This morning for our Bible study,
let's turn to Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1, and I'll
read verses 14 down through verse 17. Paul declares, I'm a debtor,
both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise
and to the unwise. So as much as in me is, I'm ready
to preach the gospel to you that at Rome also. For I'm 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, or to the Gentile." Verse 17, "'For in this gospel,'
in this gospel, "'is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith, as it is written,' this is from Habakkuk, Paul is quoting
here, "'the just shall live by faith. Now, I want to consider
several things from these four verses this morning. The first
one, Paul says here in verse 14, he's a debtor. He's a debtor
unto God. I believe every believer can
identify with what Paul is saying here. A debtor unto God. Paul again writes in Romans 8
verse 12, Brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live after
the flesh, but we are debtors unto God. We are debtors unto
God in many ways. That is, we are owing to God,
to His mercy, to His grace, to His forgiveness in Christ Jesus.
We are owing to all of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. We are debtors to the righteous
Father who chose us and blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We read in Romans 8, For
whom he did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he glorified." You can see Paul
is saying here clearly, I'm a debtor to God's sovereign mercy. Secondly, we're a debtor to the
Lord Jesus Christ, His priestly redeeming work, His atoning sacrifice. We read again in Romans 3, 24,
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation, that's
a mercy seat, a sacrifice through faith in His blood to declare
His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through
the forbearance of God. So we are debtors to God's sovereign
mercy. We're debtors to the sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus He died as a believer's substitute, putting
away their sin. Thirdly, we're debtors to the
Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit who called
us and quickened us with this gospel. We read in John chapter
6, verse 63, it's the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh, profiteth
nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
they are Spirit, and they are life. So truly we can say, all
who believe the gospel of God's saving grace in Christ Jesus
are indebted to God's mercy and grace in Christ. We can easily see we're entirely
indebted to God in every aspect of salvation. From our election
in eternity unto salvation to our final glorification in Christ
Jesus, the whole of salvation is of the Lord. We are debtors
to God. That's what Paul is saying here.
And I pray that as you consider this text this morning, that
God has shown you and taught you that you are indeed indebted
to God's mercy and grace. Secondly, Paul says because he's
indebted to God's mercy and grace, pardon of sin in Christ Jesus,
he is ready to preach this gospel to those who at Rome and in all
places. Because we are owing to God's
mercy, we're willing and ready to preach and present this gospel
into all places. Our Lord instructed His church,
and in the Gospels we read, He said, Go into all the world and
preach this Gospel to every creature. Paul instructed the believers
in his day to be ready always to give an answer to every man
that would ask you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear. So we're ready to preach the
Gospel to every creature in all places, and we're ready to give
an answer to every man that would ask us the reason of our hope
of salvation. And I hope we can all point to
the Lord Jesus Christ and say that salvation is through Him,
because of Him, and in Him. Now, in Romans 1, verse 16, we
read, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes this gospel. The Apostle declares that he's
not ashamed of this gospel of God's grace, of God's mercy,
to the guilty through Christ Jesus, this gospel of salvation
through a substitute. Christ was made sin for us who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Christ. Though this message of substitution
and satisfaction in Christ to some seemed nonsense, and to
some it was a stumbling block, those Jews stumbled over Christ
crucified. But Paul is saying here, I'm
not ashamed of it. It's the power of God unto my
salvation. That's why he said, I'm determined
to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul was not ashamed to believe
it, nor was he ashamed to declare it. My friend, God has ordained
the preaching of this Gospel as a very means to call out His
sheep, this Gospel of substitution, satisfaction to the surety, mediator. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord
said, My sheep will hear this message, and I'll call them by
it, and they will follow me. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the preaching of this gospel are the very means that
God has ordained to call out His people. The preaching of
His gospel, by it, sinners are quickened to life. We read in
James 1 of His own will, Beget he us with the word of truth. Peter declared unto his people
in his epistle, he said, We are born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of an incorruptible by the word of God. God uses
this preaching of this gospel of Christ Jesus, salvation in
the substitute, by His blood and His righteousness to quicken
dead sinners, to open blind eyes. How is a sinner's eyes opened
through the preaching of this gospel? It's God who commands
the light to shine out of darkness in our that we might see the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And that is done through
