For review: in 3.20a, Paul echoes the ideas of Psalm 143.2: for which the KJV has the better translation that shows

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1 The Justifying Righteousness of God in Covenant Fulfillment (Rom ) WestminsterReformedChurch.org Pastor Ostella February 19, 2017 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one-- who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. Introduction It is difficult to give a title to the text for today ( ) due to the layers of theology stacked quickly one upon another in a short space. For the first time in the book, justification is applied to believers in the present (other occurrences go in different directions: 2.13 looks to the future; 3.4 refers to the justification of God; 3.20 states the law s inability to justify); but in 3.24, sinners are justified by his grace. Also, the language of redemption, propitiation, and the blood of Christ, occur here for the first time. It is important to define these interrelated terms properly, if we are to understand the gospel to the Romans, and if we are to follow the right path through the remaining chapters of the letter. More than one commentator states that this part of Romans gives us the heartbeat of Paul s gospel, which is God s gospel concerning His Son who fulfills the gospel promised beforehand in the Scriptures (1.2). In this connection, notably, the text also has a strong history of redemption thread running through its fabric. So, after wrestling with six other titles, our title is: the justifying righteousness of God in covenant fulfillment. The outline is threefold: the means, purpose, and implication of God s justifying righteousness. I. The means of God s justifying righteousness Romans 3.21 opens with but now to establish a contrast to people who seek to be justified by the law. They miss its true function, which is not to justify but to mute all claims to right standing by it, to pronounce the liability of all to punishment as law-breakers, and to give the knowledge of sin. So, no one can possibly be justified by the law, by any thing they do with reference to the law written on the heart or on the pages of Scripture. This shows our need of justification by God, since the law has no proper function of justifying, and it never did, as David teaches in Ps The law silences all excuse-making and pronounces personal guilt based on clear personal knowledge of sin! Therefore, the law s proper function written in Scripture and written on the heart is to reveal man s predicament in sin and utter helplessness. Thankfully, this is not the end of the story; hence the contrasting reality introduced by but now. For review: in 3.20a, Paul echoes the ideas of Psalm 143.2: for which the KJV has the better translation that shows 1 the close connection between Romans and the Psalm: And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. The Psalm makes no mention of the law or law-works (as Paul does), but it guides our thinking about the meaning of in your sight shall no man living be justified. Those who are not justified are those who do not seek God in prayer, they are not servants of the Lord but enemies of the covenant people. From Psalm 143, those not justified are all who are not in covenant relationship with God, seeking Him by faith. Therefore, by works of the law (in Rom 3.20) is the opposite of seeking God by faith. Those who seek to be justified by works of the law are those who seek right standing with God without repentant-faith, as described in Romans In turn, all people who seek to be justified by the law miss its true function. The law silences all excuse-making and pronounces personal guilt based on clear personal knowledge of sin! Therefore, the law s proper function written in Scripture and written on the heart is to reveal man s predicament in sin and utter helplessness to do anything himself to bring about a righteous standing with God.

2 !2 The contrast emerging in 3.21includes the historical dimension of covenant fulfillment: but now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it. Remember, manifestation is realization in the history of redemption (thus, the OT gospel, 1.2, is revealed from faith to faith, 1.17). The Mosaic Law and the rest of the OT promise the gospel and bear witness to the righteousness of God now having happened in the coming of Christ; righteousness is come to historical-redemptive manifestation in Christ, open to full view in covenant accomplishment. In this context, it is important to pin down the meaning of the righteousness of God. As noted before, we should try to understand God s righteousness in association with the saving power of the gospel. When we do, three aspects come into view. First, it is His active covenant faithfulness bringing salvation to the nations. Second, He righteously keeps His word; He is righteous by being faithful. Third, He is righteous in not violating His justice but executing it in the powerful saving of sinners. In all these ways, the righteousness of God is revealed (made manifest in its powerful working) as stated in a: But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Therefore, we should emphasize that verse 22 refers to the justifying righteousness of God now manifested in covenant fulfillment. So, although the law does not justify, it does testify to justification. What we have now in Christ has been promised in the OT gospel. At this point in the text, Paul brings us to the means through which God s justifying righteousness realizes OT promise. The means is a dense cluster of tasty grapes ripe for the picking. It is difficult to separate one grape from those closely surrounding it; we feel constrained to just bite into the whole cluster for its juicy sweetness! Nonetheless, we can identify two intertwined dimensions of the means by which God s justifying righteousness in saving sinners (under wrath and under sin) is accomplished: the realization is through the faithfulness of Christ (22a) and through the redemption of Christ (24-25a). A. On realization through the faithfulness of Christ The middle portion of 22a, through faith in Jesus, is the subject of much difference of opinion: the righteousness of God [is now realized] through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Is it through faith in Jesus, or through the faith of Jesus? 