The Righteousness That Saves

Today’s Reading from God’s Word

Romans 1:16–17 CSB

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Introduction

Over the summer we have focused on one great truth: The kingdom is everything and we are called to share it.

During June we studied the mission of the Messiah - how Jesus came to proclaim the good news of the kingdom.

During July we were challenged to live for the kingdom - to surrender, to seek, and to sacrifice.

Now, during August, we come to a critical question:

what are we actually offering people when we invite them to the kingdom?

We are not just asking people to adopt a new moral code.

We are not offering a new religious routine.

We are sharing a message of righteousness — God’s righteousness — given by grace, received by faith, and revealed in the gospel.

During August we’ll explore:

Today: The Righteousness That Saves

August 10: The Righteousness That Transforms - you and I become the righteousness of God.

August 17: Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness - revival begins with desire.

August 24: The Righteousness That Endures - God’s righteousness stands forever, and so does His reign.

August 31: Clothed in Righteousness - Only God’s righteousness can cover us - it’s time to put off everything else and put on Christ.

This month we’ll be talking about a righteousness that saves, transforms, satisfies, endures, and covers us.

And that all begins here in Romans 1, where Paul is writing to Christians who dwell in the center of the world’s power.

A city full of idols, pride, politics, and pressure.

The gospel looked foolish.

It sounded weak.

And yet, Paul opens this letter with a bold confession:

I am not ashamed of the gospel.

Why not?

Because it’s not a theory, a suggestion, or a personal belief system.

It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

This is the message we share when we share the kingdom:

That we are not made right with God by what we do

But by what God has done for us in Christ.

The righteousness of God is not earned - it’s revealed.

And that the one who is made righteous by faith will truly live.

Let me introduce you to Josh Broome.

Formerly known as Rocco Reed, he spent nearly a decade as a highly paid adult film star - earning over $1 million per year between 2006-13.

He was the recipient of many industry award nominations.

In 2014, he sank into depression and even contemplated suicide. Inside, he felt empty, depressed, and broken. Deep emotional pain, identity struggles.

In 2015, he attended church with his fiancee and something snapped within.

At total rock bottom, he surrendered to Christ, walked away from fame and fortune.

He turned his vice into a powerful testimony for Christ.

He is now a husband and father of three, an author, and speaker.

He has a large following on his podcast (Counterfeit Culture) and co-founded an organization called Finding Hope - a ministry specifically designed to help those trapped in pornography and shame by sharing the power of Christ.

This story - is just one - but it demonstrates the life-giving truth of Paul’s words in our text today: “The Righteous will live by faith.”

Today, we will walk together through two of the most important verses in Scripture: Romans 1:16-17.

As we do, we will hear Paul proclaim that life begins with faith.

The righteous will live by faith.

This is the heart of the gospel. And it is the foundation of what we share with the world.

P R A Y E R

So what is it about this message - the gospel - that fills Paul with boldness?

Why does he say he is “not ashamed” in a world that mocked the cross, that exalted power and status, and that saw weakness as failure?

It is because Paul knew something the world did not.

The gospel may have looked weak, but it is power - God’s power - to save.

Let’s hear what he says in v. 16.

The Gospel is the Power of God to Save

Romans 1:16 CSB

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

Not Ashamed

Romans 1:16 CSB

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, …

This is addressed to christians in Rome, the capital of an empire that glorified human strength and mocked weakness.

To them, a crucified Jewish man as Savior was foolishness.

And yet, Paul stands unshaken. How?

Because he had seen waht the gospel could do. He had lived it.

He had preached it in synagogues, on street corners, before kings, and inside prison cells.

He had seen it change Pharisees and prostitutes, Gentiles and jailers, Idolators and intellectuals.

So, no he wasn’t ashamed - because the gospel wasn’t something to apologize for - it was something to announce.

The Power of God

Romans 1:16 CSB

…, because it is the power of God …

“Power” is where we get the word for dynamite.

It refers to raw, active, unstopable power.

The gospel is the explosive force of Gpd to rescue the spiritually dead.

It is a resurrection and the power comes from God Himself.

For Salvation

Romans 1:16 CSB

…because it is the power of God for salvation ….

Salvation is not about becoming a better version of yourself.

It is about being delivered - rescued - from danger.

The danger of:

God’s wrath (Romans 1:18)

slavery to sin (Romans 6:6)

fear of death (Hebrews 2:15)

eternal condemnation (Romans 8:1)

You see, the gospel is about being saved from what we could never escape on our own.

To Everyone Who Believes

Romans 1:16 CSB

… to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

The key to receiving this power is not achievement, background, or merit - it is faith.

Not intellectual agreement. Not religious activity. But trust.

The gospel os offered freely to everyone, but can only be received by belief.

And while the gospel began with the Jews, because God promised to bring salvation through them, the gospel is for all - Jews and Gentiles.

