Unashamed of the Gospel
The Righteousness of God
Romans 1:16-17
Turn to Romans 1. The verse that we focused on two weeks ago was verse 16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” And now Paul is going to give a further description of that gospel in verse 17, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous will live by faith.’” This verse really explains to us why the gospel is the power of God that brings salvation. It speaks here of the righteousness of God. And notice that the righteousness that is connected with the gospel is God’s righteousness. That at salvation the believer is given the righteousness of God as a gift, as we know that only God’s righteousness is worthy of salvation because of the depraved condition of the human heart. Just think of the planning of our redemption in order for us to be saved: it included all that Christ did for us … so that we could be saved; how the Holy Spirit worked in us to convert us to salvation; and then how the Holy Spirit continues to work in us that we might ultimately be made into the likeness of Christ in eternity.
Now if we read a verse such as John 3:16 only—you know it—what conclusion would we come to? That because God so loved the world, He sent His only Son. And that would be a great conclusion, knowing that the love of God acted on our behalf! But John 3:16 only answers the question of why? Why did He act? He loved us, that’s why! But not the question of how? Whereas Romans 1:17 is helping us to understand how God did what He did. And when we understand the “how” of what God did, we understand why the gospel is the power of God. So, I wish to challenge us this morning to consider the questions of “how” and “what” that go beyond the “why” of our salvation.
It is interesting that (vs 17) says that for in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed. You know, if mankind has a problem, it is what? It is the righteousness of God. I don’t really have a problem with your righteousness. You don’t really have a problem with my righteousness. Your righteousness and my righteousness when compared to each other does not really condemn anyone. Yet our problem exists when our righteousness is confronted with the righteousness of God. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses the humility in relation to this, he wrote:
“[W]e are not looking at men confronting one another, but we are looking at men face-to-face with God. And if one feels anything in the presence of God save an utter poverty of spirit, it ultimately means you have never faced Him.”
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount 36
Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of my righteousness? For all have sinned and fall short of your righteousness? No, the problem we have is that we fall short of God’s righteousness. And if you are unaware of that, just try reading God’s commands in the Old Testament or try lining your self up with the Sermon of the Mount that I have been studying. The Law that was given to the people of Israel condemned them and it condemns us. Galatians 3:10, anyone that does not do what the Law demands is under a curse. The Law curses us, it does not save us. Romans 3:20, no man can be justified by the works of the Law. In fact, it was the Law that brought the knowledge of sin. In other words, you think you are a good person, then just look at the Law and pow! It’s like skating with your head down and boom!
It was Martin Luther who said at one time he hated verse 17. Why? Because any justification we might try to make to defend ourselves gets blow out of the water when the righteousness of God is even mentioned, let alone revealed. In other words, the righteousness of God absolutely annihilates our sickened condition. Try defending yourself before God? Not a great idea! So, why if the gospel is called the good news; why is Paul introducing the righteousness of God in his statement as part of the gospel when it is the very thing that condemns us? In other words, Paul, why not just quote John 3:16? Well, the reason the gospel is called the good news is not only related to John 3:16, which informs us why God acted—which is good news, great news—God loved! But it does not tell us everything about how God acted.
See, the understanding of the good news is that God demanded from us something we did not possess—righteousness. Yet through the gospel, God gave to us the righteousness that He demanded, and anything less than that actually does a disservice to the great love of God. In other words, for us to try to include our goodness with God’s—thinking that we come to the gospel with some kind of merit—steals from God the vast love that the gospel claims from God. It would be like you and me standing before a judge in some kind of big trouble with an enormous debt because of what we owed or what we did, and the result of what we did was laid bare before us, this is the issue and we are thinking, I have no way of getting out of this or to ever pay for this. And then the judge says, but here is what I am going to do for you, your debt has been completely paid, paid in full by Someone else. That would be good news, wouldn’t it?
And good to always think of our sins as a debt before God, as the Bible often uses the term “debt” to describe the great penalty we owe because of our sin. And now as a Christian the good news is that our debt has been paid. But do not have the nerve to suggest in any way that you contributed to that payment, that was paid fully by Christ. Consider this statement, “Our righteousness could only contribute to the amount of debt we owed, as we could not contribute anything to the amount of payment. This is why Jesus had to pay it all.” John Piper said this:
“What is revealed in the gospel is the righteousness of God for us that He demands from us. The reason the gospel is the power of God for salvation—the way that the gospel saves believers—is that in it God reveals a righteousness for us that God demands from us. What we had to have, but could not create or supply or perform, God gives us freely, namely, his own righteousness, the righteousness of God.”
