All Who Believe

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. 

Romans 3:21-22a 

To whom does the righteousness of God apart from the law apply? Paul is building his case for imputed righteousness. He includes the most essential components of it in this transitional statement. It is, first, righteousness that is apart from the law. Second, it has always been the way of salvation according to the law and the prophets. Third, this righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Fourth, it applies to all who believe. Fifth, there is no one who does not need this salvation, ‘for all have sinned….’ In answer to the original question, it applies to ‘all and upon all who believe.’ Therefore, faith in Christ is critical. This is that non-negotiable matter we must address for ourselves. It is highly personal. Faith is not something someone else can have for us. No matter how close we are to them or they are to us, we can only believe in Christ for ourselves. Thus, our relationship with Christ is highly personal and individual. This gets to the heart of true spirituality. We either believe or we do not. We have faith in Christ or we do not. We have received God’s righteousness without the deeds of the law or we have not. We should be clear about this in our own minds for our own well-being. One of Christ’s most challenging questions was, ‘do you now believe?’ 

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You have given us every reason to believe. 
We praise You that You continue to  
increase our faith. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning