RIGHTEOUSNESS
RIGHTEOUSNESS
DLH It has been thought well to take up a little further the subject of righteousness which we had last week.
FER This chapter throws additional light on righteousness; you get it illustrated in a way, in connection with the Jew. He did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is spoken of as our righteousness; He is made to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It is important to see the contrast between our righteousness, and God’s; and then to see that our righteousness is in the Head. God’s righteousness is God’s rights; our righteousness, is that our liabilities have been met.
DLH When it says they went about to establish their own righteousness was the idea to get their liabilities met, or was it that they had not any?
FER They went in for character; in seeking to establish their own righteousness they sought to establish their character. Man could only seek to establish his own righteousness on the principle of works, I mean character in that sense.
JMcK Saul of Tarsus for instance.
G Does the discharging of liabilities go as far as righteousness?
FER What else can it be?
G I thought the discharging of liabilities is negative, and righteousness positive.
FER The moment you make it positive you come to conduct. It is not practical righteousness which is here referred to. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness”, that is not practical. When you come to what is positive you come to practical righteousness.
M Where is the righteousness of God set [p. 150] forth that they should have submitted to?
FER In Christ “Whom God has set forth a mercy-seat”.
DLH It is of the first importance that the rights of God should be maintained.
FER I look upon God’s righteousness as His title to govern and control the affections of every intelligent being.
G Is it His claims over man?
FER Over his affection. If you could get the affection right, all would be right.
HCA How far do you think the righteousness in verse 5 goes?
FER It explains itself, “The man which doeth those things shall live by them”, I think it is the same as Philippians 3.
WJ “Live by them” is the title to life?
FER The man that doeth these things shall live by them, or in them.
Ques That would be practical righteousness?
FER Yes.
HCA What would there be for God in that?
FER It would be all right if man were not fallen. I think Mr. Darby has said that he did not doubt that with unfallen beings the abstract principles of the law were fulfilled in them. It is very possible that the holy angels love God with all their heart; such a thing is conceivable.
G Was the law the measure of the righteousness of God as far as revealed?
FER The law would have been man’s righteousness, but it was not the righteousness of God. In the light of christianity we can see that the love of God lay behind the law. I cannot see that the law had anything to do with the righteousness of God. One principle of law is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God”, it was really the expression of God’s rights so far. The righteousness of God was witnessed to by the law and prophets.
[p. 151] G What do you mean by the love of God lying behind the law?
FER If God were not love, how could He command to love?
DLH So love is the fulfilling of the law.
FER If you get away from the mere letter of the law, you can see the love of God lay behind it.
DLH Only love can produce love.
FER Only love can enter into the idea. The conception is only possible to love.
JMcK He must have valued man’s love.
FER Exactly, it is the great proof of God’s love. The terms of the law are really the proof of God’s love. In the gospel God comes in to enforce His rights. The present is a time of reckoning, and God comes in in grace in order to enforce His rights.
Ques How are His rights enforced?
FER The heart of man is subdued by grace. The Jew had not submitted to God’s righteousness, and in the gospel God is approaching men in grace to enforce His righteousness.
DLH If grace reigns through righteousness, there is the prevalence of grace.
THB How do you explain the righteousness of God upon all that believe?
FER It has taken effect in regard to all that believe, God gets His rights from all that believe.
JMcK What is the compelling power in the gospel?
FER Grace.
J.Mc.K. Not love?
FER Considering what man is, the first thing by which he must be affected is grace. The spring of grace in God is love, but grace touches man first on account of what he is.
HCA Grace takes account of man’s condition.
FER And approaches man in relation to that condition.
Ques Is the spring of [p. 152] the gospel love?
FER I think so. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us”. I think love carries with it, the thought of life and purpose. Grace brings salvation that man may be here for God’s will. They run together, but that is the connection of things.
JN Is the righteousness of God — Christ?
FER Yes, He is the expression of God’s rights, His righteousness, and at the same time He is righteousness to us.
Ques Is there any difference between righteousness and justification?
FER Not very much, He “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification”, and He is “The end of law ... to every one that believes”.
JN It has been said that God’s righteousness is consistency with Himself.
FER God’s righteousness was there, before ever sin came in. Sin did not call it into existence.
G Sin denied His rights.
FER Exactly, it was lawlessness, it was opposed to the righteousness of God. There will be new heavens and a new earth, wherein righteousness dwells. In the universe of bliss everything speaks of God’s righteousness, that is the idea to me; every intelligent being submits to God’s righteousness.
AEW That should be morally true in His people here.
FER It is what the Jew had not done.
DLH In establishing their own righteousness they thought of themselves.
FER Exactly, Paul did it. There was not any recognition in his mind of God’s rights. He had no idea of affection as connected with God, not the faintest idea of love.
Ques Could there be submission apart from God’s approach to man?
FER I think not. Grace bows a man’s affection, and if his affection is bowed, his will [p. 153] is bowed.
DLH Would you say a word as to our becoming God’s righteousness in Him?
FER The church becomes the peculiar witness of His righteousness. I do not think the same brightness that comes out in the church will come out in anything else. The millennial state of things would not be displayed without the church. It is the time when God displays His glory, and if He displays His glory, what surrounds Him must be according to His glory, and it is on that condition that God can really establish the kingdom. There is a great deal in the kingdom which is not according to His glory, but what God is surrounded with — the heavenly city — is entirely according to His glory; and the church, the heavenly city, is an absolute necessity to the kingdom. God can take all up, because all is according to His glory, and the nations walk in the light of the heavenly city, not in the light of God, but of the city; and they bring their glory and honour to the city.
WJ The church will be the medium, and therefore in reading the Psalms, you are made to feel there is something lacking.
