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    CONTENTS

    Foreword1. Man the Problem: Who is he?

    2. Saving Righteousness Revealed

    3. God "Acquits the Guilty"

    4. "The Just Shall Live By Faith"

    5. "Repentance Unto Life"

    6. Christs Gift is Life

    7. Christ Our Sanctification

    8. Led by the Spirit

    9. The Obedience of Faith

    10.One Faith, One Mission

    Additional Reading

    FOREWORD

    I always intended to write a book on righteousness by faith. I have been acutely

    conscious of the Seventh-day Adventist mission to bring the saving righteousness ofChrist to the world. This has been a great motivating power in my many years of

    teaching and public ministry. With every passing year I have committed myself all themore to the understanding and teaching of this truth that holds the key to Gods final

    message to the world. The conversions to Christ and the commitment to the gospel

    commission that have resulted have provided me as a teacher with lasting satisfaction.

    I have written this book with a solemn feeling of responsibility for those who have beenin my classes. A number of my fellow teachers and former students over the years have

    frequently raised the question: What is it going to take to carry the everlasting gospel of

    http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/suforward.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such01.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such02.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such03.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such04.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such05.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such06.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such06.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such07.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such08.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such09.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such10.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such10.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such10.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/suadread.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/suadread.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such10.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such09.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such08.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such07.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such06.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such05.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such04.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such03.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such02.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/such01.htmhttp://www.sdanet.org/atissue/books/su/suforward.htm
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    Revelation 14 to all the world in our generation? I cannot help believing that the answer

    centers in the saving righteousness of Jesus Christ.

    I confess to a great sense of inadequacy, since each chapter requires a volume by itself

    to do justice to the subject. This book is not an exhaustive treatise on the subject. There

    have been conspicuous other works on the same theme. But the various aspects raised inthe respective chapters I consider are of real importance. As for other aspects not dealt

    with, I can only request of my readers to believe that I do not write in ignorance of

    them. There is much more that could be written, for the truth of righteousness by faith is

    inexhaustible.

    I am certain that no subject has been more often proclaimed from desk and pulpit. We

    have all listened to numerous presentations on the subject. So there is the possibility of

    thinking we are merely going over the same ground. But many professed Christians do

    not understand righteousness by faith in a practical sense, especially the doctrine and

    experience of sanctification and the work of the Holy Spirit.

    It is hoped that this book may not lack a wide interest and appeal, that it may help

    quicken the sense of the churchs mission. Of our need to be renewed and filled with the

    Holy Spirit it would be superfluous to speak. For are not many of Gods people, and

    especially the young people, already becoming aware of the need of a revival based onthe whole truth of Christ our Righteousness? In a study of this kind the pivot is Jesus

    Christ. Everything centers in Him, the Saviour and Lord who would possess all our

    hearts. We must never forget that we are to live by faith in the One who is "the author

    and the finisher of our faith."

    The theological and practical aspects of the subject blend with, or overlap, each other.

    In dealing to some degree with the theological aspect, I am not insensible to the need toinvolve my readers in this truth. I would like to believe that in the following pages I

    have done something to bridge the gulf between the theology of righteousness by faith

    and the experience of it. This great truth is not something to quibble about. It is the way

    of salvation. I desire to involve the reader personally in Christ, the "Lord our

    Righteousness." It is not my purpose to raise theological issues. Theoretical unbelief has

    never been mans problem when confronted with this truth. The chief obstacle is

    personala practical unbelief known only to the individual. Such a great truth, if it is to

    have saving power, must not be cast into a theoretical mold.

    I have sought to address the hearts of my readers with the urgency of the claims of JesusChrist, to make it incumbent to apply these claims to their lives. As you value your soul

    before God, I request that you study this work with a calm, intelligent, and open mind. Isend it forth with the prayer that by His Spirit, God will deign to use it as a means of

    awakening some and inspiring others to enter more fully into Gods salvation unlimited.

    This book pleads for a personal living relationship with Christ through His Holy Spirit.

    The book has come from much travail of soul and with many prayers that Christ will be

    more than a name, more than a theological idea, but a power equal to all our needs and

    our temptations, and our need to be saved eternally.

    I venture just one more remark. In our pursuit of life in Christ, I pray that the reader willfind how true is the experience promised to us in the wonderful words of the apostle

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    Paul: "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and

    righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30).

    EDWARD HEPPENSTALL

    THE QUESTION as to the nature and destiny of man will not rest unanswered. We do not

    wonder at this. One of the most important questions we can ask is: What is man? Who is he in

    this world? Every person is under obligation to ask himself: Who am I? Why am I here? Where

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    did I come from and where am I going? Personal identity and maturity depend on the answers

    to these questions. We cannot be honest with ourselves until we seek such answers.

    According to the Bible account, the first thing we learn about man is that he is a created

    being, made in the image of God. We read these words in the first chapter of Genesis:

    Then God said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness to rule So God created man

    in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created

    them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase, fill the earth and

    subdue it, rule over . . . every living thing that moves upon the earth" (Gen. 1:26-28,

    N.E.B.). [Texts in this book credited to N.E.B. are from The New English Bible. The Delegates of theOxford University Press anti the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press 1970. Reprinted by

    permission.]

    What is man that thou shouldst remember him, mortal man that thou shouldst care for

    him? Yet thou hast made him little less than a god, crowning him with glory and

    honour. Thou makest him master over all thy creatures; thou hast put everything underhis feet: . . . 0 Lord our sovereign, how glorious is thy name in all the earth! (Ps. 8:4-9,

    N.E.B.).

    Herein is the greatness of man: made in Gods image, a son of God, a godlike being

    with capacity for fellowship with God. He is a child of Gods creation, made to respond

    freely as an earthly son to his father. He is the original prince of this world, responsibleonly to God Himself.

    Because God is love, love requires fullness of expression. God as love cannot live by

    Himself in an empty universe. Love requires a beloved. God expressed Himself in

    creatures akin to Himself, holding communion with them. As free moral agents, Adam

    and Eve were given the opportunity of a right response, a clear recognition of personal

    responsibility to Him who had created them. Man was made in the likeness of God, not

    in the likeness of the brutes.

    Man must never be thought of as separate from God. Man is not given qualities by

    which he functions independently of God. The moment man is thought of as

    independent of God, man destroys his identity. He no longer can see himself orunderstand himself as man.

    At no time is man viewed as "neutral" or isolated, but always in relationship to God. . . .When the Bible speaks about man it is not expressing some subjective estimate of man,

    but is speaking about the real actual nature of man, "who can simply not be thought ofwithout God." . . . That is what the theological approach demands; it asks for the

    opposite of an abstract view of man which treats man as an isolated and self-enclosedunity, which can exist and which can be understood by itself.G. C.

    BERKOUWER,Man, the Image of God(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Win. B. Eerdmans

    Publishing Company, 1962), pp. 32, 33. Used by permission.

    Berkouwer states further:

    The light of Scripture reveals . . . a wholly real relationship to God, without which manin his essence and his actuality can never be understood.Ibid., p. 33.

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    The second fact we learn about man is that because of who man is, he had intrinsic

    value to God and to his fellow men, since all men share in the divine likeness. Man was

    created to be a king on earth, not a slave; a prince, not a pauper. Man is the vicegerent

    of God, having dominion over the earth. Thus God purposes for man the highest

    destiny, the noblest fulfillment, an eternity of creative achievement.

    Nothing is more reasonable and inspiring than Gods account in Genesis of mans origin

    and destiny, endorsed by Jesus Himself. (See Matthew 19:4.) Whatever is our view ofman will determine the value we place upon him. According to Gods Word, the chief

    end of man is to glorify God, to enjoy the fellowship of Gods highest creatures

    throughout the universe.

    The third fact is that God gave man life. Only God has life in Himself. The life man has

    is not his own. It is continually derived from God. In the beginning God created man

    and gave him life, but only in dependence on God and union with God Himself. As long

    as man is linked with God he continues to live. Separated from the Source of life, he

    must die sooner or later. Man is not immortal; neither does he have an immortal soul.He is not constructed of two or three separate entities such as body, soul, and spirit.

    These and other terms refer to differing functions of the whole man. When the apostlePaul speaks of the conflict between spirit and flesh in the Christian life, he does not

    refer to two separate entities but to two opposing tendencies within the whole man.

    God never addresses a part of man as having more significance than the rest of man.

    God always speaks to man in his totality. There is no separate consciousness in any of

    these parts. The image of God is never localized in some part of man. The whole man ismade in Gods image.

    The Scripture never pictures man as a dualistic, or pluralistic being, but that in all itsvaried expressions the whole man comes to the fore, in all his guilt and sin, his need and

    oppression, his longings and his nostalgia. And it is thus a priori unlikely that the

    Biblical view of man will distinguish a higher and a lower part in man implying that the

    higher part is holier than the lower and stands closer to God, the lower as such then

    being impure and sinful and further away from the God of life.Ibid., p. 203.

    The most striking thing in the Biblical portrayal of man lies in this, that it never asks

    attention for man in himself, but demands our fullest attention for man in his relation to)

    God.Ibid., p. 195.

    The Fall of Man

    The Creation account given in Genesis states that when God looked on everything that

    He had made, He saw that it was good (see Gen. 1:31). The Bible also affirms that man

    is no longer what God made him or intended him to be. As we look at our world, we can

    see that something has gone terribly wrong with it. Nothing is more apparent than that.

    Whenever we reflect on the nature of man, we cannot escape considering evil, which

    man does and lives and experiences in his everyday life. It is not possible to distanceourselves from this serious problem by a simple relativizing of human evil. Nor is it

    possible to escape it by stressing the anonymity of evil, since it stands constantly beforeus in concrete and localized form.Ibid., p. 13.

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    According to the Bible, it all started with Satan, the devil, who sought to usurp the place

    of God.

    How art thou fallen from heaven, 0 Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down

    to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will

    ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also uponthe mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights

    of the clouds; I will be like the most High (Isa. 14:12-14).

    Satan dethroned God in his life and put himself there. This claim to a life independent

    of God was a declaration of war against the Creator of heaven and earth. This war began

    in heaven and moved to this earth (see Rev. 12:7-9).

    The first human characters in the war were Adam and Eve, the first parents of all living

    beings on earth. God made them perfect in a perfect world, with perfect freedom to

    respond to Him in love. Then one day, Satan, an apostate angel once called Lucifer,

    invaded Eden and persuaded Adam and Eve to follow him. They listened and acceptedhis offer to help them become gods in their own right by asserting their independence

    from God (see Gen. 3:5). They dethroned God in their lives and put self-will in place ofGods will. Instead of freedom, they became captives of Satan, who declared himself

    the prince of this world. Adam and Eve lost their sovereignty.

    By their own choice Adam and Eve separated themselves from the life of God. Their

    whole natures were corrupted. A physical, mental, and spiritual change passed over

    them by virtue of the fact that they had fallen into sin.

    Consequently, all of Adams descendants born thereafter have inherited the result and

    the consequences of Adams sin: separation from God. Babies die, not because they have actually sinned or are punished by God, but because they are now part of this

    alienation from the Source of life. All men were born self-centered, not God-centered.

    This is the beginning point of all sin, a life apart from God, where self is king rather

    than God.

    Mark what follows. It was through one man that sin entered the world, and through sin

    death, and thus death pervaded the whole human race, inasmuch as all men have sinned

    (Rom. 5:12, N.E.B.).

    As a result of Adams sin all men sin and all men die. There are no exceptions. The fallfrom righteousness to unrighteousness did take place. It did occur. Adams original

    righteousness and right relation with God have been lost. Since then the Bible declares

    of man:

    There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that

    seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, . . . there is none that doeth good,

    no, not one (Rom. 3:10-12).

    This rupture between God and man is not an illusion or myth that can be dismissed by

    right thinking and right living. Sin is a religious concept. It describes something that

    happened and exists between God and man. The failure and sinfulness of the humanrace are due to mans wrong relationship with God.

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    Sin . . . is not merely an ethical, but . . . a religious conception. It does not denote simply

    wrong of man against man, but expresses a relation of the individual and his action to

    God. It does not regard the wrong act simply as a violation or transgression of moral

    law, but as violation of duty towards God, or offence against Him. "Against Thee, Thee

    only, have I sinned" (Ps. 51:4).JAMES ORR: Gods Image in Man(New York: A. C.

    Armstrong and Son, 1907), pp. 212, 213.

    The Fall involved all men. The effects of that historical catastrophe caused this planet to

    be inhabited by a race of sinners whose "carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not

    subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot

    please God" (Rom.8:7, 8).

    Man in every part of his being has fallen away from God and from righteousness. In

    relation to God, man stands in opposition. In relation to himself, he is divided. Sin has

    perverted and disorganized his nature. His spiritual disease seems incurable. Sin and

    death hold dominion over man. The haunting evil in man cannot be banished from the

    world by man himself. No mere man has completely lived up to Gods original purpose.

    Sin not only brings disease and bondage but divine condemnation and judgment. Sin notonly causes unhappiness but brings upon man the death penalty for breaking the law of

    God. Man is not just sick. He is a lost man. He lacks not only social and emotionalcompatibility but righteousness and harmony with God. Any view that falls short of the

    Bible truth about man is radically defective as to the nature of man and his basic

    problem. The Bible says that the natural man is dead in sin, and deserving of divine

    judgment. The condemnation is as sweeping as it is unequivocal, and is a naturalconsequence of mans own choice.

    And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time pastye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of

    the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also

    we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires

    of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath (Eph. 2:1-3).

    The real essence of the evil act . is . the selfwill which throws off Gods authority,

    and arrogates to itself the right to choose its own end, and that an-other end than Gods.

    . . . Sin in its essence is the taking into the will of the principle opposite to thisthat not

    Gods will, but my own will, is to be the ultimate law of my life. It is the exaltation of

    self against God: the setting up of self-will against Gods will: at bottom Egoism.Ibid., pp. 216, 217.

    Therefore man is unable to make a true evaluation of himself. Because of sin, self-

    knowledge as to who he is becomes very difficult to obtain.

    Scripture . . . speaks of the darkness, apostasy, rebellion of man, his opposition to

    everything God intended in creating man in His image. Hence man, in his rebellion,precisely in his insistence on autonomy, is in inescapable and deepseated conflict with

    himself, with his "essence," his true humanity. . . . For man as sinner is alienated notonly from God but also from himself.BERK0WER, op. cit.,p. 65.

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    The Sinfulness of Man

    Man ought more highly to regard Gods truth concerning his divine origin and destiny.

    The God of heaven never relinquishes His position as Father. Man in his wretched

    condition is never deserted by the God of heaven. At the same time God is very realistic

    about the sin problem. The Scriptures speak categorically of mans depravity anddescent into sin.

    (Jer. 17:9). From head to foot there is not a sound spot in you (Isa. 1:6, N.E.B.). I am

    carnal, sold under sin (Rom. 7:14). For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwellethno good thing (verse 18).

    Total depravity is the phrase used to describe the sinner in his lost condition. This does

    not mean that sin manifests itself in every man in the same manner or to the same

    degree. It does not mean necessarily total wickedness or sinfulness. The

    word total simply has reference to the whole man as being infected with sin. No part of

    man is exempt. The alienation from God has adversely affected man in all his parts: hiswill, feelings, reason.

    There is no limit or boundary within human nature beyond which we can find some last

    human reserve untouched by sin; it is man himself who is totally corrupt. . . . But a

    warning against every attempt to find in fallen man some "remnant" which can escape

    the divine indictment should never minimize the reality of mans being human in his

    being sinner; something which in the eyes of God does not relativize sin, but

    emphasizes it.BERKOUWER, op. cit.,p. 135.

    Anthropologists and sociologists frequently. assert that belief in mans total depravity is

    contrary to sound psychology, an exaggerated statement of mans sinfulness that fails to

    do justice to the good in mans nature. They affirm that man is basically good as

    evidenced by the great progress man has made in the course of history, in the noble

    specimens of manhood and womanhood. Religionists, as well, point to the virtues ofmen who make no claim to be Christian as evidence that any belief in mans depravity

    goes contrary to the facts.

