The Jesus Bible Reading PlanSample

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

Righteousness is a core component of the gospel message. The holy and eternal God expects that people who are in relationship with him to be without sin. This is, as we all know, a requirement that is utterly impossible for any of us to meet on our own! However, in the gospel, God delivers his righteousness to unrighteous people without sacrificing his own righteousness in the process.

Paul spends the opening chapters of this book making his case that all people are guilty of sin, regardless of their supposed morality or their association with the things of God. There is no wiggle room in this argument (3:23) — all people have sinned; all have fallen short of God’s righteous standard. The only hope for humanity, then, is the gift of righteousness that comes not by works of the law but instead through faith alone.

This righteousness by faith is not a departure from God’s work in the Old Testament; then as now, no one can live up to God’s righteous standard. The only way men and women have ever come into righteousness is through faith. But before Jesus came to earth, there was in the air a lingering question of cosmic importance: How could a righteous God, perfect in every way, freely forgive and justify sinful and guilty human beings? Because God is perfectly holy and perfectly righteous, there must be punishment for sin. Otherwise, God’s perfect character would be compromised.

This pivotal moment in universal history, the day when Jesus took away the sin of the world, was not only about the souls of men and women; it was about the very character of God. The cross is the answer to the question above; the crucifixion is the apex of God’s love and mercy but also of his justice and righteousness. At the cross, God not only provided the ultimate answer for how a person can be made righteous by faith, but he also dispensed his justice. At the cross, God poured out his wrath on his own Son so that sinful human beings might be forgiven and granted the righteousness of Jesus’ life. At the cross, the God of righteousness both demonstrates and grants righteousness, for he is both just and the One who justifies.

Jesus, thank you for replacing my blackened sinful clothing with the spotless white clothing of your righteousness. Thank you for doing what I could not do on my own. Thank you for saving my life. Amen.