ROMANS 3: 21-26
21 But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. †
God is Other, People
At a denominational conference in the early 70s, a huge banner spanned the stage with the words:
God is other people.
This was and is a popular sentiment in many denominations. The idea can be expressed in several ways. For instance, because the Church is the Body of Christ, we can say that God’s presence is found among the faithful. More commonly, this phrase points to Jesus’ teaching of the final judgment in Matthew’s gospel, wherein he says, “What you do for the least of these my brothers, you do for me.” In that sense, we do meet Christ in service of the poor and outcast. But there is a bigger danger in the assumption, taken just a little too far, which suggests that all we need to know about God can be found in humanity, as though humankind were the fullest incarnation of God or the final expression of God. This plays on our sentimentality—on the warmth of the human family and the divine imperative to help one another—but it is ultimately idolatrous because to say God is other people is a dangerous over-reduction.
Just before going onstage, the keynote speaker asked for a magic marker, which was provided. Once announced, the keynote speaker—without saying a word—walked to the banner and drew a comma after the word other, so that the banner now read:
God is other, people.
I’d like to proclaim this the most significant comma in human history, for, with one small stroke, that speaker corrected what may be the most persistent heresy within the community of faith.
Yes, it is true that we sometimes experience the presence of God through other people, but to suggest—even in the least—that God is somehow contained by the Church is simply idolatry.
Apart from the Law
Apart from the Law
In this section from Romans, Paul gives us Jesus. Not only does he give us Jesus, but he also gives us Jesus as Jesus ought to be given—Jesus rightly proclaimed as the righteousness of God.
Paul says “apart from the Law” the righteousness of God has been revealed. God speaks where the Law is, but He also speaks where there is no law. The Law and the Prophets witness to God’s righteousness, but they are not the same thing as God’s righteousness. They are pointing fingers, pointing to the otherness of God who is holy—above and beyond this world.
God is in no way subject to this world. His fullness is not found here, but everything meaningful points toward His glory. God does not need the Law to justify. God justifies Himself to Himself, no human thought or input needed. God affirms Himself apart from our proclamations. Martin Luther puts it well:
Here therefore is the sermon of sermons and the wisdom of Heaven; in order that we may believe that our righteousness and salvation come to us from outside; in order that we may believe that, though in us dwells naught but sin and unrighteousness and folly, we are, nevertheless, acceptable before God, righteous and holy and wise.
God makes Himself known as Creator and Lord of all, yet meets a world replete in disbelief. His righteousness comes to us nonetheless, and it is this great “nonetheless” (says Karl Barth) by which He claims us for himself in spite of our sin.
That He loves us in spite of our sin is incomprehensible to us and it offends our sense of justice. This may be why grace is so hard to receive: we certainly know we don’t deserve it, and only fools think they can earn it.
The righteousness of God is totally independent of every thought or imaginable attempt that we could make to achieve liberty.
There is a great danger in Christianity—one that the Church in all her forms has fallen prey to in every century and in every denomination—and that is making faith a thing that we do rather than the thing that God does.
faith IN or OF Christ?
This discrepancy can be seen in a simple preposition in verse 22:
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
Scholars dispute that preposition, and translators reveal their theological bias by choosing either “faith IN Jesus” or “faith OF Jesus.” To say faith in Christ can give us an idea that faith is something originating in the human will that we send up to God—like a search light—and by which we have a relationship with Him. As if we send our faith up to Him by putting our faith in Him. It’s really the wrong direction, which is made clearer by saying the faith of Jesus.
The faith of Jesus is God’s righteousness as Paul names it. Jesus is the expression of God’s perfect righteousness—His fulfillment of His promises—and Jesus righteousness in suffering the cross secures the power and work within Him, not us. This is the correct orientation proclaimed by Paul. Even to say, “faith in Christ”—taken most literally—locates the faith not in us but in Him.
We do not produce or manufacture faith in our hearts, minds, wills, or elsewhere. We are fallen, and this is what fallenness means.
