Righteousness by Faith

I’ve been stopped on more than one occasion (on a college campus, on the streets of a busy city, etc.) and asked the question, “Do you know where you would go if you died today, and why?” I’ve always admired and appreciated men and women who are willing to do something for Jesus Christ, and so I love these encounters.

My testimony matches that of the saints of the early church in the book of Acts (which is the original church, which began in Jerusalem). And when I’ve been stopped, I’ve told them that I believe I’m on my way to Heaven, because I repent of sin, I’ve been baptized in Jesus’s name, I’ve received the Holy Ghost (evidenced by speaking in other tongues), and I strive to do God’s will in all things, as it says in Acts 2:38-40.

I’ve been told that this answer was not biblical, that I was trying to be saved by my own works. One man told me that I would go to hell if I believed what I believed.

There is a widespread doctrine that preaches that all we need to do in order to be saved is believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and that in doing so, none of our works from that moment on will count against us on the judgment day, but that our salvation is unconditionally sealed at that very moment we believe. There are many doctrines and denominations that hold some part of this message, if not all of it. Scriptures such as John 3:16 and Romans 10:9 are often used as references for this type of preaching. I do not dispute the verity of those scriptures (as Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”). Nonetheless, I have asked why the Bible is as long as it is if we only need to examine two or three sentences of it - I have not yet received a satisfactory answer.

What seems to be the case is that words like “righteousness” and “faith”, when not fully weighed out by the context of the scriptures, are taken from their integrity of definition and application. The result is worse than deadly. Righteousness is an important part of our salvation. And I must concur that we cannot have righteousness by our works - it can only come by faith in Jesus Christ. It’s all so true. But what needs clarified to the religious world is the definition of righteousness, and also: what it truly means to believe in Jesus Christ. Only then can we reliably know whether we have the righteousness that the apostle Paul speaks of in Philippians 3:9, “that which is through the faith of Christ; the righteousness which is of God by faith.”

What is Righteousness?

1 John 5:17 tells us that, “All unrighteousness is sin...” Romans 3:21-23 teaches us that righteousness has been made available to all, and is needed by all, because, “all have sinned…” From these passages we begin to understand that this sense of the word “righteousness” is talking about the canceling of sins, that is, the atonement of sins, or the remission of sins. Righteousness is the means by which one’s sins are taken away, erasing the bad things of the past. It’s how we’re made right in the sight of God.

How was Righteousness obtained under the Law?

In the Old Testament, atonement for sin was made through the high priest, who offered the blood of a sacrifice once every year, each year rolling sins ahead. Hebrews 10:1-4 tells us that these sacrifices could not actually take away sins, but they were a type and a shadow of the true sacrifice, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, whose blood alone has true power to take away sins. So, under the law, people brought sacrifices to atone for sins, which in essence meant that their righteousness was obtained by their own works, and by the blood of animals which they brought to the priests. This was never God’s final plan for salvation.

Righteousness by Faith?

In the New Testament, which is God’s fulfillment of the law, we can only have righteousness by faith. The Lord Jesus tells us in Matthew 23:23 that the weightier matters of the law are, “judgment, mercy, and faith.” The law taught us about judgment and mercy, and pointed us toward Christ, through whom the righteousness of the law would be fulfilled by faith.

“Faith in what?” you might ask - we’re getting there. But first...

Who is Christ?

The prophet Isaiah foretold of the birth of Christ more than once. In Isaiah 9:6, he said, “unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder.” This is talking about Jesus Christ. Isaiah continues in his prophecy of Christ to describe his deity and power, saying in the same verse, “...and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Did you catch that? Isaiah tells us that the Messiah’s name would be called, “...The mighty God, The everlasting Father...”

We know that God is the Father. So, since Jesus is also to be called the Father, does this mean that we have two Fathers? No, it doesn’t. Jesus tells us in Matthew 23:9-10 that we have one Father, one Master.

Paul further expounds on Christ’s deity in 1 Timothy 3:16, telling us that, “God was manifest in the flesh.” By these passages (and many, many more) we can be sure that Jesus Christ is God himself, robed in flesh, in his love toward humanity, offering himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, to make a way for those who would believe in him to have salvation (we still have yet to cover what believing in him means).

