There is a phrase used throughout
the New Testament, a phrase that's found not until we come to Romans
chapter 1, and it's used from Romans 1 through the book of
James repeatedly. The phrase is the righteousness
of God. It's interesting you don't find
that term. given anywhere in the Old Testament. You don't
find it anywhere in the four Gospels. You don't find the term
used until the work of redemption was finished by the Lord Jesus
Christ by his death upon the cursed tree as the sinner's substitute. This phrase, the righteousness
of God, everywhere it is used, everywhere it is used, refers
not to God's attribute of righteousness, but rather to God's work of righteousness. Everywhere this phrase is used,
the righteousness of God. It refers not to something men
do for God, or even to God's attribute of righteousness, but
rather it refers to the work of righteousness performed by
the God-man, Jesus Christ our Lord. Brother Lindsay concluded
his study this morning in John chapter 16, with the spirit of
God convincing the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. Our Lord Jesus specifically said
of righteousness, because I go to my father, I go to my father
because I have finished that work for which I came into the
world to bring in everlasting righteousness and thereby saving
my people from their sins. Understand this and you understand
the gospel. Miss this and you miss the gospel. Sinners are saved by the righteousness
of God. Yes, sinners are saved by the
righteousness of God. How I wish this generation of
preachers could learn this. Sinners are saved by the righteousness
of God. That's my subject, the righteousness
of God. You have my text before you in
Romans chapter 3, verses 20 through 31. Just hold your Bibles open
on your lap as we look at this last paragraph of Romans chapter
3 together. The text begins with the word,
therefore. Therefore. You've often heard
me say and others say, when you come across the word therefore
in this book, you ought to always ask yourself, what's therefore?
Therefore, what does it refer to? It's referring back to everything
the apostle has taught us from Romans chapter 1 to this verse
of scripture. Therefore, since all are under
sin, since all Adam's fallen race is dead in trespasses and
in sins, since every man, woman, and child in this world is totally
depraved and spiritually dead, without any inclination, desire,
or ability to do good. Since none can obey God's law,
since none can do good, since every imagination of the thoughts
of every man's heart is only evil continually, Paul says,
therefore. Therefore, since the law can
only identify sin, condemn men for sin, and kill the sinner. Since the law points to righteousness,
but has no ability to reveal righteousness. Since the law
requires righteousness, but can never produce righteousness.
Therefore, Romans 3 verse 20. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law shall no flesh be justified in God's sight. For by the law
is the knowledge of sin. Then when he gets to verse 21,
Paul comes to the subject he's had in mind all along. From the
beginning of this marvelous epistle, he's had in his mind the subject
of the righteousness of God. Somewhere in your Bible, somewhere
in this, around this book of Romans, you ought to make this
note. The book is all about the righteousness of God. It's all
about the righteousness of God. Paul mentioned it in chapter
1, verse 17. Look at Romans 1, 15. So as much
as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at
Rome also. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone
that believe it, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. How is
it that the gospel is the power of God to salvation? How can
we say the gospel is the power of God to salvation? What makes
it the power of God to salvation? Verse 17, for therein, in the
gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the
just shall live by faith. The power of the gospel is the
revelation of the righteousness of God. The power of the gospel
is the revelation of the righteousness of God. This generation talks
much about the love of God, though they know nothing about it. This
generation talks much about the mercy of God, though they know
nothing about it. This generation talks much about
the grace of God, though they know nothing about it. But the
love, mercy and grace of God can never be known. but by the
righteousness of God. The righteousness of God is that
by which God justifies and saves his elect. The gospel is the
revelation of the righteousness of God. Now, this is the thing
that's been on Paul's mind all along. But now God's word was
in his heart like a burning fire shut up in his bones and he can
forbear no more. So he comes to this great subject.
It's just it's just popping, bursting to get out of it. He
had to declare what God, the Holy Spirit had burned into his
soul and written upon his heart. Look at verse twenty one. But
now, the righteousness of God without the law, the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested. It is so obviously revealed,
so obviously made known. So obviously set before us with
such clarity in this book that ignorance or confusion with regard
to God's righteousness is utterly inexcusable except for one thing. Men who are not taught of God
know nothing of it. Verse 21. Now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, witnessed by everything written from Genesis to Malachi. 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 for
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through
faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. Now,
that word Forbearance is used here and a couple of other places
in scripture, but it means simply God's long-suffering toward his
elect. the long-suffering of God, which
is our salvation. The reason why God doesn't destroy
the world is because of his long-suffering to us. We're not willing that
any of those chosen of God, loved of God, redeemed by Christ, not
willing that any should perish, but that all his chosen should
come to repentance and knowledge of truth. So the forbearance
of God is that which is, that which results in our salvation. So what Paul is saying here is
that God's forbearance in the Old Testament, tolerating all
the wickedness of men, was because of his righteousness for giving
sin through Christ, our substitute, who was the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. Read on. To declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. To declare, I say at this time,
his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of
him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but
by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the
God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles?
