The Righteousness That Saves

[0:00] Good morning. I'm glad to be here sharing God's word with you today. My request for you is if you're new, please come back next week. Please come back. As Jared said, I don't want to be the one that says, I don't want to be in this church, but please come back next week.

[0:18] But I'm glad that you're here. I'm glad to share the word with you. And as Jared mentioned, our passage today will be on the book of Romans in chapter 10. So please open your Bibles in Romans in chapter 10, and we'll be covering the verses 5 through 17. Romans chapter 10, verses 5 through 17.

[0:47] And the letter of Romans is considered the most complete declaration of Paul of the gospel. It is also considered the door to understand the whole scripture. By reading Romans, many of the reformers had security of their faith, and they considered Romans as a key given by God to understand the whole scripture. And today we have the privilege to study a small part of this book and to understand that the only possible way to salvation is through Christ. And let's pray. Let's pray again. Lord, we thank you for this morning. Thank you for all of us, and we thank you for your word. We thank you for your salvation, and we ask you, Lord, that today your spirit works in our hearts.

[1:44] Lord, Lord, that today your spirit works in our hearts. And we thank you for your salvation. Lord, that today your spirit works in our hearts. And we thank you for your salvation that we have through your son, Jesus Christ.

[2:07] In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Have you ever thought how many religions are in the world? I was asking myself this question.

[2:22] So I did some research, and to be honest with you, I was not expecting to see the number that I found. There is at least, at least, 4,000 religious in the world. 4,000. Wikipedia says that it could be between 4,200 to 10,000.

[2:44] Now, I know that Wikipedia is not the most reliable source of information, but still, this is crazy. It's a huge number. Now, many of them are variations of the most well-known religious, but still, it's a huge number.

[3:02] And all of them proclaim to have the right path to salvation. Many of them ignore what the scriptures say about the gospel and about Jesus, and they establish their own way to heaven.

[3:17] But we know that the only path for salvation is found through Christ, which is what the scripture teaches. And today, we'll talk about the righteousness that saves that God has revealed to us in his word.

[3:36] So let's begin with our first point. Learn the righteousness that saves. And let's go to our Bibles, and we're going to read verses 5 through 8.

[3:46] And God's word says, For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commitments shall live by them. For the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven, that is, to bring Christ down, or who will descend into the abyss, that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.

[4:09] But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart. That is the word of faith that we proclaim.

[4:21] When Paul gets to verse 5, he has been talking about the desire in his heart for all the youths to be saved. Look at verse 1. My heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

[4:37] If we go a little bit back in the context of this passage in chapter 9, we're not going to read it, but Paul has been talking about Israel's rejection of God and how they have failed reaching salvation because they are pursuing it by works and not by faith.

[4:56] So Paul's truly desire for Israel is that everyone believes. But he concludes that not all of them will be saved because they are looking for salvation through the law and their righteousness.

[5:12] Verse 2 says that they have a seal of God in chapter 10. They have a seal of God, but not according to knowledge. In other words, their seal of God was not spiritual discernment that comes from an intimate relationship with God.

[5:29] His knowledge was superficial and religious. This kind of knowledge produces arrogance and pride. But the true knowledge produces a humble heart and holiness.

[5:41] Now, let's remember that the law was not wrong or bad. Paul says in Romans 7 that the law is holy and the commandment is holy, is righteous, and is good.

[5:58] The law was given by God because it is the highest expression of holiness. As the verse 5 says, the person who does the commandments shall live by them.

[6:14] God told Moses before they entered to the promised land that obeying the law, sorry, but that obeying the law, they will live.

[6:25] So why then, if the law was good, it became a curse for Israel instead of blessing the grand salvation? Look at verse 3 and 4 in chapter 10.

[6:40] Because they sought their own righteousness based on the law and didn't submit to the righteousness of God. The Jews decided to create their own rules of righteousness.

