36x
in Romans (39% of NT usage (92x), 5x more than any other NT letter).
Gospel
Reveals Rightness -- 1.17
"A
god-kind of rightness" (Lightfoot) / is disclosed (off the cover) / from faith
unto believing.
The
wrath of God also revealed (v18) -- in hard life of man's un-rightness!
God
Himself is Perfectly Good - 3.5
He
is holy, so He can and does judge those who are irreverent and un-right. (v6)
No
man is right -- "not even one" (v10). "All have turned aside." (Psa14.1-3 /
53.1-3).
Light
does not need darkness to make it appear more light. God is light & truth
is right w/o us.
God
Shines in the Son - 3.25,26
The
cross publicly displays His expiatory offering, which satisfies justice,
allowing Him to pardon all the error He previously overlooked through restraint.
This god-kind of rightness demands an atonement for sin, and provided it
Himself in the Son (vs22-26).
Abram's
Faith Counted as Rightness - 4.3,5
What
did Abram have? Faith. This shows in his account. God took this as equivalent
to -- rendered it into -- innocence. The Divine Gift: to count irreverent
believer (!) as right.
Legal
Rightness - 3.20,21 / 4.13
There
is a rightness from the law (2.26), but we are condemned by transgression
(4.15).
The
Law is Just in Condemning us. No ceremony -- like circumcision -- can amend (4.9,11).
Reign
to Eternal Life! - 5.17,21
Death
rules thru offenses. Life rules thru grace. Sin is a dead end. Only rightness
can endure.
Everything
Adam did, Jesus 'undid.' Christ completely rectifies our fallen state.
Living
in Moral Rightness - 6.13,16,18,19,21
Here
Paul speaks of Servants & Instruments of right living. Being made alive in
Christ indebts us to live for God. In fact, sin leaves no man living. Only
right conduct is living at all.
Must
Submit to Attain - 9.30,31 / 10.3
Only
One Way to be right with God; we must submit to it -- or not have it. This
'rightness of God' is the one and only way which He provides for us to be
right: thru faith in Christ.
Accessible
to All -- who will believe - 10.4,5,6,10
The
Messiah achieved Legal Rightness - by flawless performance.
He
satisfies justice and will credit our faith in Him as rightness.
In
Heart -- believe in the cross. In Speech -- agree that God is right. Let Him
deliver you!
Nature
of the Kingdom: rightness, peace & joy in HS (not ceremony) - 14.17
