God Kind of Righteousness

 

GOD-KIND OF RIGHTESOUSNESS IS PRESENTED

Romans 3:21 - Charles e. Whisnant, - September 05, 2010

1A    GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS APART FROM LEGALISM

APART FROM THE LAW

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God is manifested.

Apart from the Law? Man's inability to keep a set of rules. We can't gain this righteousness by the things we are able to do.

• The picture is that now, entirely apart from obedience to any law, man can be receiving the righteousness of God by faith in Christ.
  
• In other words Paul is describing a righteousness to which our obedience to the law contributes nothing whatsoever.
  
• Literally our Lord was "totally apart from sin."
  
• Just as sin and Jesus Christ have nothing in common, so too the righteousness was not received by keeping the law but it was by faith in Christ's finished work on the cross when, for as Paul writes elsewhere God the Father made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
  
• "But I believe that in this passage Paul primarily has in mind the sense of legalism, of men's attempt to become acceptable to God by means of their own human efforts."
  
• It is not that God has not the right to demand legal righteousness from us: but that He does not do it. "Righteousness which is of God" speaks in a way diametrically opposite to man's law- obedience, of any sort whatsoever.
  
• Galatians 2:16,21; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; Titus 3:5; Philippians 3:9;
  

Righteousness ¹³⁴⁴ of God
– Romans 1:17; 3:5; 21; 22; 10:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; James 1:20

• Is rightness of character before God and rightness of actions before men. Both of these qualities are based on truth, which is conformity to the Word and will of God.
  
• Righteousness is attitude and action which conforms to a standard and can be either man's imperfect standard (as exemplified by the self-righteous Pharisees) or God's standard of perfect holiness.
  
• In its original meaning, righteousness meant a right relationship (attained by faith as in Genesis 15:6 with the covenant God that led to loving others as oneself and doing good in order to lead others into the same right relationship with God.
  

2A    GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS CONSTRUCTED ON REVELATION

BEING WITNESSED ³¹⁴⁰ BY THE LAW ³⁵⁵¹AND THE PROPHETS⁴³⁹⁶

Means to testify, give evidence, give testimony, bear record, affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something or provide information about a person or an event concerning which the speaker has direct knowledge

Witnessed is in the present tense (continuous activity) and passive voice (manifestation is occurring from an outside source) which points out that this God-kind of righteousness is now being made plain continuously by God Himself (via the OT Law and prophets) to those in the New Testament era.

In other words, the Law and the Prophets did not show men how to achieve their own righteousness but pointed to the coming Messiah, the Savior and Son of God, who Himself would provide the righteousness that God demands of men (Jeremiah 23:6; I1 Corinthians 1:30). Although the full revelation of salvation through Christ was not given in the Old Testament, that had always been the way of salvation to which that testament pointed^{. (MacArthur, J: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)}

The OT Scriptures indeed do give persuasive and sufficient testimony (witness) to the truth of the righteousness of God apart from the law...

The law – Genesis 15:6 (Galatians 3:6-9; Hebrews 11:8) Genesis 7:1 (Hebrews 11:7) Matthew 5:17

The prophets
–Isaiah 53;11; 45:14-25; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Psalms 71:2,15,16,19;24. The foretellers of future events, who in the OT spoke by divine inspiration (2 Peter 1:20-21)

Thus the doctrine of justification by faith was foreshadowed by the OT Law and foretold by the OT prophets.

• Paul's point is that the righteousness he was describing was not a new kind of righteousness but had been spoken of throughout the Old Testament and thus has always been available to those who would receive it by faith. Psalms 106:31. And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore
  
  • Furthermore the Law and the Prophets spoke of God's righteousness in the form of shadows that were presented in the sacrificial system (ceremonial law) that required the shedding of blood for atonement.
    

People in the Old Testament were saved like we were:

• They believed God
  
• They knew they were sinful
  
• They knew they needed a Saviour
  
• They went to God to be their Saviour
  

"Preserve justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come (He is prophesying the coming of Messiah) and My
righteousness (which also would be Personified in the Messiah) to be revealed."Isaiah 5:1.

• Don't misunderstand this verse in Isaiah. We don't do righteousness to merit salvation. We commit ourselves to do what is right because are already made righteous by faith
  

STOP CHARITY, WILL PICK THIS UP NEXT WEEK. BUT THANKS FOR PROOF READING

Sinclair Ferguson quoting Thomas Brooks in the latest edition of the 9Marks eJournal on hell:

Oh, but this word eternity, eternity, eternity; this word everlasting, everlasting, everlasting; this word forever, forever, forever, will even break the hearts of the damned in ten thousand pieces…Impenitent sinners in Hell shall have end without end, death without death, night without day, mourning without mirth, sorrow without solace, and bondage without liberty. The damned shall live as long in Hell as God himself shall live in heaven.

Makes me want to weep… and preach.

Weep Over Hell is a post from: Pure Church by Thabiti Anyabwile

 

3A    GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS REQUIRED BY FAITH; VS. 22