Yes, of the Gentiles also, seeing it is one God which shall justify
the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish
the law. four times in this portion of
inspired Holy Scripture, Paul speaks to us about the righteousness
of God. Obviously, the righteousness
of God is the subject and the message of our text. Let me call
your attention to four things, and I'll be as brief as possible.
The first thing Paul tells us in this passage of Scripture
is this. The righteousness of God by which sinners are saved
is without the law. The righteousness by which God
justifies us and our works, our acts of obedience are completely
and totally disconnected. There is absolutely no relationship
between what we do and the righteousness of God by which we are saved.
It is without works. That's what it tells us in verse
21. This fact is so obviously manifest that all questions and
debate concerning it are beyond absurd and they arise only from
the fact that man in his pride is ignorant of the righteousness
of God and in his rebellion he refuses to submit to the righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus the Lord. Rather he goes about to establish
his own righteousness trying to make himself righteous by
the works of his hands. That's what we read earlier in
Romans chapters 9 and 10. The Jews being ignorant of God's
righteousness Rebelling against God in their pride, haughtiness,
and arrogance, in their thoughts of their own goodness, go about
to establish their own righteousness by their works. Now let me put
that in shoe leather. Religious people who don't know
God. Bobby, that includes about everybody
we know. That includes about everybody we know. Religious
people who don't know God. Some go to church three times
a week. Some go to church on Christmas and Easter and special
occasions through the year. Some go to church and read the
Bibles every day. Some go to church and never read the Bible,
but they're religious. Religious as all get out. Religious
folks who don't know God are ignorant of God's righteousness.
And so they constantly work at making themselves righteous.
That's who he's talking about when he says the Jews being ignorant
of God's righteousness, going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness
of God. But those who know themselves
utterly without righteousness, those who are convinced of their
sin, men and women who know themselves sinners being taught of God,
look outside themselves for righteousness and bow to Christ the Lord, trusting
him who is the end of the law for righteousness. Righteousness
is altogether without the works of the law. Both the law and
the prophets joyfully give their united testimony to the complete,
full, justifying righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ. The law and the prophets proclaim
their own nothingness and Christ all sufficiency for justification,
the justification of sinners before God. Let's look at a couple. Psalm 85. Psalm 85. By the law is the knowledge of
sin. The law teaches and shows us
what sin is, but it does not and cannot show righteousness. I want you to get that. The law
teaches us what sin is, but it does not and cannot show righteousness. It points us away from itself
for righteousness, but it cannot show righteousness. Righteousness
is in Christ. He is the righteousness of God
and all righteousness is in him. The law points away from ourselves
and keeps pointing us to something else, someone else until Christ
comes and Christ comes in there. The law finds his head. There's
righteousness. The law reveals sin. The law
exposes sin. The law shows us what sin is.
The law condemns sin, but it cannot reveal a righteousness
by which sinners can be made righteous before God. Both the
law and the prophets give witness to the blessedness, the fullness
and completeness of righteousness, the righteousness of God revealed
and proclaimed in the gospel. Look here at Psalm 85, beginning
of verse 10. Mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the
earth. Talking about the resurrection
of our Redeemer. And righteousness, Christ on his throne, shall look
down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that
which is good and our land shall yield her increase Righteousness
shall go before him and shall set us in the way of his steps
righteousness precedes him righteousness runs in front of him and righteousness
Sets us in the way of life and salvation turn to Jeremiah Jeremiah
chapter 23 Jeremiah 23, this prophecy concerning
the coming of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus. Verse 5, Behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch,
and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth. In his days, Judah shall be saved,
and Israel shall dwell safely. That's talking about the whole
body of God's elect. The whole church of God shall
be saved and dwell safely. And this is the name whereby
he shall be called the Lord, our righteousness. This one who
is the Lord, our righteousness is that one whom Paul speaks
of in Romans four and verse twenty five, when he says he was delivered
for our offenses and raised again for our justification. Look at
the next line. In verse 22, Romans chapter 3,
verse 22. Here's the second thing we're
told in this passage. The righteousness of God by which
God has saved us is by faith of Jesus Christ. Now, Paul wrote that exactly
that way, by faith of Jesus Christ. Modern translations everywhere
translate the references to the faith of Christ as faith in Christ. That's inaccurate. When the scripture
speaks about faith in Christ, Marcus told that you'd be leaving
on the son of God. When the scripture speaks of
the faith of Christ, it's talking about Christ, our representative,
substitute and surety, and that which he accomplished by his
faithful obedience to God in our room instead. So the righteousness
of God, by which God has saved us, is righteousness by faith
of Jesus Christ. It's not by our works, but by
God's work. not even by our faith, but by
the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. It's called the righteousness
of God because God accomplished it. God accepted it and God gives
it. It's the righteousness of God.
