Focus Verse of the Week
"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all
who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God" (Romans
3:22-23)
Classic Commentary
Paul uses the noun dikaiosune (righteousness), the adjective
dikaios (righteous), and the verb dikaio (to justify or to
declare and treat as righteous) over one hundred times. God is righteous when he
acts according to the terms of the covenant he has established. Righteousness is
God's faithfulness as the Lord of the covenant. God acts righteously when he
performs saving deeds for his people and thereby places them in a right relation
to himself (see especially Isa. 51 and 61). The interchangeability of
righteousness and salvation is seen in this verse: "I am bringing my
righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I
will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel" ( Isa
46:13 ).
Thus God's people are righteous when they are in a right relation with him,
when they enjoy his salvation; they are considered by God as the Judge of the
world as righteous when they are being and doing what he requires in his
covenant. So it may be said that the concept of righteousness in Paul belongs
more to the doctrine of salvation through Jesus than to moral theology, even
though it has distinct moral implications.
The righteousness of which Paul speaks, especially in the letters to Galatia
and Rome, stands in contrast to the righteousness that is based on the
fulfillment of the law by man as the covenant partner of God. It is "the
righteousness of faith" and "the righteousness of God" ( Rom
10:6 ; Php
3:9), and is most certainly the gift of God. From the human standpoint what
God looks for in those who receive the gospel is "faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me" ( Gal
2:20). God's gift to those who believe is a righteousness that exists and
can be given only because of the sacrificial death of Jesus for sinners and his
resurrection from the dead as the vindicated Lord of all.
(Adapted from Baker's
Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, "Righteousness")
A Thought to Keep
Righteousness isn't something Christians win by careful attention to detail.
Our
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