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The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 1: God's Righteousness)



The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 1: God's Righteousness)


Introduction

The epistle of Romans is the foundational epistle of the Christian faith. An analysis of its contents reveals that the letter can be divided into four parts, each part representing a cornerstone of the Christian faith. Missing any one of these four cornerstones, the faith foundation of a Christian can become compromised and shaky. It is vitally important to have a good understanding of each of these four cornerstones to ensure that the foundation of your faith is stable and secure.

Cornerstone 1: God’s Righteousness (Rom.1-3)

We learn from scripture that God is absolute in EVERY way. He is absolutely righteous, absolutely holy, and absolutely just.

Deut 32:4  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

On the other hand, humanity is under a curse. We are born into sin and sinners even at birth. Sin is not just something we do, but it is in our flesh by nature. In our natural state, we are enemies of God, we rebel against the nature of God. We are at enmity with Him.

The letter of Romans starts with some hard, but true words,

Rom 1:18-21  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;  19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Humanity is truly without excuse, and left to our own devises, we digress further and further into ungratefulness, into vain imaginations, and into darkness by rejecting the light of God. There is a point to all that I have expressed here and it has to do with the value and importance of understanding this first cornerstone. In my experience, if one does not take time to really consider the vast gap between God and us humans, one will not get to really grasping the significance of Gods grace, which is the next cornerstone. You see, the two work to strengthen each other. Knowing the dire state of the human heart, and what our fate is, will put the grace of God into proper perspective. The reverse is also true. A deeper comprehension of the price paid to secure grace, reveals the truth of what God’s righteousness and judgement really implies.

We will deal with God’s grace as the second cornerstone in the next post, but for now, let’s get back on topic and continue to define and understand God’s righteousness.

You might be wondering why I have a person jumping into the ocean on the image above. Well, a visual is always a powerful way to express a point. So, let me have you relate to this little allegory.

Place yourself on the beach looking at the horizon formed by the ocean in front of you. Now imagine the expanse of water between you and the continent beyond the horizon. Let’s say that continent represented justification with God, and you wanted to get to that continent to gain justification. You start to run as fast as you can across the beach and then jump with all your might into the ocean. You might end up 4 feet, 10 feet, even 20 feet into the water, but that is absolutely nothing compared to the expanse of water still out ahead of you. The point is that there is no way that you are ever going to gain justification in your own efforts, no matter how hard you try. You can take as many jumps as you like, but somewhere you will have to concede to the fact that you cannot get justification by your own strength, or by your own deeds.

The truth defined in this allegory is the reality we face when it comes to God’s standards for justification. Israel was the first to find out that justification required absolute obedience and compliance to the Mosaic law. God gave 10 commandments and Israel was not able to cope with these. No nation and no individual person can comply with God's laws, even though there were only 10 of them. We all fail miserably because, as Romans chapters 1-3 points out, we are by nature sinful and rebellious to the requirements and nature of God.

So, what is the purpose and conclusion of this first cornerstone? What do we need to fully grasp regarding these first three chapters of Romans, so that we can fully understand and benefit from the grace of God defined in the next cornerstone?

God’s righteousness is defined by His laws and requires perfect compliance to them. Since man cannot comply to God’s laws, the end of God’s righteousness leads to judgement and to wrath. Up until Rom.3:20, it is clear that all humans are heading on a one-way ride to the lake of fire. However, thanks be to the wisdom and grace of God, we are provided with some of the greatest words ever written,

Rom 3:21-22  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

God’s righteousness demanded the fulfilling of the law, but after the cross of Christ, God’s righteousness no longer required the law. The law was fulfilled by Jesus Christ, and this was the propitiation that would appease God’s righteous requirement. Now, because of the cross, the grace of God is made available to all who believe in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus now allows God to impute the righteousness of His Son upon all who believe in Him. The cross of Christ is the most remarkable event and symbol in the history of this world. It allows a righteous and just God to remain righteous and just, yet be able to declare a verdict of innocence and righteousness upon the guilty. The wisdom and grace of God is incomprehensible.

Rom 3:26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST, AND THE JUSTIFIER OF HIM WHICH BELIEVETH IN JESUS. 27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.


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