Ad Fontes Friday: Rom 1:17

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya from Unsplash

An important verse in Romans, one that is even programmatic for the letter, Romans 1:17:

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’

δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν καθὼς γέγραπται· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται.

This is an important verse, indeed, some of the biggest themes in Pauline theology and Christian thought are pregnant right here. What Paul means by “gospel,” “the righteousness of God, and “faith” need to be unpacked.

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The “gospel” is the joyous announcement, the good news, that God’s saving power has been revealed in the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus, Lord and Messiah. Paul gives the contents of the gospel in Rom 1:3-4 and 1 Cor 15:3-5.

The gospel calls for “faith,” yes this pertains to belief, but no mere belief. It leads to the “obedience of faith” (Rom 1:5) which is a faith that results in obedience. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it: “Only the believing obey, only the obedient believe.” Paul buttresses this call to faith with a quotation from Hab 2:4, that the just/righteous will live based on faith. This demonstrates the conformity of his gospel to the pattern of Scripture.

What is the “righteousness of God”? Oh the debates on this phrase! It it a righteousness from God, God’s covenant faithfulness, a gift from God, the merits of Jesus, etc.? In my view, the righteousness of God signifies the fidelity and justice of God, how God demonstrates his faithfulness and justice as the judge of all the earth, and in his faithfulness towards Israel in Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God then is the character of God embodied and enacted in his saving actions. It is a saving event that is comprehensive and it involves vivification, justification, and transformation. As John Chrysostom writes: “[This] righteousness, not thine own, but that of God; hinting also the abundance of it and the facility. For you do not achieve it by toilings and labors, but you receive it by a gift from above, contributing one thing only from your own store, “believing.” ” (Hom. Rom. 2 [NPNF 11.349]).