Romans 1:17 – Righteousness of God revealed

For in it God’s righteousness is being revealed, out of faith for faith, according as it is written: “Now the just one by faith shall be living”.

The Evangel does not shame Paul and therefore he is not ashamed of the Evangel. The first reason is (: 16) that the Evangel demonstrates GOD’s power to save. The second reason we find here in this verse. The Evangel reveals the righteousness of GOD.

It is through this fact that a very evil philosophy has crept into church history. It has been argued: God’s righteousness means that God cannot just forgive mankind’s guilt but must punish it. And the revelation of God’s righteousness would then be that He made His innocent Son suffer and die as a substitute, so that He can now forgive us

This reasoning is still one of the basic ideas of classical theology. But it is unbiblical philosophy. GOD’s righteousness has nothing to do with retribution and substitute punishment. GOD’s righteousness means: GOD does justice to what He has promised before (: 2). It has nothing to do with our guilt, but with his debt. After all, a promise needs to be kept, and therefore GOD has fulfilled his Word and fulfilled his promise wonderfully!

Delen: