“Righteousness Revealed"
Romans 1:18-32
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness… [Romans 1:18]
What does “all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” entail? One might think that these are things like lying and cheating, and they are, but as you delve deeper into the text it goes further than that. Behind any unrighteous act is an unrighteous person. And the word “righteousness” carries with it the meaning of holiness, perfectly just, flawless, entirely pure. “Unrighteous” is therefore the camp that we all find ourselves.
So how do we get into the “righteous” camp? “A righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.” [Romans 1:17] In short, God’s righteousness is available by faith; by simply believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and receiving what He did for you and I on the Cross. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” [Ephesians 2:8]
Salvation is God’s gift. Our part is to simply receive that gift by faith. That is why the gospel is good news. The good news is that salvation rests upon the finished work of Christ on the Cross. It has nothing to do with our works, and that is great news!
The focus of our passage this morning is that God’s righteousness is revealed in our unrighteousness, i.e., our imperfections. When we look in the mirror it becomes obvious that we fall short of God’s holy standard, which is perfection. “No one is perfect” is not only a saying, it is reality. And so, our unrighteousness drives us to the grace of God. Only God can fulfill in us the righteous requirement for heaven. Therefore, without the Cross, we are inherently condemned. Jesus said, “He who believes in Me is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” [Jn 3:18]
Our passage this morning begins to build the case that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All means all. “There is no one righteous, no not one.” Even the most honest, well-intentioned, and loving person is flawed with sin. When it comes to God’s righteousness we are all in the same boat and that boat is sinking. Our lifejacket is Jesus; He is our only hope.
The only righteous standing before God is an imputed righteousness that only Jesus offers. Why? Because only Jesus lived a perfect life without sin. And therefore, only Jesus is the Perfect Offering that can remove your sin.
