Romans 3:21-26 is known as the Heart of the Gospel. Key phrases have been highlighted:

6. The Restoration of Man This section focuses on the objective work of Christ. By objective we mean the work that He did for us. It also focuses on the law of God. God s law has been broken. Since His law is a demonstration of His righteousness, Man cannot approach God and God cannot approach Man as long as the law is broken. God, according to His own righteousness, must reject Man. This section looks at what God has done for Man in order to satisfy that justice. Our major study will look at the righteous requirement of God and God s provision for Man. We will then look at the two subsidiary concepts of faith and grace as they relate to righteousness. 6.1. The Righteousness of God Romans 3:21-26 is known as the Heart of the Gospel. Key phrases have been highlighted: 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation (a mercy seat) by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 6.1.1. The Righteousness of God (Romans 3:21) Romans 3:21 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets. In Romans 3:21, righteousness is used in a two-fold sense: 1) God s attribute of righteousness; and 2) the righteousness that is given to man. Righteousness is an attribute and activity of God; it is what He is in Himself. If this is the rendering, then the cross shows His attribute of righteousness. It is the greatest demonstration that shows He is the Righteous One. It shows that His justice is so absolute that He will not even spare His own Son. But the idea of the Righteousness of God can also refer to the righteousness that a man must have in order to be able to stand before God in the judgment. It is the righteousness that God gives to men in the gospel; the righteousness that we can have if we trust in Christ. It is the righteousness that He demands, and He gives to us. In this case, the coming of the gospel brings righteousness before God that was not available earlier. It still is the righteousness of God, for it is that righteousness that God gives to a man, rather than the righteousness that a man might have due to his own works. 6.1.2. The Gospel Vindicates God (Romans 3:25-26) Romans 3:25b-26 25 Because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. These verses are concerned not with how justification is applied to us as sinners (i.e., it is not UScentered), but rather how can God legally be just and still justify us as sinners. This is the heart of Paul s discussion of justification. If God is righteous, how can a righteous God justify the ungodly?.doc p. 32 25-Mar-05

God cuts though this dilemma by the gospel. Through the gospel, God is justified towards the world. The world cannot claim that He is unjust. He is vindicated. At the same time, the gospel opens the way for man to be saved. In this way, justice and the law are satisfied, God is vindicated, and a way is open for sinners to stand before Him. 6.1.3. Justification and Eschatology The Time of the Sacrifice (Romans 3:21, 25-26) Paul is at great pains to stress the time of the Sacrifice. The Sacrifice occurred at a set time in the history of redemption. Before this time, there was no effective atonement for sin. Before the cross, sin had never been dealt with. The people of the Old Testament looked forward to the time when it would be, but up to that point sin had not been properly atoned for. Romans 3:21, 25-26 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation (a mercy seat) by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. These verses show the close link between eschatology and the revelation of the righteousness of God, leading to the vindication of God and grace to sinners. This scheme runs throughout the book of Romans. In Romans 1:17, Paul introduces the gospel stressing the importance of its revelation then, at that time: the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. This is affirmed in Romans 3:21: But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets. Before this time, the now of Paul, the righteousness of God had not been revealed. It had been hidden. In the coming of the gospel, that which had been hidden, both His righteousness as an attribute and the provision of His righteousness, are shown and demonstrated to the world. Note: if we are ever having any discussion about justice, the place to go is the cross of Christ. This above all demonstrates the absolute nature of the law and sin. 6.1.3.1. To the Nations This is consistent with what Paul teaches in Acts. In Acts 14:16 and 17:30 he states that in the history of the world, God in his forbearance, allowed the nations to go their own ways. Acts 14:16 16 Who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Acts 17:30 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. The but now means that now God will not wait any longer. While He did allow men to walk in their own ways in the past, now His Son has come and the gospel is being preached to all men. He will no longer allow the nations to ignore His Son and walk in their own ways. In the past God did not visit men with the wrath commensurate with their sins. In this sense He was bypassing or overlooking their sin. In this period, God s actions must not be interpreted as indifference. He was not forgiving or forgetting, just holding a suspended forbearing. But now God has given an open demonstration at this time. The propitiation of Christ is at the center of God s demonstration. It is the supreme revelation of the righteousness of God to man, and with it comes a call to the world to repent. The time of fulfillment has been brought in by Christ s advent. The now is the fulfillment and realization of that which has been promised. In the revelation of the gift of Christ, the revelation of the gift of the Righteousness of God has been revealed..doc p. 33 25-Mar-05