    There are many dimensions to sin, many grades in the seriousness of sin, many kinds of

    specific sins. But there is also a universal state of sinfulness. . . . The sinfulness of the

    human situation betrays moreover the fact that all men are somehow bound to sin. . .

    .Therefore, sin dominates men. It is not merely an occasional decision; it is a power thatcreates the atmosphere in which men live. It dominates their mind (Rom. 1:21), their

    will (Rom. 7:15-20), and their body (Rom. 7:24). Individual men are inextricably

    involved and hopelessly controlled by something which Paul telescoped into the word

    "sin."LEWIS B. SMEDES,All Things Made New (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William

    B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (1970), p. 102. Used by permission.

    If ever the evidence was conclusive it is apparent today. Mans life is everywhere set

    against righteousness and the law of God. Man in his sinfulness cannot apprehend the

    truth of God. Each succeeding generation makes the same tragic mistakes. Man never

    seems to learn. Evil tendencies abound. Sin has produced a radical insanity of evil

    passions, selfish ambitions, wild desires, unreasonable emotions that are the curse of allmen on the earth.

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    Mans moral and spiritual disorder reaches back throughout mans entire history,

    perpetuated through every generation since the fall of Adam. Mans sinful nature cannotbe changed except by the power of God. The Christian faith is Gods program for mans

    restoration and transformation.

    Unfortunately, the natural man, the unregenerate man, whose mind is darkened andblinded by sin and self-will, is unable to understand and acknowledge the truth about

    himself as God sees it. Because man chooses to take his motivation from himself rather

    than from God, the seriousness of his sinfulness is toned down. Men may detect the

    injustice of mans inhumanity to man. They may interpret religion, and mans personalhappiness, in terms of meeting mans social, physical, and emotional needs, without

    dealing with mans basic problem. Life with God cannot be assumed or taken for

    granted merely because of mans natural virtues and goodness. To shift mans center

    from self, back to God, does not occur automatically or easily within the course of

    secular education, human culture, and the natural process of human development.

    It is possible to build a desirable moral and social order and still ignore God. Man isdeeply fallen. The natural qualities and power with which God endowed him at Creation

    are not sufficient to save him. They do not lead him back to God. Man in his fallencondition tends to dedicate these gifts mostly to the worship of self. For the most part

    men tend to believe in the competency of the human mind to arrive at truth without

    special revelation from God. They continue to make the same mistake that Adam and

    Eve made in the beginning. They accept Satans offer to be like God without God, self-

    contained and self-sufficient. Consequently, the Bible passes judgment on the natural

    goodness and righteousness of men outside of God.

    But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we

    all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away (Isa. 64:6).

    Let us give our philosophers, moralists, and scientists the credit they deserve, but let not

    man proclaim them the saviors of the race. Belief in the evolutionary origin of man and

    belief in his natural goodness and progress conspire to obliterate the real truth aboutmans lost condition and his need of divine revelation and salvation. While we can

    appreciate the progress seen in the world today under the leadership of brilliant men, letus recognize that these things do not obviate mans need for salvation at the hands of

    the living God. Man has nothing, absolutely nothing, in himself that he can use to solvethe problem of sin and death. We regret that modern man, for the most part, forsakes the

    light of the gospel for the artificial light of human reason and the creations of mansown mind.

    It is customary to magnify the greatness of man above the revelation from God and

    point with undisguised satisfaction to the natural goodness of man in the hope that

    ultimately the world will arrive at the millennium. But the belief that man can, by

    himself, save civilization is sheer foolishness. Mankind will never undergo the

    necessary change of heart and life by any human method of development. Modern man

    needs more than liberty by law and discipline, however good this may be for the social

    and civil order. He needs liberty by Jesus Christ.

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    Jesus said, "If you dwell within the revelation I have brought, you are indeed my

    disciples; you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free. . . . If then the Son

    sets you free, you will indeed be free" (John 8:3136, N.E.B.).

    It is not easy to get man to think seriously about his own spiritual needs. Modern man is

    not concerned much about his sins or his distance from God. Unfortunately, thepleasantness of sin is a distinct possibility. Much of sin offers men both delight and

    pleasure. People do succeed in the ways of unrighteousness here on earth. Not all sin is

    unattractive. The wages of sin are not always seen in the light of failure and

    wretchedness.

    Often men come to believe that sin is terrible only when it results in disease, poverty,

    prison, extended suffering, and death; and that so long as one can escape these things,

    sinful living can be made desirable. But sin is never more perilous than when it is

    successful. It is never more costly than when it pays off. It is never more disastrous than

    when it appears attractive. It is never more deceptive than when people find so much

    satisfaction with it.

    The tempter often works most successfully through those who are least suspected ofbeing under his control. The possessors of talent and education are admired and

    honored, as if these qualities could atone for the absence of the fear of God or entitlemen to His favor. Talent and culture, considered in themselves, are gifts of God; but

    when these are made to supply the place of piety, when, instead of bringing the soul

    nearer to God, they lead away from Him, then they become a curse and a snare. The

    opinion prevails with many that all which appears like courtesy or refinement must, in

    some sense, pertain to Christ. Never was there a greater mistake. These qualities should

    grace the character of every Christian, for they would exert a powerful influence in

    favor of true religion; but they must be consecrated to God, or they also are a power for

    evil. Many a man of cultured intellect and pleasant manners, who would not stoop to

    what is commonly regarded as an immoral act, is but a polished instrument in the hands

    of Satan. The insidious, deceptive character of his influence and example renders him amore dangerous enemy to the cause of Christ than are those who are ignorant and

    uncultured.The Great Controversy, p. 509.

    Most of the ways of educated men and women are exempt from the crudities and

    vulgarities that one finds on skid row. The excesses and brutality of men disgust right-thinking people. But men seem to be little disturbed by the attractive sinfulness of our

    day, the licentious living magnified in modern fiction and portrayed on screen, stage,and television, the sensual pleasures veneered with fine clothes and gold, the subtle

    theological errors advanced with charm, smoothness, sophistication, and gentility. It is

    here that the souls of men stand in particular jeopardy.

    Today man faces a crisis of independencehis autonomy, confidence in his own

    strength, capacity, and ability. The smarter and the greater he appears to be the more

    importance he attaches to himself, the more he deifies himself. Man, with all his

    wisdom, has exploited his fellow men and the world in which he lives. The world is no

    longer a safe place to dwell in. Outside of God man can only wax worse and worse. The

    alienation of the human heart from God is the most tragic thing that has ever happened

    to man.

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    Is Man Really Lost?

    The Bible begins with God and ends with God.

    In the beginning God created (Gen. 1:1).

    He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly (Rev. 22:20).

    Between the beginning of our world and its end lies the history of man. Let usremember then that certain facts confront those who dwell on the earth. First, God

    created man in His image. Second, man fell from original righteousness with the

    consequent involvement of the human race in sin. Third, in view of the fact that man is

    a historical being, God must enter into human history and become part of the historicalprocess if man is to be saved. Gods invasion into our world on a rescue mission

    occurred in the person of Gods Son, Jesus Christ. These are supreme historical

    realities, not illusions. Because they are facts that belong to the history of man, man

    must pay attention to them.

    Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard,lest at any time we should let them slip. . . . How shall we escape, if we neglect so great

    salvation? (Heb. 2:1-3).

    The rescue of our world cannot be realized by glossing over the facts. But what shall we

    conceive this human tragedy to mean in terms of mans eternal destiny? Is it really true

    that hundreds of millions of people are lost, that most people who live on this planet are

    destined for eternal extinction? Or is God so loving and merciful that He will forgiveand save all His lost children regardless?

    When the Bible affirms that "there is none righteous, no, not one: . . . there is none that

    seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:10, 11), does this mean that all the "good" people in theworld who do not believe in Jesus Christ are going to suffer the agonies of hell-fire and

    the outer darkness, where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth? Is there

    danger that we consider God as permissive and grandfatherly and refuse to consider the

    possibility of mans being eternally lost?

    How serious is Jesus Christ about this question?

    For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have anhundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine,

    and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? . . . Even so it is

    not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish

    (Matt. 18:11-14).

