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same time the law magnified and made honourable, the whole world would have sunk into the abyss. It is
most important, moreover, that we should distinguish between the righteousness of law and the righteousness of
faith here.
Righteousness of law. õ"Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth these
things shall live by them" (Rom. 10:5).
Righteousness of faith.õ"But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise ... If thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved, for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Rom. 10:6-10).
Here the apostle draws a distinction between that righteousness which depends upon doing and that which is of
faith. In the epistle to the Galatians he has taken this distinction to its conclusion, and shown us the dreadful
consequences of attempting a righteousness of works:
"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by
the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by FAITH. And the law is not of faith: but, The
man that DOETH them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree" (Gal. 3:10-13).
Let us read together the two tremendous statements:
"FOR IT IS WRITTEN, CURSED IS EVERY ONE THAT CONTINUETH NOT ... TO DO THEM".
"FOR IT IS WRITTEN, CURSED IS EVERY ONE THAT HANGETH ON A TREE".
Here, therefore, is a parallel with 2 Corinthians 5:21. He knew no sin, but was made sin for us. He was above
all curse, but was cursed for us. We could produce no righteousness, but, by God's grace through Christ, we, the
guilty, are made the righteousness of God in Him. Whosoever attempts to produce a righteousness by works of law
is involved in the curse õ but He was made a curse to set us free.
Let us now read the two statements of Romans 3:21,22) together, so that we may compare them:
"NEGATIVE.Õ"Righteousness of God manifested apart from law".
"POSITIVE.Õ"Righteousness of God (manifested) by the faith of Jesus Christ".
We have seen that the righteousness which saves can never be that of the law. Let us now consider what is
meant by the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ. The reference to faith in Romans 3:22 is twofold, and
this we must exhibit:
"The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe".
Faith and belief are the same, but in this verse it is the faith of Christ, and the belief of the sinner that we must
distinguish.
Now as "the faith of ... Abraham" mentioned in Romans 4:12 must mean Abraham's own faith, just so "the faith
of Jesus Christ" must mean His own faith. And as Romans 3:3 speaks of "the faith of God", and balances it, in
verse 7, by "the truth of God", meaning His faithfulness to His promise, so "the faith of Christ" is in reality the
faithfulness of Christ in life and death, and this is the ground of all our acceptance and our hope. This is one aspect
of the righteousness of God by faith. The other is that expressed in the words: "unto all and upon all them that
believe". Let us hear the testimony of one who was as righteous in himself as a man could be. Let us hear what his
own estimate of that self-wrought righteousness became the moment he saw the glorious provision made by God in
the gospel, and may we all by the grace of God be enabled to reckon likewise:
"If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more ... touching the righteousness
which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless,
and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: ... that I may win