John Piper, “How Does the Gospel Save Believers?” (part #1)
In Philippians 3:9, Paul speaks about not having a righteousness of his own. Yet we may read the story of Paul and see that he was so bold for Christ, that he loved the Lord’s people, and he cared greatly for those who were outside of Christ. Yet when he says that he did not have a righteousness of his own, it doesn’t mean that Paul never did anything good, it simply means that Paul did not have the kind of righteousness that could save him. Listen to a similar message found in Isaiah 46:
“I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;
And My salvation will not delay.
And I will grant salvation in Zion,
And My glory for Israel.”
Isaiah 46:13 (LSB)
This literally reads, “I am bringing My righteousness near [God says], it is not far away.” Similar words in Isaiah 51, “My righteousness draws near speedily, My salvation is on the way.” So, here in the gospel God’s righteousness has come to mankind. Yes, we view the gospel as our sins forgiven, but we are not left there, as God then imparts to us His perfect righteousness. In other words, for you to be saved, God says, My righteousness must come! Listen to another explanation of this from Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 (LSB)
Jesus was not simply a sin offering, but Christ was also not a sinner. Yet the Father treated Christ as a sinner and therefore Christ became the object of the wrath of God. The Bible tells us that God did not spare His Son, but gave Him up, so that we might become the righteousness of God. So, let me give you this statement to get us started which I believe is the main focus here in (vs 17):
The righteousness of God is given to the person of faith as a gift, so that the once condemned sinner—who is now without guilt—has a right standing before God.
Notice that the righteousness of God, beginning of (vs 17) “for in it [in the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed.” And then that righteousness is transferred to the man in the second half of the verse, where it says, the righteous will live by faith. Faith surrounds the man who is righteous. Why? Because it is only the man of faith who receives the righteousness of God. That is why my statement started out by saying, the righteousness of God is given to the person of faith. Turn over a few pages to Romans 3:
“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace.”
Romans 3:21-24a (LSB)
Notice Paul adds, therefore being justified [or declared righteous] as a gift by His grace. And notice it is not a reward for service, not a payment for hard work, not a Christmas bonus for being a faithful employee—but a gift. Don’t argue with this truth. And I know that most of us will not argue with it theologically in words, but don’t even let your heart argue with this truth. The righteousness of God is given to the person of faith as a gift, so that the once condemned sinner—who is now without guilt—has a right standing before God.
Now, the next statement I wish to give you from Romans 1:17 is in regard to the fact of God justifying sinners by the sacrifice of His Son as in loving the world, God did not simply say, I will forgive you guys, for it had to be much more than that. Think of a court scene where someone has murdered a person. And the judge declares to the guilty man, I really like you and therefore, you are free to go. What would we call that? Injustice. In this case the guilty man is still guilty and really the judge is guilty of not being just. So, this means that though we would be so grateful to God for forgiving us, but the truth is that God must also be right and be a just judge and therefore, He must be just in His decision. So, let me make this statement:
The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel as God gives His Son—who is willing to receive the punishment of the condemned sinner—as the Substitute in the sinner’s place.
This is important as this explains to us why Jesus had to die, It was not enough that God would simply pardon the sinner, but that sin had to be punished, and it was, through Christ. Two things that I believe we can conclude from this statement. First, that the punishment that Christ experienced on the cross was sufficient to atone for the sins of all who would believe. I do not believe that we can say that Jesus died in a general sense, but that He death was particular, as it was for specific sins. And I would also suggest that the penalty for those sins was experienced by Christ in the three hours on the cross. This explains Christ’s words after the three hours, “It is finished.” In other words, the eternal punishment that we would have received for our sin and the punishment of sin of all believers, for all time, was thrown on Christ, was cast upon Christ during those three hours, Just think of the torment and the agony that Jesus went through on our behalf during His time on the cross when the Father turned His back on the Son. And for good reason, because Christ was bearing upon Himself your sin and mine.
But secondly, the importance and necessity here of the willingness of Christ. For Christ was not an unwilling sacrifice, but went to the cross freely, as He submitted to the will of His Father. And we do see the great love of the Father for those He would redeem. Isaiah 53:10, and it pleased the Father to crush the Son. It must have been a massive amount love for the Father to do such a thing! And we see the great love of the Son who willingly went to the cross on our behalf. First John 3:16, by this we know what love is, Jesus laying down His life for us. So, God did not ignore sin, God did not simply say you are forgiven, but He punished sin—as He would have punished us—but the punishment was cast upon His Son. The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel as God gives His Son—who is willing to receive the punishment of the condemned sinner—as the Substitute in the sinner’s place.
