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| View from Mt. Precipice in Nazareth by Lisa @ The Warming House |
“Gospel” means "good news." So what's so good about the gospel message? In the book of Romans, Paul paints
a comprehensive and pure picture of this good news. He starts with
doctrine/theology then explains how those teachings should take root in a
person and work their way out into behavior that impacts the world. If you read this post, you'll see why this news is so good.
Righteousness of God
Revealed
Paul was not ashamed to preach the gospel because “it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” – both Jew and
Gentile. (Gentiles were people who did not have Jewish parents.)
In Romans, Paul taught that in the gospel “a righteousness
from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just
as it is written . . .”
Righteousness is the state or condition of perfectly
conforming to God’s perfect law and holy character. The perfection of God has
been revealed in Jesus Christ. As a result of faith in Christ, a person is
declared “righteous” and given eternal life. (Romans 1:16-17)
Mankind’s Need of
God’s Righteousness
Romans 1:18-3:20
Paul began his case by first establishing something that I
know from my personal life to be very, very true. It’s the dilemma facing every human being
who has ever lived on this planet called Earth:
- We are all imperfect and unable to live life without any mistakes or sin.
- We are absolutely helpless to do anything to make ourselves good enough to stand in the presence of a perfect and holy God whose invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly seen and understood through His creation. (Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1-6) All men are accountable to God.
- Because we are flawed, the wrath of God rests on us.
- The consequence of our imperfection is death and permanent separation from God. In essence, sin is the kidnapper that holds us in bondage and separates us from the One who loves us. There is a ransom that needs to be paid or we will die apart from Him.
God's Compassion For Our Dilemma
Romans 3:21-5:21
In Romans 3:21-5:21, Paul goes on to explain that God was
patient and longsuffering – refraining from enforcing punishment until he
revealed His righteous One who could take away the sins of those who put their
faith in him. So here’s His solution for our dilemma:
- In great compassion, God's Son - Jesus Christ, stepped in to pay our ransom by taking the punishment we deserve.
- He endured the brunt of God’s wrath on our behalf while we were still filthy and undeserving.
- His actions removed God’s wrath from us once and for all.
- Christ is able to do this for us because he is perfect and without sin.
- In the process, Jesus places His righteousness on us. God now sees all who put their faith in Jesus Christ through the lens of Christ’s perfection. The guilty verdict is removed and we are declared innocent. This is called justification. I am a recipient of this justification and am eternally grateful for what He has done.
Paul hammers home the message that we are saved from
condemnation solely because of what Christ has done for us. Thankfully, it isn’t
about us and our efforts. It’s about God’s goodness and mercy.
God’s Righteousness
Within
Romans 6:1-8:39
After putting faith in Jesus Christ and receiving a verdict
of innocence, God begins to live and work inside believers with the purpose of
making them look like Christ from the inside out. (Romans 8:28-29) This is
called sanctification. Pretty cool!
This is how it works:
- Change comes when a believer turns away from their old way of living, lives in oneness with Christ, and allows God to reign freely and with complete authority over their life.
- Believers still struggle against sin, but sin no longer controls them. (Yes, I sometimes feel as though I’ve “sweat blood” as I’ve strained against my humanness.) Through dependence on God, His Holy Spirit inside of them provides all the power they need to conquer temptation and sin. (God is so good!)
- Failure happens – even in the lives of well-meaning Christians. In great compassion and grace, God forgives them then helps them to persevere and move forward.
- Bottom line: God never lets go. Nothing can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:35-39) I praise God for His limitless mercy.
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a
good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians
1:6
Israel’s Reception of
God’s Righteousness
Romans 9:1-11:36
Paul urged the people of Israel (who he loved like crazy) to
come to the understanding that the true “sons of Abraham” and “children of God”
are those who are sons by faith – spiritual sons.
He explained that:
- Gentiles received righteousness through faith while Israel pursued righteousness through the Law and works. Israel failed because it is impossible to achieve complete righteousness through works.
- Righteousness/justification come only through Jesus Christ. The Jewish people could not accept that. They stumbled over Christ and missed him.
- God used their rejection for a very good purpose – the adoption of the Gentiles into His family. (Christ came first to save the Jewish people, but when they rejected Him the door was opened to the Gentiles.)
“But by their transgression salvation has come to the
Gentiles . . .” Romans 11:11
“. . . a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the
fullness of the Gentiles has come in . . .” Romans 11:25
- Paul wanted his people – the people of Israel – to wake up, recognize, and receive true righteousness through faith in Christ. He told them that God has not rejected Israel completely. Although they rejected Him, He will give them fulfillment and life through Christ when they believe.
“Now if their transgression is riches for the world, and
their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment
be!” Romans 11:12
“And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief,
will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.” Romans 11:23
God’s Righteousness
Works Its Way Out
Romans 12:1-15:13
Those who love Jesus Christ and have a relationship with
Him, abandon all that they are (heart, soul, body, and mind) to all that He is.
That abandonment of self and submission to Him affects:
- Our bodies and what we do with them
- Our spiritual gifts and talents - and how we use them
- How we live out our daily lives (i.e., behavior)
- Our respect for authority
- Our convictions
- Our interactions with others
- Our worship
- Our unity with other believers
God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much
to leave us that way. He works to change us into the image of His Son. Those
changes are meant to work their way out into our behavior.
The believer’s desire is to glorify God for His incredible
and unexplainable mercy.
In a nutshell:
“Once we too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled
by others and became slaves to many wicked desires and evil pleasures. Our
lives were full of evil and envy. We hated others, and they hated us. But then
God our Savior showed us His kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the
good things we did, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins and gave
us new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon
us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declares us not guilty
because of His great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal
life.” Titus 3:4-5 (New Living Translation)
