Faith and Righteousness - Monday's Lesson


"Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets" (Rom. 3:21). How are we to understand what this text means?

This passage is loaded with meaning but in order to fully understand it we must first ask ourselves a few questions. The first question is what is righteousness? One definition of righteousness is a person characterized by uprightness and morality. In this case it talks about the righteousness of God. This type of righteousness is one which keeps God's laws. This passage it talking about a righetouness without the law.

So lets look at what the passage does not mean. This passage does not mean that the law is being done away with. This passage does not mean that the law it not important. I believe that it means that the scriptures testifiy of a different way to keep the law. This different way of keeping the law is by faith. We are given the righteousness of God by faith and then we therefore have a righteousness apart from the law.

The law and the prophets are names given to different divisions of the old testament scriptures. Paul is letting us know that rightness by faith is possible and they scriptures testify of this fact.

"Righteousnessis obedience to the law. The law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to the law; but he is incapable of rendering it. The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner's account. Christ's righteousness is accepted in place of man's failure, and God receives, pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as He loves His Son."—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 367. How can you learn to accept this wonderful truth for yourself? (See also Rom. 3:22.)

In somethings in life there is no process to doing it you must just do it. With this truth I belive that to be the case. We must learn to accept it, we must let go of trying to work our way to salvation and let God do His thing. But regardless of how difficutl or easy it may be for some of us to accept this truth God is there to help us.

Prayer: Father thank you for all that you have done. Teach us to accept your righteousness by faith. Help us to remove our trust from anything that we can do. Thank you Father in Jesus name amen.