In 'The Righteousness of Faith,' Jason Dohm explores Romans 10, emphasizing the contrast between the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith. The sermon highlights how the righteousness of the law demands perfect obedience, which is unattainable by humans, whereas the righteousness of faith is accessible through belief in Jesus Christ. Dohm explains that salvation is as near as one's heart and mouth, requiring no heroic efforts on the part of believers, as Christ has already completed the necessary work. The sermon underscores the importance of confessing faith both internally and publicly, asserting that true faith naturally results in open acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord. Dohm also illustrates how New Testament teachings are rooted in Old Testament principles, showing continuity in God's revelation. The universal offer of salvation is stressed, with an emphasis on its availability to all, regardless of ethnic or social distinctions.

Good morning. We have a wonderful sermon text today. Treasure trove of good news for sinners. Tyler told, Tyler, you're not Tyler, Josh told us to go to the beginning of Romans chapter 10. The sermon text is verses 5 through 13, but we'll start at the very beginning of the chapter.

So starting at the beginning of Romans 10. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For God is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, the man who does those things shall live by them. But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way. Do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down from above, Or who will descend into the abyss, that is, to bring Christ up from the dead? But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart.

That is, the word of faith which we preach. That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, whoever believes on him will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Let's pray. Lord, what wonderful words of life we have here. Wonderful words from from you, from your word given to us. Thank you for them. Thank you for providing preachers to bring them to us.

We pray that you would be with Jason, speak through him in truth and in power. Bring these words to us. And I pray for us sitting here in the chairs that you would give us ears to hear, give us devotion to your word, a willingness to listen and to respond. I pray that you would work mightily during this time. In Jesus' name, amen.

There are certain texts of scripture that really test the skill of a preacher. And There are certain texts of scripture that really test the skill of a preacher. And there are certain texts of scripture that if you can't preach at a reasonable level of proficiency, you need to go find another line of work. This is the latter. This sets before us the Lord Jesus with breathtaking clarity as the only hope for sinners.

And I hope I can preach this with some level of proficiency so I don't have to find another line of work. The title of the sermon this morning is The Righteousness of Faith. Work's righteousness is not possible for me. That ship sailed a long time ago. I ruined that system a long time ago.

But there is a kind of righteousness that I can acquire based on the promises of God, based on the person and work of Jesus Christ. And that is a righteousness that comes by trusting in Jesus Christ. So, that's what Paul is talking about again. How many times has Paul talked about this in Romans? I've lost count.

You probably have too. Verse 4, which is the verse leading into our verse range for today, is the immediate context for today's text. So let's re-read verse 4. Hopefully your Bibles are still open to Romans chapter 10. Back up one verse to the end of last week's text, Romans 10 verse 4.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For the unbeliever, they are under the system of righteousness by law keeping. But there is an end of that for the believer. The believer actually exchanges law-keeping records with Jesus. When I entrust myself to Jesus, Jesus gets my law keeping record and he deals with it at the cross and I get Jesus' perfect law keeping record.

It's the end of the law for righteousness for me because I have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ so believing in Jesus trusting in Jesus in Trusting myself to Jesus takes me out of the system of righteousness where my standing with God requires perfect, unbroken obedience for a lifetime. Doesn't that sound crushing to you? It is crushing. That's why we should forsake it and run to Christ. This is what Paul has been teaching us over and over and over again in Romans.

There is a righteousness of faith, a righteousness which is obtained by trusting someone else. By trusting God's anointed Savior, I keep saying. That's what Christ means. The anointed Savior. The one that God set apart for the special work of saving sinners.

No one else can do it, but He can do it, and God set them apart for that work. And so sinners can be saved. This is the good news of the text. Sinners can be saved. They don't have to be condemned, stand on their own law-keeping record, and have the inevitable guilty verdict result in the inevitable punishment for that.

They can trade law keeping records with the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. That is what our text is about. So Paul is bringing us to that again. Let's pray. God, there's such a glory in the text.

And I thank you especially for the simplicity of the Gospel. It's not far away, but it's right here for the having. Pray that these great truths would settle on us and make us happy today in your Son. Happy in Jesus, maybe so in Jesus' name, Amen. Let's look at verse 5 by itself.

Follow along as I reread Romans chapter 10 verse 5. We will pick up speed. We won't go one verse at a time, but we'll start with one verse. Romans chapter 10 verse 5. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, the man who does those things shall live by them.