Now, there are some who ignorantly object to the teaching that our
Lord's obedience in life has anything to do with our salvation.
They object to the idea that our Lord's righteousness as our
representative is walking on this earth in righteousness is
our righteousness before God. Because they say the scriptures
never refer to the righteousness of Christ. Who do you reckon
is talking about when it says the righteousness of God? He
who performed righteousness is the God man, our mediator, Jesus
Christ, the Lord. The righteousness by which we
are saved is entirely of God's providing and God's doing. This
righteousness of God was accomplished by our Savior by his work of
obedience in life and his work of obedience in death. By his
obedience in life, the Lord Jesus as a man, not as a private man,
but as a public man, not as a private man but as a surety as our representative
accomplished righteousness fulfilling all righteousness by himself
as a man all the days of his life and in his death He satisfied
the justice of God, sacrificing himself for us, satisfying justice
with his own blood and his own life sacrificed for us. We receive
this righteousness, the righteousness of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. But faith in Christ has no part
in the work of righteousness. Faith in Christ does not make
any contribution to the righteousness of God by which we're justified.
Our faith is not our Savior. Christ is our Savior. Our faith
was not born in Bethlehem. Our faith did not live in obedience
to God. Our faith did not die at Calvary.
Christ was born. Christ lived. Christ died. Christ is our righteousness.
Faith receives righteousness and only receives it. Faith is
the hand, not that produces, but the hand that receives the
righteousness of God. Now, hear this and rejoice. The
righteousness of God, our Savior, is righteousness universally
suited to meet our needs. Oh, hear me. Whether you're young
or old, rich or poor, moral or immoral, upright or trodden down,
whether you are in the highest ranks of society or the lowest
ranks of society, whether you're black or white, whether you're
male or female, whether you're learned or unlearned, the righteousness
of God is all yours if you believe on the Son of God. It's received by faith in Jesus
Christ the Lord. And it is the same to all, for
there is no difference. No difference. Isn't that a wonderful
statement? No difference. No difference. It's used many times in Scripture.
No difference. God is no respecter of persons.
God is no respecter of persons. You're not going to impress God
by what you do. You're not going to... get a
foot up on God by something you do. God is not impressed with
those things that impress God. God's not impressed with those
things that impress you. Oh, I've got these degrees and I've
studied this language and I've been here and I've done that.
And man, look where I own that big house I chartered on top
of the hill. Everybody in town thinks I'm somebody. Not God. Not God. God's no respecter of
persons. The righteousness of God is the
same to all who believe. All who believe are equally loved
of God, equally accepted of God, equally blessed of God, equally
saved by God, for there's no difference. All have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. And we have this righteousness
only by faith in Christ Jesus, the Lord, because God's given
us faith to receive it. How I thank God for those four
words. There is no difference. And it doesn't matter whether
you have little faith or great faith. As far as this righteousness
is concerned. It is a blessed thing to have
God give you a greater portion of faith so that you have a greater
enjoyment of God's goodness. It is a blessed thing as faith
grows so that you grow in the knowledge of our Savior and in
the grace of our God. It is a wonderful thing to have
that faith that's full and firm. But it is not the measure of
faith that is your righteousness. Rather, it is the object of your
faith. It is not the strength of your
faith that is your assurance, but the object of your faith.
