Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

MEMORY VERSE: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. –Romans 10:4

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The only true way to be righteous in the sight of God is to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. This faith and its confession makes us to be His workmanship and new creation unto good works that are pleasing to God.

LESSON BACKGROUND

We have for our lesson today a most sublime and clear teaching from the Bible. It brings the two kinds of righteousness into comparison and declares that Christ brings an end to the law for righteousness.

We may as well acknowledge the truth: there is no way that a man can be made righteous just by endeavoring to keep God’s commands. If man could keep God’s commands, he might be made righteous that way, but man, without the grace and love of the Lord Jesus, is incapable of living up to the holiness of God. Thus the covenant of faith that God established with Abraham emerges as the triumphant link of God with man. As we have seen, the inserting of the law proved that faith was the only means by which a man could be justified. Truthfully and honestly, the law made nothing perfect neither did it justify anyone. To be righteous by the law, one had to do what it said; but, no one could really do what the law said. It paved the way for grace and mercy to come when it brought man to a sense of his own guilt.

As we have already learned, the law was good and just, but the sin that was in mankind rendered the law incapable of bringing righteousness. But when Jesus came and paid the perfect price for man’s redemption, clearing the offences out of the way, the Father’s loving favor of strength and inspiration was brought down. And Paul’s great desire was to see his fellow Israelites come to this realization. He wanted them to be saved. He bore witness of their zeal for God, but he was forced to confess that it was not according to knowledge. They were going about to establish their own righteousness.

Beware of this! The danger of such a state is not past. May we gain an understanding of what God’s righteousness really is and escape the snare of self-righteousness.

–Bro. Leslie Busbee

QUESTIONS:

1. What was Paul’s concern for Israel?
2. What kind of righteousness were they going about to establish?
3. Were they aware of what they were doing?
4. Is it possible for us to do this today?
5. How can we be sure that we are not seeking our own righteousness?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

The righteousness of the law was summed up this way: The man that does those things shall live by them. Paul declares that this is foreign to the true righteousness. The law is not of faith (Galatians 3:12). To seek to get righteousness through the law is vain endeavor. The law was given to make man conscious of his sin. A sincere Israelite faithfully offered sacrifices for his sins with respect for the promised Savior that was to come. He felt the load and guilt that his sins heaped upon him. The law made sin to be more exceeding sinful.

In other words, the righteousness of the law was not a reality. It sounded good on paper, but it could not be brought into actuality. Instead of bringing righteousness, it brought more awareness of sin. Instead of bringing life, it produced death; however, it was serving the wonderful purpose of preparing men to receive the wonderful gift of righteousness through the Lord Jesus Christ. It was as Paul said in Galatians 3:24, 25, a “schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.” The Greek word from which schoolmaster is translated is paidagogos or “paidagogue” which means a child leader, that is, a servant whose office it was to take the children to school. In our society, a school bus picks up a child at his home and transports him to school. Paul likens the law to this. When the school bus arrives at the school, the child gets off and has no further need for the school bus while he is at the school. The law was a means of preparing us for Christ. But when we receive Christ, we need the law no longer, for He is our law and we follow Him as our Shepherd.

Note what the righteousness of faith says. It stills human endeavor and points the soul to rest and faith in Christ. “Say not, who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ down? Say not, who shall descend into the deep to bring him up from the dead?” This is quieting the storm of our own frailty. It is the recognition of the supremacy of God’s accomplishments over our own. It takes away all boasting and replaces it with thanksgiving, honor, and worship.

The righteousness of faith is taking hold of the promises and laying claim to their eternal value. It is the accepting of the plan of salvation as the gift of God.

— Bro. Leslie Busbee

REFLECTIONS

Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” The scribes and Pharisees could only see that Christ healed on the Sabbath day, dined with publicans and sinners and even ate with unwashed hands! When the scribes and the Pharisees brought the adulterous woman to Jesus, they were only interested in justice being served as she was indeed guilty. But Jesus handled the situation with the law of righteousness, mercy and grace. After their accusations, Jesus ignored them and started writing on the ground. Was he writing down the sins of the accusers? Was he writing the commandments? Or was he writing words of love and hope? By stalling for time, He gave opportunity for justice to be served when he told them that “he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Incidentally, Jesus could have cast the first stone because he was without sin! After the accusers started weighing out their own sinful deeds, they slipped away quietly. I am certain they were hoping that no one was paying attention, especially the adulterous woman. When Jesus turned back to the woman, she heard for the first time in her life wonderful words of life: “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.” Not only were these words of forgiveness but also of a new life. He did not pet her sins or leave her in a sinful condition.

The spirit of self-righteousness is still present in this world today. It is always easier to criticize and abuse others rather than be held accountable for our own deeds. Jesus Christ came to this earth to bring hope and grace for each and every soul. His salvation is a saving grace and a keeping grace. “How wonderful that he would take this poor abode of sin, and wash me in his precious blood and now abide within.”

Oh, what a Savior!

–Sis. LaDawna Adams