So Paul starts by setting before us again the righteousness which is of the law. Law fills in the blank if you're filling in blanks on the handout. Paul quotes Moses in Leviticus chapter 18 verse 5, the man who does those things, those things which were are required by God in the law of God, shall live by them. So here's the system. Do and live.

This is the other side of that coin. Fail to do and die. So there is a general principle, obedience is blessed and disobedience is punished, and that is very useful to us as we make daily decisions, correct? Is that a helpful general principle? God blesses obedience.

Does he? Yes and amen. God blesses obedience. And God punishes disobedience or brings disobedience into discipline. That's probably better said for how it works in the life of a believer.

He brings you into a time of discipline often for your disobedience. So as we're making daily decisions, we can know as we obey God, the expectation is right, that God's blessing will be upon that in one way or another and that if we choose to disobey then that will be brought under his fatherly discipline for believers and for punishment for unbelievers. But there is also a system of righteousness here. It's not just a general principle where obedience is blessed and disobedience is punished. It's actually a fully functional system of righteousness whereby the wages of righteousness is life, but the wages of sin is death.

First spiritual death, then physical death, and finally eternal death. It is a system by which we are declared righteous by an all-knowing and perfectly righteous judge because we have actually been righteous. Under this system you have a judge. He's all-knowing, even into the thoughts and intents of your heart, and he's perfectly righteous. He'll always get the judgment right, and He has the standard of perfect holiness.

If He declares you righteous under this system, it is because you have actually been righteous. You have continually done what is good and right without any stain of guilt. Not a single stain of guilt. This is the system that Moses sets forth in Leviticus 18 verse 5. Doing, and because of the doing, living.

Now listen to the full quote of Leviticus 18.5. Paul quotes part of it. I'm now going to quote all of it Leviticus 18 5 you shall therefore Keep my statutes and my judgments says God Which if a man does he shall live by them. I am the Lord I'll read it again You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a man does them, he shall live by them, I am the Lord. If, then, cause effect.

If you keep the commandments, then you shall live because of your obedience. The righteousness which is of the law is a righteousness of doing, but not occasional doing, continual doing, unbroken across the full span of your lifetime. That is what is in view and not partial doing and not even predominant doing, doing most of it, but obeying all the requirements of the law. That is what is in view here. And not only an external doing, which can be the right thing for the wrong reason, but obedience which is the outworking of a heart that is right.

That is what is in view here in this system of righteousness which is of the law. To put it in the figurative language of the Old Testament sacrifices, a lamb without blemish. Perfect innocence, not one spot, no hint of a defect, no hint of an imperfection. This is what is acceptable to God and nothing less than this is acceptable to God. So God has given us a full system in the Old Testament, a sacrificial system of what He is willing to accept.

And the symbol of it is a lamb without blemish. A perfectly innocent animal. And one that has not a single spot. And there's no hint of a defect. You can't bring a crippled one.

You're not allowed to offer that. It has to be completely without imperfection. That is what God will accept. This is what the Old Testament sacrificial system is teaching us. It's teaching us what God will accept.

Nothing less than that is acceptable to God. Those animals were symbols of what this perfectly holy God requires. And he cannot require less than that because of who he is, because of his eternal existence in perfection. He cannot accept less than that. He cannot require less than that.

Now, the next section is 6-10. Follow along as I re-read verses 6-10. Paul writes, but the righteousness of faith speaks in this way. Do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down from above, or who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say?

The Word is near you, in your mouth, in your heart, that is the Word of faith which we preach, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Here in verses 6-10, Paul gives us the righteousness of faith. Faith fills in the blank if you're filling in blanks. The righteousness of faith. Paul makes the contrast.

But, the righteousness of the law is this. He gave that to us in the previous verse. But, by contrast, the righteousness of faith is this fundamentally different system. So we're having the contrast of fundamentally different system. The righteousness which is of the law and the righteousness of faith are two completely different systems, built on different foundations.

Paul quotes Moses again, sort of, by making use of Deuteronomy 30 verses 12 through 14. Now, why do I say that Paul sort of quotes Moses? And that Paul makes use of Deuteronomy 30. Well first, Paul doesn't introduce it as the quoting of Scripture. That's really noticeably absent.

If you didn't know it was from Deuteronomy, or that it was Moses saying it, or that it was a portion of Scripture, you won't find that here in the text. In chapter 9 verse 33, he quotes Scripture and he prefaces it by saying, as it is written, and then he quotes scripture. In our text in verse 11 he says for the scripture says and then he quotes scripture. Here Paul doesn't introduce it that way. Second, Paul takes the liberty of making a few changes to take the original Deuteronomy context and apply the principle to his current subject.