2 It is best to understand Paul to mean the faithfulness of Jesus, which is the means by which justifying righteousness is now disclosed. He is the mediator, the faithful Israelite who overcomes the unfaithfulness of Israel (3.1-5). By following the emphasis in the entire account ( ) on the power of the gospel (1.16), as God s faithful power (3.3) we can surely see a highlight on the faithfulness of God that cannot be set aside by human unfaithfulness. Thus, now manifested is His faithful-righteouspower by which He justifies Himself (Ps 51) and prevails in covenant blessing (as 3.4 looks back to Ps 51). It is this justifying righteousness that is realized through the faith of Jesus. That being the case, it is natural to understand His faith to mean His faithfulness. Granted, our faith in Jesus is presupposed, but the flow of thought accents the power of God s righteous justifying faithfulness realized through Jesus as the Son of David and Son of God in resurrection power. As indicates this is how Jesus fulfills His mediatorial work that was promised beforehand through the prophets in the holy Scriptures. Beale suggests a third option: faith that has its source in Jesus as His gift (Commentary on the NT Use of the OT, 2 618), which amounts to the same thing when the faithfulness of Christ prevails with power in justification, i.e. the justifying righteousness of God (that is by faith, presupposed in 22a, but evident all through this section is implicit in 22a in the contrast to works of the law, v. 20) is His powerful gift. Like Eph where salvation by faith is God s gift (not just salvation and not just faith, but both salvation and faith are given by grace), so here, righteous justification by faith is Christ s gift of His obedient work (not just justification and not just faith, but both justification and faith are given by grace to those under sin as totally depraved sinners.

3 !3 Thus, the emphasis is not on our faith in Jesus but on the source of our faith in Him. Our faith is implicit in the contrast to works by the law (3.20) but stress is on how God is manifesting His righteous faithful power through Jesus in His work as risen Lord. Accordingly, the reality of our faith comes into view at the end of the sentence (22a: for all who believe). Therefore, it seems most natural to pick up the flow of thought this way: the justifying righteousness of God who is powerfully faithful is fulfilled through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. His faithfulness in covenant fulfillment is for all who believe (Jew, Greek) because (22b-23): there is no distinction, all are in need for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. B. This brings us to realization [of justifying righteousness] through the redemption of Christ All people stand under sin (3.9) having missed the mark of God s glory (3.23). Male and female were created to image God in reflection of His glory, but sin entered the world and no one does good works that glorify the Father in heaven. In the fall, all human beings are totally bound in sin and nature s night. We are both in bondage to sin and liable to eternal punishment for our sins. Thus, the fact of justifying righteousness is truly good news, but the question immediately comes to mind: how can it be that I should gain an interest in such righteousness divine? How can anyone not dread condemnation justly deserved? How can I or anyone be clothed in the righteousness of God and thereby be bold to approach the eternal throne of God most holy? Paul gives the answer when he goes on to say (and, opening 24) that believing sinners have an interest in the justifying righteousness of God through redemption in Christ (24-25a) for they: are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. What the apostle does here is give detail regarding the righteous, true, and powerful covenant faithfulness of Jesus that manifests God s justifying righteousness. In a word, then, justification is in Christ by grace through redemption by the blood of propitiation, and it is received by faith not by any contribution of law-works. 3 Let s consider the four key words: grace, redemption, propitiation, and faith to get a good handle on the means by which God s justifying righteousness is fulfilled in Christ. 1. Grace To keep things clear, first note that grace is explained by the fact that justification is a gift. God s action of justifying is bestowed freely, without payment. He justifies in sovereign independence without being a debtor under obligation to man in any way. It is like raising the dead that is a miracle done freely (Mat 10.8); it is impossible for a dead person to make a payment or do anything to secure his resurrection. Being dead, he can do nothing. As Murray puts it, the justifying act is not constrained to any extent or degree by anything that we are or do which could be esteemed as predisposing God to this act (Romans I, 115). It is impossible that any action of ours of obedience could justify since that is outside of the law's function, and what our conduct deserves is only judgment, which the law pronounces emphatically. Thus Murray states, This action on God's part derives its whole motivation, explanation, and determination from what God himself is and does in the exercise of free and sovereign grace (115). 2. Redemption We also need to be clear on the meaning of redemption because the justification by grace, freely as a gift, is through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (3.24). In the teaching on redemption, Paul mirrors our Lord s description of the culminating act of service He came to do in His mission in the world as the Son of Man, the man from heaven of Daniel s vision who came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mk 10.45). The Lord tells us that His This redemption secures righteous justification by faith; thus faith is His gift given efficaciously with its roots in 3 the redemptive work of Christ. The house of salvation with justification, as one of the treasures within it, is a grace gift; the house has faith as a door of entry to all the treasures within; faith is part of the gift of salvation and through faith a renewed sinner enters in and receives the treasure of justification.

