Daily Archives: July 17, 2017

A Righteousness From God

Romans 1:16-17 (p. 1747)                                                               July 16, 2017    

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
a righteousness that is by faith from first to last . . . .
Romans 1:17

Definitions:   salvation = focus on my sin –>  focus on God’s wrath
faith = “ wholehearted trust which the Holy Spirit creates in me by the gospel” (HC, #21)

Righteousness . . .

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation
of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed . . . .     Romans 1:1

1. Righteousness has always been A SCANDAL
2. Righteousness has always been  A SUBSTITUTIONARY STORY
3. FAITH  is how God’s righteousness becomes my ow

Sola fide

 . . . just as it is written:“The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17b (quoting Habakkuk 2:4)

“It is he who is righteous by faith that shall live.”
F.F. Bruce’s paraphrase of Romans 1:17 (Paternoster Press, 1965)

1. Luther encountered  HIS OWN SIN
2. Luther searched for an  “ALIEN”  RIGHTEOUSNESS
3. Luther discovered the  GIFT OF FAITH

Semper reformanda

In which of Luther’s three steps to reformation are you?

How have you experienced the power of the gospel to change your life?  à “Here I stand . . . .”

A working definition of “the gospel”

Though I am under the righteous condemnation of God,
God in his mercy and grace sent his Son to die on my behalf,
that, in Christ and by faith, God’s righteousness is imputed to me.
(adapted from Ligon Duncan’s “Greetings from an Apostle”)

More study resources for Romans 1

Bob Deffinbaugh’s  introduction to Romans at
https://bible.org/seriespage/exploring-riches-book-romans-romans-1-16

Ligon Duncan’s message “Paul’s Good News” at http://www.fpcjackson.org/resourcelibrary/sermons/greetings-from-an-apostle

Kim Riddlebarger’s sermon at http://kimriddlebarger.
squarespace.com/sermons-on-pauls-epistle-to-th/

Sinclair Ferguson’s “The Great Exchanges of Romans” at
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/great-exchanges-romans/

F.F. Bruce’s paraphrase of Romans at https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/eq/1958-2_bruce.pdf  or Paternoster Press (1965) and his Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Eerdmans, 1977).

Tim Keller’s Romans For You (The Good Book, 2014) studies.

Charles Hodge’s Epistle to the Romans (Eerdmans, 1886).

James Boice’s Romans: An Expositional Commentary (Baker Books, 1991).  I especially appreciate his telling of the Martin Luther story, pages 119-126 in Volume 1.

Earl Palmer’s Romans series notes “The Greatest Book”, Winter 2002, University Presbyterian Church, Seattle.

Reading this week: Sin and Salvation, Romans 1:18-3:31

Monday: Romans 1:16-32, The wrath of God against “them”
Yes, we are starting back with last week’s text, but this is a great reminder that we are talking about the gospel which saves!  What evidence do you see in the world that bolsters Paul’s analysis of our wickedness?  How does God’s “giving over” to sin reflect his righteousness?  How have you experienced this aspect if God’s righteousness?

Tuesday: Romans 2:1-16, Now God’s wrath is against me!
When have you most recently encountered the temptation to “pass judgment on someone else?”  How did the gospel touch your life at that moment?

Wednesday: Romans 2:17-29, True Jews and authentic believers
How does Paul’s warning against bragging about the law relate to my walk with Jesus?  To what passages do you turn to learn how the heart (inward, not outward!) gets “circumcised”?  How have you experienced God’s praise?

Thursday: Romans 3:1-20, God’s faithfulness and my sin
How will you answer Paul’s searching questions: “What advantage, then, is there in going to church?” and “Is God unjust in bringing his wrath against us?”  Are you truly convinced that the chain of Old Testament references to sin still apply?  What would you add to the Romans 3:20 summary of the role of the law in our lives?

Friday: Romans 3:21-31, Finally we get to God’s righteousness!
How do the “all” in 3:22 differ from the “all” in 3:23?  When did you most fully understand the “free” (read 3:23-24 again!) nature of the gospel?  What past and present aspects of our salvation does Paul have in mind here?  How have you experienced these past and present realities of the gospel?

Saturday: Psalm 51; 2 Samuel 11-12, A case study in sin and repentance
This long passage is one of the best studies of the consequences and restoration of sin.  With what part of David’s story (and God’s response!) do you identify?  How has David’s restoration story been reflected in your life?  What Nathan has God brought into your life to speak truth and remind you that you are always “loved by the Lord” (see the name Nathan gave Solomon in 2 Samuel 12:25)?