It is not the evidences of your faith, as men call them, that
is the basis of hope before God, but the object of faith. Our
righteousness, our only righteousness, all our righteousness is Jehovah's
in Kenya, the Lord our righteousness. And he is the full possession
of all who believe. The young and the old, the strong
and the weak, the believer walking with steady pace, and the believer
falling. There's no difference. Christ
is our righteousness. David, the son of Jesse, the sweet singer
of Israel, the king of Israel, was no more righteous when he
penned, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, than he was
when he ordered the murder of Uriah, his faithful servant. Oh, no, no. No, no, no. Oh, Brother
Don, you can't say that. David, God's faithful servant,
the sweet singer of Israel, the king of Israel, was no more righteous
when he wrote, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. than
when he ordered the murder of Uriah, his faithful servant. How can you say that? Merle,
how can anybody deny that? Is his righteousness the righteousness
of God or the righteousness of David? Is his righteousness his
doing or God's doing? Is his righteousness in Christ
or in himself? It's of God. It's God's doing.
It's in Christ. All right, here's the third thing.
First, the righteousness of God by which we're justified and
saved is without the law. Second, the righteousness of
God is by the faith of Jesus Christ. And third, the righteousness
of God and that justification that comes to us by the righteousness
of God are freely bestowed upon sinners through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus. Look at verse 24. Being justified
freely. Free justification means you
don't do anything for it. Free justification means it doesn't
hang on something you do. Free justification means it doesn't
depend on you. Free justification means there's
no condition to it. We're justified freely by His
grace. That grace and justification
that comes to us freely is through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God has sent forth to be a propitiation through
faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, through
God's long suffering to us. God didn't forgive Abraham's
sin or David's sin or Adam's sin or Moses' sin or Elijah's
sin on credit. I hear folks say that. Nobody had a discover card in
those days. God didn't do it on credit. God forgave their
sin through Christ, the propitiation set forth from eternity as our
savior and our substitute through the forbearance of God to declare,
I say at this time, God's righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Now, here, Paul was
inspired by the Holy Spirit. to declare something of the greatness
of Christ's sacrifice and the greatness of God's grace set
forth in the marvelous, wonderful ordination of Christ as our propitiation
before time began. Eternal grace, eternal grace
is of necessity, free, unconditional, unqualified, immutable, and permanent
grace. The triune Jehovah justifies
all who believe on the Lord Jesus while preserving God's own glory
and maintaining the full perfection of his righteousness, justice,
and truth. He does this by our crucified
Christ. Now watch the text. Whom God
set forth a propitiation. Notice the two words to be. You
were told during conference, and I've told you this many times,
Anytime you read words in your authorized version of scripture
in your English translation that are in italics Our translators
honestly put them in italics to make the passage read more
smoothly But telling us that there's no corresponding word
in the original text Which should be translated by those italicized
words in this case. The italicized words don't help
but rather hinder Paul is not saying that Christ was set forth
in time to become propitiation. But rather he is saying, whom
God hath at one time in eternity set forth propitiation. Christ is the propitiation for
our sins. Paul's message is plain. Christ
was set forth by the triune God a propitiation from eternity. In the council chambers of eternity,
in the covenant of grace, this propitiation is received by faith
as we receive reconciliation, atonement, and righteousness
by faith. But propitiation is not accomplished
by faith. Christ is the propitiation set
forth from everlasting. He speaks of himself in Psalm
20 and Proverbs 8 verses 20 through 22 as that one brought forth
before the world was that one who was with God before the world
was that one who is accepted of God before the world was that
one in and by whom God's rejoicing was with the sons of men before
the world was the blood of Christ by which we're redeemed. is eternal
blood on God's altar, eternally and perpetually effectual. The blood of Christ by which
we are redeemed is eternal blood upon God's altar, eternally and
perpetually effectual. Do you mean, Brother Don, that
Christ's physical blood was on a physical altar? Of course not. Of course not. but the merit
and the efficacy of his sin atoning sacrifice was eternally accepted
of God and we were eternally accepted in him. That means that
the righteousness of God is ours now and forever. That means the righteousness
of God if you believe on Christ. If right now, right where you
sit, You believe on the son of God. If, if you call on the name
of the Lord, if you worship God, trusting his son, the righteousness
of God is yours now and forever. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemned it?
It is Christ that died. Yea, rather than is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also make it intercession
for us. We meet with this word propitiation.
