The Righteousness of God

Through [Jesus Christ our Lord] we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among the nations. Romans 1:5 

Romans 1:1–16:27 – Romans: The Righteousness of God
Epiphany of the Lord (Observed)  – January 8, 2023 (am)

Romans has been the most requested book of the Bible, by far, for us to study together since I came here. So, now, as we approach my eighteenth anniversary, it seems like it’s time! Honestly, I haven’t resisted the idea; I love Romans! But this was the final book Scott Ardavanis preached before leaving. And he was in it quite a while! So, it just hasn’t risen on the priority list until now.

That said, Romans is that book people most like to reference with regard to how long it took their Pastor to preach it! It’s almost like they’re saying, the longer you take with Romans, the better you grasp the gospel! But with no disrespect intended to any such people, I just don’t agree. So, I want to be clear as we begin, we’re not going for any records! And when we finish, I’d much rather you have a solid grasp of Romans and its presentation of the gospel than bragging rights on how long the journey took us!

Another thing, we’ve not laid out this series from beginning to end yet. As a Preaching Team, we don’t want it to get old in any way. So, our intent is to take theological side-trips here and there to explore topics Paul addresses here. Today I’ll be preaching a quick introduction and overview using an outline that I believe will help us remember more easily the flow of the argument Paul makes in this letter.

Romans was written in the latter half of Paul’s ministry (A.D. 57) and was addressed to a church with which he had no personal connection. It was likely birthed by some of the visitors from Rome (Act.2:10) who were present at Pentecost. But Paul wanted to establish a relationship with this church toward partnering in his gospel ministry. We read of his plans in 15:14-29; after he delivered the relief offering from his Gentile churches to Jerusalem, he planned to go to Rome and then, with their help, on to Spain (15:24). His work in the eastern Mediterranean region was finished (15:18-20).

This letter to Rome is the clearest, fullest, most extended, most (but not fully) situationally unencumbered explanation of the gospel that appears in Paul’s writings. It’s not intended to be a defense of the gospel, and still less (Moo 1994 1114), as some suggest, a systematic theology. Rather, Paul has written it as his expression of the platform from which he and the church in Rome would eventually launch their collaborative gospel ministry into Western Europe.

One of simple principles of hermeneutics (Bible study methods) is to look at the beginning and end of a book to see if it advances from one place to another, which happens most clearly, for instance, when you’re telling a story—think of Exodus or Numbers—or whether it starts and finishes in the same place, which happens most clearly when you’re studying a subject, drilling into a topic. Clearly, as you just heard, Romans begins and ends in the same place, using nearly the same language! This letter is studying a subject.

If we wanted to sum up the letter with one word, I would suggest the word “justification.” … To be justified is to be declared right before God (Dever 151). And that is surely a good summary word for Romans, especially justification by faith. But I think there’s an even better summary of the message of Romans, a phrase, the righteousness of God. Variations of justification are used fifteen times in Romans. Variations of righteousness are used forty-one times, and often attributed to God, whether explicitly or implicitly.

Because of this emphasis, many commentators who don’t hold as high a view of Scripture like to drive a wedge between the teaching of Paul in Romans and the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels. In summary, they say Jesus preached the kingdom of God where Paul preached justification by faith, as though there’s separation between them. But there’s just no ground for that (Nygren 11). Jesus clearly told His followers to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Mat.6:33). And in the closing charge in his final letter, Paul wrote: the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his kingdom (2Ti.4:18). Let’s walk through Paul’s argument (two parts).

A Review of God’s Mercies – 1-11

This language is drawn from 12:1 where Paul transitions toward how he wants the Romans live in response to all he’s written. And he summarized all that (cc.1-11) as the mercies of God, what God has done to accomplish our salvation, our justification—what He’s done to grant us the righteousness of God. As he began, then, he first established the need for it.

How People Are Justified before God – 1-4

After stating clearly that the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel is from faith for faith (1:16-17), meaning something like by faith from first to last (niv), and shows itself by bringing about the obedience of faith (cf. 1:5), Paul launches into his argument to prove that every single one of us stands in need of this grace. Surely the godless nations can’t attain it on their own (1:18-32), but neither can Israel apart from embracing God’s saving grace by faith (2:1-3:8). 3:9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one.

But then just a few verses later comes the clearest short statement of the gospel that appears in the Bible, the righteousness of God which we receive by faith. 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

This is the gospel we’re learning about in Romans! And it’s available to both Jew and Gentile by faith. Abraham is the example and c.4 tells that story. Paul has already written in 2:28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. Now to 4:13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

How People Are Sanctified before God – 5-8

From there, Paul turned his attention to the benefits that come to all those who trust Christ for salvation. 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. When we receive God’s salvation by faith, we will surely receive the whole package—all that Jesus’ death and resurrection purchased for us!

In fact, we’ll be Col.1:13 … delivered… from the domain of darkness and transferred… to the kingdom of his beloved Son, right there and then. The Holy Spirit will take up residence with us (8:9; cf. 5:5) giving us the down payment on the new age (cf. Eph.1:13-14), making us partakers of the divine nature (2Pe.1:4), and causing us to be dead to sin through the death of Christ and alive to righteousness through His resurrection (6:5-11).