    Jesus warned that men could perishforever. Men could build their lives either upon

    the rock or on the sand. The consequence of building on the sand would be final

    destruction, but on the rock, life eternal. He said further that men must choose one of

    two masters; they take one of two roads, the broad road or the narrow way. The choice

    men make would be decisive for the life to come. Christ spoke of the final day when He

    would separate the sheep from the goats:

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    When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, . . .

    before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as

    a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right

    hand, but the goats on the left. ... Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,

    Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels

    (Matt. 25:31-41).

    Why not soften the blow? Why discourage people by talking too much about their sins

    and their being lost? Why not limit the classification "goats" to the incorrigibles? Why

    not include with the "sheep" all the fair-minded, the orderly, those who give a good

    account of themselves as law-abiding citizens? Why make salvation so difficult? Men

    need a simple way of salvation. If men are living good moral lives, why not let this be

    enough to usher them through the pearly gates?

    If men join a church why not recognize they are all heading toward the one kingdom of

    God? Why not make a simple confession of belief in God sufficient to save men? Why

    not believe that to be saved God simply requires men to live up to the best they know,regardless of race, color, creed, country, or religion? Why press the authority of the

    Bible upon people who live respectable lives? Why clothe the pulpit and the preachingwith the claims of an infallible Bible and insist that men obey all the commandments of

    God? Is it not better to believe that the God who guides the stars will at last bring our

    earth-ship to the safe haven that God destined for her at Creation? Is not God far too

    good to let His wayward children perish at last?

    However, salvation is not to be purchased at the price of error and falsity. Sinful men

    are dependent upon what God has revealed. Bible truth can never be a fetter upon the

    freedom and salvation of man. For man to be redeemed and transformed there is need of

    a divine agency, but with the solemn endowment of freedom of choice.

    Gods revelation in Jesus Christ and in His Word alone can show man the way, the

    truth, and the life. Man must see the truth of God before he can appropriate it. His

    response to Gods way of salvation cannot be blind reception. Redemption is

    reconciliation to God and restoration of man to the image in which God created him.

    His salvation cannot be realized except as he discerns Gods supreme effort in humanhistory for mans rescue.

    Men do differ as to the nature of man, sin, and Jesus Christ. The struggle of the

    Christian church shows the encounters between truth and error. The choice lies,therefore, between the Word of God and the word of men. What a man believes does

    matter. Men may affirm they care little or nothing for the great truths of the Bible. Menalso may affirm they care little or nothing for the doctors knowledge of medicine. But

    this is perilous. The sound mind must insist that the doctor, the dentist, the builder of the

    house, the man who repairs his shoes, must know his business before he begins to

    practice it. So it is that if a man does not believe the revealed Word of God, then there

    will be no need to live by it. He has made the choice and he cannot avoid the

    consequences.

    Mans lost condition is clearly seen in the greatness of the salvation provided for him by

    God in Jesus Christ. The price that God paid to save men speaks unmistakably of whoman is and how vital it is to rescue him from sin and eternal loss. Men measure the

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    worth of the kidnapped by the price paid for his ransom. How great must man I be who

    must be rescued at such a price!

    Jesus Christ is the center of human history, the Rock, the unmovable Foundation upon

    which man can depend. All the lines of history converge toward this one Man. The

    universal tragedy of sin and the divine redemption in Christ belong together. Man inhimself has no way back to God. He cannot be lured by clever arguments and social

    improvements into reconciliation with the God of heaven. Man is blind to his lost

    condition unless he is enlightened by God and by His Word.

    The more we face the truth about man in this world, the more salvation by Jesus Christ

    is seen as necessary. The right view of sin and death demands the right view of the

    divine remedy. Let a man state his understanding of the nature of man and he will state

    what he thinks of Jesus Christ and His work. Both truths stand or fall together. Where a

    man is able to redeem himself, he is no longer in need of a divine Redeemer.

    Apart from the person and work of Jesus Christ man must sink under the eternaljudgment of God.

    But as it is, he has appeared once and for all at the climax of history to abolish sin by

    the sacrifice of himself. And as it is the lot of men to die once, and after death comes

    judgement, so Christ was offered once to bear the burden of mens sins, and will appear

    a second time, sin done away, to bring salvation to those who are watching for him

    (Heb. 9:26-28, N.E.B.).

    Only God is equal to the sin and death problem. Men need to believe in the one true God

    whose Word and acts reveal He is truly able to save the world. Men do not need theories

    about salvation and self-improvement that are the product of mans own thinking. They need

    the mighty acts of God, a salvation wrought out by God Himself and not by man.

    Jews and Greeks alike are all under the power of sin. This has scriptural warrant: "There

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    is no just man, not one." For sin pays a wage, and the wage is death (Rom. 3:9, 10; 6:23,

    N.E.B.).

    WE FIND from Scripture that mans alienation from God is marked by two fatal

    consequences: He is wholly without righteousness, and he is under sentence of death.

    Therefore, for man to be saved, God must do two things: He must remove the deathsentence, and He must provide a perfect righteousness and the divine power that brings

    men into a right relationship with Himself. The first God does by the death of Christ;the second by Christs righteous life on earth. This is the gospel, "the power of God

    unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16).

    The Gospel is Gods Gospel; God is the planner of this Gospel. God is the initiator of

    this Gospel. Indeed everything about the Gospel should always be in terms of God

    primarily, for this reason, that sin after all is rebellion against God. Sin is not just

    something that means that you and I have failed, and have let down ourselves and our

    standard; sin is not just something that makes us miserable and unhappy. The essence of

    sin is rebellion against God leading to estrangement from God; and if we do notconceive of sin always in reference to God and our relationship to Him, we have an

    inadequate conception of sin.... This is the starting point of the Gospel. . . . And ourcentral need, therefore, is to be reconciled to God. . . . As our sin is separation from

    Him, salvation is reconciliation to Him.MARTYN LL0YD-JONES,Romans (Grand

    Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1970), p. 33. Used by permission.

    The Sinners Need of Righteousness

    Men seem almost indifferent to the desperate peril created by sin. All too often men are

    utterly unaware of the power of sin in their own lives and the record of sin that stands

    against them in the courts of heaven for which they must answer in the judgment. Sin is

    an unlimited evil. Once it is committed, it cannot be undone.

    Yet the Bible is full of expressions of Gods love for sinners. It is God who "spared not

    his own Son, but delivered him up for us all" (Rom. 8:32). It is God who "so loved the

    world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should notperish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). It is God, our heavenly Father, who will

    never dishonor His character of righteousness and truth by offering to save man in his

    sins and let sin continue to reign. The everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ meets the needs

    of sinful man.

    For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation

    to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the

    righteousness of God revealed from faith to) faith: as it is written, The just shall live by

    faith (Rom 1:16, 17).

    In this text Paul affirms that the gospel saves sinners because in it is revealed the"righteousness of God," which is now made available for unrighteous men. Gods

    answer to the sin problem is tied to the word "righteousness," the one thing that man

    does not have.

    The frequency with which the word "righteousness is used in the Bible when speakingof Gods plan to redeem man stands in contrast to the human race where none is

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    righteous. How can man get right with God? How can man be reconciled to God? How

    can man be restored to the image of God and to His likeness?

    In the very same verses where Paul speaks of the revelation of Gods saving

    righteousness he also speaks of the revelation of Gods wrath.

    For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness andunrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness (verse 1 8).

    We make no plea for a God who must execute justice and demand payment, but for the

    need of a loving God who must reveal mercy and righteousness if the sinner is to be

    redeemed. What a universal need for saving righteousness exists in the world, the need

    for man to be restored to God and to his original state from whence he is fallen! At the

    same time God makes no compromise with sin.

    Of course we do not mean by "the wrath of God" capriciousness or some uncontrolled

    emotion, or arbitrary anger, and loss of self-control. What it means is Gods utterdetestation of sin and evil. This is something that is revealed everywhere in Scripture.

    What is the meaning of the Ten Commandments if it is not this? They are a revelation

    of the holy character of God. God says to His people, "Be ye holy; for I am holy ... God

    cannot but hate sin. God would not be God if He did not hate sin God is light and in him

    is no darkness at all."Ibid., pp. 8, 9.

