The Righteousness of God | Romans 3:21-22 | Ian Goodman

What is meant by the phrase “the righteousness of God”? Clearly, I am talking about more than just God’s moral character, since this “righteousness of God” is “for all who believe” and it is the basis for our justification. What can it mean?

Through the centuries two options have been suggested. The first is the Roman Catholic position which argues that the “righteousness of God” given to us is a righteousness infused into us which makes us morally more righteous.

The second option is the Reformed position which argues that “the righteousness of God” for us is a righteousness imputed to us which makes us legally righteous. The difference between these two cannot be overstated. The first makes our justification based on a righteousness that is truly our own, and is a righteousness that is vulnerable and fluctuated.

It can be added to and subtracted from. It can even be lost altogether. The second option, of imputed righteousness, makes our justification fixed and unmovable, because it’s not based on our righteousness at all. It is an alien righteousness, won for us by the obedience and sacrifice of Christ. This righteousness can never be added to or subtracted from. It’s not vulnerable, and can never be lost.

What reasons do we have to believe the second view?

1) The context describes the application of this righteousness as one that is “counted” to a person. “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” There is no hint of infusion or moral transformation in the word “counted”. It is a legal term whereby one is treated as righteous while not actually being righteous. Certainly, Abraham was also transformed by God’s grace and went on to produce good works. His faith was no dead faith, no devils’ faith. But these works are not the basis for his righteousness.

2) We can also discern the meaning of “the righteousness of God” by looking at its uses elsewhere in Paul. A very helpful verse is 2 Cor 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The sin which made Jesus to “be sin” was not infused into Him, nor did it transform Him into a sinner. Rather it was imputed to Him. It was His legally. If this is so then how do we become “the righteousness of God”? Surly by the same process, by imputation we are legally counted as the “righteousness of God.”

Beloved, we can rest in our relationship to God because it is not by works that we are counted righteous, it is by rest, by rest in Christ, by faith, by trust. This is Paul’s glorious gospel, and let us continue to proclaim it and rest in it. And let us work for God with all our might because of the great love that has been shown to us in “the righteousness of God” that has been given.

The Eternal Security of the People of God | Psalm 125 | Ian Goodman

Jerusalem was a fortress city elevated on a hill, surrounded by walls, and then further surrounded by mountain ranges that encircled Mt Zion. Jerusalem was a strong city that was difficult to penetrate and overcome. The writer of this Psalm uses this image of Jerusalem not to talk about the security of Jerusalem, but to talk about the security of the people of God. The people of God are secure because they are like Mt Zion, and because the Lord surrounds them like the mountain ranges surrounding Mt Zion. The comfort we take from this is that the church of God is eternally secure and the believers within her are eternally secure. How true has this proven to be though history. The church has always grown through persecution. The church has proven to be, by God’s grace, impossible to destroy. The gates of Hell will not prevail against the church.

What is true of the church is also true of every true believer. As Jesus says in John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”

Rest assured that if you have heard the voice of the Shepherd, then you are one of His sheep and you have none other than God our Father the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit standing the mountain ranges around you and your faith. You are eternally secure.

The Purpose of the Law | Romans 3:19-20 | Ian Goodman

If we misunderstand the purpose of the law, we are in danger of becoming like the person with a serious illness who takes the wrong medicine and makes their condition worse. If we look at our spiritual sickness and think “the law is the medicine” we will not get better but in fact be made worse, since “by works of the law no one shall be justified, for by the law comes knowledge of sin.”

A key question that must be asked, however, is this: what law exactly does Paul have in mind. There are those who would argue that Paul is only talking about the ceremonial law, not the moral law when he says “the works of the law cannot justify.” Is this true? So much rests on this question, for if only the ceremonial law is meant then we perhaps still should go to the rest of the law to be justified.

I am pleased to say that it is certainly not true. It is plain from the context that Paul has in mind far more than merely the ceremonial law, for he writes “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” Is this the function of the ceremonial law, or the moral law? Clearly it is the moral law! And how could it be that “through the law comes knowledge of sin” if the law in mind is merely ceremonial? It would seem that Paul here is identifying the whole law as the means of making people accountable and giving them a knowledge of sin.

But what of the purpose of this law? What’s it for? If not to justify then what? Paul has already said it: to give a knowledge of sin, that we may have a knowledge of our need for the Saviour. The law is like a mirror. By looking in the mirror we see the mud on our face, but don’t then use the mirror to wash the mud off, we go to Christ!

In this passage Paul quotes from no less than nine passages in the Old Testament, mostly in the Psalms, to make the point that natural man, that is, mankind under sin and without the regenerating grace of God, is totally depraved. Not partially depraved, not mostly depraved, but totally depraved.

As a result of sin entering the world, mankind is not able to do any good leading to salvation and is consistently inclined to do evil. Even the “good” natural man does is really evil, since he never does it with the right motives. He gives no glory to God nor is motivated to do so. Natural man cannot please God for he has no understanding nor a will to seek the things of God. Paul makes it plain that man under sin does not do rightly, think rightly, will rightly, speak rightly, walk rightly, or fear rightly.

It’s not simply that natural man does evil sometimes, or fails in his thinking sometimes, or fails to seek God sometimes. Rather he never seeks God, he never understands, he never does what is good. Natural man has become worthless.

This doctrine has much to teach us about many aspects of life: how we raise our children, how we view the natural state of humans in society, but most of all, this doctrine teaches us just how much grace has been given to those who do seek after God. If no natural inclination exists in man to seek after God, then the only way for a man to be saved is for God to first seek after him. Salvation is not simply God offering us His hand and us accepting His offer. Salvation is us slapping God’s hand away and running the opposite direction, then God chasing us down and taking hold of us by sovereign grace and breathing His love and grace into our hearts, freeing us from our total enslavement to sin and rebellion.

We are saved by amazing grace because we had amazing sin. We are saved by totally sovereign grace, because we were totally enslaved under total depravity!

The sermon today was on Paul’s effort to defend his gospel. Paul has stated plainly that to be born a Jew was no guarantee of salvation. One needs to be saved, and salvation is found in the name of Jesus.

Paul then anticipates his opponents’ questions.

1) Is there any benefit in being a Jew? (vs 1-2)

Paul says “Yes! Much, in every way!” He then gives them the reason he believes they are greatly advantaged, because they have been entrusted with the very oracles of God! Only one nation was given the oracles of God - Israel! Only one nation was given special revelation pointing to the way of salvation - Israel! We should remember what an advantage it is to have the oracles of God in our hands today, and what an advantage it is to our children to be brought up in a home where they can learn them!

Paul then moves to the next question he anticipates from his audience.

2) If Jews are unfaithful, will God still be faithful? (vs 3-4)

Paul is going to answer this question in great detail in Romans 11. Here, however, he wants to deal with an underlying assumption in this question. “Will God be faithful even if I keep on sinning?” Paul’s answer is “yes, God will be faithful if you keep on sinning, and in His faithfulness, He will judge you for your sin!” Paul quotes David in Ps 51 who speaks of God’s faithfulness and righteousness to judge him for his sin. David’s words are “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”

Paul then answers a third question.

3) If my unrighteousness results in God displaying His righteousness then why am I condemned for this? Why not continue to do evil that good may result?

It would seem that Paul has so emphasized the free grace of the gospel and the sovereignty of God even over sin that his messages had been misunderstood and was being used as a license to sin. Paul’s response to this is swift and clear “their condemnation is just!” The free grace of God and a high view of God’s sovereignty are not reasons to sin, they are reasons to worship and to give thanks to a great God who has saved us and who works all things for our good!

The Dangers and Advantages of Being Raised In A Christian Home | Romans 2:25-3:4 | Ian Goodman

Paul reminds his readers that to be raised in the household of faith (in the context he is talking about being raised a Jew), there is a great danger, namely that you might presume on your statues and on your outward conformity to the faith while inwardly being unconverted. A good test for this is to consider your motivation behind your behaviour. Are you trying to be good to please others (parents, society, church) or are you also genuinely trying to please God? Is your praise from man or from God? (Rom 2:29)

After giving this warning, Paul is eager to move to the great advantage there is in being raised in the household of faith, namely, that you are entrusted with the very oracles of God (Rom 3:2)! How blessed are the children of believers! Not because they are automatically saved and in the faith, but because they are blessed with the great advantage of having the very word of God taught to them and read to them! As parents we can't reach into our children’s hearts and convert them, but the word of God can! Let's give our children every advantage we can to see them added to God's eternal Kingdom.