Romans 1:16-18

Rom. 1:16-18. Justification - Christ's righteousness. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ," etc. - "For herein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." In these verses I would note two things:

First. That here, in the beginning of this discourse of his of the wickedness of the whole world, both Jews and gentiles, which is continued from this place to the 19th, 20th, and 21st verses of chap. 3 (Romans 3:19-21) as well as in the conclusion in that part of the 3rd chapter, he manifests his design in it all to be to show that all are guilty, and in a state of condemnation, and therefore cannot be saved by their own righteousness; that it must be by the righteousness of God through Christ received by faith alone. He here in the 17th verse asserts that it is thus only that men have justification, and then in the 18th verse enters on the reason why, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;" and so goes on setting forth the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men through most of those three first Chapter s, and then at the end concludes his argument as he began it; that, seeing all are under sin, "Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified in his sight;" but that it is by the righteousness of God which is by the faith of Christ.

Secondly. I observe that, by the righteousness of God, in this place, cannot be meant merely God's way of justifying sinners, but that hereby is meant the moral, legal righteousness which God had provided for sinners, is evident by two things.

1. It is the righteousness or justice which those that are justified have, by which they are righteous or just; as is evident from the apostle's selecting that passage of the Old Testament to cite on this occasion, "The just shall live by faith."

2. It is evident from the antithesis; for here it is most manifest that the righteousness of God, by which God's people are just, in one verse, is opposed to the unrighteousness of men, by which they in themselves are unjust, as is evident from the argument of the apostle in those verses. It is a righteousness that believers are vested with, as is evident from Romans 3:22; Romans 3:23. The same is also manifest from the antithesis in that place. The same is manifest both those ways from Php_3:9. The same is very manifest from Romans 10:3; Romans 10:4. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." The antithesis here makes it evident that by God's righteousness, is meant a righteousness, in having which we are righteous. And verse 4 shows that this righteousness was procured for every believer by Christ, as he was subject to the law; "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness;" the natural meaning of which is, that as to what concerns the elect, or them that believe, the Lawgiver, in making the law and establishing it as a rule for them, had respect to Christ only for its being answered. The law that requires righteousness looks to Christ only to produce that righteousness that it requires; "who, of God, is made to be righteousness," and who is "the Lord our righteousness." I can find no instance in the New Testament where the word te???, here translated end, is anywhere used in Scripture for final cause, but it seems properly to signify the final term, finishing, or accomplishing; so that the words might be rendered, Christ is the finishing and completing of the law, as to the righteousness it requires, as it respects all them that believe.

There is one place where the same word in the original is used as here, and also speaking of the end of the law, or commandment, that exceedingly confirms this interpretation, viz. 1 Timothy 1:5. "Now the end of the commandment is love;" i.e. the accomplishment or fulfillment of the law; as the same apostle says, "Love is the fulfilling of the law," in this epistle of Romans 13:8-10. So that it is manifest from this place that that righteousness, which this apostle calls the righteousness of God, consists in Christ's fulfilling or answering the law; and therefore that it is the same thing with what we call the righteousness of Christ.

This righteousness of God, which the apostle so often speaks of in the matter of our justification, is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21. "He was made sin for us, that we might be the righteousness of God in him." "He was made sin," i.e. sin was imputed to him; and what sin was it? Why that sin that was in us. So we are made the righteousness of God. But what righteousness of God is it that we are made? Why that which was in Christ our Mediator.

It is not called by the apostle Christ's righteousness; because the righteousness, by which a believer stands just before God, does but in part consist in that which can properly be called Christ's righteousness, for it is only the obedience of Christ that is properly his righteousness. But this is not all that by which we stand just before God; for, beside this, his sufferings as our atonement were necessary. Without this we are not righteous, but must appear sinful before God, because our old sins would remain. Those sufferings, abating the obedience that was in them, were not in themselves Christ's righteousness, and therefore the Scripture does not ordinarily call them so; but calls the whole of the provision made of God as in Christ, for our appearing just, consisting both in his obedience and atonement, God's righteousness, and the righteousness of God, which is by the faith of Christ. Romans 3:22. See Note on chap. 10:3.

Rom. 1:32