#82. Romans 3:21 – The Righteousness Manifest (Justification Series, Part V)

Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness of God is manifest…

Characteristic Three: It Is Manifest

Paul told us, in Romans 1:17, that the evangel reveals the righteousness of God. As we inspect it, this fact becomes clear: the evangel does indeed manifest the righteousness of God. It is manifested, as we see in the entire verse, through Jesus Christ’s faith.

Admittedly, we discussed how this is manifest during a consideration of the first two characteristics; though we are going word by word, it is difficult and dangerous to divorce these words from each other, as if they have no relation. This is why I quoted verses 21-23 in their entirety; please keep the broad thought in view, as we progress. The words individually compose the broader thought, so we must keep each individual term in mind. But note that we are reading a proper translation, now, so you may see how each word, properly translated and defined, contributes to the whole.

Manifest

The term “manifest,” in Greek, is phaneroo. It appears 49 times in the New Testament. Almost half of these uses are written by Paul. We will consider its use in Romans in just a moment, but first, let’s rejoice in the basic thought.

The righteousness of God has been manifested in the evangel. This particular use of the word, with all the inflections, reads as pephanerotai. The verb is written in the perfect tense (known in the Concordant material as the “STATE” verb form.) This is, literally, to speak of the state resulting from the action. More simply, the verse, in English, reads, “a righteousness of God is manifest.” Yet in the literal Greek, we would read, “righteousness of God has-been-manifested.”

Per verse 22, this fixes the manifestation of God’s righteousness to Christ’s faith. It is manifest in Christ, then; our Righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30.) This manifestation may be ignored by most (a consideration we will make in the latter half of this chapter,) but it is manifest nonetheless. If it were not, Paul would have no reason to write at all, or progress his argument in the way he does (it is quite the perfect logical argument to make up.)

By the time Christ’s faith became apparent on earth, the law had accomplished its goal(s) (Rom. 3:20, 5:20.) The law was itself a perfect manifestation of what became Christ’s actions in the flesh, where applicable. The law also subjected humanity for the exact amount of time it needed to – and no longer, for God does not delight in suffering or injustice. Humanity had tried its best, under a series of increasingly favorable circumstances, from Sinai to the Roman Empire. Even with the greatest of handicaps, Israel failed miserably to maintain the law and its precepts. Once this was proven (the fullness of time, as Paul calls it in Galatians 4:4,) God delegated His Son, come of a woman, come under law, to reclaim those under law, as they could not fulfill it of their own power or ability.

God’s method is not contradictory; the law is the plow, and the evangel of Paul is the seed to be planted once the ground is tilled. The law is not necessary to continue plowing after the seed is planted, or the crop would be destroyed. The seed itself, serving us as a figure for the crucifixion, is the “manifestation” of that which the law prepared Israel for. The crop which comes forth may be figured as those who believe Paul’s message, which itself is the “righteous” plant which came forth from the “righteous” seed.

This is the Second Use

“Manifest” appears only 3 times in Romans. The term first appeared in Romans 1:19, where Paul wrote that “that which is known of God is apparent among them, for God manifests it to them.” This was to show that creation is the manifestation of God’s invisible attributes, imperceptible power, and divinity. If we were unable to perceive creation itself, then Paul would be incorrect to write that these qualities of God have appeared to us.

There is no other way those attributes of God could have been revealed to us to the perfect degree in which they have been presented. He has established life in every environment, large and small, in every facet of His universe. They are regulated and sustained across the earth and the heavens from without. Fish find food; they do not make their food. Even still, we make our food from foreknown materials. Even the heavens, in their most direct dismissal of the Image of God, are sustained anyway, even in their confusion and unrighteousness, kept alive (God says more than once that even sinning messengers are being held for the day of judgment – 2 Pet. 2:4.) What we see in creation, then, is a powerful Deity, Who places all for a specific time and purpose, no matter how confusing our circumstances may appear to us. We see, via God’s creative prowess, these specific attributes of Him.

However, all should know that it is nigh impossible to prove any righteous aspect of God by viewing all that He has made. You could not look at a banana tree, for example, and somehow conclude that God is just. Meticulous? Probably. Pedantic? Certainly! But righteous? This would be quite the stretch.

