The Righteousness of God

Paul said that the gospel was "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom 1:16) because "in it the righteousness of God is revealed" (Rom 1:17). He goes on to say, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom 1:18). That's quite a leap, isn't it? Jump from "the righteousness of God" to "the wrath of God" in a single thought? In that word, "for," he links "the righteousness of God is revealed" with "the wrath of God is revealed." That is, the gospel reveals God's righteousness as it reveals God's wrath. Many -- self-professed Christians included -- don't really believe in the wrath of God. They think if it exists it would certainly not be "righteousness." You can't have wrath and be righteous at the same time. Is this true?

The wrath of God is not a rarity in Scripture. It is all through the Old Testament and, as it turns out, the New as well. In His parable about Lazarus and the rich man, the rich man died and was "in torment" (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus warned if people didn't repent they would perish (Luke 13:1-5). John wrote that those who did not obey the Son would have God's wrath abiding on them (John 3:36). Paul wrote that it was God's will to "make His power and wrath known" (Rom 9:22). He told the Colossians to consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry" and went on to say, "For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience" (Col 3:5-6). Jesus died in order to saves us from the wrath of God (Rom 5:9). The New Testament is full of warnings about God's wrath.

So what does God's wrath have to do with God's righteousness? God's wrath is the right response to Man's rebellion. In fact, every sin is just that -- rebellion. Think about it. God is the Creator and the Master and He says ... and we say, "No." God is the Provider and promises all the best and we say, "Your promises and power are inadequate; we want something else." It is idolatry at its core. We serve the creature rather than the Creator (Rom 1:25) in our sin. The right response -- the just response -- is wrath. Not a temper tantrum. Not a pity party. The correct response to rebellion against God. As Jesus expressed in the Temple (John 2:14-17; Matt 21:12-13). If God had no wrath for our sin, God would not be just.

So Paul starts out his exposition about how the gospel reveals God's righteousness by laying out God's right requirement for wrath toward sin ... and how much is due. Paul outlines the sin problem and says, "And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things" (Rom 2:2). He warns, "Because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works" (Rom 2:5-6). Which only goes to magnify "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith" (Rom 3:24-25), because "propitiation" is not necessary for a God who is not angry, and a God who does not deal wrath for sin is not righteous. Which ends up magnifying God's righteousness ... and grace and mercy.