[6:53] Now, the law had a purpose in the Old Testament. Paul explains this to the Galatians in chapter 3, verses 21 and 24. And I'm going to read it to you.

[7:05] And it says, or you can look at also in your Bibles, Galatians chapter 3, verse 21 to 24. And it says, It is the law then contrary to the promises of God?

[7:17] Certainly not. For if a law have given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

[7:35] Now, before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the common faith would be revealed.

[7:47] So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. The word guardian in this passage, in other translations, is translated as teacher.

[8:02] The law was their teacher until the common of Christ. But when Christ came, then justification now is by faith.

[8:14] That's why verse 4 finishes with, in Romans 10. For Christ is the end of the law. God's word claims constantly that the law is not enough to grant salvation.

[8:28] Again, it's not because it is bad, but because men can't fully obey it due to their sinful nature. And since they can't fulfill the law, it condemns them.

[8:42] It condemns us. And let's take a look at a few verses, and you're going to have them on the screen. In Deuteronomy 27-26, Moses tells Israel that, Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.

[9:02] Paul repeats the same words to the Galatians in chapter 3, verses 10 and 11, that all who rely on words of the law are under a curse. For it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them.

[9:19] Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for the righteous shall live by faith. In James chapter 2, verse 10, James says that Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

[9:42] Everyone except Jesus has failed in one point, so we are guilty. And Paul addressed it, too, in Romans, in chapter 3, in verse 28. And it says, For we hold that that one is justified by faith apart from the work of the law.

[9:59] Going back to Israel, the major problem of the Jews was that they considered themselves better than anyone else. And they considered themselves pleasing to God because they were chosen by him.

[10:15] They ignored Jesus' teachings and rejected him as a savior. They were not expecting to be saved of their sins. Because in their own eyes, they were acceptable to God.

[10:29] They considered themselves followers of the law. And even if they had failed in something, they thought that they had accumulated enough grace from God that their sins were going to be forgiven.

[10:41] But this is not what the Bible teaches. Because with Christ's sacrifice, the law is powerless to grant salvation. Not that ever the law granted salvation.

[10:51] We have seen that in reality brought combination. But the law brought us to understand our impossibility to obtain salvation through our own merits.

[11:07] Verse 4 says, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. This means that the burden of the law is not necessary anymore because with Christ it comes to an end.

[11:21] The end of the sinner's search to accomplish salvation with his imperfect attempts to achieve the law. Because when a sinner accepts Christ, Christ's perfect justice is granted to him.

[11:36] Nowadays, people believe that they are acceptable to God in some way. They like to believe that God will be merciful enough to forgive them when they get to heaven.

[11:49] They love to create their own standards of what is right. And believe that a loving God cannot be as bad to condemn them.

[12:00] And this is just a poor understanding of who God is and his righteousness. Because not even a merely knowledge of the existence of God will save someone.

[12:14] Jim says this about the demons in chapter 2, 19. It's not in the slides, but it says, You believe that God is one. Even the demons believe and shudder.

[12:31] So, what then? If we cannot be saved by this righteousness of the law, what is going to happen? What happens? What do we need then?

[12:42] Well, the opposite of this is the correct understanding of God's righteousness. The righteousness by faith that saves. And let's look at verse 6 and 7 in our passage.

[12:58] And it says, But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven? That is to bring Christ down. Or who will descend into the abyss?

[13:11] That is to bring Christ up from the dead. The righteousness based on faith refers to the heart of the gospel. Paul already talked about this righteousness in this letter, in chapter 3, verses 21 and 26, and it's going to be on the screen.

[13:28] But now, and it says, But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

[13:46] For there is no distinction. He's talking about the distinction between Jews and Greek or Jews and Gentiles. For all, again, Jews and Gentiles, all, the whole world, have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

[14:00] This means missed the mark. Everyone has missed the mark of the glory of God. Verse 24, And are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation.

