CP 2. The Righteousness of God Revealed in the Gospel

Posted on January 09, 2019 by Eric Fan in Crucial Points

<<1. The Designation of Jesus Christ to be the Sons of God

3. The Power and Characteristic of God Revealed in the Gospel>>

2. The Righteousness of God Revealed in the Gospel

One-minute Bible study
Pray over these verses.

Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, both to Jew first and to Greek.
17 For the righteousness of God is revealed in it out faith to faith, as it is written, “But the righteous shall have life and live by faith.”

The gospel is powerful because the very righteousness of God is revealed in it. When we believe in the Lord Jesus, the power of God causes us to be righteous, have life, and live by faith.
A few more minutes
Prayerfully read through these reading portions.

Why is the gospel so powerful? It is powerful because the righteousness of God is revealed in it (1:17). According to John 3:16, salvation is out of God’s love. According to Ephesians 2:8, salvation is by God’s grace. But here Paul…says that it comes by the righteousness of God. Neither love nor grace is related to the law...God is not bound to love; neither is He legally held to extend grace. Righteousness, on the contrary, is very much related to the law. Since Christ has fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law, God is bound to save us. (Life-study of Romans, msg. 2, section 4)

In eternity past God predestinated us to be His sons. However, although we were the predestinated ones, we became fallen and involved with sin. This brings in the matter of God’s righteousness…As a righteous God and a just God, He cannot forgive sinful people without meeting the demands of His righteousness…For the sake of God’s righteousness, the Lord Jesus was put to death on the cross. There, on the cross, He was made sin for us, and God condemned sin in the flesh. By dying on our behalf the Lord accomplished redemption and fulfilled all of God’s righteous requirements. Now God has the position righteously to forgive us. In fact, He not only can forgive us, but, for the sake of His righteousness, He must forgive us.

Now that Christ has died and has been raised from among the dead, it is impossible for God to change His mind about forgiving us. Rather, we have the ground to say to Him, “O God, whether You love me or not, You must forgive me.”...Whenever our conscience condemns us because of our failures, we need to remember to stand upon the foundation of God’s righteousness...No matter how poor our disposition may be, we still have the position of righteousness…I am deeply grateful to God for His love and grace. But my standing is upon His righteousness, the foundation of His throne. His righteousness cannot be shaken…If we are clear concerning God’s righteousness in the gospel, we shall be at rest knowing that the righteousness of God is our eternal security. (Life-study of Romans, msg. 57)
Going deeper
Please read or listen to these materials for an in-depth study of this crucial point.
 
Further reading:
Life-study of Romans, msg. 2, sections 4-5.
Life-study of Romans, msg. 57.
Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans, ch. 5.

Radio broadcast link:
The Gospel of God, msg. 3. (Start at the 20:17-minute mark.)
Righteousness—The Power of the Gospel (1), msg. 57.

Footnotes from Recovery Version of the New Testament:
Romans 1:16, footnote 1.
Romans 1:17, footnotes 1 and 2.
1 John 1:9, footnote 2.

Study questions:
Why is God’s righteousness the power of the gospel?
Explain how God’s righteousness (and not, for example, God’s love or grace) gives us the full assurance and security in our daily Christian life.

If you would like help with understanding this crucial point or would like to share what you have discovered and enjoyed in the Word of God, please click on the button below.



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All verses and footnotes taken from the Holy Bible Recovery Version. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 2003.

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