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Sermon #3025

Righteousness of God Revealed

A Sermon on Righteousness from Romans 1:16-17

Originally preached April 13, 1956

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Scripture

Romans 1:16-17 ESV KJV
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall …

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Sermon Description

What does the righteousness of God entail? How can sinful man stand before a righteous God? In this sermon on righteousness from Romans 1:16-17 titled “Righteousness of God Revealed,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones offers a clear and compelling look at the righteousness that comes from God and is applied to the believer in such a way that it satisfies God’s holiness. In this context of Paul’s letter, righteousness is more than an attribute of God. It is a righteousness that conforms to God’s law and is well-pleasing in his sight. This righteousness provided from God to the Christian comes from Jesus Christ who has satisfied the law in every way. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, that righteousness is now put to the believers account not by his own works or merit but by taking on the righteousness of Christ by faith. Thereby, they are now considered in right standing before God. This great act of righteousness obtained through Christ is a revelation, an unveiling that happened in God’s sovereign plan, that is made clear in the New Testament.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul lays down the theme of Romans in verses 16 and 17.
  2. In verse 16, Paul states the theme in general. In verse 17, he particularizes.
  3. Alternatively, in verses 16 and 17 Paul gives reasons for not being ashamed of the gospel.
  4. Reason 1: The gospel is good news.
  5. Reason 2: The gospel deals with salvation.
  6. Reason 3: The gospel is God's message.
  7. Reason 4: The gospel is a powerful, effective message.
  8. Reason 5: The gospel is for all people.
  9. Reason 6: The gospel reveals how it is the power of God unto salvation.
  10. The gospel isn't a quest or search but a revelation.
  11. Revelation means making manifest, plain, or clear what was previously known in part.
  12. The gospel was witnessed to in the Old Testament but is now fully revealed.
  13. Reason 7: The content of the revelation is the righteousness of God.
  14. The righteousness of God here means a righteousness that comes from God and satisfies God.
  15. Righteousness means conformity to God's law and acceptance by God.
  16. The gospel insists on righteousness as much as the law. The gospel establishes the law.
  17. The ultimate objective of the gospel is to enable us to stand in God's presence.
  18. The gospel provides the righteousness God demands through faith in Christ.
  19. Christ satisfied the law's demands and took our punishment so we can have His righteousness.
  20. Reason 8: The gospel shows how this righteousness becomes ours through faith.
  21. Faith is not something all people have or the assumption that life will continue as normal.
  22. Faith is the gift of God given to Christians alone by which we receive righteousness.
  23. A better translation is "the righteousness of God is revealed by faith to faith."
  24. "By faith" means faith is the channel through which righteousness comes, not the condition.
  25. Our faith does not justify us or constitute our righteousness. It receives Christ's righteousness.
  26. "From faith to faith" means God's righteousness by faith is revealed to faith in believers.
  27. The just shall live by faith - those righteous through faith will live eternally.

The Book of Romans

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.