PAUL AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D.
Sermon from May 29, 2005

For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. Romans 1:16, 3:22-25

In Paul’s day, the Church was not exempt from controversy. A good example of this can be found in reading Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Because Christianity began as a reform movement within Judaism, one faction within the Church argued that Gentiles must convert to Judaism in order to be followers of the Jewish Messiah. Paul disagreed and welcomed Gentiles into the Church without requiring that they comply with all of the requirements of the Jewish Law. A group of Jewish Christians opposed to what they perceived to be Paul’s lack of faithfulness to God’s covenant with Abraham traveled through the region, preaching that Gentiles must convert to Judaism in order to become Christians. Paul replied that all are made right with God through faith, not by works of the Jewish Law. Within Jewish tradition, a person was righteous (tsedek) before God because he or she lived a blameless life in conformity with the Jewish Law, or Torah. Clear standards were established that were measurable within the community. Right belief and right conduct were used to determine whether a person was righteous before God. Paul argued that this thinking is based on a faulty premise- that one can walk blamelessly before God. Paul’s starting point is that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This includes those who are considered to be righteous from the point of view of the Law. For Paul, the Law serves in a pedagogical role to set a standard of conduct that none can attain. Paul understood Jesus’ reform of Judaism. God is more concerned about the quality of relationships than with rigid adhesion to external norms that may, in certain cases, be incompatible with God’s priorities. Jesus gave the example of those who used the Jewish Law relating to dedicating money to God (Corban) to avoid financial responsibilities to the family. The purpose of the Law is to foster love of God with all one’s heart, mind, soul and strength and love of one’s neighbour as oneself. It is not to foster a sense of self-satisfaction or self-righteousness based on compliance with a checklist of rules and regulations. For Paul, the Law points to a level of commitment to God and to others that no one can attain. As a result, the Law shows all Jews that they have sinned and need God’s unmerited grace. Redemption can only come through God’s free gift made possible through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Paul then deals with the question of how Gentiles can be held accountable before God when they are not bound by terms of the Jewish Law. Paul responds by citing natural law principles that are found in the Jewish Wisdom traditions- all Gentiles can discern divine law in creation through conscience. Although Paul does not put it this way, one example of this can be found in the common contemporary saying: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Given that no one is completely selfless, all Gentiles should know that they have also sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. They too need God’s forgiveness. This was fundamental to the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther was born in 1483. After graduation from the University of Erfurt, he began to study law. In July of 1505, he decided to become a monk after escaping death in a lightening storm. He entered the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt and was ordained in 1507, receiving his doctorate in 1511 from the University of Wittenberg, after which he was appointed professor of Scripture. Notwithstanding his academic achievements, Luther was anguished by a sense that he was not worthy of God’s acceptance. Although he obeyed Church law, he never felt that he was in a right relationship with God. His study of Paul’s letter to the Romans led him to the realization that good works can never earn salvation. Entering into a relationship of dependance, trust and faith with God is the first step in entering the New Covenant brought about by Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension and enthronement at the right hand of God. A debate over the sale of indulgences led to Luther’s posting of 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. For Luther, forgiveness is not granted by the Church, but by God through his grace: Thesis 62 states: "The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God." The result of Luther’s actions is history. God loves us as he finds us, but never leaves us that way. Jesus welcomed sinners because it is the ill who need a doctor. Jesus calls us to set aside self-righteousness, recognize our shortcomings, and turn to him in faith and trust to experience the unmerited love of God in our lives. In Christ, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, empowered for service and bear the fruit of his presence.