    Gods answer to the sin problem is the revelation of His righteousness. What is this

    "righteousness of God" that saves men?

    The Biblical Meaning ofRighteousness

    The Bible uses the word righteousness in several different ways.

    First, righteousness is spoken of as an attribute of God, a specific quality of Gods own

    character. God is righteousness in the same sense that He is truth, light, love. Perfectrighteousness belongs to God as an intrinsic part of His own being. Speaking of God,

    Isaiah says: "And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the

    girdle of his reins" (Isa. 11:5).

    But righteousness as a divine attribute does not save men. On the contrary, were God to

    manifest Himself openly to sinners in His untrammeled righteousness and perfection,this would result in mans destruction. No sinner could endure it for a moment.

    Second, the word "righteousness" is also used to describe the uprightness of men, themorality of those who seek to live righteously in this present world. Daniel, when

    addressing King Nebuchadnezzar as he faced the judgment of God, urged upon

    him: "0King, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by

    righteousness" (Dan. 4:27).

    The word "righteousness" is here conceived in terms of right-doing. It can refer to moral

    men either Christian or non-Christian, describing a way of life in obedience to moral

    principles and personal integrity. A certain moral righteousness does belong to maninsofar as he obeys the law of God and the moral laws underlying society. This relative

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    righteousness is of great importance in terms of mans responsibility to his fellow men.

    This human uprightness and morality does play a significant part in maintaining the

    social and civil order of the nation.

    But again, this does not save man, since man cannot obey the law of God perfectly in

    himself. The righteousness that saves men is not attainable by human effort whatsoever.Man is not saved by works of righteousness, although righteous living will follow as a

    consequence of a right relationship with God. God is not saying that the morality of

    law-abiding citizens is not a good thing for the present world order. It certainly is

    desirable. But it does not save a man.

    Third, the righteousness that saves is the "righteousness of God" revealed to man

    through Jesus Christ alone.

    But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the

    law and the prophets; 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: for all have sinned,and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the

    redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:21-24).

    The beginning of mans return to God converges in the life and death of the Son of God.

    He is the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), and,

    "when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much

    more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10). Alone, God in Christ

    reconciled the world unto Himself (see 2 Cor. 5:19). He requires no help from man in

    this supreme revelation of saving righteousness.

    Thus saving righteousness is not an attribute of God or an ethical requirement anddemand by God. It is a divine act that reveals in historical events Gods plan and power

    to save man. It is an objective act that changes the hopeless situation of mankind

    whether men believe and accept salvation or not.

    Salvation by the righteousness of Christ means that man acknowledges and believes that

    God has revealed and effected in Christ alone a righteousness that is eternally all-

    sufficient for all men. This perfect righteousness consists of Christs fulfillment of

    Gods commandments and obedience to the will of God that was maintained even unto

    the death on the cross. It is a righteousness that satisfies all the requirements of divine

    justice, revealed in the sphere of human sin and death. This makes the gospel the powerof God unto salvation.

    The Christian faith is not a philosophy, it is not merely a teaching. It is based on a series

    of historical events. The teaching derives from and is grounded in the historical events.

    That can never be too much emphasized, because this is the point at which our faith

    differs from every so-called religion. All religions are teachings; this (the Christian

    faith) is event and historical happening before it is teaching; it is an announcement ofevents, of actions and of facts. . . . God has revealed this, and He has done so in the

    historical events connected with the life and work and ministry, the death andresurrection and ascension of the Son of God, and with the descent of the Holy Ghost on

    the day of Pentecost.Ibid.,

    pp. 40, 41.

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    It is important to understand Pauls statements on this great truth. First, he emphasizes

    the fact that the righteousness that saves is "the righteousness of God," in order to

    distinguish it from the righteousness of men. It is the righteousness of God revealedand

    not the righteousness of man achieved (but it is the righteousness of Christ achieved inman). The saving initiative is Gods. To be saved man needs a revelation from God, not

    a new set of requirements.

    The particular form that the revelation of saving righteousness takes is determined by

    God alone. It does not come through the involved and complicated arguments of the

    worlds great men. No amount of mental activity by man can produce it. Saving

    righteousness is due entirely to divine action. God alone, in a unique act of redemption,has brought to bear upon mans lost condition a revelation of His saving power and

    righteousness.

    Now the revelation of God in nature has no solution to the sin problem. Nature speaksto mans need of God, but brings no satisfaction. The argument for the existence of God

    from nature has meaning only for the man who already has a Christian orientation andexperience. To claim to believe in God because one can see design in nature and an

    orderly universe does not make a person a Christian. Simply to theorize about thedesign and purpose of God in creation can only distract from the first business of life, to

    "seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). Without the divine

    intervention of God in Christ, the shadows of sin and death that have fallen upon all

    men can issue only in the continual descent of the race into eternal darkness from which

    there is no escape.

    Neither is salvation to be conceived as a solution to the social problems of the race

    effected by the wisdom of man. The "righteousness of God" is not a soothing of ones

    guilt or cheering one up in the hours of discouragement. Man is never saved by his own

    moral development. No righteousness exists among men that is acceptable to God. Only

    the righteousness of God is the power unto salvation, because only God can provide and

    bestow it. Without it man must remain in slavery to sin and under the sentence of death.

    Salvation does not merely consist in our receiving forgiveness of sins. The thing that

    Apostle [Paul] stresses is that we are given a positive righteousness. "But now" he says,

    "the righteousness of God." What man had been trying to produce, and especially the

    Jews, was a righteousness that would satisfy God. The Jews thought they were doing itthrough the Law; others thought they were doing it with their morality and their

    philosophy. Paul has proved that it was all vain. "But now," he says, there is an entirelynew positiona righteousness from God is available. This is the big thing in salvation; .

    . . Before we can be admitted to heaven we must be clothed with righteousness. . . . A

    righteousness of God, or from God, is now available because of what Christ did when

    He came into the world and what He has completed by going back again to the

    Father.Ibid., pp. 42, 43.

    The divine source of saving righteousness is Jesus Christ, His person and His work on

    earth. Here alone God has revealed the righteousness that man needs.

    You are in Christ Jesus by Gods act, for God has made him our wisdom; he is our

    righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30, N.E.B.).

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    I count everything sheer loss, because all is far outweighed by the gain of knowing

    Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I did in fact lose everything. I count it so much

    garbage, for the sake of gaining Christ and finding myself incorporate in him, with no

    righteousness of my own . . . but the righteousness which comes from faith in Christ,

    given by God in response to faith (Phil. 3:8, 9, N.E.B.).

    Saving righteousness is called the righteousness of Christ because it belongs to Him

    alone, it comes from Him and not from the law. The prophet speaks of "The Lord our

    righteousness" (Jer. 33:16). Paul describes it as the "righteousness of one" man;

    "obedience of one" man; "the gift of righteousness . . . by one, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:

    17-19). In stating it this way, Paul proclaims His to be the one righteous life, the one life

    on earth perfectly obedient to the law of God, lived under human conditions, a life lived

    entirely by faith in His Father, dependent upon God alone.

    As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he

    shall live by me (John 6:57).

    Jesus Christ on earth lived righteousness by faith. As a man He lived as all men ought to

    live, a life of complete trust and dependence upon His Father. This perfect righteousnesshad never occurred until Christ came to earth. Jesus Christ is the only reason for

    Christianity and the Christian church. Christ did descend from heaven into this world.He did live a perfect life on earth. He was crucified and died for the sins of all men. He

    was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures. Today He is the living Christ. He

    alone is our righteousness.

    These facts stand forever and cannot be dethroned any more than the stars in theircourses. Christ is the turning point of mans sinful history. In Christ and through Christ

    new life from above begins. Christ thrust into the sinful stream of humanity a current ofrighteousness so powerful as to turn the face of men back toward the living God. There

    can never be another Christ who is both Saviour and Lord. The believer must look to

    Him and depend on Him who continually communicates His righteousness to those who

    live by Him.

    And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

    He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life (1 John

    5:11, 12).

    This is the good news for sinners: Gods redemptive action in His Son, originated andplanned by God as expressions of His everlasting love and power. This action of God

    saves men. This power gives man that which he could never provide for himself:salvation, redemption, transformation, and reconciliation with God.

