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125 The Promises of God – Talk 6 – The Promise of Righteousness

 

 

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 125

The Promises of God Talk 6

The Promise of Righteousness

 

In Talk 3 we saw six aspects of our salvation that in the NT are related to the word promise.

 

  • We are made righteous by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
  • We are God’s children
  • We will rise from the dead
  • We have eternal life
  • We have a glorious inheritance awaiting us
  • We have a foretaste of our inheritance in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

In this talk we’re going to look at the first of these in a little more detail – the promise of righteousness.

 

In Galatians 3:21-22 we read:

 

  1. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
  2. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

 

These verses directly connect the promises of God with the righteousness we receive by faith in Jesus. Paul teaches very clearly that the law of the Old Testament could not give life because no one was able to keep it. So the righteousness we need to enter heaven could not come through the law. But in God’s mercy he counts us as righteous through faith in Jesus. This is also known as justification.

 

A. The meaning and scope of justification

This English word comes from two Latin words:

 

Justus which means righteous

Facio which means I make.

 

So to be justified simply means to be made righteous. But to give a more theological definition:

 

‘The term refers to that act by which, on the basis of the infinitely righteous and satisfactory work of Christ on the cross, God declares condemned sinners to be free from all the guilt of sin and from its eternal consequences and declares them to be fully righteous in his sight’ (Daniel B. Pecota).

 

 

This does not mean that we’re not really righteous but God sees us as if we are. In Christ we really are righteous!

 

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).

 

The moment we believe the gospel we are included in Christ. Ephesians 1:13 tells us:

 

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed…(NIV)

 

And because we are in Christ, Paul tells us that God credits his righteousness to our account. He counts us as righteous. The Greek verb is logizomai. Paul uses it repeatedly in Romans 4:1-12.

 

  1. 1.What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?
  2. For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
  3. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
  4. Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
  5. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
  6. just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
  7. “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
  8. blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
  9. Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.
  10. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.
  11. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,
  12. and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

In this passage Paul is clearly teaching that we cannot be righteous in God‘s sight by our good works but only by faith. He uses Abraham and David as examples from the Old Testament to illustrate his point. In verse 3 he quotes Genesis 15:6 which says that Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

 

And this was not just true for Abraham. In verse 5 Paul applies this teaching to anyone who believes:

 

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

 

In verses 6-8 he backs this up by referring to what David said in Psalm 32:2.

 

  1. just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
  2. “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
  3. blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

 

And this promised blessing is not confined to the Jewish people. It’s for everyone who believes. Paul makes this clear in verses 9-12 where he points out that God counted Abraham as righteous before he obeyed God’s command about circumcision. From this we learn two things:

 

  1. He was not counted righteous because of his obedience re circumcision because he was counted righteous before he was circumcised.
  2. God’s purpose was to make Abraham the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well (v11).

 

He develops this point throughout the remainder of the chapter, concluding with:

 

  1. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
  2. fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
  3. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”
  4. But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone,
  5. but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
  6. who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

B. Benefits of justification

 

Peace with God

 

Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Preservation from God’s wrath

 

Romans 5:9

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

 

Present and future freedom from condemnation

 

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

Romans 8:33-34

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

 

Assurance of final glorification

 

Romans 8:30

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

 

A wonderful inheritance

 

Titus 3:5-7

  1. he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
  2. whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour,
  3. so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 

C. How does justification take place?

 

1. It’s not because of any good works on our part

 

Galatians 2:21

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

 

Galatians 3:10-11

 

  1. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
  2. Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

 

Galatians 5:2-4

 

  1. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
  2. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
  3. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

 

2. It’s because of the grace of God in sending Christ to die for us

 

Romans 3:23-25

  1. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
  2. and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
  3. whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith…

 

3. We receive it by faith

 

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 

Acts 13:39,

…and by him (Jesus) everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

 

 

Romans 3:28

 

…one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

 

Romans 4:3, 5

 

  1. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

 

  1. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness

 

Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Galatians 2:16

…we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

 

Galatians 3:8

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

 

So justification – being counted righteous – is a gift from God and is received by faith. It’s not because of faith but through faith (dia pisteos not dia pistin). You can’t earn it by faith. You receive it as a free gift from God.

 

If you’re listening to this podcast and you’re not yet sure that you’re in right standing with God, if you’ve never received his forgiveness for your sins, I urge you now, reach out and receive it. Admit that you’re a sinner. Believe that Jesus died for you. Accept the salvation that is so freely offered to you in Christ.

 

4. The message of reconciliation is committed to us

And finally, a word to Christians. The message of reconciliation is committed to us.

 

2 Corinthians 5:19

…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.