6.1.3.2. To His People in the Old Testament This time of waiting applies both to the world and to the people of Christ. Up to this time, God had not meted out the just deserts of His people s sins; He had passed over them in forbearance (Rom. 3:25). Now He no longer waits. In the death of His Son, He no longer passes over the sins of His people. Instead, He pays for them. Christ s death was a demonstration of God s righteous judgment upon the sin of the world and for His church. 6.1.3.3. Certainly and Timing with God s Righteousness Two consequences flow from the revelation of God s righteousness in time. Righteousness is now clearly seen as forensic and eschatological. It is forensic; that is, it demonstrates and offers what man will need now to stand in the divine Final Judgment. Since justification is the opposite of condemnation, the revelation of righteousness advances the revelation of judgment. Ridderbos argues that the statement of divine wrath in Romans 1:18ff is linked to Paul s eschatology; i.e., these things are now being more clearly revealed than they had been. (For more on the final judgment, see also Romans 2:12-13; 5:16,18). The eternal judgment has moved into time with Christ s death and resurrection. 6.1.3.3.1. The Jewish View of the Final Judgment The final judgment to the Jews was entirely a future event; it was a future revelation of God s justice. To the Jews, their merit theology meant that they could not readily know their ultimate destiny with certainty until it was weighed in the balance in the final judgment of the future. To them, righteousness was only a future eschatological possibility. This was because it was not God s righteousness but the Jewish person s own righteousness. For example, Paul says in Philippians 3:9 that he abandoned his own righteousness, the one he had worked for and merited. Those who wait for vindication at the Final Judgment must lack assurance of salvation. 6.1.3.3.2. Jesus Righteousness and the Final Judgment When Jesus said that He had the power to forgive sins in Matthew 9:6, He was committing two sins according to the Jews: 1) He was taking God s prerogative to forgive sins; and 2) He was doing it NOW, not later in the Final Judgment. The Jews thought that only God could forgive sins and that He would only do that on the Last Day. To the Jews, the whole of life consisted in preparation for judgment, and therefore it would be blasphemy to anticipate the judgment that belongs only to God (cp. John 7:48-50 the sinful woman). In Jesus, the eschatological fulfillment of the Final Judgment by God has come into time..doc p. 34 25-Mar-05

6.1.3.3.3. The Present Gift of Righteousness In contrast to what the Jews believed, Paul stresses that this righteousness is already present. With the coming of the gospel, this has already been given and communicated to everyone who believes. Everything that you need has been provided by another. Philippians 3:9 9 not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. Romans 5:1 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 9:30 30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith. 6.1.3.3.4. The Future Aspect of Righteousness and Judgment There is also a future aspect to the judgment. Galatians 5:5 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. How do we reconcile the present judgment and the future coming judgment? We reconcile them in that they are linked together. Both the future judgment and the one that has already happened on the cross are the same judgment. The future judgment invaded time and space and happened 2000 years ago. In this respect, we can speak of that judgment both in the present and in the future. On the one hand, we talk about the judgment that has fallen upon the church in Christ; on the other hand, we talk about the future full eschatological judgment. These two aspects of the one judgment are put forward in Romans 5:9-10: Romans 5:9-10 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. In verse 9, we are justified in the present. This justification saves us now from the wrath that will still come. In verse10, Paul argues that if we are reconciled now by His death, how much more shall we be saved by His (resurrection) life. The idea is that He is now ever living for His church and for us. These passages are a great explanation of the NOW and the NOT YET of the gospel. There are benefits now, and yet the full benefits are still outstanding and will only be revealed as He saves us from that final day of wrath. The one act of redemption is being done, and the benefits are being applied to us..doc p. 35 25-Mar-05

In conclusion, God the Father has already sat in judgment in the death of Christ. He has judged sin, He has shown that He is righteous, and He has caused the eschatological judgment to be revealed it has already penetrated into the present time. For those who are in Christ, He has become righteousness for us. In the future wrath and judgment that will come, we are now already justified. 6.2. The Link between the Righteousness of Christ and Us How does the link occur between Christ and us? The link between the righteousness of God and the righteousness that is made over to us occurs through two things. First, the corporate nature of the relationship between Christ and His people (see section 1.4) means that they get His benefits. Second, this union works it way out in and through faith. Without the union and without faith (a purchased gift of Christ like all His other gifts see the relationship between faith and grace in section 6.3), there is no salvation. 6.2.1. Union: Christ for Us; We in Christ The union that we have is a single, inseparable union, but there are two aspects to this union. Paul calls it Christ for us and we in Him. 6.2.1.1. Christ for Us In some Scriptures, Paul sets forth Christ on His own in isolation for His people. Christ s death is considered in itself, from an objective, Christ-only perspective. This occurs in Romans 3:25. Romans 3:25 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed. Here the stress is upon His aloneness, His dying for His people. It is not they who are delivered up for their sin and raised up, but it is Christ who is delivered and raised up. Romans 4:25 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification..doc p. 36 25-Mar-05

