The Gentiles find righteousness without seeking it

 Romans 9:30-31

The Jews on one side and the Gentiles on the other, two observable cultures. The Jews are devoting themselves to God’s law and keeping their distance from Gentile culture, which they see as unclean. The Gentiles have cooties. Not that every Jew feels that way, but it’s a pattern – pursuing a law that leads to righteousness. The Jews are serious about that. The Old Testament (the Bible) is the rule-book, and they’re following the rules, to be righteous and ready for the Messiah. But the Gentiles, over in their culture, aren’t pursuing righteousness. They’re like many people today, focused on other things.

When Paul preached to gentiles, they did not show any doubt on his words. But when he tried to preach Jewish, they always argued with him, and they show many doubt to him. But when gentiles heard the gospel, many of those Gentiles received, by putting faith on God, and they accepted it, and had thus find righteousness. However, it was not a righteousness based on their own goodness in the sight of God. It was God’s righteousness, appropriated by God given faith. It was a righteousness purchased by Christ’s redeeming blood.

The Gentiles have received right standing with God and covenant membership in the family of God by faith, not through the Law of Moses. Gentiles, who were not pursuing a right status with God and were not pursuing covenant membership with God, have been offered this status and the Gentiles have accepted this status by faith. They did not receive this status through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles did not receive this status by keeping the works of the Law (circumcision, Sabbath keeping, keeping clean and unclean ordinances, etc). They received this status of justified and covenant membership in God’s family through faith. This faith is not simply mental agreement to God’s promises for Paul has never defined faith this way in the letter to the Romans. Faith describes truly trusting in God and living faithfully to him.

Even today, people find what they do not look. They read a book, listen to a song; somehow it sets them on the path toward God. They go to a wedding, a funeral, a baptism, and behold. God found them and they received righteousness by faith. Others have the opposite experience. They seek, but do not find, because they pursue righteousness the wrong way.

We need to decide what kind of righteousness we are seeking, whether we are depending on good works and character, or trusting Christ alone for salvation. God does not save people on the basis of birth or behavior. He saves them “by grace, through faith” (Eph. 2:8–9). It is not a question of whether or not we are among God’s elect. That is a mystery known only to God. He offers us His salvation by faith. After we have trusted Christ, then we have the witness and evidence that we are among His elect (Eph. 1:4–14; 1 Thess. 1:1–10). But first we must trust Him and receive by faith His righteousness which alone can guarantee heaven.