The Righteousness of God II

 

“The Righteousness of God II”

Romans 10:1-21

SUBJECT: ISRAEL’S PAST

THEME: The Principle for Receiving God’s Righteousness is Faith and not Works; This is why Israel is Presently Set Aside as a Nation—Unbelief.

RELEVANCE: God’s righteousness is received by faith in Jesus Christ. This is the ONLY way anyone can receive the righteousness of God! The Nation of Israel missed God’s salvation and blessings because of their lack of faith and not the unfairness or inconsistency of God.

INTRODUCTION:

Paul is confident the gospel as the dynamic, saving power of God is available to everyone who believes. Salvation is obtained through faith—not works—revealing God’s righteousness, which is consistent from beginning to end. Yes, the ‘righteousness of God’ is the theme of the book of Romans, and it is discussed in these following verses.

MESSAGE:

III.  THE ACCESSIBILITY OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (Rom. 10:6-8)

"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach" (Rom. 10:8).

Remember, Paul is contrasting the "righteousness based on law" (which requires perfect, impossible performance) with the "righteousness based on faith," which is plain and free to all.

God is saying the gospel is not hidden, distant, or inaccessible. In fact, the opposite is true; the Gospel is nigh, accessible, and available to all. The gospel is easily accessible. Salvation is not a distant, unreachable goal, but a present reality found in believing the message of faith that is preached. This is true because of two historical facts.

       A.   THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST (Rom. 10:6)

But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above)" (Rom. 10:6).

            1.  This Is Impossible for Man to Do

We cannot go all the way to Heaven to get Christ and bring Him down to the earth in order for folk to believe. This is a human impossibility!

            2.  This Is Not Necessary for Man to Do

The fact of the matter is that He already came down from Heaven and was born into the human race. We must accept this purely by faith.

      B.  THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST (Rom. 10:7)

"Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead)" (Rom. 10:7).

            1.  This Is Impossible for Man to Do

We cannot go into the depths of the grave to bring up Christ again from the dead. This is humanly impossible; no one can achieve this!

            2.  This Is Not Necessary for Man to Do

It also is not necessary for us to raise Christ from the grave; He already accomplished this. We must accept this purely by faith. The Incarnation and Resurrection are two elements of saving faith in the Gospel, and people cannot supplement either. The Righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel—it is near, accessible, intelligible, and easily understood! Such God-wroth actions are communicated in the gospel message, to be saved a person must accept the Incarnation and the Resurrection.

Christ’s salvation (the righteousness of God) is achieved through faith only, not by impossible human efforts to find God. Again, people do not need to complete, supplement, or add to the work of the Lord Jesus at Calvary. I repeat, augmentation, reinforcement, expansion, support, or strengthening is not necessary! God is delineating how Christ has already completed the necessary work (incarnation and resurrection), meaning the message of deliverance and redemption is immediately accessible, near, and centered on belief, not tough "ascension" or "descension," or our help. The righteousness of God is presently available to everyone directly through believing the gospel of Christ. Oh, how wonderful and gracious is our God!

IV.  THE SPECIFICS OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (Rom. 10:9-10)

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9).

Here we are remined how salvation comes to us through a combination of genuine internal faith (believing in the heart that God raised Jesus)—resurrection, which results in confession or any public acknowledgement (confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord)—incarnation.

        A.  CONFESSING THE LORD JESUS—INCARNATION

I Jn 2:23, Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth (Confess; Rom. 10:9) the Son hath the Father also.

              1.  To Confess the Lord Jesus is the same as acknowledging that the Babe born in Bethlehem’s manger is the very Lord of Glory, that the Jesus of the NT is indeed the Lord Jehovah of the OT. God incarnate is the point.

              2.  To Confess the Lord Jesus is to acknowledge Him as the Supreme Sovereign over All Humanity and not merely the Jews. One must deal with Him if they are to be saved; He is the Way, the Truth and the Life!

              3.  To Confess the Lord Jesus is NOT an act of 100% Submission to Him as a Condition of Salvation. Yes, He is Lord of all and Yes, He is Jehovah God and every repentant sinner must acknowledge this!  However, to require total commitment of every aspect of ones life as a condition of salvation is not scriptural. The problem is, we don’t even know yet all that He requires of us, so to what degree do we submit?  When we present the gospel, the sole condition for salvation must be maintained on the basis of faith for justification.