FER Yes, I can believe that.
HCA If God was to get the rest of His heart, as to man His righteousness must be displayed.
FER Righteousness is the first principle; nothing can be right morally without it. It is the law of the moral universe because man has gone off into sin, into lawlessness. God’s judgment is not righteousness exactly; it is righteous, it is God’s judgment dealing with lawlessness. He comes in to break down lawlessness.
WJ What is the force of judging the world in righteousness?
FER It will be the character of His judgment in the millennium. He will have His own proper place, and lawlessness will not be tolerated. That is the point to which man must be brought in relation to God: he must submit to God’s righteousness.
[p. 154] The next thing is, Christ is your righteousness; you have a living Head; one in whom every liability has been met, and that brings in the thought of redemption. Christ is our righteousness, and He is the end of the law for righteousness to the believer. It is not the same bearing as the righteousness of God towards all; Christ is righteousness to those who believe, it is more limited. It involves the sovereignty of God. We are justified in the Head. The fact of my having a Head, really involves my being attached to that Head, and that brings in the question of God’s sovereignty. It is limited to those who believe.
Ques When you speak of a Head, do you refer to Romans 5?
FER Yes, we are justified in a Head, in Christ, who is made unto us righteousness.
Rem The place of the Head, marks the place of all that come to Him.
PRM Why does it come in in chapter 3?
FER It connects itself with redemption which brings in God’s sovereignty; that is the most important point in connection with redemption. God takes up His inheritance and meets all the liabilities under which it is. Redemption does not belong to the gospel. Anything that brings in the question of divine sovereignty does not belong to the gospel. It is a great mistake to introduce into the gospel matters which belong to God’s sovereignty. It is a mistake to introduce the idea of hell into the gospel, because it belongs to the sovereignty of God, and such matters are not given to us to handle. I would warn men of judgment.
Ques Why does hell belong to God’s sovereignty?
FER Because He saves one from going there, and not another. In the passover God’s dealings were in taking up His inheritance. His people were His inheritance, and He saw fit to take it up, at the same time meeting all the liabilities under which it was. The same thing is true in the church; He has taken it up, and met [p. 155] the liabilities, but that is not the gospel. We want to keep the two things clear and distinct, so that in presenting the gospel we may be clear on the ground of man’s responsibility, and not be bringing in matters with which we are not competent to deal.
DLH The gospel is the presentation of God to man.
FER Yes, “The grace of God that bringeth salvation”, the teaching of it does not go beyond this world. The grace of God brings salvation to man that he may be here for God’s will, and every man should be here for God’s will.
DLH Supposing a man terrified with the thought of eternal judgment was to come to you with such a question?
FER I should try to meet it with the idea of present salvation. If a man comes into present salvation he will not come into eternal judgment.
DLH You would present to him God’s aspect towards all men.
FER Yes, the grace of God that brings it to all men. I would warn as far as death and judgment. Death lies upon all men, and God will judge every man according to his works. In connection with the lake of fire, scripture never speaks of those who are judged being sent into it, it says, “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”, that proves it is a matter of God’s sovereignty.
JMcK I have understood the end of the great white throne was the lake of fire.
FER It may be so, but it does not say so.
Ques When you speak of judgment, do you not speak of hell in connection with it?
FER The question of man being saved from hell, brings in the sovereignty of God, and that is a matter which we have not got to deal with. In preaching the gospel, and dealing with men it is important to deal with them on the ground of their responsibility, to present the [p. 156] gospel in that light and connection. I believe that to be the connection in which it stands, because the purpose and object of the gospel is that man should be here on earth for the will of God, and it meets man where he is.
JMcK At the same time is it not necessary to tell them of hell, seeing it lies at the end of every Christless career?
FER You have quite enough to tell them in death and judgment. They are serious enough.
Ques Does judgment involve hell?
FER I daresay it does, but you could not prove it.
DLH You get the normal aspect in Romans, man as responsible bringing in guilt, and then God’s righteousness introduced as the gospel.
FER The object of it is that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us; that men may come to practical righteousness on earth.
JHK Would you preach the gospel of the glory of Christ?
FER Yes, why not? But you are not competent to handle the sovereignty of God.
DLH Say a word upon, “Wrath of God is revealed from heaven”?
FER It is revealed, but that is not final, that is not hell. It is the wrath of God in the way of judgment upon the world, and what is going on down here. It is more like the vials in the Revelation.
Ques. What is judgment?
FER It is God calling man to account, “Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess”.
DLH I thought wrath from heaven, was in contrast to wrath upon earth.
FER I think it is. The pouring out of the vials is in contrast to anything preceding.
DLH It would not differ in kind?
FER I think it would.
G. Sodom and Gomorrah?
FER Yes, [p. 157] it is more universal.
Ques Would you connect it with 1 Thessalonians 2?
FER Yes.
WJ The mere fear of hell would not be repentance.
FER In presenting God’s testimony you must not go upon the imagination of man; you have to enlighten, not to go upon man’s sensibilities.
THB What is turning to light from darkness?
FER It is the revelation of God in grace.
JN Would you tell a man to love God?
FER I should say to him that God has loved the world. The gospel is the presentation of God in His attitude towards all men.
Ques What is the thought in redemption?
FER Redemption is simply the taking up of a right. The end of Leviticus is full of it. A man takes up a right, and he can only do so by discharging the liabilities upon it.
DLH Boaz is a good illustration.
FER And for that very reason it involves God’s sovereignty. He does not take up the liabilities of every man. You could not get redemption without the acceptance of the liabilities. I do not think you can talk about universal redemption. Christ is a ransom for all, but that is not redemption. God has taken up the right in Christ, and has met the liabilities.