Romans 4

Chapter 4. The Righteousness of GodBut now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 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, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)There is such a thing in human courts as condemning a man to save him. A wise lawyer, when he perceives that his client cannot prove his innocence, will always advise him to plead guilty and then throw himself upon the clemency of the court. Mercy cannot be exercised until guilt is confessed. And so God has to prove man guilty in order to save him. The two first chapters of Romans are God’s fearful indictment against the Gentile and the Jew, and He finally sums up the whole case by pronouncing both Jew and Gentile under sin, and laying them prostrate and guilty before God, with every mouth stopped and every excuse silenced. Then He begins to reveal the plan of salvation through the atonement and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Once in a French prison a Russian prince, through the prerogative of Napoleon, was permitted to pardon a convict. So he proceeded to question the different men he met, with a view to finding someone worthy of his clemency. But every man professed to be entirely innocent and, indeed, greatly wronged and unjustly punished. At last he found one man who was qualified to receive forgiveness—the only guilty man in all the prison—and he had nothing to plead for himself, but frankly confessed his unworthiness and acknowledged that he deserved all the punishment he had received. The prince was deeply touched by his humility and penitence and he said to him: “I have brought your forgiveness, and in the name of your emperor I pronounce you a free man. You are the only man I have found in all this place ready to acknowledge his guilt and take the place where mercy could be extended to you.” This is the place that God is bringing men to, and when He gets them there He loves to lift them up to His bosom and pronounce upon them, not the sentence of condemnation, but of acquittal and forgiveness. In the beautiful allegory of Mansoul [in the book Holy War], written by John Bunyan, we have an account of the surrender of the garrison to King Immanuel. They resisted as long as they could, but beleaguered and starving, they were finally compelled to give up the conflict and yield themselves to the mercy of their conqueror. His answer was that every one of them must come forth into his presence with chains upon their necks and crying, “We are guilty and worthy of death.” And so, in great humility and fear, they marched forth from the city gates and threw themselves at his feet. They expected the severest punishment, for they had resisted to the bitter end and knew that they deserved nothing but death. But as soon as they had echoed their humble confession, King Immanuel ordered the trumpet of the herald to proclaim in the hearing of all his camp, that they were freely pardoned through his mercy and restored to his favor, that their city should be rebuilt, should become his own royal capital and be treated with peculiar favor, and that they should be adopted as the children of the king. They were overwhelmed with astonishment and burst out into tears of gratitude and shouts of praise. Yes, this is the glorious paradox of divine mercy. “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all” (Romans 11:32). The passage before us unfolds with extraordinary force and clearness the principles of the divine salvation. It Is Called the Righteousness of God

1. We are so accustomed to think of redemption as an expedient for the relief of man that we quite forget its greater and diviner aspect as the revelation of the righteousness of God. The purpose of Christ’s work was not merely to relieve man from a dangerous situation, but much more to reveal God in the highest attitude and aspect of justice, wisdom and love, not only for His own glory, but also for the highest dignity and security of redeemed man. God has made the plan of salvation more a matter of justice and righteousness than even of grace and mercy, so that all through this Epistle to the Romans, the term “righteousness” predominates in describing the plan of salvation. This is the difference between Christianity and all human religions. They try to bring God down to the level of man’s sinfulness, and adjust the moral scale to the low standard of man’s actual condition. God’s plan of salvation is the opposite of this and aims to bring man’s condition up to the level of divine law. Not one principle of justice is compromised, not one jot or tittle of the law is modified or evaded. Every requirement of justice is met, and when man is saved, he is enabled to stand without a blush of shame, and claim his acquittal from the very decree of eternal justice, as much as from the gentle bosom of forgiving mercy. I remember a noble friend of 20 years ago, a businessman of high standing among his fellows. I often used to mark his manly bearing, the high and noble dignity of his face and his walk, and the profound respect in which he was held by all his acquaintances. One day I learned the secret. He had failed in business long years before, and was offered a settlement by his creditors involving a compromise of his debts. This he would not accept, but asked only for time and opportunity to pay every dollar, with interest; and he went back again to the struggle of life to do this, and never ceased from his high purpose until he had redeemed his pledge and met the claims of every man to the last cent. Then he walked the streets of that city with a majesty of a king among men. He was not forgiven, he was justified. This is what God aims to do in the plan of salvation. He does not want to pass over the transgressions of the sinner by a mere act of kindness. He wants us to know that every sin has been actually dealt with, punished and ended, and that we are in just the same position with the law of God as if we had never sinned; nay, better still, as if we had kept every command of the law blamelessly. Through our great Substitute, sin has not only been met and punished, but through His atonement, we are made blameless and the same as if we had suffered ourselves. The term justify means to declare righteous. It does not necessarily imply that the one declared righteous is righteous. In fact, it is assumed in the case of the sinner that he is not righteous. It is the ungodly that God justifies, but he is recognized not in himself but in the person of his Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ; His righteousness is regarded as ours and for His sake we are treated even as He. The life which He laid down is accepted for our forfeited life and the obedience which He rendered is accounted as our obedience. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). So the sinner can look in the face of even the Holy Spirit and say, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). He can face the great Accuser and cry, “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died… is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). He may look even in the face of his conscience and at the victims of his very crimes, and with a heart breaking with humble contrition, he can still cry, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). The Ground of This Righteousness
