What is righteousness by faith? Is it cheap grace? Let Elder A. T. Jones
give
us some thought on the matter:
è
The righteousness of God is revealed to faith. Rom. 1:17.
Faith is complete dependence upon the Word of God, expecting that Word
to do what the Word itself says.
Is there, then,
righteousness spoken by the Word of God, so that people can
depend completely upon that Word, that the Word shall accomplish what
the
Word says?
There is. Indeed, that is the very object of the gift of Christ. For
him “God
hath set forth…to declare
His righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past, through the
forbearance of God.” Rom. 3:25.
Seeing then that God hath set forth Christ expressly to declare, to
speak, the
righteousness of God, it is certain that the Word of God
has been spoken, upon
which there can be
complete dependence, expecting that Word to do what that
Word says. In other words, there is righteousness that can be received by faith.
Wherein is this word
spoken? It is spoken in the word “forgiveness.” “He is
faithful and just to
forgive us our sins;” “there is forgiveness with thee.”
Now what is the meaning of “forgive”? The word “for-give” is composed of
“for” and “give,” which otherwise is give for. To forgive, therefore, is
simply to
give for. For
the Lord to forgive sin, is to give for sin. But what does the Lord
give for sin? He declares
“His righteousness for the remission of sins.”
Therefore when the Lord forgives — gives for — sin, He gives
righteousness
for sin. And as the only righteousness that the Lord has is His own, it
follows
that the only righteousness that God gives, or can give, for sin is the
righteousness
of God.
This is the righteousness of God as a gift. As all men have only sinned,
and,
if they are ever clear, must have forgiveness entirely free; and as the
forgiveness
of sin — the righteousness of God given for sin — is entirely free, this
is the righteousness of
God as a free gift “upon all men unto justification of
life.” Rom. 5:18.
Every soul, therefore, who ever asks God for forgiveness of sin, in that very
thing asks God to give him
righteousness for sin. Every soul who asks God
for forgiveness, asks it
solely upon the Word of God, which speaks forgiveness.
And faith is entire dependence upon the Word for what the Word speaks.
Thus
righteousness is altogether of faith.
“Every one that asketh receiveth.” You have asked the Lord many a time
to
forgive your sins; that is, you have asked Him to give for your sin. But
when
you ask the Lord to give
for your sin, in that you ask Him to give the only thing
that He does or can give
for sin, which is righteousness. That is what it is to ask
forgiveness of the Lord.
And He does forgive — He does give for — your sins when you ask Him. He says
He does, and He does. “He is faithful” — that is, He will never
fail — “and just to forgive us our sins.” And the only thing He gives for sins
is His righteousness.
Then why not thank Him for the righteousness that He freely gives for
your
sins, when you ask Him to?
Do you not see that righteousness by faith is just as plain and simple as
the
asking God for forgiveness
of sin? Indeed, it is just that.
To believe that righteousness is given you for your sin, when you ask
forgiveness;
and thankfully to receive that righteousness as the gift of God — this
is
what it is to exercise faith.
Yet how true it is that “we suffer much trouble and grief because of our
unbelief,
and of our ignorance of how to exercise faith.”
“Hast thou faith?” Have the faith of God. “Here are they that keep…the
faith
of Jesus.”
RH Mar. 14, 1899
è Now,
some would wish to remain carnal and receive God’s gift as a free ticket. Do
not go to the “cheap grace” side. The flesh is always seeking for salvation in
continued deliberate practice of sin. If we do this we do not want forgiveness,
because then we do not want to give our sin for His
righteousness. There is a trade-in to be performed in this, if you read it
properly.
This is truly His righteousness and it is truly given. By keeping the
eye fixed, in faith,
upon Christ, we cannot sink in sin. Peter learned this lesson when
walking on water.
As surely as Peter got wet, so too will we go under when embrace the
flesh again and
look back.