JUSTIFICATION BY GRACE Romans 3v21-31
"But now a righteousness of God, apart from law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets"
As previously stated, " the righteousness of God" refers to God's method of bringing people into a right relationship with Himself. We saw that this was completely independent of any human merit "apart from law", now we see that it is verified, authenticated, by the sacred writings "being witnessed by the law and the prophets". Scripture says "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" 2 Corinthians 13v1 as taken from Numbers 35v30, Deuteronomy 17v6; 19v15 etc. This principle has been adopted in all judicial systems, and applies to doctrinal issues as to practical ones. The two witnesses are THE LAW and THE PROPHETS.
The term "law and the prophets" is used widely in the new testament, and appears to refer to the old testament in it's entirety.........c/f Matthew 7v12, 22v40, Luke 16v16, John 1v45, Acts 13v15, 24v14, 28v23. Particularly in Luke 16v16 Jesus says "the law and the prophets were UNTIL JOHN".
In Luke 24v27&44 Jesus summarises the whole of the old testament as follows; "And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself" and again "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and prophets, and psalms concerning Me:" so we can safely say this phrase refers to the O/T scriptures.
"THE LAW" usually refers to the TORAH, the first 5 books, Genesis to Deuteronomy.
"THE PROPHETS" covers the remainder including the narratives, the Psalms, the songs and the prophets.
Before we look into examples in each of these sections, the point that is being made here is that this is no new teaching (as was being charged against Paul), instead this teaching of God's way of salvation has been true from the very beginning and has never changed, and will never change. History from the Garden of Eden proclaims that God will save men and women on the basis of His mercy and not their works.
The examples in "the law" the first five books of the Bible had their beginning on the very day of the Fall in Eden's garden Genesis 3 v 15 "I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed, he shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel." God declares to the fallen couple the way of salvation through "the seed of the woman" from the very beginning. Again in chapter 3 of Genesis where as in verse 7 the sinning couple had taken fig leaves as a cover for their nakedness, later on verse 21 " the Lord God made coats of skins and clothed them." In other words the initial instinct of Adam & Eve was to do something for themselves, but the answer of God was that He would do it for them, and it would be on the basis of the death of another. This first message of God's way of righteousness has never changed and is still in operation today. Examples abound later on; in Genesis 4 God accepted only the sacrifice of the flock from Abel and refused the offer of Cain's "fruit of the ground", a symbol of his own works. In Genesis 22 another example is given in the story of Abraham & Isaac when Abraham in a statement of faith in God said "my son God will provide Himself the lamb for the burnt offering." We come into the book of Exodus, and we see a nation redeemed by the death of the Paschal lamb. In the book of Leviticus God calls out from His dwelling place to invite the people of Israel to approach Him by bringing approach offerings, which involved the death of the creatures as a substitute for their own death. It is clear from all these examples that there is, and has only ever been, one way of salvation and that is that human sin came between man and God and only the death of another , acceptable to God, would bring them back. It is clear from these books of Moses that God wishes to have fellowship with men and women, but there is a clear way given in which He will do it. Why the people of Israel who spent all of their lives in ceremonial ritual, putting to death animals, did not take this on board, just shows the hardness of the human heart.
The Psalms and the prophets abound with declarations of God's way of salvation. In Psalm 22 the Psalm which predicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in graphic detail, even though crucifixion hadn't been invented, ends like this; "a seed shall serve Him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation; they shall come and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this." Psalm 22 v 30 -31 In Isaiah 7 we have the prediction of the virgin birth. In Isaiah 9 we have the prediction that the child born was a Son given and that He will rule the world for God. In Isaiah 11 it is predicted that the "root of Jesse" will change the world forever. In Isaiah 40 - 43 it is predicted He will redeem all of His people. In Isaiah 53 it is predicted that He would die for the sins of the people and the outcome would be "the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hands. He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied. By the knowledge of Him shall my righteous Servant justify many for He shall bare their iniquities." In Jeremiah 23 it says "Behold the days is come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." We could go on into the books of Daniel, Hosea, Micah, Zechariah etc. the story is the same it is witnessed by the law and the prophets, the whole of human history until now and so on into the future, that God has one way of salvation, and one alone and we dare not miss it, if we don't want to spend eternity separated from Him.
In the prophesy of Isaiah 32 v17-18 there is a wonderful summary of God's righteousness, the same as is being discussed here in Romans 3 " and the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness , quietness and assurance forever, and My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places."
Do you have this assurance , where will you dwell in eternity?
Tomorrow d.v. we look at the positive side.
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