[14:18] This means the atonement of sin. The reconciliation with God through Christ. By his blood to be received by faith.

[14:28] This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at a present time, so that he might be just, and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

[14:49] Did you notice that the word faith is repeated three times in these verses? Well, in fact, Paul repeats this word in the whole letter of Romans many, many times. But in this passage, he repeats this word three times, and we're going to see it again.

[15:05] Verse 22 says, We don't find in these verses that salvation can be granted by works.

[15:29] Not by setting up your own standard of what is right. It's only granted through faith in the sacrifice of Christ in the cross for our sins.

[15:42] And we can conclude this like this. Faith is the salvific acceptance of the work of Christ as it is proclaimed in the gospel.

[15:54] I'm going to say that again. Faith is the salvific acceptance of the work of Christ as it is proclaimed in the gospel. Going back to verse 6 and 7, Paul is quoting here Deuteronomy 30, verses 12 to 14, to show the contrast between the righteousness by the law and the righteousness by faith.

[16:19] The ESV Study Bible says the following regarding this, and I quote, There is no need to travel to heaven to bring Christ to the earth, for God has already sent him into the world.

[16:32] Nor shall anyone think they must bring Christ up from the realm of the dead, for God has raised Christ from the dead. What God requires is not the superhuman works, but faith in the gospel that Paul preaches.

[16:51] And Paul explains this, explains why this can be possible in verse 8. And look at that, verse 8 in our chapter 10.

[17:01] But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart. That is the word of faith that we proclaim. So what Paul is saying, you don't have to do this.

[17:15] You don't need to, there is no need of doing works to gain salvation. And there is no need for us to bring Christ from heaven or from the dead to get it.

[17:26] It says that it is in your mouth and it is in your heart. Which means that we have an easy access to it because of the proclamation of the gospel made by Paul, but also made by faithful believers throughout the history of Christianity.

[17:46] So this is the righteousness that saves. Now, we have seen the difference between the righteousness by the law and the righteousness by faith that is the one that saves.

[17:58] Now let's talk about trust, the righteousness that saves. And we're going to read verses 9 through 13 in our passage of today. And it says, verse 9, because, continuing the idea in the previous verses, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the death, you will be saved.

[18:25] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the scripture says, everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.

[18:36] For there is no distinction between you and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

[18:52] Paul is following the same idea of righteousness by faith. And now he adds what it needs to be done in order to be saved.

[19:02] In verse 9, Paul says that you will be saved if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. Now, we know that this is the other way around.

[19:14] But Paul is following the same order that he is from verse, of the verse from Deuteronomy that he quoted in verse 8. The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart.

[19:28] But in verse 10, he inverts the order now in the chronological order of the redemption. And let's see what it says again. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

[19:47] So, in first place, with the heart one believes and is justified. The heart is the center of the emotions and the intellect.

[19:59] It doesn't refer to the organ, but to the center of the intellect of the human. It's here what the gospel message starts working in us.

[20:11] And what do we need to believe? The gospel. Look again at verse 9. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. What Paul is saying here is that the only way to salvation is through faith in the sacrifice of Christ, in the cross, and his resurrection.

[20:33] This is the heart of the gospel. God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sinners. For those whom by the law cannot be justified, because their sinful nature cannot fulfill the demands and standards of holiness of a righteous God.

[20:50] We are saved not because what we could have done, but because what God has done for us. When we understand that we are sinners, and we understand our incapacity to gain salvation through our own merits, and that we deserve God's wrath, we understand that the only one who has power to save us is God himself through Christ's sacrifice.

[21:20] When we believe this, we are justified. And justification is just the act of God making us acceptable to him through the sacrifice of Christ.

[21:31] The act of God making us acceptable to him through the sacrifice of Christ. Paul told this to the Galatians in chapter 2, verse 16, and it says, Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.

[21:51] So we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

[22:05] We are justified in Christ because the pavement for our sins was his sacrifice, and there is no other way but him.

[22:17] And finally, his resurrection also gives us hope, because Christ defeated death and defeated sin, so sin can have dominion over those who have believed in him.

[22:29] And according to Romans 6, 5, will be resurrected in him too. And I'm going to read it. For if we have been united with him in death like this, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like this.

[22:49] So what is next? Look again at verse 9. See, many people recognize that Jesus is the Son of God and the Lord of the universe.

[23:18] But here, Paul is talking not about a superficial knowledge about God, because we won't be saved only by having a general knowledge of God, as I mentioned before, or even if we had extensive knowledge of him.

[23:35] And as I mentioned before, James says that even the demons know about Christ, but there is no salvation for them. And think for a second about Satan and the demons.

[23:47] They know God better than any human. John MacArthur says in the following, the following in his commentary of Romans, and I quote, in other words, the demons are monotheistic.

[24:03] That's a huge word. And this basically means that they believe in one God. Satan and his fallen angels are confirmed creationists. That means that they believe in a creation of six days.

[24:17] After they saw God forming the skies and the earth with only pronouncing their existence, the demons had observed more of God's word and know more about his nature and power more than all Christians together, besides Christ incarnate.

[24:33] Also, as they were original inhabitants of heaven, they know perfectly how it is. They certainly know that they are distant to eternal judgment.

[24:45] And knowing what this judgment means to them, they tremble. So, it is clear that it is not a superficial or extensive knowledge of God and Christ, but the profound conviction that moves you to confess that Jesus is the Lord that governs your life and to whom you fully submit.

[25:09] I'm going to say that again. It's the conviction that moves you to confess that Jesus is the Lord that governs your life and to whom you fully submit.

[25:21] If you are here today and you are not a Christian, this is what you need to be saved. If we look again at verse six and seven, you don't need to bring Jesus down God did it already for you.

[25:35] You don't need to raise him from the dead. God did it already for you, for us. You don't need a mystical or powerful experience. The only thing that you need is to believe.

[25:48] Verse 11 says that everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. This basically means that whoever believes in him, the salvation will be granted, as it was said in the morning.

[26:00] The mercy is going to be granted to him. But you need to look at your sinful heart and to recognize that you have fallen short to satisfy God's holy demands.

[26:14] You deserve wrath from God, but Jesus did what was, it was impossible for you. He has reconciled you with God through his sacrifice, and you need to believe and submit to him as your Lord.

[26:29] If you do so, then you will obtain salvation. Verse 12 and 13 confirms this. Verses 12 and 13 confirms this.

[26:40] For there is nothing distinction between you and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

[26:55] Salvation is offered to everyone. John 3, 16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

[27:11] For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him, whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only son of God.

[27:35] John says here that if you believe, you will not perish, but have eternal life. And if you confess that Christ is your Lord, then you will be saved.

[27:45] There is no doubt of that. John says that the only barrier to obtain salvation is the personal rejection to God.

[27:56] That is what had happened to the Jews. They rejected God and his salvation and followed the incorrect righteousness based in their works.

[28:09] What about you? Would you trust the righteousness that saves? And let's go to our final point for today. Proclaim the righteousness that saves.

[28:24] Verses 14 through 17, and let's read them. Verse 14 says, how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

[28:40] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news.

[28:53] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

[29:08] After Paul explains the correct righteousness, he proceeds with a chain of rhetoric questions. That's usually what Paul does in the whole book of Romans. And the idea is simple.

[29:19] In order to people to believe, there is a need of people who proclaim the good news. And let's use these verses like this.

[29:31] If there is no one that is sent, then no one is preaching. If there is no one preaching, then there is no one that hears about Jesus. And if no one hears about Jesus, then no one will believe.

[29:45] And at the end, no one will call on him. Now, this doesn't mean that no one will be saved then. God will make sure that the gospel gets to those that need to hear it.

[29:58] But this doesn't mean that we will take this as an excuse for not proclaiming it. Jesus and Matthew gave us the great commission to go and preach this gospel.

[30:10] What I see is that many Christians are too comfortable with no sharing the gospel. This doesn't mean that there are bad Christians, but they are missing the privilege of sharing the righteousness that saves, the same righteousness that saved us and that saved them.

[30:28] When I think about the story of the famous missionaries that were killed for sharing the gospel, and even by reading Paul's sufferings for preaching God's salvation, makes me think not only on how lazy I am to obey the great commission, but also makes me think, if I truly love enough God's gospel, then I should have a huge desire to share it to others.

[30:57] So if they accept Jesus, they will enjoy the richness of God that I'm currently enjoying. Verse 15 concludes with, how beautiful are the feet to those who preach the good news.

[31:11] This is a reference to Isaiah 52, verse 7, when Israel was going to be set free from captivity, so the people were proclaiming the good news to the nation.

[31:24] Now, this is not a literal expression. This doesn't mean that proclaiming the gospel is the pedicure that you need for your feet to be beautiful, but what Paul is saying here is that what is beautiful is the peace and the good news that those feet bring to the nations.

[31:42] And that's what Isaiah says in chapter 52, verse 7. I'm going to read it. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns.

[32:01] So this is what Paul is explaining here. What is beautiful is the peace and the good news that we can bring to the nations.

[32:13] And even if they don't obey the gospel, verse 16 says, this gospel has been proclaimed to them. We have accomplished our mission if we do it.

[32:26] And this is just a reminder here that what is beautiful, I'm sorry, this is just a reminder that you are not sent to change the heart of the people. You can't make someone to believe.

[32:39] God didn't give us that power. We are only commissioned to proclaim and the Lord will do his work in them. The power of the gospel is in God's hands, not in our hands.

[32:54] And verse 17 concludes with what Paul has said already. Because faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. Proclaiming the salvific word of God is the center of the evangelism.

[33:08] We proclaim the righteousness that saves. Christian, Christian, if you are doing, sorry, I'm sorry, Christian, why are you doing this? Why are we doing this?

[33:21] Why are we proclaiming the gospel? What are we doing with this command? Go back to verse 1 quickly. I mentioned at the beginning that the desire of Paul was the salvation of Israel.

[33:34] He prayed for them and his desire was for them to be saved. His life was dedicated to accomplishing this and overall to please God, sharing of his righteousness.

[33:47] Paul lived for the gospel and left us a great example of what Christians have to do with the good news. think about the members in your family that you claim to love.

[34:02] Have they heard the gospel through you? And to be honest with you, I ask this to myself first. When I was preparing for this, I started thinking of my grandparents that are not believers, thinking about friends that I care for, but I have never taken the time to share to them what Christ has done for me and for them.

[34:24] If I don't share the gospel to them, someone else will do it. And this, instead of putting me in a position of comfortness, it should bring me to a position of action they need to hear because I could be the one that God could use to present the gospel to them and God can use you to present the gospel to your friends or to your family.

[34:52] think about this. We are collaborators with God when we share the gospel to others. This is a privilege call to the Christians.

[35:05] Share what God has done for us. Do not be afraid of sharing the gospel. No, either be ashamed of it. Proclaim the righteousness that saves.

[35:17] And wrapping up for today, if you are here today, if you are not Christian, this message is for you. The righteousness that saves is through the faith in Jesus, sacrifice, and resurrection.

[35:34] Your good works, even if they are the most honest, are not enough to grant you salvation. Only through Christ you can obtain the righteousness, the forgiveness, sorry, of your sin by believing in your heart and professing it with your mouth.

[35:51] If you are a Christian, this is also for you. You have been and we have been commended to proclaim the gospel. You are here today because someone obeyed God's commission and shared the gospel with you.

[36:04] Now is your turn to go and proclaim the gospel to others. Let's pray.