In His death it is not us, but He, who is made Sin for us, made the curse for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Galatians 3:13 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"). 6.2.1.2. We in Christ In the second aspect of union that Paul uses, the sense is how we are incorporated into Christ. This is a corporate idea. Here, Christ died for them not as an alien (i.e., totally different from them) and not as one from the larger group (i.e., one who was exactly the same), but as the Son of God who entered into the flesh (the mode of existence of the old world) and fulfilled it, and so condemned the old world in the flesh. Romans 8:3 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh. When He enters into our flesh, he represents flesh and thus us. The victory that He wins in the flesh, He wins for us. 6.2.1.3. The Parallel with the Two Adams The first Adam is part of the old world disobedience, sin, and death. In contrast, Christ entered into this world as the second Adam. Throughout His life, He lived as Adam should have done; and then, as Adam should have done demonstrating obedient self-surrender He gave Himself to death. In this act, He encompassed all who were His. All who were His were alive in the second Adam and they also died in the second Adam. Through Him, we lived, died, and paid the price of the Second Adam, (Romans 5:18-19). In Christ s death, the old world and the old man were judged in Him. At the same.doc p. 37 25-Mar-05

time, in Him justification leads to life and the new creation. In this transaction, Christ became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 6.2.2. The Link of Faith We get the benefit of this great transaction by and though faith. When we discuss faith, there are a number of things we must bear in mind. First, when we talk of faith we generally talk of it as: Do you believe God s word, the whole of it the Law, the Prophets, and the coming of Christ? This is a broad sense of faith, and while Paul does refer to this at certain times, this is not always how he thinks about it. In Romans and Galatians, this general concept of faith is accepted and not in dispute. The Jews believed that and so exercised faith in that sense. However, what Paul is doing in Romans and Galatians is contrasting two responses by those who did believe God s Word. First, the Jews believed the Old Testament was true but they misrepresented what the law meant reducing it to a way of earning righteousness, a means to earn merit before God. Their concept of righteousness came from the law, through the law, and by means of the law. They sought merit from the law that man earns and God recognizes. In that sense, they were not living by faith but by works. In contrast, Paul stresses faith that justifies. The righteousness of God is obtained through faith and by faith, without the law, without working for it and trying to merit blessing. This is biblical righteousness, given from God to man as a gift. The righteousness of God can only be revealed from faith unto faith (Romans 1:17). This is the second use of faith. This righteousness is acquired through imputation by faith. What is faith? It is the means, instrument, way, foundation, or channel through which we are linked to Christ and His work, and hence His righteousness. It is through this means alone in which man may participate in the righteousness of God. In Romans 1:17 Paul stresses that our participation in the righteousness of God is from faith to faith; that is, it is purely by faith. The means to righteousness is only through faith. From A to Z, it a matter of faith. Man then is justified, not on what he possesses, but on what he does not possess. Justification does not rely on what he has at his own.doc p. 38 25-Mar-05

disposal; rather it is something he must receive and obtain by faith. At its heart, the law of faith is a law that excludes human boasting. Faith as a thing, or faith in faith itself, has no merit. Faith itself cannot be merited, because it is not a work. It is merely the instrument that attaches to what has value, the finished work of Christ. Faith on its own is worth nothing. It is only faith that links us to Christ s finished work that has value, because Christ has value. Finally, faith cannot have merit for us as a form of works, since it too is a gift (Eph. 2:8-10). Faith is the gift of God, and so there is no merit for man. You cannot boast, I believe, but he did not. The only reason a man has faith is if he is given it. 6.2.2.1. Great Examples of Faith from the Old Testament Habakkuk 2:4 the just shall live by faith is quoted by Paul in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. Habakkuk 2:4 4 Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. Genesis 15:6 6 And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. The prophet Habakkuk and the patriarch Abraham have renounced all human possibilities and are instead trusting in the redeeming intervention of God alone. Romans 4:16-22 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. Paul in Romans 4:16ff highlights the faith of Abraham. Abraham believed in a God who gives life to the dead and calls those things that do not exist as though they did. This is a faith that did not weaken even if he was impotent and Sarah was barren (vv. 19-20). 6.2.2.2. A Note on Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4 In Romans 4:16-22, the idea is that in one act of faith, there is a legal and forensic transaction, something that is once and for all accomplished. Abraham believes, and to Paul, in that one act, in that one moment in time, Abraham is justified. How does this square with the original meaning in Genesis 15:6? In the Genesis context, the idea is that Abraham believed God s promises in general that he would have children as many as the stars on the seashore. There seems to be no direct reference to Christ at this point..doc p. 39 25-Mar-05

