HENCE came in another thing. God set Christ forth, it is said here, as a propitiatory. Christ became the true mercy-seat. God gave Him up as a sacrifice for sin, that through His body, offered once for all, every soul that believes on Him might be sanctified—nay, more than that— “by one offering perfected forever.” This is done in His death. He came to do, not merely the law, but the will of God, by the which will, the apostle carefully adds, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Here then we have the righteousness of God developed in the simplest and clearest way. It means that under the gospel God is just and justifies in virtue of Christ. He is just, because our sins have been met in the cross; sin has been judged of God. Christ has suffered and atoned for evil. More than that: the Lord Jesus has so magnified God, and so glorified His character, that there is a positive debt now on the other side. Instead of the obligation being, as it was, altogether on man's side, who was accumulating that which never could be paid for by him, God has now interposed, and, having been so magnified by the man Christ Jesus in His death, He is now positively just when He justifies the soul that believes in Jesus. It is consequently the righteousness of God; for God is thus approving Himself righteous to the claims of Christ. It is God now owning and discharging His debt to Christ. Christ had undertaken the cause for God, and also for man. Very God, still He became man; and it was in human nature, not before its assumption, that the wonderful work of atonement was done. The consequence is (although it was the proof of God's love that He gave His own Son, and gave His Son to become a man and die for men), that now the scale is turned. The debt of man to destroy him is not at all so great as that which Christ has paid to deliver him. Scripture makes it a matter of God righteously justifying him that believes, in virtue of what Christ once suffered for sins. Thus nothing can be clearer or fuller, nothing more blessed and precious, than the meaning of this fundamental truth. It is indeed a priceless treasure. What Christ did, as living here, is not the point; or surely where we have the great unfolding of divine righteousness was just the place to bring in what occupied Christ in His life on earth, if this were its ground.
But one may go farther: Show anywhere an unambiguous portion of the word of God, where His fulfilling of the law is treated as a part of the righteousness of God. You can produce none. One can point to those scriptures which you perhaps think about; but therein is no proof whatever. His obedience unto death is the turning-point. Why should one not be plain about that which is certain? Let others venture to say, if they will, what can be contradicted; it were well, in such a case, not to speak at all. There really is no scripture which makes what Christ was doing as under law—I will not say the exclusive ground, but—any ground whatever of God's righteousness. Why not produce one?
He who has been put forth as the most distinguished defender of the common view is compelled to own, that (in Rom. 3:25, 2625Whom 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; 26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:25‑26)) God's acting righteously through Christ yields the easier or better sense. Though arguing expressly in defense of the ordinary scheme, he is too candid to gainsay the evident bearing of the context. There need be no secret as to his name: he is well-known—the late Bishop of Ossory. Yet is he forced, by the plain positive language of scripture, to admit that in these verses “His righteousness” most naturally means, not a something that Christ did by keeping the law, but what God can be and is by virtue of redemption. His justice now justifies the believer. This, as far as it goes, is true. Dr. O'Brien confesses that “his righteousness,” in this palmary passage of the epistle to the Romans, points to the quality of divine righteousness or Gods justice; and this, because of what follows— “that he might be just;” which of course means God being just, and not simply what the Lord Jesus was as made of a woman, made under law. But this great passage, if conceded, seems at once to decide the question. It is always a sign of weakness if men fly from the full and bright unfoldings of the truth in the word of God to supposed hints and obscure allusions. When the truth is out plainly, when this is desired and nothing else, you are not afraid to face the strongest assertions and the fullest communications of God's mind. When men overlook or evade the large yet distinct instructions of scripture, and hide behind some scrap wrested violently from its real connection, the presumption is that the truth is too strong for them, while they are not prepared to abandon their dogma.
For are we really to conceive that “the righteousness of God” means one thing in Rom. 3:25, 2625Whom 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; 26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:25‑26), and another thing in Rom. 1:1717For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17), if not also in Rom. 3:21, 2221But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:21‑22)? The notion is suicidal that “either gives a consistent interpretation of the passage.” Let us then observe the way in which God's righteousness first comes before us. The apostle says that he is not ashamed of the gospel; “for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.” Where is there any allusion to Christ's keeping the law of God? God has not here spoken of it: why insert it? Our business is not to put our notions into scripture, but to gather what God thence convoys to souls. We are taught here, that in the gospel His righteousness is revealed from faith to faith. The expression may be somewhat difficult; yet here as elsewhere there is no question whatever about law-keeping, but an implied contrast with legal requirement. The law demanded righteousness from man, but could get none. In the gospel God's righteousness is being revealed. What a change from the law, with its claim on man for a righteousness he had not God's righteousness, he says, is revealed in the gospel, because the gospel supposes the redemption is accomplished; it therefore speaks of sins borne and forgiven; in short, it makes known God justifying him that believes. It is therefore God's righteousness, not man's, being founded on Christ's expiation, “by faith in his blood.” Observe, it is the righteousness of God, Who justifies “him that believeth.” In virtue of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus God is enabled justly, not only to pardon the believer, but to account him righteous in His own sight.
On what terms then does God reveal His righteousness in the gospel? It is revealed by (ἐκ) faith; that is, it is not by works of law, but by faith. There is not a trace here of Christ doing the works for us, as they say who plead the law. How easy to have told us so, had this been the meritorious title! It is said to be out of faith; and inasmuch as God's righteousness is revealed in this way, the blessing of His righteousness only comes to him who believes; that is, it is revealed “to” (etc) faith. Hence, as it is here expressed, “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.” It is “by faith” on God's part, and therefore it is “to faith” on man's. God excludes works of law for faith; and thus whoever has faith is the object for the righteousness of God. It addresses itself to all, without exception, but it is actually on the believer.
Whoever believes in Jesus is justified by God; or, as it is said in the Acts of the Apostles, “All that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Why is there not a whisper about being justified by Christ keeping the law of Moses? Unless you can produce it from God's word, bear with me if I treat it as error. What is the value of a doctrine on so weighty a theme which does not come out of the Bible? It may be put forth piously: no doubt men mean to exalt the Savior by it; but, be assured, they have made a very great mistake in putting their hand to prop up the ark. Upon it God has sprinkled the blood of Christ; thereby, in virtue of that precious blood, He can be just in justifying him that believes. With this the teaching of Rom. 1:1717For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17) agrees. Clearly the meaning is, God righteous on the ground of faith, and consequently to faith. It is put in the most abstract form, because it is the expression of His terms as a principle, faith being demanded and faith receiving. This is supported by the prophet Habakkuk, who says, not that Christ kept the law for the unjust, but that “the just shall live by his faith.” Thus we see all thought of law-keeping for us by Christ is foreign to Rom. 1:1717For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17), as we have seen it to be unknown to Rom. 3:25, 2625Whom 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; 26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:25‑26), and excluded by vers. 21, 28.
(To be continued, D.V.)