4 !4 definitive reason for His coming, His ultimate service, is the giving of His life as a ransom, the payment by which a slave is set free from bondage. Jesus makes the payment that our sin-debt incurs so that enslaved sinners are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption, the setting free, that is in Christ Jesus. Technically then, there is a payment that determines God s justifying action, but no human contribution; it is the payment of Christ by His blood (25a). This means that the work of Christ as redeemer is not only the substance of our Lord s mission, it is also the substance of Paul s gospel (Rom 1.5). His apostleship from Christ has its roots in His redemptive work that is efficacious through the apostolic gospel to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations. The covenant faithfulness of Jesus is powerful and as such it grounds effectual calling Propitiation Going now to the very core of redemption, Paul explains that God put Jesus forward as a propitiation by His blood (25a). Blood sacrifice in the context of OT promise now fulfilled in Christ refers to the redemption from Egyptian slavery by the blood of the Passover Lamb (Ex 12). The blood on the doorposts protected the covenant people from the wrath of God. That is how propitiation by His blood secures redemption. Furthermore, the blood of Christ refers us back in thought to the regular offerings that were killed to secure fellowship with God (the theme of Leviticus, cf ). Cutting off the servant of the Lord from the land of the living is the culmination of the fact that the Lord was pleased to crush Jesus for our iniquities (Isa 53.5) in order to make us righteous (53.11). As Peter puts it, Christ paid the ransom price for our redemption with His precious blood like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Pet ). Propitiation, ransom, and thereby redemption are secured by the sacrificial blood of Christ. 4. Faith We take our first step to understand redemption in 3.24 by looking back to that OT fact of ransoming by blood, by death, in sacrifice, to protect from the wrath of God rightly stirred up against sinners. Furthermore, we must also seek to understand redemption in in Paul s presentation of fallen human beings under sin s enslavement described in and chapters 1-2. The human family stands under the wrath of God without excuse. Importantly then, when Jesus gave Himself for us, He purchased both freedom from the power of sin and relief from its guilt. This brings us to another step in understanding redemption, which is to consider the place of faith. We may open up this point by asking, do we receive redemption by the obedience of faith? Or, do we exercise the obedience of faith because God has given us redemption? Perhaps, it is best not to make this an either/or. On one hand, if we focus on redemption as being set free by the payment of Christ s blood, then we exercise faith because God by His effectual call set us free to obey in faith, as Paul makes clear in Romans On the other hand, if we focus on redemption as the freedom into which we have been called, then we can definitely say that we enter into the benefits of this freedom by exercising the obedience of faith, i.e. the obedience that flows from God s gift of faith. A familiar illustration may be helpful here. Consider salvation to be a house with justification and freedom for righteous living as treasures within it. Salvation, the entire house in every respect, is a grace gift. And the house has faith as a door of entry to all the treasures within. Giving the house as a gift includes giving its door as a gift by which to enter and enjoy all that is in the house. Similarly, faith is part of the gift of salvation and through faith a renewed sinner enters in and receives the treasures of justification and freedom. In God s Our faith (in Jesus) is from God through the source of our faith in Jesus as the Son of David and Son of God in 4 resurrection power. This is a fuller way of saying what Peter says about the pledge of obedience that is made by faith in baptism: through the resurrection (1 Pet 3.21: Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ).

