Faith Righteousness - Romans 10:3
This past Sunday we spoke of the righteousness of God:
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. Romans 10:3
This righteousness Paul is speaking of ties back to his teaching in chapter 4, where he raises the account of Abraham, who "believed God, and it was counted as righteousness:"
Now it was not written for his sake [Abraham] alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Rom 4:23-25
The key word in the passage is the word "imputed," which is the Greek "elogisthē" that gives us the idea of crediting something to our account. It's not to be confused with the word "impart," as God does impart gifts to us, and they are ours, working and growing in us. Yet these gifts are based on a much firmer foundation; The foundation of the righteousness of Christ that has been credit to us, which is something totally outside of ourselves. The righteousness of Christ isn't just working in us, it IS us!
God has credited the righteousness of Jesus Christ to our account, and now it is ours. When God looks upon us, He see's not our insufficiencies and failures, He see's the pure and perfect righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ.
Understanding this truth is something that should have a profound impact on the life of a believer, in that we never need hang our head in shame for our failures, but rather can walk in the confidence that we have the full righteousness of Christ credited to our account. When John Bunyan realized this truth, it was life-changing for him:
One day as I was passing into the field . . . this sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven. And methought, withal, I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there, I say, was my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, he wants [lacks] my righteousness, for that was just before [in front of] him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, "The same yesterday, today and, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed. I was loosed from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me; now went I also home rejoicing for the grace and love of God. (John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners)
"Lord, help me to grasp the reality that you have credit the righteousness of your Son Jesus Christ to me, and that I don't have to strive with good works to earn it, nor do I have to hang my head in shame when I fail it, but that is is mine through and through, by the faith I have placed in your Son."
Pastor Clay
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