Next, we need to ask the question, is there any other benefit in receiving the righteousness of God? In other words, what is the full meaning of “the righteous will live by faith?” Does it have a present benefit in the life of the believer apart from eternal life? Well, first of all, we need to see that the “righteous”—the one who has been declared righteous—now lives by faith. And the one who lives by faith (Rom 8) walks by the Spirit of God. It says that we do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. So, let me give you this statement:
The righteousness of God is given to the believer, enabling him to live by faith and therefore please God—a life that lives with the power of the gospel.
This is what some refer to as the transforming work of the gospel, and it is contained in the words “the righteous will live by faith.” This is the message of Hebrews 11. Notice the actions of those who live by faith: by faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain; by faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; by faith Noah prepared an ark for the salvation of his household; by faith Abraham obeyed and went to a place he would receive as an inheritance; by faith Sarah received ability to conceive; by faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau; by faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; by faith Moses chose to be mistreated with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin; by faith Israel passed through the Red Sea; by faith the walls of Jericho fell down; and by faith Rahab welcomed the spies. Look at all that was accomplished through faith! Why? Hebrews 11:6, because without faith it is impossible to please God. So, we can conclude that with faith it is possible to please God. So, as Piper encourages us to lean on this gospel daily; to be encouraged by the gospel daily; to be empowered by the gospel daily; and to wake up every morning thinking about the gospel. Piper wrote:
“This is the gospel we live by and this is the gospel we will share this week with family and friends. And this is the gospel that will save us and bring us safely home to God.”
John Piper, “How Does the Gospel Save Believers” (part #2)
But also understand that our ability to live this way. The source of the power for us to live according to the gospel does not lie within us. But our ability is part of the transformative work of the gospel through the Holy Spirit, as part of this verse includes the power of God changing or transforming the believer. But always remember that this is God’s work, this is God enabling the change. Thomas R. Shreiner wrote:
“Those whom God has vindicated he also changes … This transformation does not involve perfection, and it is also crucial to see that God’s transforming righteousness is still an alien righteousness—given by God as a gift to sinners.”
Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans 67
Schreiner goes on to say that this transformation is due solely to God’s grace, as none of man’s works merit eternal life or any of this. So, as we might be encouraged and motivated to live righteously by faith, as the Spirit of God prods us on and on. Yet remember that this is a righteousness that is outside of us. Therefore, dependant upon a continual leaning and drawing from God through the Holy Spirit, as this righteousness that we live as believers is not our own!
I wish to close with something that you might have already been thinking about this morning, and that is the meaning of this term “From Faith to faith.” “Faith to faith” is translated a few ways. In most of our translations it is these words from “faith to faith,” which is true to the Greek, pistis to pistis which literally means “faith to faith.” The difficulty is not what the Greek says, it is what the Greek means. There are few translations that try to help us, such as the New Living Translation which says, “from start to finish by faith.” New International Version says, “by faith from first to last.” And it is true that “faith to faith” is an ongoing faith. It is the faith of all men and women and is also a faith that endures and grows. And so (vs 17) is saying that the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. In other words, God’s righteousness is accepted by faith, it endures by faith, and it leads to an even deeper faith. So, let me give three statements that will help us define Paul’s phrase, from “faith to faith.”
- Faith to faith refers to the ongoing faith of every true believer.
Notice (vs 16) says that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. And the reason it says to everyone who believes is because it is an ongoing faith. Notice it does not say, to everyone who believed. Paul wrote:
“Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I proclaimed as good news to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I proclaimed to you as good news, unless you believed for nothing.”
- Corinthians 15:1-2 (LSB)
The true believer holds to the Word. But if he does not, Paul actually says that he believed for nothing. He is not talking about a person who truly believed and then did not. This is a person who either only thought he believed or a person who merely pretended to believe. This should not surprise us for we all know of those who at one time said they believed who live today like they do not believe. In other words, they did not possess real faith, because real faith is, faith to faith, it is an ongoing faith. John wrote:
“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they were of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be manifested that they all are not of us.”
1 John 2:19 (LSB)
We could really say here, they went out from us, but they were not really people of “faith to faith,” for if they were people of “faith to faith,” they would have remained with us, but they did not. That when a person comes to Christ in faith, this is the beginning of faith, and that faith—in the true believer—is ongoing, as it remains. In other words, when a person comes to Christ there is a time of salvation that continues, as it is a continuing act of faith. Jesus said (Mark 13:13) that salvation is to the one who’s faith endures to the end. For the gospels are full of people who claimed to believe at one time only to fall away. As Paul said to the Colossians, if indeed you continue in the faith. In fact, in that Colossian’s passage, look what Paul says regarding real faith:
“[I]f indeed you continue in the faith firmly grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard.”
