Romans 1:16-17 The Theme of Romans (Revised 2-12-2010)

“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ “ Rom. 1:17

Righteousness….you don’t hear that word much in our current vernacular. However, you will hear that word in its various forms throughout Romans. It is a legal term as well as a practical term. It’s presented in a legal sense in the early chapters of Romans and in a practical sense in the latter chapters.

In a legal sense, it means “to be right” or “not guilty” in a court of law. Legally, someone who is perfect could credit their righteousness to you as long as they are willing to have your guilty behavior credited to them. When this legal exchange takes place, you, the original guilty party, have all the benefits of a “not guilty” verdict. You are legally “right” though your actions in a practical sense are wrong.

The radically bad news is that each of us has done wrong and deserves a declaration of “guilty” and the resulting sentence of hell. The astounding good news (i.e. the gospel) is that each of us wrongdoers are offered a righteousness from God. We are offered a “not guilty” verdict that is a just verdict because a legal exchange with God has taken place. The righteousness from God is received by faith… and from start to finish; faith is all that is required. This is why the Scriptures say those who are declared righteous, live by faith.

This brings us to where we’re headed in the first 3 chapters of Romans. In these chapters, I picture a courtroom with a perfect Judge. All of his judgments are perfect, never wrong, totally just. What is the verdict for those who stand before Him?

In Rom. 1:18-32, Gentiles…guilty!
In Rom. 2:1-4; 17-29, Jews …guilty!
In Rom. 3:9-20, Gentiles and Jews, every human being…guilty…no exceptions!

The gaps in the Scripture passages listed above are:
Romans 2:5-16 God’s judgment.
Romans 3:1-8 Answers to the Jewish skeptic’s questions regarding Paul’s teaching.

As we move forward in Romans, my prayer is that we comprehend with great thanksgiving, the “astounding good news”.