In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we see they way of God’s salvation as it has always been—a salvation that comes through faith—or more specifically, a righteousness that is by faith. Paul has already made this point earlier in his letter to Romans. Abraham, the very one who the Jews saw themselves as children of, Abraham was their forefather as a people and as a nation. And how did Abraham become righteous? It was through faith, correct? Abraham believed God and God declared him as righteous. This was before the law of Moses, this was before all the Jewish traditions, all the flowing robes and attire they wore, this was before the temple and before any Israelite king. Before the whole Jewish system was in order, God already revealed through Abraham that the righteousness that God wants of His people is obtained only through placing all their faith in God. And showing that you are placing your faith in God is to walk in obedience to His commands. It is not obedience to do what, over the years, so many of the Jews declared to be His commands even though they were not the commands of God—but rather, the righteousness that God desires of His people is in obedience to Him and Him alone and to what is truly His commands. You see, the Jews over the years slowly but surely started to take a wrong twist on God’s commands and teaching. And so, over time, this teaching from the Jewish leaders became so twisted and so wrong, that God’s true commands and teaching became very unclear and muddied. The Pharisees and teachers of the law taught that to obey God’s commands was to obey their commands. But their commands had become so muddied in the waters of a mixture of true teaching and false teaching that it was no longer God’s teaching at all. Jesus, then, comes on the scene, and He brings clarity to the situation. He brings the message straight back to where it all started—a righteousness that comes by faith. And Jesus reveals that to believe in Messiah is to believe with faith as Abraham believed. Abraham believed that God would somehow raise up a people for Himself, that God would make a righteous people, and now, we see how God did this—through the Messiah. And so Jesus tells us to believe Him. And that if we reject Him, we are rejecting the way of Abraham who Jesus says, “rejoiced at the thought of seeing His day, for [Abraham] saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56). Abraham placed his faith in the Messiah even though he did not know who He was yet, but he believed in the God who would provide the coming Messiah, and Abraham believed God would do it. Well, so many of the Jews rejected this Messiah that Abraham longed for and rejoiced in. Well, if any person does not place their faith in the Messiah, there is no righteousness available for them. Their good deeds won’t cut it. Their trying hard to please God by their religious deeds won’t cut it. The only way true, godly righteousness is available is in full, absolute belief to God. Surrendering all to Him. And now we see, in the gospel, the way by which we surrender all to God—it is by believing in the Messiah whom He has sent to save us. His name is Jesus. He is the Son of God, He is the King of the Ages, He is the Savior of our souls, He is Lord and Master, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, He is the Word of God made flesh…and He came as a Suffering Servant, to die upon an old rugged cross, dying for the sins of the world, so that any who place their faith in Him will receive His righteousness, just as Abraham received righteousness—given to him by God Himself. And now, God’s righteousness has been revealed—in Christ Jesus, and therefore, the only way to receive God’s righteousness is to place your faith in Christ Jesus. Only through Christ will you be able to enter God’s Kingdom of Heaven. And for so many of the Jews, they rejected this, they rejected God’s Messiah. And so the gospel, the good news of God went to the world of the Gentiles—that God is offering salvation to the entire world if they would only place their faith in Him. God is not just the God of the Jews, but God is the God of any who place their faith in Him by placing all their faith in the Messiah He sent to save us from our sins. Click on the link to listen to this sermon: