Longenecker and Still have stimulating section on the “righteousness of God” in Romans (Thinking through Paul, 174-7). Prior to the Reformation, the phrase referred to the justice of God and his righteous judgment of sin. Think of the Renaissance paintings depicting God as a fearsome judge presiding over the judgment of sinners.
After Martin Luther, however, the definition of the righteousness of God was expanded to include God’s graciousness and gift of mercy give to those who believe. Rather than the “justice of God” punishing sinners, justification referred to a gracious act of God by which he imputed his righteousness to those who have faith. This is the sense of justification has dominated systematic theology as well as Pauline studies since the reformation. In fact, “justification by faith” is usually made the “center” of Pauline theology.
This emphasis led to the unfortunate result of anti-Judaism in biblical studies. First-century Jews become proto-Pelagians and Paul is similar to Martin Luther bashing the Roman church. Judaism was often described as the antithesis of Paul’s (Gentile) Christianity. Paul’s theology developed out of Paul’s personal struggle against Judaism. While this is very preachable, it may not accurately describe Paul’s thinking with respect to the righteousness of God and how that righteousness is applied to the sinner.
Ernst Käsemann argued the “righteousness of God” refers to God’s sovereign activity over all of creation (TTP, 175). More than only saving individual sinners, the righteousness of God that is being revealed in Romans 1:17 is a redemption of all creation. It is not simply that God imputes righteousness to the believer, but that God is ultimately faithful to his promise to redeem creation. This coheres well with the narrative shape of Pauline theology, according to Longenencker and still (176). Just as God revealed his righteousness by remembering his covenant and redeeming Israel in the past (Ps 98:1-3), so he now reveals his righteousness buy redeeming all of creation through Christ Jesus.
In the Hebrew Bible, this meant God kept his promises to bless Abraham’s children even though there were unfaithful. He kept his promise to Israel even though they were unfaithful to the Law. In the present age, God is still faithful in keeping his promise to redeem people from slavery to sin despite their longstanding rebellion against God. This faithfulness of God is sometimes described as “steadfast love” (חֶסֶד, Ps 98:3, for example).
Is this a better way of understanding the “righteousness of God”? It seems to resonate with what Paul says in the rest of Romans, but does it stray too far from “personal salvation”? Perhaps there is a danger in over-emphasizing the action of God for all of creation and missing the “call to salvation” the Gospel offers to individual sinners.
It is also possible Evangelical Christianity has so over-emphasized personal righteousness in salvation that we have missed Paul’s point: it is God’s righteousness that is demonstrated in his offer of salvation. Certainly Paul is talking about the problem of our sin, but the emphasis is on the sovereign God who solved that problem because he is a righteous judge.
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“Perhaps there is a danger in over-emphasizing the action of God for all of creation and missing the “call to salvation” the Gospel offers to individual sinners.
It is also possible Evangelical Christianity has so over-emphasized personal righteousness in salvation that we have missed Paul’s point: it is God’s righteousness that is demonstrated in his offer of salvation. Certainly Paul is talking about the problem of our sin, but the emphasis is on the sovereign God who solved that problem because he is a righteous judge.”
This is an interesting post to read about. The righteousness of God seems to be taken in different ways that I never realized. Romans 1:16 talks about the righteousness of God referring to all people and not individualistic. It may seem that this thought could take away from personal salvation, but at the same time shows that God has love for all people and would love for all people to be followers of Jesus Christ. “…it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). This could take away from salvation being personal and being ones own salvation. To think about it not being because you decided, but because God’s power worked in your life, can make you think differently about your salvation. I like thinking of it this way because it takes away the thought of being able to do it by yourself. We can’t save ourselves, it is by the power and the grace of God that we are saved. So, it may stray away from personal salvation, but why would that be a bad thing? Longenecker talks about how this gift of salvation can be seen as a reward, but not because of our works. Many people take it as we are rewarded because of the things we have done, but in that instance it had to do with Abraham and how he was given the reward because of his faith. Abraham believed God to be the one who gives life to the dead and calls into being thing that were not (Romans 4:17), and that it was by the power of God that Jesus was raised from the dead(TTP 181). It was all by God, not by anything that anyone else can do.
I really like your take on the post and your theme that we cannot save ourselves. We do make a choice when we follow Christ, but it is not ourselves that save us, but God. Just as good works are not our key to salvation, it is not what WE do that saves us, but God (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is through Christ that we have peace with God, not by what we do (Romans 5:1). Jesus atones for all our sins that are in the grip of the “power of sin” (Longenecker and Still emphasize that Paul was referring to the sins of both Jews and Gentiles, not one or the other) (TTP, 180). It is a task impossible for us to do alone, and it is only by grace that we are saved.