         B.  BELIEVING WITH THE HEART UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS—RESURRECTION  Rom 10:9-10, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10, For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

                  1. The Element of Heart Faith in the Resurrected Christ, vs 9

God has raised Christ from the Grave as proof that Christ completed the work necessary for our salvation, and that God is satisfied with that work.  Believing this with the heart means that we trust God through our mental, emotional, and volitional powers.

                  2. The Exercise of Heart Faith unto Righteousness, Vs 10

Saving faith consist in the personal appropriation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We receive credit for righteousness through faith in Him!

                  3.  Some have made oral confession a condition of salvation on the basis of Romans 10:10: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The Bible, of course, does not impose this limitation. Paul evidently was stressing the same truth found in James 2:20; that is, a genuine possession of Christ in one's heart will surely lead to a confession of Christ with one's mouth. The fruit will prove the root. (See Matt. 10:32; Luke 12:8; John 12:42-43; Matt. 12:34.) The method, then, of righteousness, is faith in Christ not a work of confession; however, confession is the natural result of saving faith in the heart!

When we present the gospel, we must maintain that faith is the sole condition of justification. But we must also remind sinners and saints constantly that Jesus Christ is Lord (Jehovah-God), and should be acknowledged as such.^[1]

The confession is an acknowledgement that God has been incarnated in Jesus (cf. v. 6), that Jesus Christ is God. Also essential is heart-faith that God raised Him from the dead (cf. v. 7). The result is salvation. The true order is given in verse 10: For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (lit., “it is believed unto righteousness”), and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (lit., “it is confessed unto salvation”). Yet these are not two separate steps to salvation. They are chronologically together. Salvation comes through acknowledging to God that Christ is God and believing in Him.^[2]

Thus, to confess Jesus as Lord includes a heart belief in His deity, incarnation, vicarious atonement and bodily resurrection. Robertson says, “No Jew would do this who had not really trusted Christ, for Kurios (Κυριος) in the LXX is used of God. No Gentile would do it who had not ceased worshipping the emperor as Kurios (Κυριος). The word Kurios (Κυριος) was and is the touchstone of faith.”^[3]

 

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^[1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1721.

^[2] John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 481.

^[3] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 178.

The Righteousness of God I

 

“The Righteousness of God I”

Romans 10:1-21

SUBJECT: ISRAEL’S PAST

THEME: The Principle for Receiving God’s Righteousness is Faith and not Works; This is why Israel is Presently Set Aside as a Nation—Unbelief.

RELEVANCE: God’s righteousness is received by faith in Jesus Christ. If God is fair in his dealings with Israel, then the rest of humanity can unreservedly entrust their eternal future with him. However, if God was unfair in his dealings with Israel, then how can we as Gentile Christians even begin to rest in him for our own eternal destiny? The truth is we can rest in God’s salvation because it is received by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the ONLY way anyone can receive the righteousness of God! The Nation of Israel missed God’s salvation and blessings because of their lack of faith and not the unfairness or inconsistency of God.

INTRODUCTION:

We discover the ‘righteousness of God’ and Israel’s current rejection in Romans 10. Remember, Romans 9 and 10 should always be read together. Chapter 9 shows why some Jews are saved; and chapter 10 explains why most are lost. Those who are saved believed on Jesus Christ and those who are lost stumbled in unbelief at Jesus Christ (Rom. 9:30-33). Also, Paul moves from discussing God’s sovereign choices to people’s responsibility individually and nationally in chapter 10.

Rom 1:16-17, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

Paul is confident the gospel as the dynamic, saving power of God is available to everyone who believes. Salvation is obtained through faith—not works—revealing God’s righteousness, which is consistent from beginning to end. Yes, the ‘righteousness of God’ is the theme of the book of Romans, and it is discussed in these following verses. 

MESSAGE:

I.  THE DESIRE FOR GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1-2)

At the beginning of chapters 9 and 10 Paul reveals his great soul agony over Israel's lost condition.

