THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).

Devotion 9 of 27

THE REVELATION OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ . . . For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Rom 1:16-17)

A righteous God cannot abide unrighteous people in His presence. For fallen personalities to appear before, and be received by, him, they must be purged from their defilement and declared "righteous." This is an absolute requirement, as confirmed in the announcement, "the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor 6:9). The Spirit hurls the stirring question into the arena of human consideration: "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Pet 4:18).

Prior to Christ the Lord stated the case against a fallen race. "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom 3:10; Psa 14:2-3). Even the best of human effort was unacceptable before God. As it is written, "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away" (Isa 64:6). If one imagines that condition belonged to Israel alone, let him hear the Word of the King again. "For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:22-23).

What a hopeless scene looms on the horizon of humanity! God demands righteousness. His nature will not allow Him to countenance unrighteous people in His presence. Yet, "there is none righteous, no not one." How can the situation be resolved? Or, can it be resolved?

The Gospel of Christ announces the resolution, wrought out by Divine wisdom. Whereas many have spoken of Romans 1:16 and the power of the Gospel, few have dealt with verse seventeen that gives the reason for the power of the Gospel. "For (or because) in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (NKJV). Here is one of the most profound and far-reaching utterances of Scripture!

The text is NOT declaring that God was righteous in providing this salvation--although that is most assuredly the case. Rather, the Gospel announces that the very righteousness of God is made available to men through Christ Jesus. It is appropriated by faith, and leads to deeper faith, thereby enabling the individual to "live" before God in a righteous state. The Law made sin known, defining it and convincing its hearers of their guilt (Rom 3:19-20). The Gospel announces the provision of righteousness for men--the very righteousness of God.

Later, the Spirit enlarges upon this wonderful announcement. "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe" (Rom 3:21-22, NIV). This righteousness is the ONLY righteousness God will receive. It is not conferred upon man because of what he does, but because he believes what God is declared to have accomplished in Christ Jesus!

This is righteousness "by faith." It is the righteousness that will enable a person to stand faultless before the Lord. Paul spoke of his perception of this truth. "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith" (Phil 3:8-9).

This is a righteousness that is "imputed," or credited, to men, because they believe, NOT because they achieve! This is not a theological view, but a revealed reality. As it is written, Abraham "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it [his faith] was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification" (Rom 4:20-25, NKJV).

The glory is that God is just and holy in this entire matter. He has compromised not one whit of His character. Nor, indeed, has He overlooked or winked at man's sin--something His nature will not allow Him to do (Ex 34:7). Because of the vicarious (substitutionary) death of Christ Jesus, God is "just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Rom 3:26).

The power of the Gospel is exhibited, not merely in forgiving our sins, but in pronouncing us righteous -- God imputing to us His own righteousness upon the basis of our faith in Christ. To put it another way, God has provided a record of His Son's triumph in the Gospel. Those who accept that record without any reservation, believing on the Son, will be pronounced righteous. Thus it is written, "He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son" (1 John 5:10-11).

There you have it! Righteousness for men revealed in the Gospel! Righteousness that comes from God! A righteousness that is His own! The possession of this righteousness is accompanied by such words as "faultless" (Jude 24), "blameless" (Col 1:22), "holy" (Eph 1:4), and "accepted" (Eph 1:6).

Is it any wonder this glorious Gospel is so often recounted to believers? A single example will suffice to confirm this to your hearts. "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption" (1 Cor 1:30). I ask you, where can such a Gospel be found, accept in the glad tidings of Christ!

In a very real sense, those who have not heard of this righteousness have really not heard the Gospel of Christ.

PRAYER POINT: Father, through Jesus Christ I praise You for providing Your own righteousness to me, as announced in the Gospel of Christ.

-- TOMORROW: SINGING THE LORD'S SONG IN A STRANGE LAND --