2. This is set forth by three terms that are very significant. The first is redemption. “The redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). This denotes a definite transaction through which we are purchased back from a condition of liability to punishment through a price or ransom definitely paid. The salvation of man is based upon a very definite transaction between the Father and the Son—the covenant of redemption entered into in the ages past and actually fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ when He came incarnate on earth and died on Calvary. The Father stipulated in this covenant that, for certain conditions, He would give to His Son the eternal salvation of His people. These conditions involved the offering up of His life on the cross, His perfect obedience and all the mediatorial acts which our Saviour is now fulfilling. These conditions have been absolutely fulfilled and now it is a matter of redemption right for God to forgive the believer and save the penitent and trusting soul. Therefore, we read that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). It is a matter of righteousness for Him to do so. So, again, we are told “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7). The second of these terms is propitiation. This word literally means covering. It is also used as a corresponding word in the Old Testament to signify cleansing. The literal idea, however, is that of covering. It suggests the mercy seat in the tabernacle. The position of the mercy seat was strikingly significant of its spiritual reference. It was the covering of the ark. Underneath it and within the ark lay the tablets of the law which man had broken and which witnessed against his sin. Over it hovered the Shekinah, symbolic of God’s all-seeing eye. That eye was looking down upon the ark. Had it seen only that broken law and the sin against which it testified, it could only have flashed its holy fires against the transgressors, and could not have rested in covenant love upon the worshipers in that sacred place. But it did not see the sin at all, for between the ark and the Shekinah was the mercy seat, the covering lid of pure gold always sprinkled with the blood of atonement. God saw only the blood, and it covered the sin. So we read such words as these: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (Psalms 32:1). “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel” (Numbers 23:21). “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). The third term used is His blood. Of course this refers to His death. The blood is the life, and the offering of Christ’s blood always expresses His vicarious sacrifice for sin. The ransom was His life, the propitiation is His blood. He has stood between us and the just consequences of our guilt, and “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). This is the core of Christianity. This is the essence of the gospel. This is the ground of our justification. God has set forth Jesus Christ so emphatically that His great atonement cannot be misunderstood or evaded by any honest mind, and He is the propitiation through His blood, by whom God can “demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished… so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:25, Romans 3:26). The Efficacy of His Atonement
3. “Because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished…” (Romans 3:25). The language here is very expressive, and it intimates that in the past and up to the time of Christ’s death, God was forbearing with sin, but it was not settled for. There are two Greek words used, expressive of the two thoughts that stand forth here in bold relief. One is paresis, and the other aphesis. Paresis means to pass by, aphesis to put away. Under the Old Testament, it was paresis; under the New it is aphesis. Then, it was forbearance. Now, it is remission. Then, God overlooked sin, not lightly nor capriciously, but in view of the settlement that was to be made by Christ on Calvary and which was recognized as already accomplished through “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). But the ransom was not literally paid, and so God dealt with men in forbearance and in anticipation of the coming atonement. Christ had, as it were, given His promissory note for the payment of the ransom and God accepted it and dealt with believers under the old covenant, under the assumption that it would be paid. Christ redeemed it on Calvary and thus it was taken out of the way, nailed to His cross and the full efficacy of His atonement became real. Sin was now put away, canceled, annihilated. He had come to finish transgression, to make an end of sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness; and now we who accept the Lord Jesus are not only taken on probation and dealt with as objects of forbearance, but we are wholly justified, we are eternally saved and received into the fellowship and communion of God, even as His own beloved Son, in whom we are accepted. “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me,” Jesus said, “has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). The work of Jesus Christ is complete, final, eternal: “Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14). “But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself…. He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:26, Hebrews 9:28). Is not this a glorious redemption, a divine foundation, a strong consolation, a Rock of Ages? Is not this a better resting place for your confidence and hope than all your transitory feelings and variable experiences? Is not this a blessed place to rest when the brain gets clouded and the heart gets sad and cold, and the adversary hurls his fiery darts into the self-accusing conscience? Well do I remember a dear old saint who had brought scores of souls to Christ in a long and useful Christian life. But as her sun began to go down, clouds gathered around her horizon, her brain grew weak, her faith became dimmed and she thought she was no longer useful to Jesus Christ and He no longer wanted her. Blessed soul! How sweet it was to tell her that her salvation rested upon the immutable Word of God and that she was safe in Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages, that nothing could ever shake! Oh, beloved, let us be sure that we are fast anchored to this eternal Rock—the redemption of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Terms of This Divine Righteousness