Only three times in the word of God here in Romans three and
in first John chapter two and in first John chapter four. The
word is translated the very same word here translated propitiation
in Hebrews 9 5 is translated mercy seat. You can't separate
the sacrifice of God from the mercy seat of God because Christ
is both. He is our sacrificing high priest. He is our propitiatory sacrifice
and he is the mercy seat in whom the Lord God promised to come
and meet with his people in Exodus 25. Listen to this. There will
I meet with thee and will commune with thee from above the mercy
seat, from between the two cherubims, which are upon the ark of the
testimony of all things which I will give thee in commandment
unto the children of Israel. When Moses had finished building
that tabernacle, when he finished The whole work, the tabernacles
erected, the mercy seats in the Holy of Holies on top of the
Ark of the Covenant. And God's glory filled the tabernacle. So that Moses couldn't abide
in the tabernacle. So it is. Christ Jesus is the
full accomplishment of redemption, the full accomplishment of righteousness. And here is the revelation of
God's glory. And there's no room for any man
except in Christ, the substitute here in the mercy seat. God meets
with men and communes with men. So Christ is our mercy seat. And in him, we are complete. Let me wrap this up by calling
your attention to three questions by which Paul was inspired to
silence every objection men might raise against the gospel declaration
of free justification by the righteousness of God. Look at
verse 27, Romans 3, 27. Where is boasting then? If salvation is by the righteousness
of God, If we're justified by the righteousness of God, freely
given to us through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, by God's
free grace, what have you got to brag about? Where is boasting
then? It is excluded. It is excluded. You've got nothing to strut about,
nothing to lift your head with, nothing to make you feel good
about yourself. By what law of works? Of course
not. If salvation depends on your
works, then you've got something to strut about. If salvation
depends on your will, you've got something to brag about.
If salvation depends on your decision, you've got something
to be proud of. But by the law of faith, boasting
is excluded. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. And every
sinner saved by God's free grace in Christ gladly acknowledges,
boasting excluded, pride I abase. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. Look at verse 29. Is he the God
of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? There are many who, like the
Jews, Have this imagination that God somehow has the Jews, that
physical seed of Abraham, as a special people. You see advertisements
on television about it. They want to get you to send
some money because these are God's special people. Now, give money
to support the poor if you want to. I highly recommend it. Feed
the poor if you have the ability to do so. God commands it. By
all means, do so. But not because they've got a
special claim on God. Skip. They don't. They don't. The hungry folks in Israel have
no more claim on God than the hungry folks in Haiti. Oh, no,
no. He's not especially the God of
the Jews. He's the God of the Jews and
the Gentiles. He's the God of all his elect,
scattered through all the world, of all who believe on him. Because
there is no difference. There is no difference. We like to think we're different,
don't we? And we like to think our differences is good. Man,
look at me. I'm a white fellow. I'm not black.
Look at me. I'm a black fellow. I'm not white.
Look at me. I went to Harvard. Look at him. He didn't get out
of high school. They kicked him out of school.
He was in kindergarten. He never had any education. He
can't read or write. Look at him. Look at me. difference. That no difference. All of the, stop and think about
it Bob, all of those things, all of the, not a single exception,
all of those things that make us proud, all of those things
that swell our head, all of those things that divide men from one
another, are nothing Just meaningless. Insignificant. Less than insignificant. Nothing. Nothing. For there is no difference. Ask God. Just ask God. Ask Him! Ask Him! And then walk away with
your head erect and you standing tall and strutting before God. No difference. No. No, no. God's
no respect to persons. Verse 31. Do we then make void
the law through faith? Do we nullify the law? God forbid. Yeah, we establish the law by
faith in Christ. The very law of God has reached
its fulfillment in us and by faith in Christ. Sinners present
to God the righteousness of God and seek grace and mercy on the
grounds of strict justice and perfect righteousness. It is
the joy of all the redeemed in heaven and earth that by the
obedience and death of Christ, the son of God, in our nature,
he has done more to magnify and make honorable God's holy law
than could have been done by unsetting obedience of all creation
forever. His name is Jehovah Sidkenu,
the Lord, our righteousness. He is made of God and to us righteousness. And we have been made the righteousness
of God in him. That's the gospel revelation
of the righteousness of God. Will you bow to it and receive
it? With the heart the man believes
with reference to righteousness. I believe he who sits yonder
on God's throne in my flesh is the righteousness of God. With
the mouth confession is made with reference to salvation. I confess Christ, the Lord, my
righteousness. God give you grace to do so for
Christ's sake. Amen.