    Furthermore, this divine gift of righteousness is complete in Christ. When Christ was

    about to leave His disciples, He promised to send them the Holy Spirit, who would

    "convince the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment." Convincing ofrighteousness, He said: "Because I go to the Father and you will see me no more" (John

    16:8-11, R.S.V.). Christ meant that the gift of righteousness is now complete in Him. Itis a perfect righteousness, objective in Christ alone, offered to man as a gift.

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    Paul never wearies in making Christ and His righteousness the pivot in mans

    redemption. In Romans, chapter 5, he further emphasizes this by comparing the first

    Adam with Christ, the second Adam. The way to salvation was closed by the first Adam

    and reopened by Jesus. The first man was the first sinner. Thus death began and has

    continued ever since to reign in the world. Paul does not say that all men are punished

    because Adam sinned or that God regarded Adams descendants as guilty by virtue ofAdams guilt, but that all men are involved in the sin and death that began with Adam.

    The sin of Adam inflicted universal injury on the human race, not by implicating all

    men in the sin Adam committed, but by involving them in its consequences. This is the

    reality to which men must accommodate their thinking and living. Paul saw in this the

    glorious opportunity for God to manifest His grace and mercy and to provide a divine

    righteousness, the power of God for salvation. As sin and death came to all men throughAdams sin, so life and righteousness are available to all men through Jesus Christ. "As

    in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22).

    The only cure lies in another Mans righteousness. To experience that righteousnessman must be united with Christ by faith. This righteousness that belongs to Christ is

    reckoned to the believer who trusts wholly to Christs help.

    The relation of the subjective attitude to the objective act of redemption needs specialexplanation. . . The historical manifestation of pardoning righteousness is the very

    power of God, who rules over all, and it is mans business to submit to it.... This means

    being directly challenged and arrested by God, brought under his authority, made

    partaker at once in the mighty act of salvation through faith, and set within the sphere ofGods righteousness. All who believe share in that righteousness. The demand for faith

    always accompanies the most objective utterances concerning the righteousness of God

    (Rom. 1:17; 3:22-28; 4:5, 1). The achievement and proclamation of salvation are never

    separated from the appropriation of it. (GOTTFRIED QUELL AND G0TTLOB

    SCHRENK,Righteousness (London: Adam and Charles Black, 1951), pp. 47, 48.

    Righteousness and Law *

    [*The use of the term law in this book should be identified with the moral law of the TenCommandments. This specific aspect oflaw is distinct from the generic use of the Hebrew word torah. Incontrast with the Decalogue, there is much flexibility in the use of the term torah either with referencewith the first five books of Moses (the Pentateuch) or the general reference to Old Testament teachingsand instructions from God. In this book "law" is concerned primarily with Pauls use of it, particularly as

    found in the Epistles to the Romans and the Galatians. When Paul says "by the law is the knowledge ofsin" (Rom. 1:20); I had not known sin but by the law (chap. 7:7) "love is the fulfilling of the law"

    (chap. 13:10); he is speaking of the moral law of the Decalogue.]

    Paul is careful to point out the relationship of Christs righteousness to the law of God.

    But now the righteousness of God without the law [that is, independently of law] is

    manifested (Rom. 3:2 1).

    Paul emphasizes the fact that saving righteousness is altogether different from any

    righteousness attempted by mans efforts to keep the law. Salvation does not come by

    right doing; otherwise it would be salvation by law.

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    Christ also is silent about any righteousness acceptable to God that can be attained by

    human effort. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ said:

    Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,

    ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20).

    Christ is saying that the righteousness He brings and offers exceeds the righteousness ofthe Jewish leaders. When pointing out the failure of the Jews to attain salvation, Paul

    put it this way:

    For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness, and going about to establish their own

    righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God (Rom.

    10:3).

    These scriptures affirm that saving righteousness is beyond the reach of the most

    meticulous observance of the law. While saving righteousness involves the fulfillment

    of the law, it is not achieved or produced by law. In Gods plan of redemption throughChrists righteousness, there is no place for the Christian saving a little corner for

    righteousness by works in order to safeguard the law and defend it. Saving

    righteousness comes by a right relationship to Christ; and not out o f a mans relation to

    the law. The second relationship comes as a result of the first. This was where the Jews

    failed.

    Whatever your interpretation of "without law" means you must never say that the Law

    has disappeared, vanished, or been cast away for ever out of Gods sight. That is not the

    case. It does not mean that. What then does it mean? It means that our attempting tokeep the Law perfectly ourselves as the means of salvation has been entirely set aside,

    not because the Law no longer applies, but because Another has rendered this perfectobedience to the Law on our behalf. . . . The Lord Jesus Christ saves us by keeping and

    honouring the Law for us. The Law has not been removed; God has not done away with

    the Law. The Lord Jesus Christ has satisfied it and kept it, and we are given the fruit

    and the result of what He has done.

    The Law of God is still there, and it is still the means of judgment; and there is no

    conceivable standing in the presence of God without a righteousness which answers the

    demands of the Law and satisfies it, and conforms to it. Our view of salvation must

    never be one that dismisses the Law; it must be one which establishes" the law.

    LLOYD-JONE5, op. cit.

    , pp. 44, 45.

    The gracious gospel of righteousness by faith which brings salvation is not offered to

    men on lowered conditions of obedience. The righteousness that Christ lived in His

    entire life on earth met the requirements of the law of God and is a fulfillment of it. Had

    Christ disobeyed the law in the slightest degree, there would not be a divinerighteousness to reckon to mans account. In light of Christs perfect obedience to the

    law, it can be seen that there can be no lessening of the moral obligation to keep the lawof God. Christ does not offer men a perfect righteousness in order that man no longer

    need obey Gods commandments or live righteousness, but to provide man with the

    power to obey them.

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    The fact that God in Christ made an atonement for sin in order to reconcile men to

    Himself does not give to any man the right to go on sinning and breaking the law of

    God. In the very nature of the case, it is salvation from, not in, sin.

    Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law

    (chap. 3:31).

    Ellen G. White makes the point thus:

    Righteousness is 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 be can bring to God the merits of

    Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinners account. Christs

    righteousness is accepted in place of mans 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. This is how faith is accounted for righteousness.Selected

    Messages, Book 1, p. 167.

    Every soul may say: By His perfect obedience He has satisfied the claims of the law,

    and my only hope is found in looking to Him as my substitute and surety, who obeyed

    the law perfectly for me. . . . He clothes me with His righteousness, which answers all

    the demands of the law. I am complete in Him who brings in everlasting righteousness.

    He presents me to God in the spotless garment of which no thread was woven by any

    human agent. All is of Christ, and all the glory, honor, and majesty are to be given to

    the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world,.Ibid., p 196.

    It is never to be forgotten by saint or sinner that "the law is holy, and the commandment

    holy, and just, and good" (chap. 7:12), that Gods holy law must ever speak and ever

    remind us how sacredly Christ regards it and kept it. He who partakes of the

    righteousness of Christ will likewise regard and honor the law.

    "Do not suppose that I have come to abolish the Law and the prophets; I did not come to

    abolish, but to complete. I tell you this: so long as heaven and earth endure, not a letter,

    not a stroke, will disappear from the Law until all that must happen has happened. If

    any man therefore sets aside even the least of the Laws demands, and teaches others to

    do the same, he will have the lowest place in the kingdom of Heaven, whereas anyone

    who keeps the Law, and teaches others so, will stand high in the kingdom of Heaven"

    (Matt. 5:17-19, N.E.B.).

    While Scripture, particularly the New Testament, exalts the law of God as the standard

    of righteousness, at the same time it opposes man's using the law as a method to gain

    merit and a standing with God. Righteousness by faith is diametrically opposed to

    righteousness by works.

    By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the

    knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20).

    But we know that no man is ever justified by doing what the law demands, but only

    through faith in Christ Jesus; so we too have put our faith in Jesus Christ, in order that

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    we might be justified through this faith, and not through deeds dictated by law; for by

    such deeds, Scripture says, no mortal man shall be justified (Gal. 2:16, N.E.B.).

