Quietness and Confidence Forever (Isaiah 32:9-20)

Isaiah 32:9-20

"The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence (trust, assurance) forever" (Isa 32:17, NIV).

32:9-14 and 32:15-20 seem unrelated. But they show a consistent train of thought as they address the issue that everything in Isaiah 7-39 ultimately goes back to: Trust and Security. 32:9-14 condemn women who are "complacent" and "secure" (Isa 32:9), apparently because of a good harvest. Isaiah says that their complacency is terribly misplaced, for in only one year, all that will change (Isa 32:10). They should start mourning now (Isa 32:11-12) because of the agricultural disaster about to come on them. "Thorns and briers" (Isa 32:13a) speak not only of a mere physical disaster, but speak also of the spiritual condition of the nation (Isa 5:6; 27:4). "Merriment" and "revelry" will soon cease (Isa 32:13b), and all the places where strength and rule could be expected will be abandoned (Isa 32:14). All the false trusts will have failed. But this does not mean that God has failed.

Theme of Romans: Gospel, Righteousness, Grace

Structure of Romans based on Rom 1:16-17

1. Theology (1-8): The gospel reveals the righteousness of God.
2. History (9-11): First for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
3. Application (12-16): The righteous by faith will live.

"What God has given to us" (1-11) gives way to "what we are to give to God." But what we are to give to God cannot be produced independently of God's continuing gracious provision. It is not simply a transition from "theology" to "practice." It is rather a focus more on the "indicative" side of the gospel to a focus on the "imperative" side of the gospel.

1. The heart of the gospel (1-4): What the gospel is.
2. The assurance of the gospel (5-8): What the gospel does.
3. The spread of the gospel (9-11): Jew first, Gentile next is how the gospel grows.
4. The transformation of the gospel (12-16): How the gospel works.

Take One Year to Study Romans

Why study Romans. Should we take up to one year to study Romans slowly and prayerfully and with some depth and detail?

• Martin Luther called Romans "really the chief part of the NT, and ...truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul."
• John Stott says, "(Romans) is the fullest and grandest statement of the gospel in the NT...a timeless manifesto of freedom through Jesus Christ."
• John Piper regards Romans as "the greatest letter ever written."
• Ray Stedman calls Romans "the master key to Scripture." "If you had no other book of the Bible than this, you would find every Christian teaching at least mentioned here. If you really grasp the book of Romans in its total argument you will find yourself at home in any other part of the Scriptures."
• Douglas Moo, NT scholar, says, "Romans is Paul's summary of the gospel that he preaches. The theme of the letter is the gospel."
• Countless people have been changed (and changed the world) through Romans: Augustine (386), Martin Luther (1515), John Wesley (1703-91).
• Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached on Romans for 13 years and John Piper preached through Romans in 8 years.
  

Romans 3:21-26

"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify" (Rom 3:21, NIV).

1. Why does Martyn Lloyd-Jones exclaim that "there are no more wonderful words in the whole of Scripture than just these two words 'But now...'" (Rom 3:21a)? Notice also, "But God..." (Eph 2:4).
2. "Apart from law" suggest a new era of salvation. What does the law in the old era expose about man's spiritual state (Rom 1:18-20; 2:1, 4-5, 23-24; 3:9, 19-20)? How does "the Law and the Prophets testify" to "the righteousness of God" (Rom 4:1-8; Gen 15:6; Ps 32:1-2)?
3. What is being referred to by the phrase "has been made known" (Rom 3:21-22)? What event helps us to know "the righteousness of God" (Lk 23:47)?
4. "Righteousness" is having a "right relationship with God." However, John Stott explains "the righteousness of God" (21-22, 25-26; 1:17; Phil 3:9) in three ways as:
1. An attribute of God: This is a quality--who God is.
2. An activity of God: This is an action--what God does. (N.T. Wright.)
3. An achievement of God: This is a gift--what God bestows, confers and accomplishes. (Reformed.)
• Can you explain each phrase? Can the righteousness of God mean all three?
5. How does one come to know the righteousness of God (Rom 3:22a, 25a)?
6. How does Rom 3:22b-23 summarize a main theme in chapters 1-3?
7. Explain how we are "justified freely by his grace" (Rom 3:24a). What is redemption (Rom 3:24b)?
8. Explain "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood" (Rom3:25a)?
9. What sins did God pass over that were previously committed (Rom 3:25b)? How can God be just and still justify those who sin (Rom 3:25b-26)?