Paul describes the unrighteous acts in chapter 1 and then goes on to describe “God’s righteous judgement” in the next chapter (Romans 2:5). Kasemann’s explanation of the righteousness of God makes a lot of sense Longenecker describes it as “God’s powerful saving activity” (TTP 175). The Righteousness of God encompasses more than just right standing with God. This idea is expanded upon in chapter 8. Paul describes that because of this righteousness of God the believer can have life through the spirit (Romans 8:10). Righteousness being what differentiates the believer from the unbeliever. If the believer is righteous before God on account of faith in Christ (Romans 4:24) then we can understand that the righteousness of God is somehow involved in the identification of a believer. Again in understanding God’s plan we can see that God intends to restore all of creation to it’s rightful state (Romans 8:20-21). Thus we see that sin leading to death (Romans 6:23) results in God’s righteous judgement (Rom 2:5). Because of this righteousness the believer has life (Rom 8:10) and God’s plan is to save not only people but also creation (8:20-21). So Kasemann’s understanding of the righteousness of God as being God’s saving activity rather than specific to sin alone aligns well with Paul’s demonstration and application of the righteousness of God in the context of Romans. God’s righteousness is how we understand His sovereignty over everything including his plan of salvation.
In my opinion, each period of thought does not fully capture the “righteousness of God.” I believe that the righteousness of God refers to His very character. As is evident in our own human characters, we know that one trait does not fully define a person. God’s righteousness refers to His justice in dealing with sinner, His grace in providing salvation, and His work in the grand scheme of the earth and throughout history (TTP 174-77). I do not think Kasemann’s idea of God’s intervention in history strays too far from personal salvation, in that God’s intervention is what has provided us with salvation, such as through the death of His son (John 3:16). At the same time, however, I do think that there is a danger in overemphasizing and qualifying “personal salvation” as a prerequisite to defining the righteousness of God. Yes, God sent His son for every person on earth, but really I do not believe in the emphasis of that. He sent His son not only for you individually, but for all of mankind, past, present, and future. I think Evangelical Christianity has overemphasized personal righteousness in many ways (aka legalism), possibly because of the influence of an individualistic society, and missed the point that it is God’s righteousness that is demonstrated in salvation.
Perhaps in the strictest sense God’s righteousness is more a result of who he is than who he is. Righteousness is his consistency with all he is in himself. He always acts in harmony with who he is.
I’m very keen to keep personal salvation to the fore. Firstly God reveals his saving righteousness in declaring righteous all who believe in Jesus; personal faith is the context where God’s saving righteousness is exhibited. Secondly, Jesus drew individuals into the kingdom.
I have never thought about the fact that some people believe that the Righteousness of God is given to us simply because He is keeping his promise to redeem creation. This belief seems to completely take out our own personal belief and substitute a form of predestination that takes place when God makes the promises that He makes with Abraham, Moses, etc… I personally believe that God is righteous because he is a Just God that deals with the sinner and providing Grace for us. If God were only Just, then what is fair is that we should all die for our sins. The fact that God is Righteous and Just together shows the Grace that he gave so that those who believe in Jesus and what he has done for us can be with God for eternity in heaven. Abraham had faith in God and He counted it as righteousness to him. Us having faith in God and being obedient shows how righteous he is that he would count our faith as righteousness to us.
I believe that when Paul talks about the “Righteousness of God”, he is talking about the character of God. When Paul talks about how because one person everyone became sinner, and how through Jesus everyone gained the Grace to live without sin, that reminds me of the righteousness of God that Paul is talking about. Which can be viewed as personal salvation, but also englobes general view. When talking about righteousness, God is just to everyone, not just some. When Paul brings Abraham to the picture, he used Abraham as an example of someone that had faith and received his reward for that. That is an example of a personal salvation, but that can be reached to everyone.
Käsemann has good thoughts, but I still believe he is incorrect. Why else would Paul and other apostles go out to the world, going as far as risking their lives, to teach the gospel- when in the end, God will save them either way. It is a personal salvation, not for even those who do not even believe in God. There are “those who live according to the flesh” and “those who live according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:5). I don’t think this verse goes along with what Käsemann says about God redeeming all of creation. It is a “free gift of eternal life” but we must accept the gift from him (Romans 6:23).
I also think it is crazy to think that the Roman church during the Renaissance thought the “righteousness of God” was just God punishing sinners, considering Paul talks about the Gospel throughout all of Romans, saying we can have eternal life because Jesus died for us- no strings attached! “Paul’s gospel is that righteousness comes graciously” (TTP 183). It doesn’t mean we don’t have to sin all willy-nilly because it makes “God’s reputation as one who overflows in graciousness” (TTP 183). Of course not, even Paul gets mad that they saw it as a license to sin. Because they believe and love God, they should want to be good people, Paul tells them.
The “righteousness of God” does mean mercy and grace, but Christians should not want to sin relentlessly because of it.