So, if Jesus is God, why did he choose to be called the Son of God? The answer is simple: it was done for our example. He has shown us how to be the sons of God. Notice that it wasn’t so much his fleshly DNA that made him the Son of God (except that he came through the seed of David, as it was prophesied), but rather that, though he was flesh, he had the Spirit of God in him, as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “To wit, that God was in Christ...” We learn by this that the only way for us to be a son of God is by the Spirit of God being in us. This example is firmly set, for, as it says in Romans 8:9, “...if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” So, we know that, though we are flesh, we can become God’s if we have his Spirit dwelling in us.

Now, taking a step back: if we do not believe or understand that Jesus is God, then we hinder ourselves from knowing how to be one of God’s people. If Jesus was a separate deity from God, then whose Spirit was in Christ? And if there was another Spirit in Christ enabling him to live above sin, then whose Spirit should we receive to become one of God’s people? And if we receive a Spirit other than God’s Spirit, then how are we God’s, and how would God be our Father? But God’s love is demonstrated, that he alone loves us enough to be our Father. And he alone loved us enough to pave the way for us as the Son. And he alone loves us enough to live in us as the Holy Ghost. So now that we know who Christ is, we can finally discuss...

What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ?

In many denominations, it is preached that in order to be saved, we need to believe that Jesus died for our sins. That is true, though there’s more to believe. Our salvation is not just based on the fact that he died for our sin... it’s that, after he died, he was raised from the dead by the power of God, no longer seized by the death that came by sin. To believe in the example of Jesus Christ means to believe that after we have died out to sin through repentance, that God will also raise us from the dead, that is, from our sinful nature, giving us power by his Spirit to live acceptably for him, following the pattern of Jesus Christ. As Paul said to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 1:6, “…the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.” What Christ did was an example for us. So, to believe in him is to follow that example. And, as this was all done in Christ before his ascension, so can we also not ascend into Heaven unless we have this Spirit and testimony in us. This is the message intended to be understood in John 3:16, and in Romans 10:9.

Why does Righteousness come by Faith in Christ?

So, how does this all tie into us having our sins taken away? Why would God forgive our sins, just because we believe that Jesus rose from the dead?

Look at it like this: if you get pulled over for speeding, what makes the officer not give you the ticket you deserve? Isn’t it only if they can tell that you’re sorry, and that you plan to do better in the future? The same is with God. When you are sorry for your sins, and you believe that if you turn away from your sin (death), that God will enable you to live above sin by the Holy Ghost (resurrection), even as he raised up Christ our example… When you believe this message, then God sees your faith. And when God sees that, he is then willing to take away your sins, because of your faith in Jesus Christ, faith that causes your heart to have good intentions. The blood is applied because of your faith in his name.

How does God want us to show our Faith?

Many people turn away from all kinds of sins for many different reasons. Some turn away from sins because of some religion aside from Christianity. Some turn away from certain sins because they don’t want to go to jail. Some turn away from sins because they believe it will improve their quality of life, or for some form of humanism or self-actualization. My point is, not everyone that turns away from sins does it because of faith in Jesus Christ.

True faith takes on the shape of obedience, and it always has an expression. What is the way the scriptures give us to tie our repentance to our faith in Jesus Christ? That is, how do we make it known that the reason we henceforth turn from any sin is because we believe that God will enable us to overcome flesh by his Spirit? We get baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, as it says in Acts 2:38, “for the remission of sins.” This professes our faith in Jesus Christ alone as our Saviour, and shows that we’re turning away from sin because of our faith in his name, in his blood, and his example. When God sees this faith, sin is taken off our record, under the name of Jesus Christ, whose blood alone can atone for sins. As it says in Romans 6:4, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” This is how we have righteousness by faith.

How can we sum it all up for now?

Is there a scripture that puts this all together? The truth is, we are expected to compare scriptures with other scriptures to fully understand God’s will and gospel, as it says in Isaiah 28:10, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” However, there is a scripture that has much of what we’re saying here in a very concise manner, and is known in truth by many as the plan of salvation: Acts 2:38. This is what Peter told a group of men who had just begun to believe in Jesus Christ, who asked what they needed to do, when the truth had pricked their hearts. This is the message that was brought, in one way or another, to every new disciple in the New Testament.

Acts 2:38 - “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”