The battle between our old nature of inheriting death through Adam and our new nature of inheriting life in Christ (5:12-21) still rages in our lives, our hearts, our experience. And c.7 is such a clear and compelling description of that dynamic in the process of our sanctification. But c.8 finishes this section with a flourish, celebrating all that’s ours through faith in Christ and by the ministry of the Spirit. We’re promised that 8:28 … all things will work together for our good… and that absolutely nothing 8:39 … in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How God Is Justified before People – 9-11

With those statements, though, Paul put himself in a somewhat awkward position. If God’s promises are utterly reliable, what has become of His promises to Israel? In cc.9-11, Paul addressed this question in ways that have captivated and confounded students of the Word ever since! It’s such a compelling argument for the sovereignty of God in salvation that we often forget the setting, the context of this passage. But the question on the table is, how can we trust the grand promises of God as His new covenant people in Christ if we don’t believe He’s kept is grand promises to His old covenant people through Abraham?

Paul’s answer came in several parts. First, he reaffirmed a point he had made earlier that even in Israel it is only those who believe who are saved. Here he wrote, 9:6 … it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. Second, then, it is God Who determines the recipients of His salvation. His promises are made to them. And He will never fail to keep them! 9:15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. In the end, then, we can be certain that, 11:26 … in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins,” quoting Isa.59:20-21. I like the words of Mark Dever here: Perhaps [Paul] means there will be a great turning to Christ among the physical descendants of Abraham during the last days. Or perhaps he means that all true Israel, the elect of God, will be saved. Perhaps he means both (Dever 161). But either way, God is faithful to His promises! And using a more popular definition of the word, this is how God is justified before people regarding His faithfulness.

A Response to God’s Mercies – 12-16

The final section of Paul’s letter to Rome is the part with which we’re likely most familiar. He’s taken eleven chapters to spell out the mercies of God systematically and in meticulous detail. Elsewhere we’ve seen Paul divide his letters right down the middle as he separates between theological foundation and moral/ethical application (see Eph., Col.). But here (more like Gal.), it’s fully two-thirds foundation and one-third application. But also, remember that he gave four chapters (cc.5-8) in the middle of the foundation section to the patterns of our sanctification, the practical living out of our faith.

Even so, here is his great turning point in this letter. 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Then he proceeded to talk about spiritual gifts (12:3-8), proper love and obedience within the body (12:9-13:14), with special emphasis on caring well for the weaker ones among us (14:1-15:17), taking us up to one clear and unifying statement that draws the whole letter together: 15:8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. In the words of Doug Moo (1994 1156): Paul reminds the Gentiles that Christ continues to be concerned about… the Jews…. But even so, Christ’s ministry to Jews… has a larger purpose: it is for the sake of God’s faithfulness to his promises. These promises, made to the patriarchs, included the blessing of ‘all the nations’ (4:16–17). Therefore, when those promises are confirmed, the result (9) is that Gentiles are able to join with Jews in glorifying God for his mercy. They all become one (new man [Eph.2:15]) in Christ, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham (Gen.12:1-3).

Conclusion

This is where we’re headed in Romans This is what we’ll hear and learn in this letter. And, for us, receiving God’s righteousness by faith is our only hope of entering into the rich blessings of His mercies and, therefore, of gaining life from death in Christ.

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Resources

Arnold, Clinton E., gen. ed. 2002. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. Vol. 3, Romans-Philemon. Romans, by Douglas J. Moo, 2-95. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Barnhouse, Donald Gray. 1952. Romans, four volumes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans

Beale, G. K., & D. A. Carson, eds. 2007. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Romans, by Mark A. Seifrid, 607-694. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Carson, D. A., R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. Romans, by Douglas J. Moo, 1115-1160. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

Chadwick, Henry, gen. ed. 1957. Harper’s New Testament Commentaries. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, by C. K. Barrett. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.

Comfort, Philip W., gen. ed.  2007. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Romans, by Roger Mohrlang. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale.

Cranfield, C. E. B. 1990. Romans: A Shorter Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Dever, Mark. 2005. The Message of the New Testament. Ch. 6, The Message of Romans: Justification, 146-166. Wheaton: Crossway.

Dockery, David S, ed. 1995. New American Commentary. Vol. 27, Romans, by Robert H. Mounce. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.

Green, Joel B., ed. 2018. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The Letter to the Romans, by Douglas J. Moo. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Grudem, Wayne, gen. ed. 2008. ESV Study Bible. Study notes on Romans, 2463-2497, by Thomas R. Schreiner. Wheaton: Crossway.

Hodge, Charles. 1989. The Geneva Series of Commentaries. Romans. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth.

Hubbard, David A., and Glenn W. Barker. 1988. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 38ab, Romans, by James D. G. Dunn. Dallas: Word.

Longman III, Tremper, & David E. Garland, eds. 2008. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 11, Romans-Galatians. Romans, by Everett F. Harrison and Donald A. Hagner, 19-237. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Luther, Martin. 1976. Commentary on Romans. Translated by J. Theodore Mueller. Grand Rapids: Kregel.

Moo. Douglas J. 2000. The NIV Application Commentary. Romans. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Morris, Leon, ed. 1985. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Vol. 6, Romans, by F. F. Bruce. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.

Moule, H. C. G. 1977. Studies in Romans. Grand Rapids: Kregel.

Nygren, Anders. 1949. Commentary on Romans. Philadelphia: Fortress.

Owen, John, ed. Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans, by John Calvin. Translated by John Owen.

Sproul, R. C. 2005. The Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans. Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus.

Stott, John, NT ed. 1994. The Bible Speaks Today. The Message of Romans, by John Stott. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

Yarbrough, Robert W., and Joshua W. Jipp, eds. 2018. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Romans, by Thomas R. Schreiner. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

NEXT SUNDAY: The Righteous Shall Live by Faith, Romans 1:1–17