It is unfortunate that the expansion of the biblical definition of justification led to partial anti-Judaism in biblical-studies. It is evident to me that the view is in part due to a misinterpretation of Judaism to be a legalistic ‘works for salvation’ religion. Some Jews did live in a state of religious ritualism, including those talked about in Phil. 3:2 who are called “mutilators of the flesh” for circumcising themselves, thinking that it would make them righteous. However, Jews in that time could have well viewed the covenant actions as the identity of one living in the covenant. They were God’s chosen people, so living the covenant would not impute righteousness, but show that they were ‘in’ the covenant. In the same way that James 1:19 and 2:14-24 where faith and works are one in the same. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?… You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. The concept is simultaneously complex and simple. Works do not achieve righteousness, however it shows the true identity of believers. As far as Käsemann’s view that God’s righteousness is His sovereignty is His “sovereign activity over all creation” could be debated. It is evident to me that it is the power of God to draw men to Himself for the good of all creation. According to Longenecker, “the righteousness of God” connotes God’s active sovereignty over the whole of his cosmos, as evidenced in acts of power whereby he invades the created order to set it right” (TTP, p. 175) It seems evident that humans cannot create righteousness within themselves, but that God does it through their willing spirit to serve Him. The difference between Luther and Käsemann’s view is that Luther focused on the individual, and Käsemann focused on God’s sovereignty, which in itself is not a bad thing, but is God working through people and not necessarily arbitrarily commanding them righteous. This comes by action through faith (accepting), but is not to be confused with actions (religious ritualism) for the receiving of salvation. God works in the individual and the acting out in faith, like Abraham and the example in James, it is counted to them as righteousness.
This is very interesting that God is righteous as well He shows mercy. Through Paul, he teaches that not only is there salvation for individual sinners, but He also keeps His promises. It is unfortunate thinking that people go through that because of God’s promises’, they earned it through works. Even though God isn’t obligated on keeping the promises cause we kept failing them for many years, He still kept them and send blessings cause He was going to send Jesus to justify us because of our sins (John 3:17). It’s honestly really amazing that He still hangs onto us even though we still do Him wrong.
So just like God giving his people that disobeyed time and time again even when he told them they are chosen, God gives us the same opportunity to come to Christ and be saved but through the justification of God not by anything we have done. Paul is waring the roman church in that day and time to understand how to be saved and how to truly follow God the way he desires. so we can look at those letters for us as well to follow God the way he wants to be served. God is so righteous that with his offer of salvation, his offer of salvation to the same people that turned there backs on him many times just like us now of days people in the time we live in turn away from God more then before, but God never changes and always stays righteous.
God righteousness can be described many different ways and is very hard to understand. I think this is because its something we humans can not do. God is so righteous even though the ones that he has blessed and taught how to follow him and glorify him keep turning their backs to him and going to sin. Something that I believe can start to help us understand Gods righteousness is if we look at how he upheld his promise about giving us salvation by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. Even though we don’t deserve it he finds ways to help us turn to him and to be saved.
Interesting, if a little disheartening to see so many definitions of what is meant by ‘the righteousness of God’. It is just as well that we are not converted by our understanding of the fine print in the meaning of God’s righteousness in the gospel. Let me add my tuppence worth (a British expression that I don’t suppose crossed the Atlantic).
1. In trying to understand ‘the righteousness of God’ we should do so by an inductive study of its use in Romans where it is most fully developed.
2. When considering the wider context of Scripture we should take care to include OT books like Isaiah from which Paul draws in his understanding of gospel righteousness.
3. Righteousness in Romans seems to focus on the following:
A) An explicit contrast between Man’s righteousness and God’s righteousness. Roms 1-3,10. Firstly, this involves a justification/vindication of God…God is true and every man a liar. Secondly, it condemns and renders futile any attempts at or pretensions of human righteousness… the whole world is guilty before God. I do not think we should sideline Jewish C1 pelagianism. Paul clearly sees Jewish failure to embrace the gospel on their misbelief that they did and could establish their own righteousness (Ch 2,10). However ‘variagated’ C1 nomism it clearly had a strong element of self-justification. We should hardly be surprised at this since it is the universal default position of the fallen human heart.
B) The focus is on God’s righteousness. It is a righteousness ‘of God’. Firstly, this insists (as above) that God is demonstrated to be righteous and secondly that righteousness is God’s gift… God is just and the justifier… A couple of points seem germane. Righteousness is perhaps not strictly who God is as an expression of who he is. Because God always acts consistently with all he is he is righteous. Righteousness is a relative term. It demands a benchmark. God himself is the benchmark. Perhaps more importantly, the righteousness of God and the righteousness of Christ are not the same things. Romans is establishing the saving righteousness of God which involves but is not identical to the righteousness of Christ.