Rom. 10:1-2, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

        A.  THE DESIRE FOR ISRAEL’S NATIONAL SALVATION

Paul was not bitter against his fellow countrymen; he was burdened to see them saved and earnestly prayed for their salvation.

        B.  THE DELUSIONS OF ISRAEL NULLIFY SALVATION

They thought that through their careful observance of the rules, rituals, sacrifices, and ceremonies of Judaism they would be saved. Their intolerance for every contrary doctrine demonstrated their zeal. But they failed to acknowledge the truth about “knowledge,” and we all know that zeal without knowledge is dangerous! Because of their unbelief, they could not receive God’s righteousness.

APPLICATION: Who are you praying for specially to be saved? Do you have anybody that you are earnestly pleading with God to save? A prayer burden for souls is essential to a believer’s or a church’s success in proclaiming the gospel and reaching sinners for Christ. We want to be soul winners who pray specifically for souls to be saved. We need to be serious about introducing people to Christ and that includes praying for lost individuals to come to the Savior!

II.  THE SOURCE OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (Rom. 10:4-5)

Rom. 10:4-5, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

         A.  THE PRINCIPLE OF FAITH UNDER GRACE

Rom 10:4, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment, goal, and culmination of the Old Testament law for every believer. He perfectly met and satisfied the law’s requirements, so righteousness is now acquired by faith in Him rather than by keeping legalistic works.

ILLUSTRATION: We might reword this verse to say that Christ is the end of the Old Testament Law to the believer after the Cross, as George Washington was the end of the British law to the American after the Revolutionary War. (See 2 Cor. 3:6-11; Heb. 7:11-19; Gal. 3:24-26; Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14.)

This principle points us to Jesus Christ as the Source of God’s righteousness! Secondly, when a sinner receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior, the law has nothing else to say to him. The believer is viewed by God as being ‘in Christ’! Through the death of our Substitute, we have died to the law’s mandates. We are effectively through with the law and with any futile attempts to achieve righteousness through it.

         B.  THE PRINCIPLE OF WORKS UNDER THE LAW

Rom 10:5, For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Attaining righteousness through the law (legalism) requires perfect, uninterrupted obedience, which is impossible for fallen people, ultimately indicating our need for salvation by faith in Christ.

              1. The Purpose Behind the Law Was to Show Sinners that They Are Sinners!

The law reveals sin, to convict and condemn the transgressors. It can never impart righteousness.  The penalty for breaking the law is death. In His death Christ paid the penalty of the law which man had broken.

              2.  The Purpose of the Law was to Point Us to Christ Who Fulfilled It.

This principle, like that of Faith, also teach us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ because of the impossibility of living up to the requirement of the law.

Gal 3:23-26, But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24, Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25, But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

              3.  The Ideal Behind the Law Is That Through “Doing” We’ll Have Life, Vs 5.

In other words, if a man can keep the law perfectly and perpetually, he would not be condemned to death. But even if a person could do this from today forward, they still would have to die for the sins that our past. Therefore, any hope of a man obtaining righteousness by doing, adherence, obedience, or legalistically are doomed to failure from the very outset.

Rom 3:21-28, But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22, Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24, Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25, Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26, To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27, Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Salvation is a free gift from God obtained through faith in Jesus Christ, entirely apart from following the law. It establishes that all people have sinned, but are justified freely by grace through the redemption and atonement found in Christ’s blood. This is the heart of the Gospel, how an unrighteous person can be considered righteous before a just God. It clarifies that while the Old Testament law showed our serious inability and sinfulness, it could never save.

God’s Provision for Man’s Sin Problem is afforded by the Lord Jesus alone. In John 3:15, Christ says, “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Back in Numbers 21:6-9, the perishing Israelites looked upon the lifted-up snake and lived. Similarly, the new birth happens the instance we look up to Jesus, believing He will save us. This is God’s provided way for us to be healed of sin’s deadly bite. Look to Jesus and live is the admonition! The Israelites were spared their lives; the believer in Jesus, who shed His blood suffering to pay for our sins, is spared eternal destruction in Hell and given eternal life. Each person must apply the value of Christ’s death and bloodshed to their own sin and life to be born again. Look to Jesus Christ and live!

