Theology for Everybody: Romansنموونە

Paul says there is a global problem: sin is in everything. Have you noticed this fact? Education is corrupted, politics are corrupted, and the economy is corrupted. Everything and everyone are infected by sin. And this is not just a global problem—it’s also an individual, personal problem. Not only is everything in the world filled with and broken by sin, but so are we as individuals. The problem is not just “them” or “out there”—it’s also us and right here. We are part of the problem, meaning we’re not the solution. The solution is going to have to come from another realm. Our only hope is for someone to come in and be part of the solution. This person can’t be part of the world, which is broken and filled with sin, but they will need to be able to rule over it.

Romans 3:21–22 introduces justification by faith. How are we going to fix this global problem? How are we going to fix our personal problem? We can’t do it through our own righteousness but only through the righteousness

of God. Righteousness is this language of performance that either qualifies or disqualifies you. When you’re in school, your report card is your righteousness. It tells you whether you’ve qualified or are disqualified from graduating and getting promoted to the next grade. Similarly, when you apply for a job, your résumé is your righteousness. Your performance tells you whether you’ve qualified or have been disqualified. If you qualify, then you get the job. Then, if you want to keep the job or be promoted in the job, you will receive a performance review. That is your righteousness.

When we die, where do we go, and how do we qualify? That’s the big question of righteousness. God is holy and perfect, and we are unholy and sinful. God is the Creator, and we are the created. So how do we get our righteousness? How are we qualified to stand before God as righteous in his sight? That’s the big question. There are only two ways people can answer this question of righteousness: behavior or belief.

The behavior path can be religious or spiritual in nature. You need to do a list of things: be a good person, tithe, pray, pay off your karmic debt, suffer in purgatory, be baptized, take communion, speak in tongues, or do a whole list of other actions. You’ve got to behave. There is also a secular version: vote for the right political candidate, support the right cause, have the correct hashtag, join the right march, parade, etc. Show that you’re behaving the right way. Everyone who tries the behavior path ultimately finds it’s a dead end. God says earlier in Romans 1–3 that no one is saved through behavior. We don’t have the right résumé to stand before God.

The only other path is that of belief. The belief path says we are not the ones who behave, but we believe in the one who did behave—Jesus Christ. This is “the righteousness of God.” It’s not our résumé or performance that qualifies us to stand before God. It’s Jesus’ work on the cross. It’s His behavior, not ours. We believe in Him and follow Him.

The language Paul uses is like a sunrise after a long dark night. People were on the behavior path, trying to improve on the performance treadmill. Then Jesus came as the Light of the world, and suddenly, we see the greatness, glory, and grandeur of God. Jesus lives the perfect life, which is one of perfect behavior and no sin whatsoever.

Today’s Reflection

Are you following the behavior path or the belief path?