Colossians 1:23a (LSB)
What is the definition here of real faith? One, it continues, if you continue in the faith, “faith to faith.” Two, it is firmly grounded and steadfast. Three, it does not move away from the hope of the gospel. Faith to faith refers to the ongoing faith of every true believer. Secondly:
- Faith to faith refers to the ongoing spiritual growth of every true believer.
In this case the “faith to faith” is a growing faith, not only a continuing faith. In other words, it does not continue on the same level, for the true believer will experience over time a continued spiritual growth in his faith. Our faith is not a stagnant faith, just as the Word of God is not stagnant. It continues to bring light and life and joy and gladness and direction. This is as we said last week that faith is just the initial step of obedience, that follows with a lifetime of obedience in faith and transformation and enlightening. The Bible always speaks in these terms. Peter wrote, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” Grow into what? Grow into a stronger man and a stronger woman of faith. This is why the writer of Hebrews wrote:
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.”
Hebrews 5:12-14 (LSB)
Jesus said in John 15, that the one who remains in Christ—that’s point number one, ongoing faith—produces fruit—that’s point number two, ongoing growth. That is Christ’s assumption, that ongoing faith leads to ongoing fruit. Ephesians 2, true believers are God’s workmanship, created for good works. Paul told Timothy, to practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress—ongoing growth. Faith to faith refers to the ongoing spiritual growth of every true believer. Finally:
- Faith to faith refers to the ongoing saving power of the gospel within every true believer.
And I would suggest this is probably—considering the context here of Paul’s statement—the most inline with Paul’s thought. Faith to faith refers to the ongoing saving power of the gospel within every true believer. This should remind us that faith in the gospel is always the saving power, not just at the moment of salvation. In other words, what security do we have that God will save us from eternal death? Well, it is the same security we had when we were saved, faith. If someone asked you how you are certain that you will be welcomed by God someday in eternity, our answer needs to be that we trusted in Christ, we had faith in Christ. Now, the evidence of that faith will be shown in many ways as we have said that faith is ongoing, it is steadfast and grounded; and that it leads to more and more fruit. But the reason we are saved and the confidence we have should come from the fact that God will save us from the wrath to come because we have had our sins forgiven and have received the righteousness that comes from God through what? Faith. That is the promise of God. That is our confidence.
I feel for the poor guys in Matthew 7 who pleaded before God saying, didn’t we do this, didn’t we do some great things in Your name? And they may have. Yet their mistake was likely the fact they did not understand that without the righteousness of God, they were eternally condemned. Jesus said to them that the only ones who will enter the kingdom of heaven, are the ones who do the will of the Father. And the only One I know of who did the will of the Father without sin, was the Son. And the only way in which we can do the will of the Father is to believe, because when we do, we receive His righteousness. Therefore, that is the kind of righteousness we need, not our own. That is our plea before God that we believed, not that we did this and this, but Lord, You did this for us. That folks is the ongoing saving power of the gospel. “Faith to faith,” that is within every true believer. Consider these two verses that we have studied this morning:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous will live by faith.’”
Romans 3:16-17 (LSB)
What even compares with the weight of these two verses? Folks, what is really any bigger than this in life. It is not Mr. Trump or Mr. Carney. When I was 35 years old, I thought WWIII was going to start up. I was listening on the radio while out on a kitchen call when Bagdad was being blown up. It doesn’t even matter today. But Romans 1:16-17 will always matter. When sinners are interviewed in hell two billion years from now, they will say, “I wish I had listened to Romans 1:16-17.” And when the saints in heaven are interviewed four billion years from now, they will still be rejoicing that the righteous will live by faith. None of that other stuff will matter. Tariffs, a flood in BC, the US shooting down an Iranian drone, the problems in Minnesota, that Walmart hits $1 trillion in market value. It won’t amount to a hill of beans, as in the end, none of that will matter. But righteousness, unrighteousness, Romans 1:16-17, John 3:16, will always matter.
Let’s pray. What really matters? Eternal truth. That mankind on his own with his own goodness and righteousness will be eternally condemned. But those who have received a righteousness from God will live in glory forever. And that righteousness is given as a gift to all who would believe. My Lord, what love is this; That pays so dearly; That I, the guilty one; May go free! Amazing love, O what sacrifice; The Son of God given for me; My debt he pays, and my death he dies; That I might live. And all God’s people said, amen.