The Ultimate Justifier
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
There’s a lot that could be said of these verses of Scripture.
There’s now the righteousness of God apart from the law that has been revealed. That means this righteousness spoken of is not because of the law. Yet it was witnessed by the Law and the Prophets (The Mount of Transfiguration). That establishes the authority and validity of this righteousness spoken of.
This amazing righteousness spoken of here is in and upon people who believe in Jesus only by grace. There is no difference in them that made it be upon them in the sense of them being any better than others to merit it. All humanity has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God so there was nothing special about those who have this righteousness that made them candidates for it. They became this higher state of righteousness when they simply believed in Jesus and received Him as Lord and Savior.
God Sovereignly appointed this responsibility of being the only One who could make a person righteous to His only Son Jesus. It is God who set the terms in place and therefore He is the One who gets to say clearly how a person is able to be made truly righteous and no one gets to alter it.
God had not ultimately punished anyone for their sins before. God had been patient and forbearing and had passed over sins that had been previously committed. People had not felt the fullness of His wrath and He did so in order to demonstrate His righteousness when Jesus would come and would give Himself as a sacrifice to pay for the sin of the world.
He did this to demonstrate that He alone is Just and therefore He alone could be the Justifier of anyone who has faith in Jesus.
All this means that there’s absolutely no way anyone can make themselves more righteous than they are already made to be when they put their faith in Jesus.
To even imagine that anyone could add to the righteousness they have so freely received would be an attempt to rob God of the glory of His very own righteousness imputed through faith in Jesus.
1Corinthians 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
Today I encourage you to make your boast in what Jesus did and refuse to give any place to any thought of having earned even a hint or privilege with God through your own obedience or good works. Make it your aim to give all the glory for your right standing with the Father to Him with a full understanding of how He worked it all out for you in Jesus. Oh what a great love we have come into! Oh what a great God we have come to belong to. Oh what a great salvation is ours to enjoy. Rejoice in the Lord for this today and always.
