Righteous Before God! (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 23; Romans 3:9-31) by Rev. Angus Stewart
I. Its Impossibility in Me
II. Its Basis in Christ
III. Its Means of Faith
Psalm singing: 14:1-7; 18:20-27; 143:1-7a; 130:1-8
Scripture reading: Romans 3:9-31
Herman Hoeksema on Lord’s Day 23: “I am righteous in Christ before God and an heir of eternal life. These two belong together. They are inseparably related, just as these two are also inseparable: I am guilty before God and worthy of everlasting death and desolation. It is of great importance for the believer’s spiritual life, for his peace of heart, and for his growth in grace that he clearly understands this marvelous truth and fully appropriates it. He must understand his need to be righteous and that his righteousness must be perfect before he can be an heir of all other blessings of salvation. He must see clearly that his righteousness is not in himself but is wholly outside of him in Christ. He must apprehend that the verdict of God declaring him wholly and perfectly righteous does not rest in and has nothing to do with what he is in himself, but is an imputed righteousness. The moment he finds in himself, his goodness or good works, the ground or any part of the ground for the verdict of God’s declaring him righteous, he forfeits peace with God” (Abundant Mercy, p. 155).
Homer Hoeksema: "They are righteous in the legal or objective sense. They are those who are declared innocent, who are free before the tribunal of God's justice, and who have a righteousness of God. They are righteous in the deepest sense according to God's eternal decree in Christ, for out of grace they are justified before God from all eternity. They are righteous through the perfect obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was obedient unto the death of the cross in their stead and in their behalf. They are righteous through the seal of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was delivered on account of our offenses and raised again on account of our justification (Romans 4:25). They are righteous by and out of faith, justified without works. Faith is not another work; faith is not a condition that we must fulfill; faith is not partly our work and partly God's work. Faith is the God-given power and the God-given activity whereby his elect people cling to the power of God unto salvation revealed in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is what it means to be righteous by faith. Finally, they shall be righteous in the final judgment. Their complete, final, full, and public justification is still coming, and when it comes, they will be justified in Christ before the whole world" (Redeemed with Judgment, vol. 2, pp. 481-482).