So it's not properly a quotation of scripture because Paul takes liberty with it he actually makes a few changes to it to take the principle that you find in Deuteronomy 30 and to apply it to his current subject So it is better to think of this as Paul making an analogy using Deuteronomy 30. As the principle of Deuteronomy 30 applied to the matter at hand for Moses, so now that same principle applies to the revelation of the gospel. So he is taking Deuteronomy 30 and using it to say what was true generally, the point of Deuteronomy 30, can be properly used in the subject at hand for me. I want to look at Deuteronomy 30. You can turn there if you like.

It's probably good. Actually, it's an extended quote. So it's probably best if you see it with your own eyes. Deuteronomy chapter 30, I'll read verses 11 through 14. He quotes 12 through 14 loosely.

He does make some changes. You'll see the liberties that that he takes to make a few changes to bring it forward to the matter at hand for himself I'm going to start in verse 11 Deuteronomy 30 11 through 14 Moses writes this For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us That we may hear it and do it Nor is it beyond the sea That you should say who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it but the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. Verse 11 is really the key here to what Moses is getting at. What God has revealed as His will to His people is not mysterious and it's not far off.

It is direct, clear, precise, written Revelation. You don't have to go to the ends of the earth for it. God has brought it to the doorstep of His people. That's the whole point of Deuteronomy 30. What is the principle that Paul takes from Deuteronomy 30 and applies in Romans chapter 10.

Here it is. No heroic effort is required to have access to God's revelation. It's right here for you. Listen to a couple of helpful quotes. At least I found them helpful.

I hope you find them helpful. The first is John MacArthur from the study notes in his study Bible. John MacArthur says this. His point is that the righteousness of faith does not require some impossible odyssey through the universe to find Christ. So John MacArthur looks at the principle from Deuteronomy 30.

It's right here. You don't have to go to the ends of the earth to find it. Here it is. Here it is. I brought it to your doorstep.

And he says That's exactly what Paul is doing with the revelation of Jesus Christ. He's saying that knowing Christ doesn't require an impossible odyssey through the universe, into heaven, into hell. But it's right here. Better still. I'm going to one-up John MacArthur, at least I think I am.

It's a note from the ESV study notes. Don't tell him. He wouldn't like that. ESV Study Bible has this note. There is no need to travel to heaven to bring Christ to earth.

For God has already sent Him into the world. Nor should anyone think they must bring Christ up from the realm of the dead, for God has already raised Christ from the dead. What God requires is not superhuman words, but faith in the gospel that Paul preaches. Just a hearty amen to that. No need to go into heaven for Christ.

He already came. God already sent him. No need to go into the grave for Christ. The grave is empty. God already resurrected him.

It's here. God has brought the revelation of his anointed Savior to your doorstep friends it is right here before us. What is required to be saved It's as near as your heart is in your mouth. How near is that? How could you get any nearer?

Is the heroic effort required from Jesus? Yes. From me? No. Has God stopped requiring righteousness because salvation is not the righteousness of the law?

No. The law has been kept only by Christ. A heroic effort is required. Christ must come from heaven. Christ must be raised from the dead.

But it's Christ. You're not going to heaven to get Him. God already sent Him. You're not going to the grave to get Him. He's already been resurrected.

The heroic effort has been made by the Son of God on behalf of sinners. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. You will be saved! You will be saved! What if I confess with my mouth but I don't believe in my heart?

Then my confession is a fraud. It is just empty lip service. Talk, talk, talk with no reality in the heart that is the root of that confession. It's a fraudulent confession. It is empty lip service.

James 2.19 You believe that there is one God, you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. There is a belief that is not saving faith. The demons have it, not one of them is saved. What if I believe but I can't quite bring myself to say it out loud in the presence of others?

Then my believing isn't truly heart level believing. If I say I believe, but in certain company I can't bring myself to say it, it's evidence of what's at the root, or what's not at the root. Confessing the Lord Jesus with your mouth is an evidence of saving faith. What did Jesus himself say? Listen to Matthew 10, 32 and 33.

Matthew chapter 10, verses 32 and 33. Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." True heart belief in Jesus proceeds forth in Jesus proceeds forth into a public confession of Jesus period. If you are unwilling to confess Him before man, Jesus is unwilling to take your part before His Father in Heaven. Listen to Calvin.