4. “And are justified freely by his grace” (Romans 3:24). This is almost a redundancy, for freely and grace mean the same. But the design of the writer is to express the idea with all possible emphasis. This salvation, all the way through, is the gift of God. We cannot earn it, deserve it nor work it out ourselves. We must receive it, from beginning to end, directly from our Father’s hands, on equal terms of mercy and personal worthlessness. Our works, experiences and usefulness have nothing whatever to do in securing our salvation. I have no more right to my salvation because I have been serving Jesus 35 years than that poor man who last night received Jesus in the Cremorne Mission and has just stepped out of a life of reeking uncleanness. When I stand in the presence of my Lord my only plea must be: Saved by grace alone, This is all my plea— Jesus died for all mankind And Jesus died for me. There is no difference in the standing of all men at the gateway of life. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace” (Romans 3:23-24). And whatever else we have along with this—whatever of holiness or usefulness God has permitted any of us to enjoy—this also is through the riches of His grace. “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Even Paul had to say, in speaking of his salvation, “I was shown mercy” (1 Timothy 1:13) and then he added of his subsequent career, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14). It is true there is a great difference at the end, but there is none at the beginning. On equal terms we enter the gates of mercy, all alike condemned; and then we are permitted, in the great goodness of God, to strive for the crown of recompense and press toward the goal in the race for victory. It is just the same as if, in some great public school, free admission should be given to all who applied, irrespective of their personal circumstances and merits, but after they are admitted freely to the school there are prizes given to the boys according to their diligence and proficiency in the various studies. So God takes us all in as helpless, worthless sinners, but after we enter the school of Christ as the beneficiaries of His grace, we are invited and permitted to press forward to the higher rewards which He offers to the diligent and faithful. But even the power to gain the reward and strive for the mastery is still the gift of grace, through the purchase of Christ’s precious blood, and the gift of the Father’s sovereign love. The Means by Which This Gift Is Received
5. It is received by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference” (Romans 3:22). Again, in the 27th verse, “the law of faith” is spoken of. This is the principle underlying the whole gospel system. Every blessing must be received by faith. This is the only way in which a gift can be received. There is no merit in an act of faith. It is simply taking what God gives with thanks and trust. It is certainly a very blessed act, because when the heart receives the love and grace of God it exercises a most blessed influence on our life and character, but in itself it is not a work of merit, but simply the means by which we receive what God has to give. It is the law of faith. It is the principle on which God is acting with men. “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). This faith is more fully unfolded in the following chapter, as we shall see. But meanwhile, let us realize its essential importance in our own lives and accept it as the principle and law of our life, as it is the law of God’s administration for sinful men. God has the boundless riches of His grace for the most lost and sinful, if they will only accept the gift and receive it by simple trust; but we shall be lost by unbelief much more certainly than by the darkest crime of which human nature is capable. It is said that once an English landlord, in order to teach his peasantry the lesson of trusting God, offered on a certain day to pay the debts of all his tenantry if they would bring him a statement of all their debts and accept as a gift his generous bounty. The morning came and he waited in his office until the hour of noon, according to the announcement which he had widely published. The people gathered in curious knots around the street and wondered what it all meant. They could not understand such liberal generosity and they waited for someone to go in and prove that he really meant it and then they would all go in for their share. But the day wore on and none of them seemed willing to go in. At last an aged couple came along and, tottering up the steps, approached the door. The people outside crowded around them and said eagerly, “Now be sure to hurry through and tell us all about it.” The old couple went in, and the landlord received them very kindly, looked over their statement, paid the debts gladly and then asked them if there was anything more he could do for their comfort. He said that he had a certain sum of money that he intended to spend in this way, but none of the people seemed to want it. So he gave the old couple enough to buy a little cottage and provided for all the needs of their closing days. They poured out their thanks with tears of joy. When they arose to go, he detained them a few moments, chatting pleasantly with them, until the clock struck 12; then he arose, opened the door for them to pass out and said: “The time that I appointed in the announcement has now expired and other engagements call me away.” He bade them goodbye and as they tottered feebly down the steps the crowd eagerly pressed about them, asking, “Did he really pay your debts? Did he mean it?” The old people looked at them with astonishment in their faces and said, “Why, of course he did.” The people now hastened to the door, anxious to enter, but before they reached it he had passed out, and with a polite bow hurried away, saying, “Good morning, neighbors; I am sorry you were so late, but another engagement calls me away. The time has expired, the opportunity has passed.” Oh, how sorry they were that they had not trusted his word! The next Sabbath, as he talked with them in his mission hall about the promises of Jesus and what they mean, many hearts realized, as they had never done before, the folly and wickedness of unbelief and the blessedness of trusting God and of remembering, “He means just what He says.”