In short, our faith is not in ourselves whatsoever, but entirely in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Our faith is faith in Jesus’ faithfulness toward us. Our faith is a matter of trusting in God’s faithfulness to us.
Faith is a Verb
Throughout the New Testament, the word for faith is usually a verb. This causes problems in translating to English. We don’t talk this way—we don’t faith something or not faith something. We use other words, usually trust or believe. Of the two of these, the word trust is superior
We Christians tend to go on about belief. Believe this, believe that—but the problem with this is that belief is rather shallow—belief is a mental event—something that happens in your head.
What does it mean to be a Christian? “Well,” we say, “it means we believe this or believe that.” But real faith is not about belief—at least, not mere belief. The word trust needs to be in the mix every time we read the words faith and/or believe in our English translations.
Does salvation come through believing? Not so much as through trusting. Trust is a matter of the head, heart, and will together. I highly recommend that you plug in the word trust wherever you read the word believe or belief.
More Trouble words
As if these prepositions and translations were not difficult enough, we have the mystery of atonement to reckon with. Look up the word atonement, and you are thrown synonyms that are much worse:
PROPITIATION
EXPIATION
REPARATION
I think these words only complicate the difficulty, but a couple things can throw some light on the atonement.
- The word in Greek is the same word used to describe the Mercy Seat of God. The Mercy Seat is the golden lin on the Ark of the Covenant with two angels atop it. This mercy seat is also referred to as the judgment seat of God. A reminder: judgment—as in Judgment Day—was seen as good news. It was a time when the good and righteous Judge, The Lord, would bring perfect justice to Israel and to the Earth by extension. It is good news that in Christ we know that God’s judgment has come in the form of mercy rather than wrath.
- It is at - one - ment—the state of being united with someone or something. On the cross, we speak of Christ “atoning for our sins,” which is to say that all our sins become “at one” with Him in His suffering. That’s fine as far as it goes, but we miss something if we don’t celebrate the idea of atonement in a broader sense—the sense that we are united with Christ—such that we share in His new resurrection life.
It is the latter view of atonement which we continue to celebrate. We are united with Christ in baptism, which means we share in His righteousness, rather than needing to construct it out of our own, very limited, moral resources. Our faith—our trust—is that union made complete in Christ.
Who Is Atoned For?
So exactly who is united to Christ at the cross? In John 12:32, Jesus says, “I will draw all men to myself”, but does all mean all or just some?
According to John Calvin, the saved are united and drawn, called, sanctified, etc. For all those whom God has pre-ordained, Christ’s work on the cross unites them with Him, and He atones for their sins. For Calvin, atonement is for the Elect alone.
As to Jacobus Arminius( and so much of American evangelicalism), Christ’s atonement pays all human sin. Christ’s cross corrects original sin from Adam onward. All sins are paid. But, not quite paid, but potentially paid. Any Wesleyans in the house? Christ died for your sins, but it only counts if you believe that it counts.
Q: Does Christ’s work actually accomplish grace or is it just an invitation to faith? It’s weird, because if it only works if you believe in it, then it is your belief that makes it take effect, and not the work of Christ Himself. The will to believe becomes the work of salvation, which is a problem scripturally.
But it’s also a problem to limit the atonement to only the Elect, for it means that there are sinners whom God does not love, but in fact hates. Good luck justifying that one.
The alternative is a kind of universalism whereby we proclaim that Christ’s work on the cross is sufficient for all humankind and the price has indeed been paid. Christ redeems not just the Elect, and not just those who believe, but the whole fallen race of Adam.
All these theories are coherent, but they all are incomplete and flawed. So where do we stand? Answer: in humility.
We Demand Faith
Nonetheless, we demand faith. We call all and everyone to acknowledge that God is God and worthy of our worship. We do not offer a “way” of salvation, just Christ Himself. There are no prerequisites required, no qualifying rounds. Faith is its own initiation
We call each other and the world to trust in Jesus. We call each other and the world to trust, to believe, to faith in Christ, who is the perfect pro\of of God’s faithfulness, mercy, justice, and love. †