John Calvin says this, His simple object was to mark out true faith as that from which this fruit proceeds, lest anyone should otherwise lay claim to the empty name of faith alone. For true faith ought so to kindle the heart with zeal for God's glory. True faith is kindled for God's glory and can't be silent. Fake faith can't quite ever make itself speak. Calvin continues, listen to this.

No one can believe with the heart without confessing with the mouth. It is indeed a necessary consequence. Calvin says, a confession has to flow from real faith. It has to. It's a necessary consequence.

For it is extremely puerile. I'll admit it. I had to look it up. I had no idea what puerile means. It means, says the Google, childishly silly.

It is childishly silly to say that there is fire when there is neither flame nor heat." A person who says, I believe, but they can't actually make themselves say it among unaccepting company is saying, there's a fire here, only there's no flame and there's no heat. Calvin's saying, how childish, how silly. There is no flame, there is no, What is it? There is no fire without flame and heat. Fire means flame and heat.

Friends, With the heart you believe unto righteousness. The object of your heart level belief, believing just in the heart, this goes beyond intellectual assent where I say, here's a list of gospel facts, seems right to me. Heart level belief is different than that. Obviously. The object of your heart level belief, the Lord Jesus Christ, gives you His righteousness.

You believe unto righteousness. Not unto self-righteousness, where somehow your belief then makes you able to have a perfect law-keeping record from that point on. No, no, no. It gives you a claim on real righteousness. It gives you a claim on Jesus' righteousness, His law keeping record.

It is accounted to you as righteousness because of your trust in who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. Just pulling language from earlier in Romans into this sermon. It is accounted to you for righteousness. It goes into your account as if it were yours. It gives you a claim on what is his.

Paul says you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Now, why does Paul single out the resurrection? You might think he would single out the cross. That's what I think. Remember, Paul began this letter to the Roman believers by saying that the resurrection was God's mighty declaration that Jesus is His Son.

So Paul started the letter in Romans chapter 1, I think it's verse 3 or 4, right at the beginning of the letter. The resurrection is God's mighty declaration that Jesus is His Son. In other words, God stamped all of what Jesus said He was, what He came to do, His work, God stamped that as his own by Exerting his grave emptying power to raise Jesus from the dead all of its true We know it's all true because God mightily declared it in raising Jesus from the dead. Here's what Matthew Poole says. Matthew Poole says, This article of the resurrection of Christ presupposes all the rest, and fastens together as by a link all the antecedents and all the consequence of it.

So He takes the resurrection and he says, the resurrection comes with all the antecedents, all the things that lead up to the resurrection, and all the consequence, all the things that are after the resurrection. The resurrection is short form for it all. Because the resurrection is God's declaration that everything that led up to it was His. Everything that flowed from it is His. It's short form for it all.

I think Matthew Poole has it right. Friends, with the mouth you confess unto salvation. The heart produces this evidence, a confession of the Lord Jesus. You publicly own the Lord Jesus. By the way, the word translated Lord is the Greek word kurios which is used 6, 000 times for God in the Greek translation of the scriptures.

So don't just breeze over if you confess the Lord Jesus. You're confessing that Jesus is God when you say that, according to the Greek word that gets used here. Six thousand times in the Greek translation of the scriptures. The reality of my faith displays itself in my verbal confession. I am saved from the guilt and penalty of sins because of the object of the confession.

This isn't magic words. Unbelievers can say, I believe in Jesus. It's not magic words. This is the fruit of a heart that believes, and the outflow of that is a confession of the Lord Jesus owning him as God, publicly owning him as God and as God's anointed Savior. It is the object of the confession that saves, not magic words.

You can trick people into saying, Jesus is Lord, by preaching a man-centered gospel, they're not born again. Friends, no one has to go up to heaven to fetch a Savior. God has already sent Him. He already came and did that saving work. No one has to descend into the abyss.

God has already raised Jesus from the dead. And salvation is as near as your heart and your mouth. Salvation is as near as your heart and your mouth. The last section, verses 11-13. Romans 10, 11-13.

For the scripture says, whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. He's quoting Isaiah there. He already quoted Isaiah. That same verse from Isaiah in chapter 9. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.

For the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." There he's quoting Joel chapter 2. Notice he keeps rooting New Testament gospel in Old Testament truth. He's telling us, I'm teaching the fulfillment of the Old Testament, but I'm not teaching something contrary to the Old Testament. I'm not teaching something different than the Old Testament.

He keeps rooting all this New Testament truth in the Old Testament Scripture. Here in 1113 we have the universal offer. Offer fills in the blank. The offer is to everyone alive. Whoever believes on Jesus shall never be put to shame.

