RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH "Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe." -- Tomorrow:
"But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Rom 3:21-26)
Devotion 8 of 24
The Spirit now elaborates on the righteousness that is revealed through the Gospel, and was witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets. This is the chief benefit flowing from the Gospel, and was the primary light displayed through both the Law and the Prophets. Without this righteousness, there would have been no purpose for the Law. The Prophets would also have served no lasting aim were they not to have pointed forward to this singular experience – receiving "the gift or righteousness" (Rom 5:17).
EVEN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
Notice what care is taken by the Holy Spirit. He leaves no room for any man-developed righteousness. There is no place for a righteousness proceeding from the Law. There is only one acceptable righteousness, and that is the righteousness BELONGING TO God Himself – the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith" (Phil 3:9, NASB). While the righteousness comes FROM God, that is not the point of this expression. The ownership of the righteousness is the point. It is God's righteousness.
Having confirmed that God has found none that were righteous, He now turns from the vanity of men to the effectiveness of God. There are two sides to the coin of salvation. (1) The removal of transgression, and (2) The receiving of righteousness from God. The emphasis is placed upon the latter. The remission of sins is in order to the reception of the righteousness of God, for that righteousness cannot be imparted where sin remains dominant.
There are times when salvation is viewed from the lower side of the coin – the remission of sin. "In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Col 1:14). "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:39). "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43). This is, indeed, a marvelous accomplishment, and well ought the children of the Lord live in continual praise for it. As it is well written, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Rom 4:6-8).
The remission of sin, however, would serve no lasting purpose if we were not given the righteousness of God. If only our sins were forgiven, and no righteousness received, we would be like the swept and garnished house of which Jesus spoke. "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first" (Matt 12:43-45, NKJV). Many a professed believer is like that house. They have been cleansed, and everything has been rearranged. Yet, there is nothing of substance in them. They are not growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:18). Nor, indeed, are they drawing near to the Lord with a true heart, having their conscience purged from dead works, and their bodies washed with pure water (Heb 10:22).
This condition is largely owing to the lack of preaching concerning the righteousness of God. Neither its necessity nor availability is known by many believers. When they read the Scriptures, they read them like a manual of conduct, or a road map giving directions. They do not see the announcements or proclamations of the Scriptures. They are blinded to the types and shadows set forth in the Law, and the marvelous prophecies of the day of salvation contained in the Prophets. To them, righteousness is nothing more than a standard of conduct, dealing mostly with external matters, and human disciplines. It is a tragic circumstance!
Let none imagine that the word of God has nothing to say about our conduct, or about subduing sinful inclinations resident in the "flesh," or sinful nature. But that is not the EMPHASIS of the "Apostles' doctrine," and woe be to that preacher or teacher who makes it his emphasis.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You that righteous is given through faith, rather than through merit or human achievement.