Justification and the Righteousness of God (Romans 3:21-26)

Rom 3:21-26 is regarded by scholars and theologians as "the center and heart" of Romans as as "possibly the most important single paragraph ever written."

Rom 3:21-26 is loaded with key theological terms, and the phrase "the righteousness of God" stands out. This is a great text where Paul brings together so much, which is central to his presentation of the gospel. This passage has almost unparalleled power, not so much in its individual elements but the fact that Paul brings so many things and key ideas together: Our standing before God, how God secured that through Christ on our behalf, the importance of faith, what God did on the cross. (Douglas Moo — The Epistle to the Romans, NICNT, 1996. 3:21-23 17 min; 3:24-26 27 min.)

1. The noun "righteousness" {δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē)} occurs 4 times (Rom 3:21, 22, 25, 26).
2. The verb "justify" {δικαιόω (dikaioō)} occurs 2 times (Rom 3:24, 26).
3. The adjective "just" {δίκαιος (dikaios)} occur once (Rom 3:26).

Christian (and other) Righteousness

The difference between Christian righteousness and all other kinds of righteousness.

1. There is a political or civil righteousness. This is what world leaders, diplomats, civic leaders and lawyers must teach.
2. There is a "social" righteousness, which is acting, speaking, dressing, and carrying oneself correctly according to the traditions and mores of a particular culture or vocation or field. This is what parents and families and schools teach.
3. There is moral righteousness, "the righteousness of law" that comes from obeying the Ten Commandments. This the church teaches (but only in light of the "Christian" righteousness, below).
4. The righteousness that comes from relationships — becoming attractive and loved by people of both sexes.
5. The righteousness that comes from career achievement — becoming successful or respected or monied through your talent and work.]

There is another, a far better righteousness, which Paul calls "the righteousness of faith" — Christian righteousness.

Gospel Righteousness

In Romans so far, we considered:

1. Gospel of Grace (Rom 1:1-6).
2. Gospel Enthusiasm (Rom 1:7-15).
3. Gospel Power (Rom 1:16).
4. Gospel Righteousness (Rom 1:17) is next.

What does Paul mean by the righteousness of God? There are three options.

1. An attribute of God, the righteousness that characterizes God. This righteousness may be either (a) God's justice (Rom 3:5, 25-26), according to which he always does what is right, or (b) God's faithfulness, according to which he fulfills his covenant promises to his people.
2. A status or position that God bestows on those who believe. It is therefore a righteousness that comes from God. Martin Luther gave eloquent expression to this view in the 16th century. Luther concluded that the righteousness of God that is revealed in the gospel is a gift of God given to sinners through faith. This righteousness is purely forensic or legal. It is a matter of our judicial standing before God, not our internal or moral transformation. Thus, Luther's view is that Paul refers here to the righteous status that comes from God in the gospel through faith.
3. An activity of God. The righteousness of God is God's action of intervening on behalf of his people to save and deliver them. This idea has strong support from the OT (Isa 46:13; 50:5-8; Mic 7:9).

The Theme of Romans (1:16-17)

The gospel is the very essence of Paul's ministry (Rom 1:1, 9). It is also the message Paul wants to bring to Rome (Rom 1:15). In Rom 1:1-15 Paul has been telling the Romans about his call to ministry and how that ministry relates to them. But from Rom 1:16a Paul turns his attention away from his own ministry to focus it on the gospel as such. After this, nothing more is said of Paul's mission plans or the Romans (except for brief interjections -- Rom 7:1, 4; 8:12; 10:1; 11:13, 25; 12:1) until the "strong and the weak" section in Rom 14:1-15:13 and the final summing up of Paul's plans and prospects in Rom 15:14-33. Thus, the epistolary material of Rom 1:1-15 and Rom 15:14ff "frames" what appears to be a theological treatise.

Four subordinate clauses in Rom 1:16-17, each supporting or illuminating the one before:

1. Paul's pride in the gospel (Rom 1:16a) is the reason why he is so eager to preach the gospel in Rome (Rom 1:1:15).
2. This pride stems from the fact that the gospel contains or mediates God's saving power for everyone who believes (Rom 1:16b).
3. The gospel brings salvation because it manifests God's righteousness, a righteousness based on faith (Rom 1:17a).
4. Scriptural confirmation for the connection between righteousness and faith (Rom 1:17b).

Gospel Power

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith'" (Rom 1:16-17).

1:16-17 is the theme and the thesis statement of Romans in summary form. It summarizes Paul's theology as a whole. James Montgomery Boice (Romans, Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005) wrote that Rom 1:16-17 “are the most important in the letter and perhaps in all literature. They are the theme of this epistle and the essence of Christianity.”

The Righteousness of God (Romans 1:17)

Three ways of understanding the "Righteousness of God" (The Theme of the Letter [Rom 1:16-17]by Douglas Moo):

1. "The Righteousness that belongs to God" (God's attribute of absolute justice).
2. "The Righteousness being established by God" (God's act of putting his people "in the right"). This comes closest to what Paul means in Rom 1:17.
3. "The Righteousness that comes from God" (The righteous status that God gives us).

"Righteousness" Language

1. Righteousness, justice (noun): δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē)
2. Righteous, just (adjective): δίκαιος (dikaios)
3. Justify (verb): δικαιόω (dikaioō)

Look at the OT to see how Paul might be using a word. How is God's righteousness used in the OT? Ps 50:4-6 expresses faithfulness to God's own character and purposes.

• Vindication of the faithful (Ps 50:15).
• Condemnation of the wicked (Ps 50:16-23).

Isaiah was particularly important to Paul. In Rom 3:21, Paul says that the righteousness of God is testified to by the OT. Isa 51:4-8 expresses eschatological vindication. Isaiah talks about a day to come when God's righteousness will appear. Somehow that righteousness is associated with salvation, for there is a parallel between righteousness and salvation in these verses.

In this light, God's righteousness aligns closest to #2 above of God putting his people "in the right." In the OT, God says in Isaiah to his people in exile that one day God will judge their enemies and vindicate them. God will establish them again "in the right." In Romans, this righteousness is not only for Israel, but for all who believe.

As in Rom 1:17c, Paul tends to put together often the language of "righteous" and "faith." It is not clear if "by faith" is attached to "righteous" or "live." Many scholars would prefer to translate (cf. the NIV) Hab 2:4 as "the one who is righteous by faith shall live."

(Hi Teddy, For your theological musing, as we had briefly touched on:)
The expression "righteousness of God" (Rom. 1:17), which has been discussed exhaustively throughout church history, is not easy to summarize or synthesize. John Stott explains the "righteousness of God" in 3 ways as:

1. A divine attribute (describes God's character): Our God is a righteous God.
2. A divine activity (describes God's saving intervention on behalf of his people): God comes to our rescue.
3. A divine achievement: God bestows on us a righteous status, which:
• God requires if we are to stand before him,
• God achieves through the atoning sacrifice of the cross,
• God reveals in the gospel, and
• God bestows freely on all who trust in Jesus Christ.

In other words, "the righteousness of God" is at one and the same time

1. a quality,
2. an activity and
3. a gift.

All 3 are true and have been held by different scholars. Stott doesn't see why all 3 should not be combined.