If we're going to escape the wrath of God through the gospel, the gospel has to reveal

to us a righteousness which is not our own from God to be received not by works of the

law but by faith.

So how does the righteousness of God save us?

John Piper explores this saving righteousness from Romans 1, 16 and 17 in this episode

of light and truth.

This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on August 23, 1998.

In chapter 1, verse 13, there is a very famous verse about the holiness and the righteousness

of God.

You learned it when I was a boy as part of the way to share the gospel with my friends

because you've got to have God being holy and rejecting sin and thus a gulf between

sin and God in order to share the gospel, right?

You can't draw a little cross across the chasm until you got a chasm.

So this verse is a chasm creating verse, I'll read it to you.

Now back at 113, God's eyes are too pure to approve evil and you cannot, you God cannot

look on wickedness with favor.

So there's this huge problem between a holy God and a sinful man because he can't even

look upon a sinner with favor.

Now you think, okay, you get to chapter 2 verse 4 and you've got people crying out for

favor who are sinners.

Save me, don't damn me and the answer comes, the righteous will live, be saved, be favored

by faith.

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