    Because all men break the law of God in one way or another, the law convicts all of sin.

    The law judges and estimates the works of men according to the objective facts in a

    mans life. Hence any appeal to works done in an effort to keep the law can only pointout mans inadequacy to obey it.

    Salvation by faith means trust and commitment not to oneself, but to Jesus Christ. Themore a man is convicted of his sinfulness and shown his need of a perfect righteousness,

    the more he is convinced that anything in the way of personal merit or perfect obedience

    can never be rendered without Christ. Unless God provides a perfect righteousness for

    him, he can never be saved at all.

    Thus the saving righteousness of Christ stands in clear contrast to the claimed self-

    righteousness of man. Self-righteousness does not remake man. It does not create in

    man a new nature. Man is never born again under his own auspices to keep the law.Usually, its effect is to make man more self-satisfied, more complacent, less conscious

    of the need for the gift of Christs righteousness. It is not in mans right or reason to

    choose his own conditions. Repent, believe, and obey are involved and are part of mans

    response to God. These are mans responsible acts and attitudes to the gospel.

    The Christian life is not self-improvement. It is not trying to perfect ones own natural

    life. It begins with the appropriation by faith of the righteousness of Christ. This brings

    man into oneness with God and gives man victory over sin, not by sheer will power but

    by the presence of Christ in the life. The Christian now seeks to live righteously andkeep Gods commandments, not by laborious self effort but by coming more and more

    under the control of the Holy Spirit. Christian obedience does not come by outwardconformity to the law of God, but by the reality of the Holy Spirits presence.

    By faith in Christ the Holy Spirit is given His rightful place. He is the controlling

    power, enlightening the mind in the knowledge of Christ, renewing the will and the

    heart, empowering the life to be fully in harmony with God.

    It is with deep concern that we learn of those who believe that people can be saved by

    some other method than through Jesus Christ, who are willing to stand at Gods tribunal

    in their own righteousness. The lie of Satan, "ye shall be as gods," pervades the hearts

    and minds of men and women.

    When Christ came to earth to bear the sins of men and provide in Himself the gift of

    righteousness that is the power of God unto salvation, He knew that one sin, discernedand judged in Gods presence, was more than any soul could bear alone. That sin,

    unpardoned and unforgiven, must forever sink man into the depths of despair and

    eternal night.

    When Christ came to the earth He beheld on every side the transgressions of men

    against God. He knew that man without a Saviour must receive the sentence of eternal

    death. Christ came to bear the sins of men and remove the death penalty. There was no

    concealment of the worlds sin from Christ. All the forces of evil conspired to destroy

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    His work and His person. Principalities in high places united to make a life of

    righteousness impossible. This was the crisis of the worlds destiny.

    All the lines of human history meet at the cross. Christ alone has ransomed men. God has only

    one voice from heaven. Christ, the perfect Man, covers the believer with the robe of His

    righteousness. There is no Bible truth so rooted in the heart of God and in our world as that

    saving righteousness comes through Christ alone. The Christian must ever depend upon the

    righteousness of one Man, where mercy and truth meet together, and righteousness and

    peace kiss each other in Gods supreme act of redemption.

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    What, then, are we to say about Abraham, our ancestor in the natural line? If Abraham

    was justified by anything he had done, then he has a ground for pride. But he has no

    such ground before God; for what does Scripture say? "Abraham put his faith in God,

    and that faith was counted to him as righteousness. Now if a man does a piece of work,

    his wages are not "counted as a favour; they are paid as a debt. But if without any workto his credit he simply puts his faith in him WHO ACQUITS THE GUILTY, then his

    faith is indeed "counted as righteousness" (Rom. 4:1-5, N.E.B.).

    THE FALL of Adam has entailed great evils for the entire race. Men are born into a

    world of sin for which they were not originally responsible. Men have no choice

    concerning where to be born or to live. Man cannot move to another world where sin

    does not exist. It is not mans fault that he is born into a world and a state of sin.

    Therefore, it appears that it would be quite unjust for God to leave man in his lost

    condition and under condemnation, without providing a way of escape. But to rescue

    sinners involves great problems for God, for man, and for the universe. It is not just amatter of forgiving man and glossing over sin. Sin works two evils in the human race: it

    separates the individual from God, and disorders the life in itself. Both these evils mustbe overcome in any divine remedy. The death penalty must be removed. Man must be

    restored to a right relationship to God and to a moral and spiritual state of health.

    When interpreting the different aspects of Gods plan of redemption, the Bible uses

    such terms asjustification, born again, reconciliation,

    righteousness, and sanctification. All these terms describe certain realities of Christian

    experience. In this chapter we are primarily concerned with the doctrine of justification.

    The basic meaning of the Greek word translated "to justify" involves a judgment made

    in conformity with a standard of what is right: just according to the law.

    If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges

    may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked (Deut.

    25:1).

    To justify in this passage means to pronounce a favorable verdict on the basis of thepersons being proved to be in the right. Condemnation is the opposite judgment. The

    Bible insists that judges of men must make only righteous judgments.

    He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both areabomination to the Lord (Prov. 17:15).

    Woe unto them . . . which justify the wicked for reward, and take away therighteousness of the righteous from him (Isa. 5:22, 23).

    In His judgment of men, God says of Himself: "I will not justify the wicked" (Ex. 23:7).

    Three times Job asked the question: How can a man be just before God? (Job

    9:2; 15:14; 25:4.) How could man possibly get an acquittal before God in view of the

    fact that he is a sinner? How could God ever declare man righteous when he is

    unrighteous? Job could see no way for this to take place.

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    The issue is this: Can the verdict of condemnation for disobedience and sin be changed,

    and how? Can God reverse the verdict and still remain righteous in His judgments? And

    if so, on what basis? Is there any way God can now take the side of the sinner?

    The apostle Paul affirmed that God does "acquit the guilty." In this issue it appears that

    Gods own character is at stake. The reasoning is something like this: According to theBible, does not justification rest entirely on a mans moral uprightness, and

    condemnation on a departure from it? If God acquits the guilty, is He not taking sides

    with sin rather than with righteousness? Is He not Himself an unjust judge?

    The Jews believed that God dealt with men merely according to their own personal

    obedience to the law. Men were judged and declared righteous because they were

    righteous. For the most part, the Jew accepted no other way of securing a favorable

    verdict before God. The judgment of God was based on a standard to be obeyed.

    Schools of scribes and rabbis were organized to explain the application of the law to

    every conceivable experience of human life. The Pharisees insisted that God can justify

    only those who obey the law and not those who break it. If God is a righteous Judge,then like the righteous judges in the courts of the land, He can give acquittal only when

    man actually deserves it. And to deserve it, man must be righteous and live righteously.

    Must not God, therefore, give priority to His law? If so, there is only one thing for Godto do: execute the death penalty on all sinners. Or can He make an exception just this

    once and not count the violation of His law? Granted God has a perfect right to say

    whether He will or He will not pardon the sinner. He also has the right to say how He

    will do it. But He cannot now proclaim that in the course of pardoning and restoring

    sinners, He intends to bypass the principles of justice and righteousness intrinsic to His

    own character. It is not possible for God to offer a general amnesty for five or ten or

    twenty billion sinners merely by divine decree, simply for reasons known only to

    Himself.

    God created the universe of a million worlds governed in righteousness. He created His

    creatures to live in righteousness. He instructed them that any departure from

    righteousness would be considered rebellion against Him. The penalty would be

    separation and death. Consequently, when Christ came to the earth He made it quiteclear there was to be no tampering with Gods law. In the process of saving sinners,

    God cannot abrogate His law any more than He can change His character.

    Once the sovereignty of the moral law is reduced, so is the sense of sinfulness. Godsplan of redemption is a recognition that sinners are under the condemnation of the law

    and need to be delivered from it. Any plan that aims to weaken the authority of the lawor to obscure the sinfulness of sin must, at the same time, diminish the urgency of the

    gospel and the need for Christ. to bear the sins of men. Therefore the case for, man as he

    is, looks hopeless.

    Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the

    law is the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20).

