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Numbers 4; Substitute Service
2025 09/28 Numbers 4; Substitute Service; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250928_numbers-4.mp3
We are journeying with Jesus in the Wilderness, the Old Testament book of Numbers. We’re in chapter 4, looking at the left-out Levites. In chapter 1, the generation who experienced the Exodus were numbered in preparation for battle, for entering the promised land, but the tribe of Levi was not to be numbered among the fighting men; they had a different purpose. In chapter 2 the twelve tribes were organized around the central tent of YHWH, three tribes under one banner on each side of the tabernacle, but again the tribe of Levi was set apart for a different purpose. Numbers 1:50 gives that purpose:
Numbers 1:50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle. 51 When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death. 52 The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard. 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.”
Remember, the tabernacle is YHWH’s tent, because he desired to dwell among his people, to be with us, near to us. Exodus 25, God’s instructions for building the tabernacle, says:
Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
God pitched his tent in the midst of his people, but God is holy, and he must be treated with appropriate fear and respect. The Levites insulated the rest of the tribes from God’s dangerous presence, guarding God’s tent from unauthorized intruders, guarding the people from God’s wrath.
Arrangement of Levites Around God’s Tent [illustration-tribes]
In chapter 3 we saw the organization of clans of Levites as a layer of protection around the Tabernacle. Descendants of the three sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari camped respectively on the West, South and North sides of the tent. Aaron, himself a descendant of Kohath, but chosen by God to serve as priest, and his descendants were to camp at the entrance to God’s tent, to the East, along with his brother Moses.
The duties of these clans were outlined; Kohathites were responsible for the most holy furniture; Gershonites were responsible for the fabric parts of the tent, while the Merarites were responsible for the structure, the frames, poles, and bases.
The Tabernacle – Floor Plan and Function [illustration-tent]
This assumes a basic understanding of the layout of the Tabernacle, which was given in Exodus. An illustration will help. The heart of God’s royal tent was the ark of the covenant kept in the inner sanctuary, or holy of holies. The ark was a gold plated box containing covenant agreement between God and his people, etched in stone. The box was covered by a lid called a ‘mercy seat’. This is where only the High Priest, only on the day of atonement would enter to splatter sacrificial blood on the mercy seat to appease God’s wrath toward the sins of the priests and the people, because we all are sinners, we all miss the mark of God’s perfect holiness.
Outside the veil, a heavy embroidered curtain that closed off the most holy place was the holy place. This section was furnished with a small gold table for burning incense in the presence of God, a table for bread, 12 large loaves piled high, with fragrant incense and wine, to demonstrate the bounty of God’s presence, and a large gold 7 branched lampstand, fashioned like a tree, that blazed with light all night. The priests would bring in fresh bread weekly, and tend the lamps and burn incense morning and evening.
Outside the holy place was the courtyard, sectioned off from the rest of the camp with curtains, contained the bronze altar for burnt offerings and the washbasin, both used daily by the priests to slaughter and burn or barbeque sacrificial animals, and clean up the mess, because our sins make a bloody mess and need to be paid for with blood.
Remember, this is a portable tent, so Numbers 4 gives more detailed instructions on the responsibilities of each of the Levite families in taking down, carrying, and setting up God’s holy tent. This is all about service, ministry, work. Each section starts with the command to take a census of those 30 to 50 years old, who can come on duty to do the work, but the actual counting comes toward the end of the chapter. Specific instructions are given, with the most details given to the Kohathites, who are given the most dangerous tasks.
Kohath Labor
Numbers 4:1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers’ houses, 3 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.
Aaron and Sons (East side)
4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things. 5 When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles. 7 And over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular showbread also shall be on it. 8 Then they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet and cover the same with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 9 And they shall take a cloth of blue and cover the lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied. 10 And they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of goatskin and put it on the carrying frame. 11 And over the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 12 And they shall take all the vessels of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame. 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 And they shall put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles.
Kohath (South side)
15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry. 16 “And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.”
Aaron and his sons, those set apart as priests, first covered all the holy furniture, wrapping with cloth, hiding it from view, even from their cousins the Kohathite Levites, because God’s presence is dangerous. The holy furniture was to be carried with poles or on carrying frames, never touched directly, or death would result.
Kohathites warned:
To drive home the gravity of their duty, another warning is given;
17 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18 “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, 19 but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, 20 but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
We will see this clear warning challenged in Numbers 16.
Gershon detail: (West side)
We move from Moses and Aaron camped to the East, at the entrance to the Tent, to the Kohathites to the South, and then to Gershon to the West
21 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses and by their clans. 23 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting. 24 This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens: 25 they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting 26 and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them. 27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you shall assign to their charge all that they are to carry. 28 This is the service of the clans of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their guard duty is to be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Merari detail: (North side)
Finally we move to Merari to the North
29 “As for the sons of Merari, you shall list them by their clans and their fathers’ houses. 30 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, everyone who can come on duty, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 31 And this is what they are charged to carry, as the whole of their service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, with its bars, pillars, and bases, 32 and the pillars around the court with their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you shall list by name the objects that they are required to carry. 33 This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
Census of the Servers; Substitute Obedience
Verses 34 to the end record the census of each of the three clans, the sons of Kohath, Gershon, and Merari, and a combined total of the three sons of Levi. The language is almost verbatim in each section, and it is centered around those from 30 up to 50, who could come on duty, who served in the tent of meeting; for service in the tent of meeting; 2,750 Kohathites; 2,630 sons of Gershon and 3,200 sons of Merari; a total of 8,580 of those who could do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, each one with his task of serving or carrying.
The focus of the text is clearly on duty, service, ministry, bearing burdens, tasks. Remember, the first census of the Levites from 1 month and up were as a substitute for the firstborn of all of Israel (Num.3:11-13). The Levites took the place of the firstborn, who belonged to the Lord and to the service of his tabernacle. In this census, the focus is on those able to serve, to minister, to work. What we have here is substitute obedience. That which would have been required of each firstborn of each family, once they were capable of service, became the responsibility of the Levites who had taken their place. A Levite lived a life of service to God in place of another.
We see language of substitution throughout the Scriptures. Temple sacrifices were built on the principle of substitution. The wages of sin is death, and the sinner would offer an animal without blemish to die in his place. This finds its fulfillment in the suffering Servant of Isaiah;
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The heart of the gospel is that ‘Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures’ (1Cor.15:3). ‘For’ is a word of substitution. Jesus died the death I deserved. Jesus ‘bore our sins in his body on the tree’ (1Pet.2:24). In his death he stood in my place. ‘Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed’ (1Cor.5:7).
In the Exodus, a passover lamb was killed in place of the firstborn. The firstborn lived because the lamb died in his place. Because they were redeemed with a lamb, they belonged to God. But here in Numbers, the Levite takes the place of the firstborn, not in death, but in service. This also points us to Jesus. Not only did his death as our Passover Lamb redeem us, but in his obedience to his Father he also stands in our place. Jesus claimed without any pride ‘I always do the things that are pleasing to him’ (Jn.8:29). On two different occasions, the Father’s voice came from heaven ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’ (Mt.3:17; 17:5).
Isaiah 53 pointed us to the suffering Servant who suffered and died in my place, taking my sin upon him. Isaiah 53 also points us to his perfect righteousness credited to my account.
Isaiah 53:11 …by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Jesus not only died in my place, he lived in my place, offering perfect and acceptable service to his Father in my place. He not only died the death I deserved, he lived the life of flawless obedience I could never live.
Romans tells us that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel to come by faith, by trusting in the work of another.
Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Romans 5 contrasts Jesus and Adam:
Romans 5:17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Sometimes we think that Jesus only paid the debt I owed by his death, brought my balance to zero, and now it is up to me to live a life of obedience and do good in order to earn his favor. But that is wrong thinking.
The righteousness that God requires is a gift given to those who believe in Jesus. Jesus stood in my place, lived a life of perfect service to his Father, and his perfect record of righteousness is credited to all who recognize they have no righteousness of their own to offer, and instead depend fully on the righteous record of Christ. The Christian is righteous, not because of how we live, but by faith in the one who lived and died for me.