In the original context of Genesis 15:6, the words accounted it to him for righteousness do not have forensic significance. Rather, they have the ongoing day-to-day meaning of one who believes God routinely, one who has a lifestyle that is pious and upright before God, and one who is standing in a right relationship to God by fearing Him and hoping in Him. In this context, the idea means that Abraham received God s word of promise when God gave it to him, and he believed it. This is the same kind of faith that James refers to in the New Testament. In Romans 4, Paul uses the Genesis text and translates it into the Jewish way of thinking. Here, to believe is given a legal significance. If we believe, in that act we are legally justified by that action. This is a different emphasis from the one in Genesis 15. The common ground in both is that the gracious character of God s dealing stands out, as well as the fact that His blessings are not earned. God is gracious in both cases; His blessings are not earned, because they are a gift from Him. And in both cases we are utterly dependent upon the word, gift, and power of God in order to receive the promise. That is why Abraham is such a good illustration of not by the works of the law but by faith. Romans 4:3 3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." In Romans 4:3, Paul quotes Genesis 15:6. Different versions translate the transaction differently. Accounted, reckoned, or imputed are all used and all mean the same thing. Abraham believed God and it was accounted (or reckoned, or imputed) to him for righteousness. Imputation implies that no works are involved. A man cannot have the merits of his own work imputed to him. However, a man with no works can have faith imputed to him by grace. 6.2.2.3. The Justification of the Ungodly Romans 4:5 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. God does not look at one s righteousness; rather He acquits the unrighteous. He does not acquit those whose works match the law; rather He acquits those who have no works to offer. He acquits those who lack the strength to perform. He acquits those who in the eyes of the law s demands are still sinners. Romans 5:6, 8 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The essence of imputation is that God justifies the ungodly. He does not change them to be godly and then justify them. Rather, the imputation occurs upon those who have no righteousness. It does not change one internally; it merely is accounted to them for righteousness. This justification is of man as a sinner; it does not speak to man in his future inner renewal. It is only the forensic aspect of the atonement. We get an alien righteousness, the righteousness of God purchased by Christ..doc p. 40 25-Mar-05

6.2.2.4. The Link of Justifying Faith with Every Other Aspect of Salvation The justification occurs in Christ, by our incorporation into Him as the head. Due to the incorporation into Him, we are linked to every part of His nature and His work. In this, not only do the benefits of Christ s death accord to you, but also all of the benefits of Christ occur due to your corporate inclusion in Him. Hence, this imputation is never alone; it is linked to all the other aspects of Christ s work that He has attached to you. 1 Corinthians 1:30 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 6.2.2.5. The Eschatological Nature of the Epochs of Faith vs. Law Paul seems to indicate that there is a development in the new covenant dispensation beyond the old covenant. This is not an absolute development: the new covenant stresses faith in the Messiah that has come, while the old covenant had rules and typological ordinances that were the shadow of coming things. (See section 1.1 for hermeneutics in this regard.) Galatians 3:22-25 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came (the new way of revelation), we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. While there was Grace under the Law, or revealed through the law (e.g., Ex. 20:2; this is referred to Gal. 5:24), here Paul is more concerned with the bondage and the prison aspects of the law. There are many ways to cut the use of the law in the Old Testament, and Paul is here stressing the idea of bondage. This bondage will bring man to despair. It shows him his need and futility, and so leads him to faith as the only solution to his need. In this sense then, the law was orientated and directed to Christ. Negatively, it killed us and barred us from God. On the positive side, it helps us see Christ as the end of the law. Now that Christ has come, we are no longer under a tutor..doc p. 41 25-Mar-05

It is through faith that the gracious gift of God breaks through our prison. It shows us a way to break free into liberty, to be freed by liberty. Galatians 5:1 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. It is new way of living. Under the law it is impossible to please God. Rather, we live by faith in Christ, through which the righteousness of God is given to us. The death and resurrection of Jesus thus discloses that faith is the end of the law to all those who believe (Rom. 10:4). 6.2.2.6. Justification by Faith, the Judgment according to Works Judgment has already been revealed and is yet still awaited in the future. Galatians 5:5 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. While salvation is by grace, God does give us works to do (Eph 2:9-10). In this sense our works are the evidence of our faith they show whose we are. When we are being judged by our works and rewarded according to our works, we are being judged by our loyalty and our faithfulness. This will not earn us entrance into heaven, but there are gracious rewards in heaven. 6.3. Grace, Faith, and Righteousness In many cases in Paul s writing, grace is paralleled with faith. In some cases, the words are a clear substitute, one for the other. When Paul does this, he is often not talking of the timeless attribute of God s character but the manifestation of that in time and space. The reason, he can do this is that both faith and grace have the same idea behind them. Both exclude human boasting and pride. Both lead us to bring glory to God. Abraham trusted in that which he could not do in himself, and then he gave glory to God. Romans 4:18 18 [Abraham] who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." Just as (unmerited) Faith and Works stand over against each other, so also do (unmerited) Grace and Law. Romans 3:22-24 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Galatians 5:4 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace..doc p. 42 25-Mar-05