Sermon -- 15th Sunday after Pentecost (September 1, 2024)

ROMANS 9:30 – 10:4

THE ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT SAVES IS BY FAITH ALONE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     You do not have to go to church to know how to behave.  You do not need to be a Christian to be a decent person.  Most people know how to be honest, moral, and decent.  That does not mean they always are, but it means they can do it.  If you took a foul-mouthed thug and put him before a judge, he would suddenly be able to curb his tongue and avoid profanities.  He would even demonstrate humility.  He may not want to, but he knows he has to.  He does not need a church to show him that.

     Throughout your life, you will meet a lot of nice people who have no use for the church, for a Bible, or for Jesus.  When they die, their eulogies will praise them for what wonderful people they were.  There will be stories about how much they volunteered to bring help and happiness to others, about their generosity, hospitality, and zest for life.  And they may all be true.  Those eulogies might put you to shame, as you wonder why you have not done as much as they did.  It is assumed that such people have done enough to find their way into heaven.  This may also boomerang on you, as you wonder if you’ve done enough.

     St. Paul speaks about two kinds of righteousness.  There is a righteousness which comes by faith, and there is a righteousness which people try to attain by their works.  To many, they look the same, but they could not be more different.  One saves, and the other does not.  One reduces you to nothing; the other strokes your ego and fills you with pride.  One opens heaven, and the other brings you down to hell.  In fact, some think the righteousness that results in death is more praiseworthy than the one that saves.  But the only righteousness that saves is by faith alone.

     St. Paul wrote, “Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law” (Romans 9:30-31).  In other words, the Gentiles did not know the Commandments.  Some were decent and moral; many others embraced debauchery, dishonesty, and drunkenness.  Nevertheless, those who heard the word of God, repented, and believed in the promises of Jesus were found righteous.  Their righteousness was not earned; it was given to them by faith in Jesus.  The only righteousness that saves is by faith alone.  On the other hand, the people of Israel had the Law of God.  They tried to keep the Commandments and the Levitical regulations, and they looked pretty good trying.  But they never lived up to God’s perfect Law.  God did not find them righteous by their works because, no matter how pious or abundant their works were, they remained sinful.

     The Gospel lesson gives us an example of the righteousness which comes from works.  The Lord had given Old Testament Israel numerous laws to keep them distinct from the nations around them.  They were to be set apart because the Messiah would come through them.  Among those laws were dietary laws—foods that were clean and lawful and foods that were not.  In addition to God’s Law, the Pharisees had added their own practices.  They prescribed the washing of hands, plates, utensils, and other things.  This was not about hygiene, but spiritual purity.  They taught that observing all these things would prove a person pure, or righteous, before God.  They taught that the failure to wash or to eat non-kosher foods defiled a person.  The Pharisees observed all of these laws and traditions, and it looked very impressive.  The eulogies for the Pharisees would gush: “How noble and pious they were!  They fasted.  They tithed.  They diligently observed all the traditions.  Surely, they have their place in heaven!”

     One thing you should understand about eulogies: Eulogies are our remembrance of someone.  We tell stories and reflect on memories about why he was so special to us, how faithfully he served in this or that capacity.  We fondly remember his interactions, his quirks, and his personality.  All of it may be true.  Eulogies are our judgment.  We overlook faults and highlight achievements.  On the one hand, such memories are to be cherished.  There is a reason the death of a loved one grieves you so much.  On the other hand, eulogies are not God’s assessment.  That’s why funerals in Lutheran churches do not have a parade of people telling their favorite stories.  There is a place for those outside of the funeral, no doubt.  But if we want comfort in our sorrows and assurance of peace and hope for the deceased and for ourselves, then we need to hear God’s promises.  We do not establish our own righteousness; Jesus does.  Only Jesus does.  Jesus alone does.  The only righteousness that saves us by faith in Jesus alone.

     The Pharisees tried to establish their own righteousness before God by all their pious acts.  But outward acts do not make us pure.  They might look attractive.  They might produce impressive eulogies.  But they do not make the heart pure or the person righteous.  Jesus said, “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?  … What comes out of a person is what defiles him.  For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:18-23). 