Whereas creation shows us the attributes, ability, and the placer-ship of the Placer, the evangel alone shows us the righteousness of this Placer. In some regard, this is manifested in the fruits of the spirit for believers (Gal. 5:22-23,) a point which we will appreciate in more depth when we reach Romans 5-8, and chapters 12-15.

We do not, of course, yet see the completed effects of anyone’s salvation. We are being accounted righteous at this part of Romans, but we are not “constituted,” or actually becoming righteous until a later part of Romans (8:28-30.) The faith of the believer is presently the clearest “manifestation” of God’s righteousness, since the faith of the believer is itself a measure of Christ’s faith (Rom. 3:22, 12:3.) Such a point is so important, in fact, that we should take a moment and discuss:

Manifested through Faith

This is an important point to draw: what we believe will inform us as to what God’s righteousness is. The eternal torment believer thinks that the righteousness of God is conveyed via burning those He couldn’t save. The universalist thinks that the righteousness of God is conveyed via saving everyone, irrespective of whether they believe or not. Yet God’s self-proclaimed recognition of righteousness is through His Son’s faith, first and foremost. It is here where His righteousness first appears. If our belief is not aligned with Christ’s faith, then we cannot say that we have an accurate understanding of God’s righteousness.

Wherever Christ’s faith is, then, so also is God’s righteousness manifest.

This faith – that of God, given to Christ and those called into Christ’s blessings through Paul’s evangel – which is manifested, perceives that God’s righteousness demands justification. Beyond the relative discussions of forgiveness and pardon, a righteous God must have all perceived “wrongs” put right. Moreso, His production of the wrongs must be shown to have been right, on His end, from the beginning. If He fails to do this, then we may claim that He has no right to be God, and should relinquish such a role immediately, having left His own creation to suffer without purpose or intent.

All, from God’s perspective, is right in the long run. If all face His immediate indignation, and immediate judgment, then all will have been corrected, and thus prepared to recognize His righteousness through this same belief. Since the premise for this belief recognizes Christ’s place as the Saviour of sinners, one must therefore be a sinner in order for the belief to be valued. This necessitates all that was portrayed in Romans 1:18-3:20, and, most importantly, the greatest sin: God’s plan for our murder of His Son. The end achieved by God by first subjecting us to all of these sins (promised later in this epistle) indeed justifies the means He has employed to reach that goal. This will be so clear that there will be nothing left which could be termed “wrong.”

Say That Again?

The natural, arising question: “How could God call sinners right, when, by definition, sinners must be wrong?” This question, while intuitive, is answered when we connect the two parts, Romans 3:20 with Romans 3:21.

Sinners themselves are not being called “right.” First of all, God is not employing sinful human beings to convey the evangel to us. One can only be accounted a sinner by placing themselves under the Mosaic law, or the law written in their hearts in flesh, and failing to follow it.

Justification is, as we have read, apart from law. It is, as we will see, in grace (Rom. 3:24,) and is given us gratuitously. It is provided in the blood of Christ; not human effort or ability, neither morality or strength. These positive attributes belong to Christ, not us.

We ourselves are sinners. God has not commingled the sinner with the belief; they are not confused or interchangeable in His writings. Any “righteous” act which we do is, itself, tainted with the fact that we are sinners. Yet God’s righteousness is its own, set apart, self-sufficient quality which has not relied, does not, and will never rely on us. It was around before we were ever born – yea, before creation ever came into being. Before His Son was made to portray Him, as His Image, God is just. The portrayal of human imperfection has shined a relational light on this fact, as we may view God as the contrast to our unjust actions. Even the portrayal of imperfections in a contained sphere, for a temporary time, is just, so long as the just God makes use of every last imperfection for His intended goal(s).

This is to say: death (the root cause of our sins, Romans 5:12,) is the greatest calamity, and even this is imparted by God. If God reverses this calamity and its effectual sins at the end of the story, so that no blot or imperfection blemishes his creation by the consummation of this plot, and all who have been subject to death have learned and appreciate the contrastive life which will become reality, then God has used sin justly, to educate us, and we can be drawn in to permanent bliss with Him (1 Cor. 15:22-28, Rom. 5:18-19, Eph. 1:10, 1 Tim. 2:4, 4:10, etc.)

This is what the evangel means when Paul says that we are justified gratuitously in God’s grace, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus. This is not something to be presently proven empirically, for it is not yet time for empiricism. It is still time for grace and trust, which can only be crafted when things do not appear to be proper. In the meantime, you, the sinner, are now accounted righteous, and are thus no longer considered a sinner by God.

Read this again: when God justifies you, you are no longer considered a sinner.

This Revelation is Great

This brings us into an intimate relationship to God unlike any other. No conditionality has been offered. In fact, God admits to taking you just as you are. We realize His character – one of righteousness, not vindictiveness.

Those who are not believing this message have yet to recognize this righteousness; one that commends love to you. The religious god will say, “I love you,” while holding a gun to your head – i.e. love me, or else. Yet the true God says “I love you,” and means it. His measures are corrective; indeed, He will correct those who have wrongly portrayed him, through their measures of feigned belief. This Deity does not leave you at the judgment stage, and shove you away from afar, but uses judgment to refine you into a glorious future, in maturity, understanding love, that sin recedes, and eventually vanishes, from your life.

Let us be aware, then, of the manifestation of God’s righteousness. God’s action of giving up His Son is just, indeed, but it is not until that Son is hanging on a cross for our sakes, believing that His Dad will not unjustly leave Him dead, that God’s righteousness through the crucifixion, from Jesus’ death into His resurrection, appears before us. It is a practical demonstration of His primary characteristics, and the only one needed to show how God uses evil as a backdrop to portray qualities which reflect Himself. In this way, the greatest evil – the crucifixion of the Christ – is simultaneously the greatest wellspring of blessing, apart from which none could have been blessed, and through which all will be brought into the closest relationship with Him.

That this is manifest through belief emphasizes further the necessity for the evangel. Many say, “If the evangel will be given to all, so that all are saved, then why herald at all?” This poor question emphasizes the ignorance of mankind, and our averseness to good. We herald something good and true because it is good and true. We entreat others to believe the evangel because, in light of human action, there is no alternative. We share the evangel because, as we see, God’s righteousness is truly revealed to us, that all is for a good purpose (a good purpose which is unfolded throughout Paul’s letters alone.) These are three reasons, and there are many more given in Romans.

We face one other objection: “If God’s righteousness appears to us through this evangel, then why don’t many religious churches teach it?” This objection gets at the heart of our probing questions in chapter 77. The only conclusion is that the doctrines of the churches are, in some way, ignorant to one or all of the first three characteristics we have considered concerning the righteousness given in Romans 3:21, and may also be ignorant to the other three. The problem does not lie with Romans, but with man, who still attempts to mix Paul’s peculiar presentation with human effort.

It is, then, religion that obscures what appears in the Greek. Most labeled churches have done a phenomenal job at hiding this message. The message itself is not mysterious, however. In the modern era, we can see better now than at every other point in history that human effort does not solve anything.

Our political conundrums go unsolved. Our religious heresies are left unchecked. Our social condemnations go unrivaled. Human effort has exacerbated all of these issues. Worse still, the closest “one world” anything is presently run by a monstrous crew, hell-bent on Molech worship and child trafficking, while politicizing and paying off the largest churches to maintain their false messaging. If that isn’t the ultimate indication that human effort is not the answer, then this study may not yet be for you.

Apart from suppositions and obfuscation, the message itself, as we have said, is simple. It is not complicated; humans are in dire need of salvation. We have exhausted our options, and been found wanting. God’s righteousness must be given to us, and God has provided the channel – a just faith – through which He can justify us. He thus has the leeway to accomplish His goals. Even if our present experiences disagree, the fact of the death, entombment, and rousing of Jesus Christ for sinners attests that, on God’s terms, and on God’s time, every immediate problem will be set right, and God’s use of the problem will be shown, indeed, to be just.

- GerudoKing