***
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
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By Rodney Zedicher2025 09/28 Numbers 4; Substitute Service; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250928_numbers-4.mp3
We are journeying with Jesus in the Wilderness, the Old Testament book of Numbers. We’re in chapter 4, looking at the left-out Levites. In chapter 1, the generation who experienced the Exodus were numbered in preparation for battle, for entering the promised land, but the tribe of Levi was not to be numbered among the fighting men; they had a different purpose. In chapter 2 the twelve tribes were organized around the central tent of YHWH, three tribes under one banner on each side of the tabernacle, but again the tribe of Levi was set apart for a different purpose. Numbers 1:50 gives that purpose:
Numbers 1:50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle. 51 When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death. 52 The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard. 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.”
Remember, the tabernacle is YHWH’s tent, because he desired to dwell among his people, to be with us, near to us. Exodus 25, God’s instructions for building the tabernacle, says:
Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
God pitched his tent in the midst of his people, but God is holy, and he must be treated with appropriate fear and respect. The Levites insulated the rest of the tribes from God’s dangerous presence, guarding God’s tent from unauthorized intruders, guarding the people from God’s wrath.
Arrangement of Levites Around God’s Tent [illustration-tribes]
In chapter 3 we saw the organization of clans of Levites as a layer of protection around the Tabernacle. Descendants of the three sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari camped respectively on the West, South and North sides of the tent. Aaron, himself a descendant of Kohath, but chosen by God to serve as priest, and his descendants were to camp at the entrance to God’s tent, to the East, along with his brother Moses.
The duties of these clans were outlined; Kohathites were responsible for the most holy furniture; Gershonites were responsible for the fabric parts of the tent, while the Merarites were responsible for the structure, the frames, poles, and bases.
The Tabernacle – Floor Plan and Function [illustration-tent]
This assumes a basic understanding of the layout of the Tabernacle, which was given in Exodus. An illustration will help. The heart of God’s royal tent was the ark of the covenant kept in the inner sanctuary, or holy of holies. The ark was a gold plated box containing covenant agreement between God and his people, etched in stone. The box was covered by a lid called a ‘mercy seat’. This is where only the High Priest, only on the day of atonement would enter to splatter sacrificial blood on the mercy seat to appease God’s wrath toward the sins of the priests and the people, because we all are sinners, we all miss the mark of God’s perfect holiness.
Outside the veil, a heavy embroidered curtain that closed off the most holy place was the holy place. This section was furnished with a small gold table for burning incense in the presence of God, a table for bread, 12 large loaves piled high, with fragrant incense and wine, to demonstrate the bounty of God’s presence, and a large gold 7 branched lampstand, fashioned like a tree, that blazed with light all night. The priests would bring in fresh bread weekly, and tend the lamps and burn incense morning and evening.
Outside the holy place was the courtyard, sectioned off from the rest of the camp with curtains, contained the bronze altar for burnt offerings and the washbasin, both used daily by the priests to slaughter and burn or barbeque sacrificial animals, and clean up the mess, because our sins make a bloody mess and need to be paid for with blood.
Remember, this is a portable tent, so Numbers 4 gives more detailed instructions on the responsibilities of each of the Levite families in taking down, carrying, and setting up God’s holy tent. This is all about service, ministry, work. Each section starts with the command to take a census of those 30 to 50 years old, who can come on duty to do the work, but the actual counting comes toward the end of the chapter. Specific instructions are given, with the most details given to the Kohathites, who are given the most dangerous tasks.
Kohath Labor
Numbers 4:1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers’ houses, 3 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.
Aaron and Sons (East side)
4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things. 5 When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles. 7 And over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular showbread also shall be on it. 8 Then they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet and cover the same with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 9 And they shall take a cloth of blue and cover the lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied. 10 And they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of goatskin and put it on the carrying frame. 11 And over the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 12 And they shall take all the vessels of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame. 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 And they shall put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles.
Kohath (South side)
15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry. 16 “And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.”
Aaron and his sons, those set apart as priests, first covered all the holy furniture, wrapping with cloth, hiding it from view, even from their cousins the Kohathite Levites, because God’s presence is dangerous. The holy furniture was to be carried with poles or on carrying frames, never touched directly, or death would result.
Kohathites warned:
To drive home the gravity of their duty, another warning is given;
17 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18 “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, 19 but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, 20 but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
We will see this clear warning challenged in Numbers 16.
Gershon detail: (West side)
We move from Moses and Aaron camped to the East, at the entrance to the Tent, to the Kohathites to the South, and then to Gershon to the West
21 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses and by their clans. 23 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting. 24 This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens: 25 they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting 26 and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them. 27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you shall assign to their charge all that they are to carry. 28 This is the service of the clans of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their guard duty is to be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Merari detail: (North side)
Finally we move to Merari to the North
29 “As for the sons of Merari, you shall list them by their clans and their fathers’ houses. 30 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, everyone who can come on duty, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 31 And this is what they are charged to carry, as the whole of their service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, with its bars, pillars, and bases, 32 and the pillars around the court with their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you shall list by name the objects that they are required to carry. 33 This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
Census of the Servers; Substitute Obedience
Verses 34 to the end record the census of each of the three clans, the sons of Kohath, Gershon, and Merari, and a combined total of the three sons of Levi. The language is almost verbatim in each section, and it is centered around those from 30 up to 50, who could come on duty, who served in the tent of meeting; for service in the tent of meeting; 2,750 Kohathites; 2,630 sons of Gershon and 3,200 sons of Merari; a total of 8,580 of those who could do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, each one with his task of serving or carrying.
The focus of the text is clearly on duty, service, ministry, bearing burdens, tasks. Remember, the first census of the Levites from 1 month and up were as a substitute for the firstborn of all of Israel (Num.3:11-13). The Levites took the place of the firstborn, who belonged to the Lord and to the service of his tabernacle. In this census, the focus is on those able to serve, to minister, to work. What we have here is substitute obedience. That which would have been required of each firstborn of each family, once they were capable of service, became the responsibility of the Levites who had taken their place. A Levite lived a life of service to God in place of another.
We see language of substitution throughout the Scriptures. Temple sacrifices were built on the principle of substitution. The wages of sin is death, and the sinner would offer an animal without blemish to die in his place. This finds its fulfillment in the suffering Servant of Isaiah;
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The heart of the gospel is that ‘Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures’ (1Cor.15:3). ‘For’ is a word of substitution. Jesus died the death I deserved. Jesus ‘bore our sins in his body on the tree’ (1Pet.2:24). In his death he stood in my place. ‘Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed’ (1Cor.5:7).
In the Exodus, a passover lamb was killed in place of the firstborn. The firstborn lived because the lamb died in his place. Because they were redeemed with a lamb, they belonged to God. But here in Numbers, the Levite takes the place of the firstborn, not in death, but in service. This also points us to Jesus. Not only did his death as our Passover Lamb redeem us, but in his obedience to his Father he also stands in our place. Jesus claimed without any pride ‘I always do the things that are pleasing to him’ (Jn.8:29). On two different occasions, the Father’s voice came from heaven ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’ (Mt.3:17; 17:5).
Isaiah 53 pointed us to the suffering Servant who suffered and died in my place, taking my sin upon him. Isaiah 53 also points us to his perfect righteousness credited to my account.
Isaiah 53:11 …by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Jesus not only died in my place, he lived in my place, offering perfect and acceptable service to his Father in my place. He not only died the death I deserved, he lived the life of flawless obedience I could never live.
Romans tells us that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel to come by faith, by trusting in the work of another.
Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Romans 5 contrasts Jesus and Adam:
Romans 5:17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Sometimes we think that Jesus only paid the debt I owed by his death, brought my balance to zero, and now it is up to me to live a life of obedience and do good in order to earn his favor. But that is wrong thinking.
The righteousness that God requires is a gift given to those who believe in Jesus. Jesus stood in my place, lived a life of perfect service to his Father, and his perfect record of righteousness is credited to all who recognize they have no righteousness of their own to offer, and instead depend fully on the righteous record of Christ. The Christian is righteous, not because of how we live, but by faith in the one who lived and died for me.
***
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org