Righteousness by Law versus Righteousness by Faith Free Reprint Article

NotifySnack

Christian Articles for All of your Publishing Needs!

LIKE US

Translate this Page Here

Word Count: 737

Send Article To Friend

Print/Use Article

Contact Robert Hawes

Righteousness by Law versus Righteousness by Faith

by Robert Hawes
1/05/2017 / Bible Studies

"For I testify about them [the Jews] that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

"For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: 'Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).' But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart'—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved..." - Romans 10:2-9

Paul's phraseology in this passage can be a little confusing, so if you've ever wondered what he's getting at here, I hope the following will be of help.

The context is the righteousness that comes through Christ by grace versus the righteousness offered by keeping the Law of Moses. Paul regrets that his fellow Jews, while zealous for God in their own way, have as a whole rejected Christ, who is the end (or fulfillment) of the quest to find favor with God. As Paul points out here, they were trying to "establish their own righteousness."

To understand what Paul is getting at, we need to think back on how the Jews operated under the Law of Moses.

The Law was a system of observances, commandments, offerings, and animal sacrifices. Atonement for the sins of the people was achieved by the sacrifices, which were performed by priests, first in the Tabernacle and, later, in the Temple. These sacrifices had to be performed continually, and once per year - on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) - the High Priest would offer a sacrifice for the sins of the entire nation. This system allowed sin to be "covered" but not done away with (see Hebrews 10), as is testified by the fact that the sacrifices had to be performed continually - day after day, year after year.

Christ, on the other hand, was the "once for all" sacrifice for sins; once his work was done, it never needed to be repeated (Hebrews 9:25-28; 10:8-18). He was sent to mankind by God and, after being offered up, was raised to life again by God.

Contrast this with the sacrificial system under the Law:

When the Jews needed a sacrificial lamb, they selected one from their flock after visually inspecting it for blemishes. If it was found "pure" in this fashion, it was then put to death in a prescribed manner and consumed. The Jews could do this at will.

As the "Lamb of God," Christ was not selected by men but by God himself. God sent him to mankind, and, after he was offered, raised him up to life again. Men were incapable of this sort of sacrifice, and that is Paul's point in Romans 10:2-9. Under the Law, men could select their sacrificial lamb from among their flocks; but "Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down)"? And the sacrificial lamb, once slain, could not be raised to life again. "Who will descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)." The resurrection is an essential factor in the gospel, not merely an impressive miracle. Christ's death satisfied the penalty for sin, but only his resurrection gives us new life (John 6:57; 14:19; I Corinthians 15:12-19).

Thus, from beginning to end, salvation through Christ is entirely a work of God, offered by his grace and accessible solely by faith. Man cannot obtain this righteousness by any system of works. He could never offer this sort of sacrifice for himself. Thus, "the righteousness based on faith" says, effectively: "Don't ask what man can do this for you; rather, believe that God has done it for you, and submit to the sufficiency of it."

- Scriptures quotations taken from the NASB

Robert Hawes is the author of "In Search of God: A Look at Life's Most Essential Question," as well as many articles on various subjects ranging from politics to theology and Christian apologetics. His blog is: http://takeupyourcross73.blogspot.com.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW