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Romans 1:16-17 – The Righteousness of God
Romans 1:16-17 NASB 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. (17) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
Before delving into an analysis of either “the righteousness of God” or this verse, I want to prepare you for how I would explain the righteousness of God. We are going to allow Romans, specifically this text and Romans 3:21-26 to unfold not into separate ideas, but as nuances of one another.
Righteousness is a key term in the book of Romans, found 33 times in 29 verses (1:17; 3:5,21,22,25,26; 4:3,5,6,9,11,13,22; 5:17,21; 6:13,16,18,19,20; 8:10: 9:30,31; 10:3,4,5,6,10; 14:17). The book of Romans will discuss the Righteousness of God (subjective genitive) from two different but related angles. The righteousness of God as in His righteous character; and the righteousness of God as in His gift to others (1:17; 3:5,21,22; 10;3). I would like to suggest that Romans is not only a description of how men are saved, but also a defense of God’s character.
For a quick analysis of opposing views we have Peter Leithart:
“The phrase “righteousness of God” in Romans 1:17 has been the subject of considerable dispute in recent years, with many abandoning a standard Protestant interpretation of the passage (i.e., that the righteousness of God refers to the righteousness that God gives) in favor of a more redemptive-historical understanding (righteousness as God’s faithfulness to Israel, or as His commitment to restoring good order in His creation). (www.leithart.com)
A more detail examination shows that there are several grammatical and theological possibilities. Hopefully the text will eventually explain itself. But before we get into details, here are some possible meanings:
1. An Attribute or characteristic of God:
a. God’s Justice
b. God’s Faithfulness (i.e., covenantal faithfulness)
c. God’s Purity
2. A status or gift given by God:
a. An external judicial declaration
b. An internal moral transformation
Luther’s personal angst ended when he concluded that “the righteousness of God” did not mean “the righteousness by which he (i.e., God) is righteousness in himself but the righteousness by which we are made righteous by God.”
A third view is:
3. An Activity of God – the action of God in salvation
I take a fourth view, and that is due to the “economy of words” that Paul uses. The phrase “the righteousness of God” should not be understood as having an “either-or” meaning, but rather a “both-and” or “altogether” meaning. God’s righteousness as a personal attribute (i.e., justice, faithfulness, and purity) allows Him through the revelation of the historical reality of the Gospel (i.e., the activity of God) to declare us righteous (i.e., our status before God) or unrighteous through His saving action (i.e., the activity of God).
God’s personal righteousness has to be more than just faithfulness or purity. Can you have one without the other? Wright’s view of “the righteousness of God” is:
“…(C)ovenant loyalty, on the one hand, and commitment to putting the whole world to right, on the other” (Wright, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Romans, p.400-401)
Ironically, I believe this is too broad, and therefore too narrow. To conclude that it only refers to God’s faithfulness to the covenant is to make it narrower than Roman’s allows. There is also the result of God’s righteousness which becomes our righteousness.
Now let’s delve into the text.
“The gospel” could be interpreted as doing two things: 1) For (gar) it is the power of God for salvation; 2) For (gar) in it the righteousness of God is revealed. My question is whether we should consider these two separate clauses, that is, “coordinate clauses” or rather dependant clauses. Could one of the phrases be subordinate to the other? In other words, does the gospel do two things separate things or one? I suggest the gospel as described in Romans 1:16-17 does one main thing – it reveals the righteousness of God because by the gospel God saves. Expressly stated, God’s righteousness saves.