the preaching of this gospel. God has ordained the preaching
of this gospel to reveal Christ to our heart. It's the very means
that God has given and the method to grant faith and to communicate
faith is through the gospel. We read in Romans 10, 17, faith
comes by hearing and hearing through the word of God. We see
in this Gospel the declaration, plain and simple, of salvation
through Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption. This Gospel
of Jesus Christ meets the need of everyone who will believe
it and receive it. Christ is made unto those who
believe, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
It is a Gospel that glorifies God's mercy and His justice in
salvation. He said this gospel is the power
of God unto salvation to everyone who hears it, receives it, and
believes it. And then he says this in verse
17 of Romans 1. For therein, in this gospel,
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, this good news of mercy
to the guilty, grace to the miserable, he said therein is the righteousness
of God revealed in this gospel. from faith to faith. The gospel
of Christ reveals the righteousness of God. If we would seek salvation
and life in Christ with God, His righteousness must be established,
for God is holy, just, and righteous. And in order to be loved by God,
accepted by God, and justified before God, we must have a perfect
righteousness to stand before Him. Now, I know this about our
depravity and our sin. This righteousness that God demands
of the sinner is not performed by the deeds of our hands. This
righteousness here, this righteousness that's talked about here in verse
17, the righteousness of God wherein it's revealed, is the
righteousness that's established by the Lord Jesus Christ. It's
the righteousness that's established by His obedience, and it's the
righteousness that's imputed freely and sovereignly to sinners. We read in Romans chapter 4. Now listen to these verses carefully.
Do you know anything about or have you ever heard of imputed
righteousness? This is what he's talking about
here. This is where the righteousness
of God is revealed in the gospel and it's the gospel that tells
us of imputation. What shall we say then? This
is Romans chapter 4 verse 1. What shall we say then that Abraham
our father as pertaining to the flesh have found. For if Abraham
were justified by works, he have whereof the glory, but not before
God. For what saith the scripture,"
now listen carefully, "'Abraham believed God, and it was counted
unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is a
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness.'" even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness
without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin." Now we cannot obtain salvation
anywhere, and we cannot attain righteousness anywhere but through
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's where the righteousness
of God is revealed. Now, he's not talking here about
the essential character of God. He's talking about the imputed
righteousness given to believers through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We see this taught all through Scripture. We know by the disobedience
of one, that is, Adam in the garden, many became sinners,
even so by the righteousness of another, the Lord Jesus Christ,
many are declared righteous. In Christ we have righteousness. He is called and revealed in
Scripture. He's the Lord, our righteousness. This righteousness
is not known and understood by the light of nature. It must
be revealed to our heart in Christ. And that's what the Gospel does.
The Gospel shows us that the Lord Jesus Christ established
righteousness for us, satisfied God's law and justice on our
behalf, And that is the righteousness we enjoy. It's the righteousness
given by imputation. That is, it's given of God, and
it is in Christ Jesus. Now listen to this verse 17 again,
Romans 1, 17. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed, it's revealed from faith to faith, as it is
written, the just shall live by faith. Righteousness is secured
by Christ and received by faith. It's freely imputed, and this
imputed righteousness is revealed by God, and it's received by
faith, from faith to faith. That is, the basis of faith and
the foundation of faith is the Word of God. The object of faith
is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness. This God-given
faith receives the Lord Jesus Christ as everything in salvation. and the just live by faith."
Did you know that saving faith, real, genuine, true saving faith,
looks to Christ only for salvation? For a justifying righteousness
before God is in Christ Jesus, and saving faith looks to Christ.
Now, we read this statement four times in Scripture, the just
shall live by faith. We begin by faith. Christ is
the author and finisher of faith. We continue in faith. were kept
by the power of God, and by his grace all who believe, they die
in faith, resting upon Christ our righteousness." We read in
Romans chapter 4, verse 16, "...therefore it is of faith," that is, salvation
is received by faith, "...that it might be by grace, by the
sovereign grace of God, to this end, to this purpose, that the
promise might be sure to all who believe. You see, my friend,
the foundation of God standing sure, having this seal, the Lord
knows those who are His. Now, I pray the Lord will give
you some wisdom and understanding in knowing the gospel of God's
saving grace in Christ Jesus and this righteousness that's
imputed through the obedience of Christ, through the death
of Christ, through his redeeming blood.