5 !5 justifying righteousness, faith is His gift of efficacious grace that is secured for guilty slaves in sin through redemption in Christ by the blood of propitiation. A mouthful, sweet to the taste! II. The purpose of God s justifying righteousness The time spent on the foregoing allows us to briefly summarize the purpose of justifying righteousness in covenant fulfillment. Orientation to the history of redemption is patently clear by the mention of former sins (25b) and the present time (26). Thus, Paul says, the purpose of justifying righteousness is first to show Him to be righteous regarding His forbearance of sins under the old covenant (25b): This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. This means that He did not judge past sins that were forgiven, but only in the sense of the promise of forgiveness that was yet to be secured by the blood of Christ. His righteousness in this regard is shown in the present work of Christ; it is realized in the events in history of His redemptive accomplishment of propitiation by blood. Paul then repeats the idea of purpose (26): It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. God s justifying righteousness is realized in the covenant-keeping mediation of Christ in death and resurrection that manifest the justice of God by grounding His free action in the justification of those who believe in Jesus. But, we must ask, how can He be just and justifier of believers? How can the declaration of justification, not guilty be true and just when those justified are in fact liable to punishment as sinners from head to toe? The law has no power to justify; it only pronounces the liability to punishment that we deserve. Faith has no power to save; it is trusting God to save and in that sense we speak of saving faith, but fundamentally, God saves through faith. So, how can it be both true and just for God to save and declare a sinner justified by faith? It is both true and just because of the propitiatory blood of Christ. When He brings a person to the obedience of faith, it is true that that person is not guilty, that is, not liable to punishment because His punishment was endured by Jesus on the cross. It is just because when Jesus bore our sins on the tree, He executed perfect justice and satisfied the wrath of God. No punishment hangs over the believer; His liability to it was removed when Jesus died. All that remained was for it to be declared and that happens when God effectually calls the sinner to the obedience of faith; then, he is justified, declared just by faith. It is by God through Christ by grace and thus through the gift of faith that a sinner has no condemnation to dread. III. The implications of God s justifying righteousness Everything said so far leads to the implications that Paul sets forth and they can be covered briefly as well. First, boasting is excluded by the law of faith (3.27): Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. We could boast if we contributed something to our justification, some act of obedience, even the obedience of faith. 5 But it is by the law, the principle, of faith. The law promises to give justification to those who believe; it cannot justify. It is through the instrumental means of faith that what the law promises is what Jesus bestows as redeemer-covenant-keeper. As such, in union with God who is one, Jesus effectually calls both Jews and Gentiles to the obedience of faith ( ). Second, and finally, viewing faith under the umbrella of God s justifying righteousness in covenant fulfillment shows that faith does not nullify the law but establishes it (v. 31): Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. The law does what it is It is helpful to make the distinction between making a sincere claim, I am not boasting in my salvation, and 5 making a claim to some action that determines one s salvation and that in fact is a ground or reason for boasting. Paul s theology is such that there is no human contribution to salvation that furnishes a reason for boasting.

6 !6 designed to do, especially in giving the promise of Christ. Therefore, the law is not abolished but transformed; it takes on a new wineskin form because its testimony to Christ is now realized in historical-redemptive accomplishment. The gospel of God in Christ is the realization of the OT gospel promised by the Law and the prophets. Therefore, Paul s mission is the outworking of Christ s mission. His apostleship has its roots in our Lord s redemptive work that operates efficaciously through the apostolic gospel to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations (Rom 1.5). Application When these thoughts about the heartbeat of the gospel go beyond doxology, we find ourselves saying, my cup is filled to the brim and runs over. We relish the gospel, we seek our blessed redeemer, and desire to partake often and fully of His redemptive work like partaking of a dense cluster of tasty grapes ripe for the picking. It is difficult to separate one grape from those closely surrounding it; we feel constrained to just bite into the whole cluster for its juicy sweetness! So, truly, the cry from the cross, it is finished, affords great pleasure because heavenly blessings, without measure, flow to us from Christ the Lord. In covenant fulfillment, Jesus finished all the types and shadows, of the ceremonial law. He finished all that God had promised. Therefore, we cry out to all in heaven and earth: tune your harps anew, ye seraphs, join to sing the glorious theme; all in earth, and all in heaven, join to praise Emmanuel's Name: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Glory to the bleeding Lamb! Glory to the bleeding Lamb! May we fall down before the majesty of God, before Yahweh the covenant-maker and covenantkeeper, who has brought to realization all that He promised beforehand in holy Scripture, concerning His Son, our Lord Jesus, through whom we have redemption, freedom from slavery, and through whom we have deliverance from our liability to punishment, because He bore our sins in His own body on the tree and was raised from the dead for our justification; to the glory of the triune God, now and forever, amen.