“It consists of an opening statement and two successive explanations, backed up with a scripture quotation. This style of arguing, with clauses linked by the word ‘for’ (gar), is characteristic of many passages in Romans and elsewhere. Frequently the final explanatory clause expressed the deepest thing Paul wishes to say: A is so because of B; B is so because of C; C is so because of D; and D is thus the foundation of the whole sequence. This is undoubtedly the pattern here.” (Wright, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Romans, p.423)
The gospel is more than the words or message of the good news. The gospel is the good news within historical reality. There were real events giving power to the words. Leithart observes,
“One important, perhaps decisive, consideration has to do with Paul’s use of the word “gospel.” It is clear at the beginning of Romans 1 that “gospel” refers to the announcement or recital of the events of Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection. It seems reasonable that he is using gospel in the same redemptive-historical sense in verse 17: the work of Jesus in history is the “good news,” and this is good news of God’s righteousness because through these events God demonstrates His righteousness. The redemptive-historical understanding of “righteousness of God” thus seems to be implied by the fact that Paul says this righteousness is revealed in “the gospel.” (www.leithart.com)
The gospel therefore is the “power of God:”
“The explanation is that the gospel, this message about Jesus that he has outlined n vv.3-4, is itself God’s power. It not merely ‘possesses’ God’s power or ‘is accompanied by’ God’s power but simply is God’s power.” (Wright, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Romans, p.423)
Why is it the power of God? Not just because it saves, but because it reveals the “righteousness of God” in saving mankind. This salvation is not simply eternally in heaven. This salvation is here and now too. This salvation is both spiritual and physical. Not only are souls redeemed, bodies are redeemed, both here and now, and in the resurrection. That is why the righteousness of God is the power of God. We can see this relationship between a power, salvation and righteousness between Romans 1:16-17 and 3:21-26:
Romans 1:16-17 NASB (16) 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. (17) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
Romans 3:21-26 NASB (21) But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, (22) even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; (25) whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; (26) for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
- The gospel reveals the righteousness of God (1:16-17)
- The righteousness of God is manifested apart from the Law (lit., law) (3:21).
- The gospel reveals the righteousness of God (1:16-17)
- The righteousness of God is manifested through faith in Jesus Christ (3:21-22)
- To everyone who believes (1:16)
- for all those who believe (3:22)
- The righteousness of God (1:17)
- the glory of God (3:23)
- For salvation (1:16)
- being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (3:24)
- From faith (1:17)
- apart from the Law (lit., law) (3:21)
- From faith (1:17)
- through faith in Jesus Christ (lit., law) (3:22)
- To faith (1:17)
- for all those who believe (3:22)
- The gospel (1:16)
- Jesus whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith (1:24-25)
By comparing these two complementary texts, we can see that the gospel is not just the words of the “good news;” it is divine action of God within history in the propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Back in 1:16-17 we can now understand that God’s power is God’s righteousness. The righteousness of God is revealed saving those who believe in the same way that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven again all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (1:18). How is that? God – because of His character – intervenes within history – because of the character of man. Man’s character is either one of suppressing the truth or believing the truth of Jesus Christ.
God’s righteousness therefore is God’s powerful activity or activity of power. The gospel is God’s righteousness empowered in real time. The righteousness of God therefore is more than just His character, more than our status before Him, it is His character in action, enabling and empowering us to be declared righteous in His sight. The righteousness of God is not static, but rather power emanating from God because it is more than what God is. It is what God does because of who God is. God is righteous.
Just as the “power of God” is connected to the “righteousness of God” so is “to everyone who believes” connected to “from faith to faith.” This “believes” is not our initial belief describing when we are saved, but rather our continual belief (present tense). It is a belief “from faith to faith.” What that phrase means is that “from faith” is the system by which God saves (i.e., a law of faith – 3:27), and that system is not a law of works (3:27). God’s righteousness is revealed in the system of salvation “from faith.” “To faith” is our response to God’s righteous offer “from faith.” Therefore God’s righteousness is revealed in not only the system of faith in which He chooses to save, but also in the righteous lives lived “to faith.” That is why the righteous shall live by faith. Therefore “everyone who believes” is the same as “from faith.” Belief is the system of salvation. And “to faith” is explained by “the righteous shall live by faith.”
I hope we fulfilled our goals of not only explaining what the righteousness of God is, but also how the text itself powerfully explains it for us.
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