrighteous person. He tried everything to strive for this level of righteousness. He even tortured himself by sleeping without clothes on the cold stone floor in the winter to pay for the sins of his flesh. He almost died in the process.

He even took a pilgrimage to Rome, climbed a holy staircase and said the Lord’s prayer before each step and kissed each one as he climbed it on his knees. In the process this monk, Martin Luther, began teaching the book of Romans. In Chapter one the concept of “the righteousness of God” was there.

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

Upon this, a righteous by faith, the just shall live by faith Martin Luther was born again in that tower experience. As violently as he opposed the righteousness of God, he now embraced it. How miserable is God’s righteousness if we must work up to it. How wonderful it is when it is given freely to us.

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. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 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— 26 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. (Romans 3:20-26)

Later Martin Luther said that this passage was the chief point, and the very central place of the Roman epistle and the whole Bible. When we look at this passage, we will agree with him. The righteousness of God as set forth here becomes something to embrace. We see the righteousness of God in three aspects, it is through faith, it is freely given by grace and it is costly because it required the blood of Christ.

Already I have mentioned about how Martin Luther was trying and failing to achieve the righteousness of God by striving for it. It was the same story of the Apostle Paul. In this passage Paul is sharing what he found in his journey from trying to pleas God with his own righteousness to faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul is a devout Pharisee a Hebrew of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; and as for legalistic righteousness faultless (Philippians 3:6). He believed he could achieve a right standing by keeping the law, but he was to find out that is not possible. If anyone could have done it, he would have. But now what Paul explains in this passage is apart from the law.

The law cannot save us. Only God’s righteousness through faith can we be saved. The law and the prophets, while they cannot save, they do testify that it is God’s righteousness that comes through faith that saves us.

It is Jesus Christ in whom we place our faith. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, (Romans 3:22). This is a definitive statement that saving faith must embrace Jesus. Our trust must be in Christ.

Faith has no merit. Our faith must be in Christ has all merit. All the faith in the world in anything other than Christ will not save. If you are riding on an airplane and the engine fails, then faith in the airplane is meaningless. We are not saved for faith, but by faith. Faith must be linked to Jesus Christ who came to die for sinners.

We see the background in Romans 3:23 of why all of us need to believe in Christ. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23). It is because all have sinned. It is because there is no righteousness, and all mankind is without righteousness.