Cultivating Listening Abilities

 

Cultivating Listening Abilities

 

Romans 12:15, Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

The Lord gave us precisely what we needed to build his churches and kingdom in ways that deeply pleases him. To embrace this idea of listening from God’s perspective, we must consider what this passage entails.

·  Rejoicing with those who “rejoice” allows us to share in their joys…to celebrate with them…reveling in their blessings while keeping them at the center of focus. Break out the confetti!

·  Weeping with those who “weep”, enables us to show empathy and compassion for another’s very real challenges and circumstances. We may find it difficult to relate at times, but we all are well acquainted with pain and grief…that sense of helplessness, regret, lose…. Have another tissue, please.

·  Fostering a sense of belonging and community by being present in both favorable and miserable instants are a worthwhile aim we can afford others as a function of identification, recognition, and association. The Lord can use such instances to knit our hearts with another group or individuals through these deeply meaningful experiences.

·  Overcoming self-centered thoughts, motives, and behaviors choosing empathy, harmony, compassion, and understanding instead is now more likely. All envying, greed, coveting, selfishness, and jealousy are smothered from the outset.

It is always valuable to us as disciples to know what our Lord would do and to investigate the Word with these thoughts in mind. The Lord Jesus certainly exemplified good listening and empathy in several ways that help and inform this kind of activity.

·  Our Lord’s Compassion on Many People (Matthew 9:36): Jesus is moved with real compassion therefore he helped the crowd because they were stressed and deserted, much like sheep without a shepherd would be. Our Lord shows the kind of compassion that involves itself in another’s very real needs.

·  His Weeping with Mary Even though He would perform Lazarus’ Resurrection (John 11:35): Jesus weeps with Mary and Martha over the death of Lazarus, showing that empathy involves entering another's sorrow and pain with them. Our Lord was fully cognizant of the miracle He would perform, yet He demonstrated that empathy is always relevant regardless of the situation.

·  Jesus’ Controversial Story of the ‘Good’ Samaritan (Luke 10:33–34): A Samaritan sees a beaten man, feels deep compassion, and acts to take care of him, embodying active compassion and empathy disregarding gross mischaracterizations, unfounded prejudices, embedded misconceptions and deeply seated cultural biases.

The Lord Jesus helps us in tremendous ways with his example and teachings. We all could use an upgrade in the areas of listening, empathy and compassion! Yes, to be selfless like this will require the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives!

So, then the ability to listen well is a skill each of us can learn and perfect at home, church, and at work. Certainly, we need the power of God to live like this…to value people in this way. The best place to start is to personally acknowledge this as an area of growth. Who doesn't want to be a better listener, a well-rounded team player, give meaningful feedback, deliver accurate non-verbal communication, be profoundly understood, and thoroughly motivate others to trust us? This is the potential impact of listening well!

Like yourselves, I know compassion is the key to paying attention to others in a healthy manner. If someone is conveying joy, then I want to be able to rejoice and celebrate with them. Perhaps my counterpart is conveying fear then I want reservations and timidity to register through my body language. Eventually, I’ll share with them how faith helps us overcome fears. Whatever energy they are expressing I want to reflect that same vigor, strength, fire, intensity, and animation from a place of deep understanding and helpful facilitation. This is God’s command to us and our obedience helps us build community and partnerships in meaningful ways. I know we all have jobs to do, and I subscribe to the notion that we are individuals, but that does not stop us from being very human also. It is a component of Christlikeness to develop this ability. To actively engage with the emotions of others. To be there to assist others with their struggles. To spring into action with compassion rather than mere judgment fostering community through understanding. Beloved, we must cultivate the ability to listen well. 

Many passages echo this same or similar ideas like the following verses: Ephesians 3:19; Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 3:8; Galatians 6:2; Colossians 3:12; Hebrews 4:15.

These verses convey various practices of active listening to grasp others' feelings more completely. Such practices place us in a position to offer support and encouragement during difficult times. We become usable servants of the Lord in such cases. Certainly, mastering these abilities helps us cultivate a spirit of unity and love within our relationships at home, church, and work.