Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report. Hebrews 11:1.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
The word manifested means it has been made obvious. God has made it obvious through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that his Son alone was able to keep the law, not only in the letter but also in the spirit. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus met with both Moses, the representative of the law, and with Elijah, who represented the prophets. While their conversation was not recorded, the scripture does tell us that Peter felt inspired to build three temples on that spot, one for each. He was instantly corrected.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (Matthew 7:50).
Both Moses and Elijah were witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God. Not only fulfilling the law but also satisfying the demands of the law for all those who trust in His name and confess that He is Lord. Mankind suffered on the horns of a dilemma; God is holy, and no sin can enter His presence. God couldn’t compromise His righteousness, and we could never obtain perfection. The one and only way to meet the requirements for justification before God was for God’s son to become a man, live a sinless life, and pay our debt, thereby bringing redemption. You can search the law, and you’ll find that Christ not only lived it, he authored it. Search the prophetic books, you’ll find that Christ is not only the righteous judge, but He is our advocate and our only salvation.
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
God chose Israel to build a nation, establish a kingdom, and trusted them with the words of God. God says they are the apple of His eye. His promises to them will be kept eternally. However, when it comes to the redeeming grace of God, there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. We will enter into a relationship with God as children of the Father, receiving equal rights and benefits with the chosen. No matter your heredity or track record, we have an equal deficit. We have no righteousness of our own to recommend us, our righteousness is a gift, it belongs to Christ, and He generously clothes believers in it.
No matter your heredity or track record, we have an equal deficit. We have no righteousness of our own to recommend us, our righteousness is a gift, it belongs to Christ, and He generously clothes believers in it.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
We have been given salvation freely, God does not begrudgingly embrace a sinner, He rushes to welcome them into the family. To be justified, is to have every trace of evidence that convicts of sin eternally and permanently erased. Through Christ, I am accepted in the presence of our Holy God and declared pure and righteous through His blood.
“Every promise of God’s Word belongs to all those who have the faith to grasp it.”
Charles Spurgeon
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
How can we, “beggars at the throne of grace,” who have been fully saved, fully rescued by the finished work of Christ, brag about our own righteousness? It’s not merely ridiculous, it is blasphemous. Blasphemy is giving credit and glory that only belongs to God, to any other. In the book of Revelations, Christ declares that He hates the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. That doctrine was the beginning of religious hierarchy among believers. Paul’s letters had delineated gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the structure of ministry, but this new doctrine was a departure from the idea of sacrificial service to God. What the Nicolaitains were creating was a system based on Holy works, levels in Christianity of holiness. Any programs or monuments we erect to celebrate our goodness stand diametrically opposed to the truth of the gospel, “that all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” The law of Faith is the obedience to place our entire hope in the finished work of Christ. His name is glorified, His work is magnified, “He must increase, and I must decrease.”
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Those men and women who lived from Adam until the resurrection of Jesus, were not saved by the deeds that they committed under the law, but by the faith they had to believe that the God who gave the law should be obeyed and revered. They trusted that He would keep His promise to send a deliver.
We who are saved after the resurrection are saved by “faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone…” We had the faith to trust that Jesus Christ is sufficient for our redemption. We are born again, the new life within us is dedicated to obeying his Word and bringing him honor, because He has earned our trust and manifested his authority over death, Hell, and the grave. He alone is worthy!
“God imparts his gracious salvation to people whom he regards as lost and condemned, as those who have no claim on him whatsoever, to whom nothing but his free favor can bring deliverance.” Charles Spurgeon
Thank you for studying with us! God bless!