Romans 3:5-6 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?
Only a righteous God can judge the world in righteousness, and He has judged the world. In verses 10-18, we will see what God’s judgment is regarding everyone in the world. In these verses, we see Paul’s understanding about the relationship between our unrighteousness and God’s righteousness. Our unrighteousness has provided God the occasion to demonstrate His righteousness.
This is also true for those who live to love with Jesus. When others sin against us, it provides God another occasion to demonstrate His righteousness in and through us as we forgive and love them with Him. God demonstrated His righteousness in Christ as He bore the weight of our sin, performed justice as He satisfied the Law’s requirements, and then gave us His righteousness as a gift by grace. We affirm God’s righteousness as we forgive and love those who offend or seek to hurt us on the grounds of what God accomplished in Christ. We glorify God as we demonstrate His righteousness by loving them. We love because we know God is righteous and has and will inflict wrath upon every sin. No sin escapes God’s righteous judgment and wrath. Therefore, we testify to the righteousness of God as we live to love with Jesus by forgiving and forbearing with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com
