Through Creation, the Gospel of Righteousness is preached to all men; through the Gospel, Righteousness is revealed. Those who live righteously before God, have become righteous because they lived by faith in what the Holy Spirit revealed through His Gospel to their hearts. This is how a disciple follows Christ. Righteousness is imputed to a man, because of his faith in the Truth. The outcome of Righteousness is holiness; that is, being free from sin, having the nature and character of God.
Romans 1:16,17: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it (in the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed (spiritually seen when faith in His word is exercised) from faith to faith; as it is written, “but the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Herein lies the downfall of most disciples; their faith is in the words of men speaking about God, rather than in the Word of God, speaking about faith.
The outcome of not living by faith in the Gospel brings God’s wrath. God’s wrath is revealed against ALL ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold back, disagree with, ignore, disobey, adulterate, distort, twist, lie, and hinder the truth. The truth that God is teaching us is this: He has made a way for us to be as Righteous as He is Righteous (l John 3:7) so that we can escape His wrath, which because of sin, is poured out on the sons of disobedience (Eph. 5:5-7.)
Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven (seen through creation) against ALL ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”
God made the Gospel of Righteousness known within us and to us. Scripture says that the Gospel of Righteousness is clearly seen through Creation and that His invisible nature and attributes, His eternal power and divinity, are clearly discernable through what He has made. In other words, what we can see, makes what we can’t see, understood. Therefore, all men are without excuse who do not know God, for God has stated that His Righteous Gospel (His standard) is seen, understood, and revealed through His creation.
Romans 1:19,20 “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
When we hold out the Gospel of Righteousness to others, it is not the first time that it has been spoken to them; for we have just read that God has already spoken it to them and has even put this knowledge of Himself within them, through what He made – His Heavens and Earth and everything within (Colossians1:23; Romans10:18.)
Today, Creation is speaking the Gospel to all men; therefore on Judgment Day, if men plead ignorance about the gospel, God will not accept their plea. For God has said, “They are without excuse.”
Psalm 19:1-4 “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. [Yet] their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world…”
My wife and I were having a discussion a few days ago about the fact that scripture often refers to God as the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and everything within. Often times He speaks this thought in scripture, even when it seems inappropriate or unnecessary to the subject matter at hand. We wondered what His point was in repeating Himself so often, knowing that He has a point, but not knowing what it was. Then while we were studying, the Lord made us realize that His purpose in constantly speaking about Himself as the Creator of His creation is that this is the first source of the Gospel (Note: The teaching of The Theory of Evolution is demonic in that it denies that God is the Creator, in accordance to His Word.) Creation speaks the Gospel to men for their salvation; that perhaps a man might come to his senses, recognizing that God exists, and then seek to know God. Creation preaches the gospel, so that man might escape the lies of the devil, by which all men have been held captive since Adam’s fall. What are the lies? The lies say that no man can really understand God, nor can he be completely free from the power of sin that lives within his heart.
Knowing God, through His Creation, is spoken about in Hebrews Chapter 11, and these scriptures explain to us how Faith works. The Creation preaches to man that God exists. Then, when man recognizes that God exists and begins pursuing Him diligently in his heart and mind, God reveals Himself more and more, from faith to faith. God then rewards those who seek Him diligently; by letting them find Him, and leads them by His own Spirit to Eternal Life!
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is (exists) and that He is a rewarder of those who (diligently) seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6.)
Faith is how the renowned men of old received God’s approval. They recognized in creation that God existed, and because of this started pursuing God; by faith they received revelation from God, from faith to faith, being themselves witnesses to us today that the Gospel is preached through Creation.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it (faith) the men of old gained approval. By faith we (also) understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God (by God Himself, John 1:1-3), so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:1-3.)
The scriptures make known to us the great men of faith, who knew the Gospel of Righteousness, spoken first through His creation, and later through His written Word.
Abel had faith. He learned of the Gospel of Righteousness through creation, and God made him know of the Righteous sacrifice. Abel learned through faith, leading to more faith. Scripture says that Abel was Righteous (Heb.11:4).
Enoch pleased God in the same way. So God took him. Enoch was a preacher of the Gospel of Righteousness (Heb.11:5; Jude14,15.)
Noah had faith in what was not seen, having first had faith in the Gospel of Righteousness, spoken through creation. His faith led to more faith, which made him able to hear a warning from God – unseen judgment – and he prepared himself, through obedience. Noah escaped the wrath of God. Noah was a preacher of the Gospel of Righteousness (Heb.11:7; 2Peter 2:5.)
Abraham had faith and became a Righteous man. As a result of his obedience, the promised Gospel came to us through Christ Jesus, who is called the Son of Abraham, the Son of God (Gen. 17:1-4; 26:4,5; Heb.11:8-10; Gal.3:5-9; Ro. 4:13-25: Matt. 1:1: Gal. 3:16.)
Lot had faith and became a Righteous man. As a result of his obedience he was rescued, just before God’s wrath was poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah, having made them an example for all those who would live ungodly thereafter (2Peter 2:4-9.)
Unbelief says that a man is not able to be Righteous. If a man cannot be righteous, then he is unrighteous; and we know that all unrighteousness is sin (1 John 5:17.) Those who sin are sons of the devil (1 John 3:7,8.)
What happens to men who do not believe the Gospel that Creation speaks forth, which leads to Righteousness? The answer is found in Romans 1:20-32.
Romans 1:20-22,27,31 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations (about God), and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise (in the knowledge of God’s ways), they became fools instead…And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind (2 Thes. 2:10-12), to do those things which are not proper… and although they know the ordinance (His standard) of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death (Romans 6:23), they not only do the same but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” Today “hearty approval” is called “tolerance”!
So here we have it. Scripture has spoken God’s mind about the matter of Righteousness. All men are without excuse who are not receiving the Righteousness of God, promised through the Gospel; a gospel that even the Creation preaches.
“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous, for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:5.6.)