    For one thing, obedience to the moral law cannot justify the sinner from sins previously

    committed. And second, the natural man is not able to obey the spirit of the law, whichrequires a heart that is in harmony with God. Therefore any appeal to law or to the

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    works of law has to be abandoned. Before the law man cannot deny the charges. He

    cannot be acquitted.

    How Can Man Be Just Before God?

    No other truth is given more emphasis in the New Testament than the doctrine ofjustification. The word in its various adjective, noun, and verb forms is used more than

    two hundred times. We are dealing with a truth of great importance in relation to mans

    salvation and Christian experience. Paul makes frequent use of the word in his

    interpretation of the doctrine of righteousness by faith.

    But we know that no man is ever justified by doing what the law demands, but only

    through faith in Jesus Christ; so we too have put our faith in Jesus Christ, in order that

    we might be justified through this faith, and not through deeds dictated by law; for by

    such deeds, Scripture says, no mortal man shall be justified. (Gal. 2:16, N.E.B.).

    This truth is as important as it is simple and intelligible. Men are sinful and estrangedfrom God. They are under condemnation and the penalty of death. In vain do men

    struggle to free themselves. In vain do men hope for deliverance by self-righteousnessand self-dependence. Such men stand in dire need of being acquitted before the bar of

    God. Therefore, the all-important question raised by Job must be answered: How can a

    man be just before God? How can the sinner secure a divine verdict in his favor? How

    can God possibly acquit the guilty and do it with His righteous character and His divine

    law?

    The gospel of righteousness by faith is good news in that it would fain restore all men to

    God and remove all that comes between the sinner and the Saviour. Thus God has

    instituted another way of justifying and acquitting the sinner, by an entirely different

    way than by law: "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in

    Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).

    It is important to get away from any technical idea of justification. This doctrine takes

    seriously the action of the divine Judge in relation to sin. Paul makes this quite clear in

    the following verses:

    For God designed him to be the means of expiating sin by his sacrificial death, effective

    through faith. God meant by this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance

    he had overlooked the sins of the pastto demonstrate his justice now in the present,showing that he is himself just and also justifies any man who puts his faith in Jesus

    (Rom. 3:25, 26, N.E.B.).

    According to this passage God set forth Christ as a sacrifice for two reasons: one, todemonstrate His justice or righteousness; and two, to justify "any man who puts his faith

    in Jesus." There is a divine and a human side to justification.

    In considering the divine side of this truth, Paul asserts that in justifying sinners, God

    acts in a way that satisfies the principle of justice. Divine justice is met in and throughJesus Christ, not in the sinner. When hope is held out in Scripture that God will acquit

    the guilty, the promise takes us beyond any effort of man to make recompense to God.Justification depends entirely on what God has done in His Son.

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    In the provisions of propitiation two things cohere and coalesce: the justice of God and

    the justification of the ungodly. . . . [This justice of God implied in the expression, "that

    he might be just"] shows that it is the inherent righteousness of God that cannot be

    violated on any account and must be vindicated and conserved in the justification of

    sinners. This shows that the righteousness contemplated in the demonstration in verse

    25, as well as in verse 26, is the inherent justice of God. JOHN MURRAY, TheEpistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Win. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,

    1959), pp. 118, 119. Used by permission.

    Paul speaks in this scripture of the necessity for God to make a demonstration of justice

    because "he had overlooked the sins of the past." Paul argues that during the ages prior

    to the coming of Christ, God had actually passed over sin in the sense that He had never

    exacted the full penalty of the law upon sinners. For 4,000 years previous to the cross

    He had manifested only long-suffering and forbearance with sin. This left God open to

    the charge of injustice. God had not executed judgment commensurate with the sins ofmen. It appeared that God had been satisfied with something less than perfect obedience

    to the law by relaxing the penalty for transgression of the law. In this way it appearedthat God had passed sin by.

    Paul goes on to show that in the light of this seeming passing over sin, it became all the

    more necessary for God to demonstrate His justice by a revelation from the Godhead of

    Their own judgment on sin. He did this when He sent forth His Son as a propitiation for

    sin. By this God provided the righteous basis for acquitting the sinner. The implication

    is that God would not have been just if He had acquitted the guilty sinners without the

    sacrificial death of Christ.

    The passing over did make it necessary for Him to demonstrate His inherent justice and

    that by showing. . . that justification demands nothing less than the propitiation made in

    Jesus blood.Ibid.,p. 120.

    It was never Gods intention to lead men to believe that He had relaxed the claims of

    law and justice; far from it. That God would perform justice was "witnessed by the law

    and the prophets" (Rom. 3:21). Throughout the Old Testament the message of divine

    redemption filled the whole perspective of Israel. But until Christ came God had not

    provided either the reality of a perfect righteousness for man or carried out a righteous

    judgment on the sins of men. The law had foreshadowed it, and the prophets hadforetold it.

    Christ saw His death foreshadowed in the Temple sacrifices, whose blood had streamed

    for centuries. Every lamb and animal offered, slain under the knife, spoke to Him of thedivine purpose for His coming into the world. All the fires of the altars, burning night

    and day for thousands of years, were waiting for Him, waiting to be fulfilled by the one

    great sacrifice, the Lamb of God.

    Jesus was perfectly familiar with the Old Testament revelations of the majesty of Gods

    law and the horrible nature of sin. He saw before Him the hour when God would impute

    to Him the transgressions of men like the sand of the sea for multitude. On the cross

    Christ stood before God. He assumed the penalty that should have come upon all men in

    all ages: the sins of those who sleep in the dust of the earth, the sins of generations yetunborn, the sins committed by all kindreds, nations, tongues, and peoples. The cross of

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    Christ is the divine judgment that should have fallen upon men, but is now assumed by

    all members of the Godhead.

    The death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross on Calvary was not an accident; it wasGods work. It was God who "set him forth." . . . It is a great public act of God. God has

    done something here in public on the stage of world history, in order that it might beseen, and looked at, and recorded once and for everthe most public action that has

    ever taken place. God thus publicly "set him forth as a propitiation through faith in his

    blood."LLOYD-JONES,Romans, p. 97.

    No revelation of God exceeds this majestic truth. From the beginning of the world, the

    sins never to be forgotten by eternal justice, recorded in the books of heaven, had been

    rolling down like great waves of the ocean towards Calvary. Only Jesus Christ could

    endure the dimensions of the divine judgment on sin. On the cross He knew that His

    terrible agony was the righteous judgment of the Godhead. He knew that this judgment

    must be executed. He voluntarily took this judgment upon Himself on behalf of all

    members of the Godhead. He knew that there was a final death other than sleep. Hethereby confessed to all the universe the meaning of judgment: the separation of the

    soul from God. In this the death of Jesus stands alone.

    The hosts of the redeemed stand here in anticipation, the price of their acquittal paid.The eternal hope of reconciliation with God and restoration to righteousness depended

    on Him alone. Christ could have refused to bear the divine judgment on sin. Then all

    would have been lost. What wonder then that such an eternal truth runs through all the

    Bible!

    Christ went to the cross, not because men turned against Him, but because the hand of

    God was in it. . . .Christ died the death that sinners should have died. . . .He did this bythe appointment of the Father. It was the Fathers condemnation of sin that brought the

    atoning death of Christ, that and His burning will to save men.LE0N MORRIS, The

    Cross in the New Testament(Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing

    Company, 1965), p. 221. Used by permission.

    There is just one relief to the guilty soul: the hearing of God from the cross: "Give Me

    thy sins, receive by faith My righteousness and My justification." No man who is

    confronted with Jesus Christ as the worlds Redeemer should ever refuse to be saved by

    the righteousness of Another. There is no middle ground here. There must be no

    minimizing of Gods revelation in Jesus Christ.

    On the cross the sinless Son of God, in love to man and in obedience to the Father,entered submissively into that tragic experience in which sinful men realize all that sin

    means. He tasted death for every man.JAMES DENNY, The Christian Doctrine of

    Reconciliation (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1918), p. 278.

    Thus the basis for mans acquittal and restoration to favor with God is found in the

    merits of Christs righteousness and in His bearing sins penalty. The law is honored

    and the righteous character of God revealed. At no time or place is there the slightesttendency to weaken the authority of God. Gods plan of