Philippians 2.8 says that Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even the death of the cross. What does that mean? Even the death of the cross. It's pointing to the shamefulness of the death of the cross. There are more efficient ways to put people to death.

There are not more humiliating ways to put people to death. Romans employed crucifixion because of the contempt and shame of that death. Do you know that? You can kill someone like that. Sometimes crucifixion took like that.

Sometimes crucifixion took days, humiliating days. Look at that God man, bearing such shame. Is he bearing his shame? No, he's bearing my shame. Sinner, where is room for shame?

Has not Jesus born at all? So I picked the songs before I write the sermon, so we're not singing that today. We should have sang that today, I'm sorry. Sinner, where is room for shame? Has not Jesus born at all?

Yes, He's born at all. There's no room for shame. If you believe in Jesus, you will never be put to shame. Why? Jesus bore the shame.

He took the shame. Whoever calls on Jesus' name shall be saved. Jews, yep, saved. Non-Jews, yep, saved. Yep, saved.

Non-Jews? Yep, saved. Slaves? Yep, saved. Freemen?

Saved. Men and boys? Saved. Women and girls? Saved.

Saved. Women and girls saved. Listen to Paul, Galatians 3, 26-29. Same author, Paul, writing to a different group of believers in another Gentile city, Galatians. Galatians 3, 26-29, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female for You are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

There is no distinction. God is the Lord over all His people. God is rich towards all His people. God doesn't grudgingly give to those who trust in His Son. He lavishes His grace on them.

He doesn't give scraps, he gives riches. One of the things that grieves me about my unconscious disposition about God. Unconscious meaning I don't think about it, I just have it. I have this unconscious disposition about God that views him as stingy. Where did I get that from?

It's not the Bible. Wherever we get that from, it's not our Bibles. In our Bibles, He's a God who is rich toward all who call upon His Son. He doesn't give scraps, He gives riches. For really in Jesus, we have to start thinking of Jesus this way, of God this way.

Not a scrap giver, a riches giver. Applications, just two. One, I don't know how many weeks in a row this has been one of them, but in one form or another for many weeks this has been one of them. Beware of works righteousness. Beware.

Here's a question we haven't considered. Who would want to work for righteousness anyway? Doesn't sound hard. Why does Paul even need to say this? The simplicity and beauty of righteousness by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone, why would anyone want anything else?

Who would want to work for righteousness anyway? The answer is this, all of unbelieving mankind. All of unbelieving mankind. Craves works righteousness. Why?

Because it keeps me in the place of God. My work, my standard, my pride, my way, look I did it! But friends, what if God can't and won't accept that because it is a million miles short of actual righteousness. What if my self-righteousness is actually what he hates the most? Because it is the ultimate symbol of my rebellion.

Do you buy that theory? Will you at least consider that theory? That self-righteousness is what God actually hates the most. So that you could be very respectable and God would hate that sin of self-righteousness in you even though you're respected by everyone who knows you, but God hates that worse than He hates the murder of the murderer, of the adultery of the adulterer, but your self-righteousness He hates more. Is that possible?

The longer I live and the more I study scripture, I say it's not only possible, that's true. Beware of works righteousness. Works righteousness. Two, consider how near salvation from an eternity of misery is. Consider how near salvation from an eternity in misery is.

It's as near as your heart and your mouth. You don't have to go up into heaven for it. God already sent his Son from heaven. You don't have to seek him in the grave. God has already raised him from the dead.

The work is finished. It's accepted. He's declared Jesus to be his Son with this mighty act of emptying the grave, signaling that Christ's sacrifice is accepted. How long is eternity? There's not a numerical answer to that.

I've seen reformers, Puritans, describe it like this. More than a million ages. What's an age? An age is a long period of time. Certainly, your lifetime will only be a part of an age.

Take a long period of time, an age, and have a million of them. Eternity is more than that. More than that. Salvation from an eternity of misery is as near to you as your heart and your mouth. If you call on the name of the Lord Jesus, you will be saved.

If you call on the name of the Lord Jesus today, you will be saved today. If you call on the name of the Lord Jesus in this instant, you will be saved in this instant. Thank you for the good news. The glad tidings for sinners. Thank you for causing Paul to write the same thing over and over again in different ways to strip away false notions about it and to set it forth with great precision and great clarity and great simplicity.

Thank you for the simplicity of the Gospel. These things are not mysterious. They're not far off. You brought them right here to our doorstep. Thank you.

In Jesus' name, Amen.