GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS PROVED

By Curtis Pugh

The Bible says: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law,” (Romans 3:24-26).

One reason Jesus the Son of God died for sinners is so that God's righteousness would be proved by this demonstration. The following excerpts from the above quotation prove that: “to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past..., that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” God's righteousness was proved by Christ's sacrifice of Himself. The sins of the Old Testament children of God – the “sins that are past” is meant. The death and resurrection of Christ was not only for the New Testament elect people of God, but for all those chosen to salvation by Him from the beginning. The Greek scholars say that the words “set forth” are properly understood as “fore ordained” as the King James margin says.

Notice that our text says, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” This is the judicial part of salvation. God as the final Judge has already declared those for whom Jesus died as justified. Someone said “justified” means “just-as-if-I'd never sinned.” That is not it at all! Those justified have sinned! God does not close His eyes to your sins and mine. Justification means that the righteousness of Jesus Christ has been declared by God the Judge to be yours and mine when we savingly believe on Christ.

Though planned in eternity, justification takes place at the moment of faith. This is seen in the life of Abraham for the Bible says, “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God,” (James 2:23). The question pertaining to you and your eternal state is have you believed on Jesus Christ in such a way that God has imputed (charged to your account or declared) that you are righteous?

Being just or fair, God always does what is right. His whole nature being righteous He would not overlook sins nor forgive sinners without sin being paid for by someone qualified. So it was that “...he [God] hath made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, [Jesus] who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God treated as sin the one who knew no sin so that He might redeem His elect people.