Insiders and outsiders, men and women, slave and free.

There is no one outside the reach of the gospel - but no one enters the kingdom apart from faith.

So how exactly does the gospel have this kind of power?

What makes it able to save - to give life?

Paul will tell us in v.17: it’s because in the gospel, something is revealed - something we could never produce on our own.

Let’s see what that is.

The Gospel Reveals the Righteousness of God

In the gospel is the message of the cross and the resurrection - and in that is something that changes everything.

It is not human potential, a new religious tradition, or moral advice.

It is…

The Righteousness of God

Romans 1:17 CSB

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed….This is the theme of the entire letter and it is the first time of many Paul will stress it.

It is not something we achieve - it is something God reveals and offers.

The righteousness of God refers to:

God’s saving activity. (His faithfulness to keep his promises and act justly in saving sinners.)

The righteous status He gives to those who trust in Christ.

The righteousness of God is both who he is and what he gives.

Our sins were laid upon Christ.

The benefits of His death were credited to us.

And God declared us just (or right) - not because we are - because of what Jesus did on our behalf.

And so the gospel is revealed - and received - by faith. Look again at v. 17:

From Faith to Faith

Romans 1:17 CSB

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,…

It is received by faith - not law, effort, or ritual.

It is lived out by faith - daily trust, surrender, and dependence on Christ.

It is shared by faith - passed on from one to another as the gospel spreads.

The Righteous Live by Faith

Romans 1:17 CSB

…just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Here, Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4.

It is the first OT quote in the letter and it is not incidental.

It forms the backbone of the entire argument of Romans and it also seen in Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38.

So what does Paul mean?

The Righteous: Those Declared Right by God

Romans 1:17 CSB

… just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

He is describing those who have been declared righteous through faith.

Romans 3:22 CSB

The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.

Courtroom language.

God, the judge, looks at the guilty sinner and instead of issuing condemnation, he justifies them.

Not because they are innocent, but because Jesus bore their guilt.

The verdict is not “try harder” it is “righteous” and “forgiven” because of grace.

Righteous is a status that is yours.

Will Live: Not Behavior, but Spiritual Resurrection

Romans 1:17 CSB

just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Paul is not primarily saying the righteous will behave a certain way. He is saying the righteous will be made alive - they will live.

In the context of Habakkuk 2, “live” meant to survive judgment, to continue under the faithful protection of God despite the surrounding chaos and coming wrath.

Now Paul takes this and shows that it means far more:

To live spiritually - rescued from death in sin (Ephesians 2:1-5)

To live eternally - not condemned, but gifted with life (John 3:16)

To live presently - a new identity, empowered by the Spirit (Galatians 2:20)

The righteous live by faith, i.e., they have true life, eternal life, not through performance, but by faith.

Your salvation is not about keeping life by good behavior - it is about receiving life through dependence on Christ.

The gospel is not about making bad people better - it’s about making dead people alive.

By Faith: The Ongoing Stance of the Justified Life

Romans 1:17 CSB

… just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

“Faith” (pistis) in the original language, is not just intellectual belief - it is trust, reliance, surrender.

It is not a momentary decision, but a lifelong posture.

We do not begin in faith and then finish by works. We never grow out of dependence on Christ.

We live by faith.

This means:

we live by trusting Christ’s work - not ours

we live by resting in God’s righteousness - not trying to build our own

We live by leaning on grace, not law.

We live by looking to Christ daily, not to ourselves.

Galatians 2:20 CSB

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This has deep implications for us:

The same faith that saves you is the faith that must sustain you.

The gospel is not just the front door to the kingdom - it is the foundation upon which we walk every day.

Romans 1:17 answers the deepest human question.

How can I be right with God?

Not by achieving

Not by striving

By by believing

God doesn’t save those who measure up - He saves those who trust in the one who measured up for them.

This is the core of the gospel - and the dividing line between Christianity and every other religious system.

Manmade religion: Do more, try harder, be better.

Gospel: trust Christ, receive life, live by faith.

As We Close…

Romans 1:16-17 is a spiritual announcement.

There is life available - true, eternal, and abundant.

It is not found in your goodness, or your background, the way you perform.

“The righteous live by faith.”

This is the reality the Christian enjoys.

It is the heartbeat to the gospel.

It is the answer to sin, shame, fear, and death.

It is the only way to live.

This is why we share the kingdom.

We’ve found life and we know where its found.

We go into the world, not ashamed, but confident, because we carry the message that makes dead people alive.

So what do we do with this?

If you’ve been carrying the crushing weight of trying to be good enough for God - lay it down.

If you’ve been trusting in your spiritual resume or your religious credentials - let it gio.

If you’re weary from failure or discouraged by sin, look to Christ.

There is a righteousness available today — but it’s not found in you — it’s found in the gospel and received by faith.

The righteous will live by faith.

Let’s believe it. Let’s live it. Let’s share it.