Day 45 "The Pathway to Righteousness" (Romans: Chapter Nine)

Merriam-Webster' definition of righteous is simple and direct: acting in accord with divine or moral law; free from guilt or sin; morally right or justifiable. For those who believe in God, there is the desire for most believers to be righteous before God, to be in good standing before him in order to benefit in his blessings and prevent possible punishment and withholding of blessing by not being in right standing. Both are still performance orientated placing ourselves at the helm of the controls. We may not say it aloud or admit it to ourselves, but what we are saying by our actions is, "What I do matters to God, and how I act will dictate how God will respond to me." Is it not so?

But the ninth chapter of Romans reveals that righteousness before God doesn't come by merit and earning it through our performance, rather, it is obtained apart from works being established by faith.

Having just concluded chapter eight by stating that nothing can separate us from the love of God, Paul moves on to his concern for his own people- the Jewish nation. Having been a religious zealot himself for his faith, Paul was very familiar with the laws and customs of his people. But having come face-to-face with Jesus, himself, Paul has come to realize that his relationship with God is dependent not on what he does but on what God did for him by sending Christ to die on the cross for his sins. As we read in the other writings by Paul, he considered his former way of life rubbish and his only pursuit now is only to know Christ.

Verse 3: "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of

my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel."

Verse 8: "In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but is the

children of the "promise" who are regarded as Abraham's offspring."

Verse 16: "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy."

Key verses for me:

Verse 30: "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness,

have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;"

Verse 31: "but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it."

Verse 32: "Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works."

It is promising to know that in this performance driven world that we live in, God measures us differently based on our faith in his love and grace. Our righteousness is dependent on our faith in what God has done for us through Christ, not by our efforts.

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There is only one road to righteousness before God: by Faith!

Be at peace and seek him. See you here tomorrow...