Right Words but Wrong God

Romans 4:13-17

Words like “tolerance,” “acceptance,” and “open-mindedness,” are words that are designed to remove conflict, hostility, and violence from the world. These are buzz words that local, state, national, and global governments use to explain their policies of “change.” They consider themselves to be righteous, living by faith, and moral, but are building their utopia on sin without the faith that makes them righteous in God’s eyes. The utopia that they are looking for won’t be found unless they come to God through Jesus Christ. That utopia is the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and earth. There will never be a morally righteous earthly utopia to pass down to future generations. The moral righteousness that comes through the internal government of the mark of the beast will face the wrath of God. Their righteousness is sin, mocks God, discards Jesus Christ, and afflicts Christians. The righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ is the only door into the New Jerusalem.

Paul explains to the Jewish people that if they want to avoid wrath then they need to make an exchange. They have to exchange their own moral righteousness that they have in the law (Old Testament) for the righteousness found through faith in Jesus Christ. No more would the Jewish people be right with God based on their own view of righteousness, only through their faith in Jesus Christ would they be righteous. As long as they hold on to their righteousness under the law, they will always be subject to wrath, but through Jesus Christ all that judgment is gone. Where there is no law there is no transgression. Jesus Christ takes away the requirements of the law and through Him all transgressions are removed. No more can they be righteous by their own merits; their system of standards are done away with. The promise of the inheritance comes through faith in Jesus Christ, by grace, and is for all offspring of Abraham. Abraham’s offspring are anyone who are made righteous through faith in Jesus.

 “It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. And where there is no law there is no transgression. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.”
Romans 4:13-17