The gospel of God concerning His Son is good news: good news of His Person, blessed expression! All until the gospel was a claim. upon man. A claim can never be good news, but the gospel never alters the claim of God upon man, but maintains it, and shows that all is over with man, because he can never meet that claim. But the gospel brings in the power of God power on behalf of man; yet not power to help man meet the claim of God upon him. It reveals the righteousness of God, consequent upon man being altogether without strength to meet God’s claim. While a person is looking for help, he is under law, and has never been in God’s presence. If I am in the presence of God NOW, help will not do. I am lost. I want righteousness and pardon; and I want it now. And the soul will not have solid peace until it is in the presence of God, righteous and pardoned. The apostle says (Romans 1:1616For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)), “The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation... because therein is the righteousness of God revealed.”
A righteousness which is declared unto all, yea, to every creature, and which is “UPON all them that believe.”