43. Righteousness of Law Fulfilled
Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Perfect obedience to the Law of God is righteousness. Righteousness is everything that is good, right and holy in the character and in the thinking, deciding, speaking and doing; the right thing is always done without fail. Right action arises out of right inner character. God is perfectly right in His nature of holiness and love, and holiness and love always comes out into action toward His created universe.
God has revealed His righteousness to human beings in His revealed Word, summarized in the Ten Commandments, delineated and expanded further in the rest of Scripture. This revelation of the Moral Law of the universe shows us what righteousness looks like in life on earth, living with God and other people. God gave us the Law to show us clearly how far we have failed to be righteous. In the revealed Law we see ourselves and we see the righteousness of God; we see clearly how far apart we are. I am a long, long way from the righteousness of the law. I do not reflect God or His love and holiness as I was created in His image to do. When the mirror of the Law is held in front of me I see unrighteousness, far short of the glory of God.
But here is the Good News: The righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel [Romans 1:17]. We believe that Gospel and we are declared righteous. Here in this verse [8:4] it is even more clearly revealed that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who believe. We cannot keep the law and we will not, even with the help of the Holy Spirit; but Jesus has fulfilled it for us and placed it in us. Fulfill means complete; all the requirements of righteousness are completed; the entire keeping of the law has been given to us freely as a gift. God demands that humans keep the law in entire righteous perfection; we can’t and we won’t; so He did it for us and keeps it for us. Righteousness of Law is fulfilled in us who believe. Fulfill means that it is actually working out in us. God is living it in us. We may not look righteous but in truth we are; it is a fulfilled; that’s a promise.