     The heart is sinful.  It is naturally corrupt and selfish.  When we encounter nice people who do nice things, we might compliment them, saying, “She has a good heart!”  But what about when nice people do not-nice things?  When you are jealous of someone else’s blessings, is that a good heart?  When your impatience results in giving someone the stink-eye or uttering a nasty word, is that a good heart?  When a man gazes at a woman’s figure and fantasizes about what he could do to that figure—caring not about her name, her feelings, or her well-being—is that a good heart?  All these sinful attitudes come from within, from hearts that have been corrupted by sin.  If your heart is corrupt, the works that come from it will also be corrupt.  Righteousness before God is not an occasional thing, it must be a constant thing.  For God is not good occasionally, he is a good and holy God constantly.  That is the standard he holds us to.

     There are two kinds of righteousness—the righteousness that comes from inside of you, and the righteousness which comes from the outside.  If it comes from inside of you, then you are trying to establish your place with God by doing enough good works to please him.  That does not mean such people are irreligious.  Some might be atheists who are confident in their niceness, but others are people who confess to be Christians who still depend upon themselves for their place before God.  Consider St. Paul’s assessment of the people of Israel: “I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness” (Romans 10:2-3).  In other words, people know how to behave.  They know they should be upright, decent, honest, and moral.  But they reject the righteousness that God provides, convinced that they are doing enough to establish their own righteousness.  Some want to split the credit—“Jesus did his part.  Now I’m doing mine.”  But if you are corrupt, then your part is corrupt.  It cannot be righteous.  This cannot save you.  The only righteousness that saves is by faith alone.

     Now, if your righteousness comes from outside of you, then it is not yours by nature.  God must bestow it upon you.  This is the righteousness of God and it comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  This is what St. Paul says is “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense” (Romans 9:33).  The offense is that we have nothing to contribute.  We want to think so.  We want to believe that we are God’s people because we are better than those who are not.  But Jesus destroys all that.  If your righteousness comes from outside of you, then you have nothing to boast about—not works, not effort, not sincerity, not a better performance than anyone, not even being nice.  The righteousness of God comes from Jesus, and he gives it to you freely and fully. 

     The only righteousness that saves is by faith alone.  Faith alone does not mean that no works were done.  It means that the works have been done by someone other than you.  The holy obedience which pleases God has been lived by Jesus.  This Jesus gives to you.  Jesus has also done the work which takes away your sins.  Jesus suffered and died bearing your guilt.  He endured the sinner’s death for you and took in all of God’s wrath in your place.  That’s why St. Paul wrote, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).  The works of the Law do not make you righteous; Jesus does.  Thanks to Jesus, the Law does not condemn you; Jesus has fulfilled it.  Your sin does not stand against you; Jesus has taken it away.  So, while you cannot boast that you have done anything to receive your place in heaven, you can boast that in Christ all things have been done.  It is just as Martin Luther confessed: “Lord Jesus Christ, you are my righteousness, I am your sin.  You became what you were not so that I would be what I am not.” 

     And now what does the Bible teach you?  “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27).  If you trust in Jesus’ merits instead of your own, then you are sons of God.  If you are baptized into Christ, then you are clothed with Christ.  If you are clothed with Christ, then you are righteous in God’s sight.  If you are righteous in God’s sight, then you are saved.  The only righteousness that saves in by faith alone. 

     Fast forward to your funeral.  There will be people who will eulogize you.  They will share stories and memories.  They will talk about what you have done for them and for others.  They will remember your good works, and what they say will probably all be true.  But the good works are not what saved you.  They sprang up from a heart that was purified by the blood of Jesus and enlivened by the Holy Spirit.  They are evidence of God’s work in you.  But when you are standing before God, no eulogy will help.  Your Savior, however, will.  Jesus Christ will present you to his heavenly Father dressed in his own righteousness.  And he will uphold the word of the Lord: “whoever believes in him will not be put to shame” (Romans 9:33).    

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.