Righteous Good News

Rom 1:17 "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."  The Good News of the Gospel (evangelion) is that there is a righteousness, a right relationship with God that does not emanate from my good deeds but comes from God and is imputed, assigned to me by faith in Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is God's revelation, through Christ of a new plan.  Under the old plan our sin was temporarily atoned for by animal sacrifices.  Sin is so detestable to God that the only way that justice can be satisfied is through the spilling of blood.  That atonement was only temporary because the moment that we sinned again, there was immediately enmity between us and God. God is perfect and holy and that which is not perfect and holy has no place with Him.

Isa 64:6 "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags"

No matter how hard we try, anything that we bring to the table is simply not good enough.  It is as if we bought a brand new white King Size sheet that gleamed in its' whiteness, but right in the middle there was a black spot the size of a pin.  Despite how pristine the rest of the sheet might be, our eyes would immediately be drawn to that spot and we could no longer say it was without blemish.  Yards and yards of it are immaculate, but that one spot would disqualify it for the kings' bed.

So, if there is nothing we can do to achieve righteousness, how can we ever hope to have a relationship with a perfect, holy God. Well, God is not only perfect and holy, He is also merciful and wise.

2 Cor 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God".

We were naked in our sin, but He sent His Son to clothe us in a garment of pure white, without blemish so that we might be able to stand in His presence.  The righteousness that we could not generate comes from God Himself and is therefore acceptable to Him. His Son became the perfect sacrifice so that His blood would atone, pay the fine, make restitution for all our sins; even the ones we haven't committed yet.  That is indeed good news, the Gospel.

Of course there is a catch. While it is free and available to all, not everyone will accept the gift. Those who do not will suffer the full and terrible wrath of a righteous God. It is as if there was a prison where at the gate there was a room full of pardons. All you have to do to access the pardon is admit your guilt, repent of your sin and believe that the warden has the power to pardon you and let you out of captivity. All that it takes for us to be declared righteous is faith. By faith we are instantly move from the camp of those who try, in vain, to do it themselves, to the camp of the yielded who realize they can't do it and need His help. Those who try to do it themselves worship at the altar of self. "I did it my way" was the refrain of the '60's. But to quote a more recent refrain, "How's that working for you?"

Eph 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works , so that no one can boast."

No, it is not through what I can do or what I bring to the table that I am saved or made righteous. It is only through Christ, by faith that we can come with boldness to the throne of God.

Phil 3:8-9 "that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

When God looks at me He sees me cloaked in righteousness; the righteousness gained for me by His son on the cross and He bids me to come close.

That is indeed good news.