THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

[tomdurst]

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.'”—Romans 1:16-17 ESV

"This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. . . .”—Romans 1:17 NLT

I well remember that for many years the expression “the righteousness of God” was perplexing to me since I saw it as only speaking of the righteous attributes of God. Why would this be good news? Lo and behold, that was the very obstacle that Martin Luther stumbled over for many years as he sought peace with God by his good works and never found it. Then a revelation from Heaven broke through. He saw that “the righteousness of God” throughout the Scriptures referred to God’s saving act of grace in the gift of Jesus Christ. This is received in simple faith without works of any kind. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.” Some of the contemporary translations such as the one from NLT above translate “the righteousness of God” as "how God makes us right in his sight.” This makes it much simpler to understand and is “Good News” indeed. Praise God for this wonderful message of the gospel. It is still a stumbling block to the moralists who think salvation is found by their good behavior and works and is often nonsense to the highly educated (see 1 Corinthians 1:23).

I find these versions especially helpful for a clearer understanding of Romans 1:16-17: New Living Translation, Good News Translation, The Message.

I invite you to read JESUS--OUR SABBATH REST which is on the link below:


JESUS--OUR SABBATH REST

[Grey Masha]

Why is it a stumbling block to Jews?

TD to Grey: The gospel message was a stumbling block to the Jews because they were seeking their salvation through following the law. Paul told them that salvation (wholeness) could never be found in the law of Moses but only in the One to whom the law pointed--Jesus Christ the Messiah, the only one who can save us from our sins.

[tomdurst]

"Though the Bible was written over sixteen centuries by at least forty authors, it has one central theme--salvation through faith in Christ.”—Max Lucado