C) Paul’s main focus is not God’s righteousness in judgement but his righteousness in saving. It his his ‘good news’ righteousness he is celebrating… his saving righteousness. While it is ‘good news’ that God will restore all creation to rights that is not the main focus of Romans; the focus is on making people ‘right’. Again, the heart of the letter… it’s key text… is that God may be righteous and declare righteous all who believe in Jesus. There is a danger in emphasising the ‘creational’ renewal we major on minors (minor in terms of the letter). I’m not sure if Paul uses the word ‘righteousness’ in the righting of creation. Certainly, by far the emphasis is on individuals. I also think that in Romans there is little emphasis on righteousness as ‘covenant faithfulness’. God is of course faithful to his promises and in this is righteous. However, it is not in keeping his promises gospel righteousness is revealed but in his saving activity. Again the climax of chapter 3 is key. It is worth quoting
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
How is God’s saving righteousness revealed? In the propitiatory death of Jesus. We need to weigh these verses well. If we do we we will also see that God’s saving righteousness is revealed not in the law-keeping life of Jesus but the wrath-bearing death of Jesus. God is just in declaring just those who have faith in Jesus because Christ’s death laid a righteousness basis for such a gift. The OT had constantly affirmed that God’s own righteousness would be savingly revealed. He would righteously establish righteousness. His great power (his arm) would overthrow all evil and bring in everlasting righteous. His people would all be ‘oaks of righteousness’. His saving ‘arm’ is the despised and apparently weak servant who seems to die under the judgement of God. And indeed he does die under God’s judgement but not for his own sins but those of others…. God made him to be sin who knew no sin that we might become God’s righteousness in him.
God will allow no flesh to glory in his presence. Eternally in a new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells we will give thanks that all is sourced in the righteousness of God and not in our own righteousness.
Sorry this is so long… I got a bit carried away.
I guess the righteousness of God, can be taken a couple of different ways. The righteousness of God is not only that God will judge us for his sin, but it also shows us that no matter what he will love us and If we put our faith in him he will forgive us of our sins and we will have eternal life. God is just in everything that he does. Being just doesn’t mean that he is not loving being just means that he sticks to his word and what he says. He doesn’t waiver from that in any way. God is all knowing and powerful therefore he can be just, but also be loving at the same time. The way that the blog puts it means that he is fair and just in his creation and what he has made. Yes he wants us all to be in heaven one day with him. If we don’t give our lives and surrender to him then we won’t get to heaven that’s not God being mean it’s him being just.
One of the most difficult things for people to wrap their minds around is the idea of God’s gift of mercy. We did nothing to earn it, the only thing we did for contributed to our salvation is the sin that made it necessary. So often people focus on what they have to do in order to be saved. But the reality of it is, the only thing we can do is let God do the work. He sent his son to pay the penalty for us, we can’t just do good works and be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). As Christians we are called to be righteous, but how are we to do that when the bible says that no one is righteous? (Romans 3:10-12). The way we as Christians are to strive to be righteous is by following the example that Jesus has set for us. The only way we can be righteous is when God makes us righteous (Longenecker, 2014). Romans 3:10 should not be a discouragement to us. We shouldn’t read it and think “I can never be righteous so I may as well not even try.” As Christians we should know that Jesus was the only one that is righteous so with the help of the Lord, we should strive to follow his example.
It is crazy you think about how faithful God has been to us. As mentioned above we see that God was faithful to Abraham’s children and Israel. God stays faithful to us even though we don’t stay faithful to Him, which is a crazy and amazing thing to think about. But I think as mentioned that what Paul is talking about is our sin and we humans do have a problem with disobeying God over and over again. Longenecker and Still talk about how God brings the power of salvation and how Paul talks about how faith brings salvation (TTP, 178). I think one thing we need to stop and think more about is how merciful and loving God is because we can see time and time again when we disobey God and to see that he still chooses to show us love and mercy and to keep his promise to us an amazing kind of love. As mentioned above we must remember the “righteousness of God” and the point Paul is making that God offers His salvation to us but do not forget that the problem is sin even though we have a God that is a “righteous judge.”
This is a truth about God which we are glad to know. It is one thing to know that God is sovereign and so rules the world by his own will. But it is something more to know that he rules in righteousness. Or again, it is one thing to know that he is the judge of all the world, but it is something much more to know that he judges according to what is right and in a way that is consistent with himself, that he will not condemn the innocent or clear the guilty. The only way for sinners like you and me to be righteous before God is through faith in Christ Jesus. When we believe the Word of God which tells us that Christ fulfilled all righteousness for us and then was sacrificed for us to make full atonement for all our sins, God credits it to us for righteousness. Like Long said ” it is God’s righteousness that is demonstrated in his offer of salvation.” Righteousness is a gift from God to His people, a status by which He regards us as just before Him. Paul indicates in Romans 3:21–26 that righteousness is the Lord’s gift to believers, the righteousness of God is for all who believe.