I used to believe that it was only my faith that led me to restoration and salvation; little did I realize that it was Christ’s faith that paved the way for my salvation. And now it is Christ’s faith through me that brings me closer to Him and operates through my obedience to Him.
Romans 3:21-26 (KJV)
21 But now the righteousness of God without
the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 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:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25
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;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his
righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in
Jesus.
I
have grown in understanding that it is the faith of Christ which has brought
this new life to me. Really!
If I could say that it was
my faith that brought me right with God then what would I need Jesus for?
It was the revelation and manifestation of the righteousness of God in the
Gospel, that is stated in the beginning of the above passage where it
says “but now”. As the passage in Romans 3 continues down to verse 26 it
speaks further about the truth as it is further developed in verses 21-26 of
the above passage. Specifically verse 22 speaks of just how the
righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel.
“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”
So
I must ask the question, how did God reveal His righteousness in the Gospel? He
revealed it by the “faith of Jesus Christ”. It was the faith of Christ
which revealed the righteousness of God in the Gospel. An amazing truth –
but one so easily overlooked and neglected by so many. This phrase “by faith of
Jesus Christ” is very significant, and is one that I find repeated in several
other passages of scripture in various forms. Here is another passage
which also refers to our justification through the work of God in Christ.
Galatians 2:16 (KJV)
16 Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the
faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the
law shall no flesh be justified.
But
what is the ‘faith of Jesus Christ’ and just how did that manifest the
righteousness of God in the Gospel?
So
if the correct translation of Romans 3:22 is “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”, then what does this phrase actually mean? Does it
really mean that the righteousness of God is manifested by the faith of Jesus
Christ (Romans 3:21-22)? That we are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ
(Galatians 2:16)?
Yes.
I believe that is precisely the meaning of the passages. It is the faith of
Jesus Christ which brought revelation to the righteousness of God, by which we
are justified. The righteousness of God was manifested or revealed by the faith
of Jesus Christ.
I believe one could answer that we are justified by the blood of Christ, by His death on
the cross. And that is absolutely true – we are. But Christ’s death on
the cross, Him shedding his blood was a work of faith, an act of faith. It was
the “obedience of faith”. Not obedience to the law, but the obedience of
faith. The law didn’t demand that one lay down his life for another – but
Christ’s faith revealed such love for His people, that while we were yet
sinners He laid down His life for us. Here is where we see in the Gospel.
It was by faith that He lived
Romans 1:17 (KJV)
17 For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is
written, The just shall live by faith.
and
by faith that He died.
Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
2 Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God.
We
are now we are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ. By that substitutionary
death which He died as an act of faith on behalf of those people whom He loved
and gave Himself for.
Galatians
2:20 (KJV)
20 I
am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
“Likewise
the righteousness of God is manifested by the faith of Jesus Christ, because it
is through the manifestation of this righteousness that we are justified, made
righteous, before God. Christ lived a perfect and sinless life. His life which
He lived from conception and birth unto death was characterized by faith. He
lived a life in constant communion with the Father, doing the will of the
Father, not His, in perfect and willing submission. He completely submitted to
the Father, trusted in Him for all things, looked to Him in all things, and
walked before Him with His eyes fixed upon God. Christ was the “Just One” and
“the just shall live by faith”. Without faith it is impossible to please God
(Hebrews 11:6), yet Jesus pleased his Father in all things that He did (“This
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”). Romans 14 tells us that “what is
not of faith is sin”. Clearly then, Christ, the sinless one, lived by faith,
for He never once sinned. It is by faith that He pleased God, by faith that He
lived, and by faith that He died.”
“When
He died, Christ’s faith looked to God to lay upon Him the sins of all His
people, to make Him to be sin for them, and to judge those sins according to
the righteousness of God in order to blot out all the sins of
His people, that they might become the righteousness of God in Christ. In so
doing the righteousness of God was manifested and God the Father rewarded the
faith of His Son by justifying His people, purifying them as His Bride, a Bride
without blemish, fit for a King.”
Lord, thank you for your amazing faith. I stand in awe of the gift that has been presented to me, the gift being the faith of Christ. You saw within me no ability to redeem or save myself. No ability to ransom my soul from sin or death. But you saw something in my life which only you could restore, and only you could impart your faith to me so that I could believe you and to trust you, and now I stand with the greatest praise and gratefulness for the work you have done in me, and now I have an amazing future with you. Thank you so much Jesus.
(Thank you to Ian Potts for sharing his thoughts
regarding ‘the Faith of Christ’ November 14, 2007)
↓Click Here to listen to the song
On Christ the Solid Rock
(Edward Mote, William Bradbury)
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name
When darkness veils his lovely face
I rest on his unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand
His oath, his covenant, his blood
Supports me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay
When he shall come with trumpet sound
Oh may I then in him be found
Dressed in his rightousness alone
Faultless to stand before the throne
Copyright © 1991 Arrangement Mercy Publishing. All
rights reserved. International copyright secured.
The music above is copyrighted by the respective artists, and is demonstrated here for educational purposes only.
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