• Romans 10 -- {1} Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. {2} For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. {3} For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. {4} For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

The Gospel is God's revelation and declaration of righteousness based upon which He is able to justify the ungodly (cf. Rom. 1:16-17; 3:21-26; 5:12-21). This righteousness is of God as it is purposed and provided by Him in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the fulfillment of all the law's requirements for every sinner who believes the Gospel promise -- God's promise to save sinners, give them freely all the benefits and blessings of salvation, and fully entitle them to all of Heaven, based on the merits of the obedience and death of Christ, His righteousness freely imputed and received by faith. The Gospel reveals and declares that Christ's righteousness alone demands the eternal salvation and final glory of all whom He represented in His substitutionary obedience and death. The Gospel reveals and declares that Christ's righteousness alone results in all the blessings of eternal salvation, including the work of God the Holy Spirit in the sinner, and fully entitles believing sinners to all of final glory and Heaven. The Gospel reveals and declares that all the works of men, in any capacity or at any stage, must be excluded as forming any part of the ground of attaining or maintaining salvation, and from any part in entitling any sinner to Heaven. The Gospel exposes any efforts on man's part in this area as being evil deeds as they are the fruit of unbelief and self-righteousness (cf. John 3:19-20). Without the revelation and declaration of this righteousness so as to reveal the truth and expose the lie, there is no clear preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel is aimed at bringing sinners to know and to submit to Christ and His righteousness as the only hope of eternal salvation and final glory. Now, are you submitted to Christ as the Lord your righteousness? If you are, then you know --

• (1) THAT CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS ALONE ENTITLES YOU TO ALL OF SALVATION, ALL THE BENEFITS AND BLESSINGS OF ETERNAL LIFE, AND ALL OF HEAVEN BEFORE YOU TAKE THE FIRST STEP IN SERVING THE LORD, IN OBEDIENCE, AND IN THE WALK OF FAITH; AND



• (2) THAT YOU CANNOT SPEAK PEACE TO YOURSELF OR ANYONE ELSE BASED ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, AS ANYONE WHO IS EITHER IGNORANT OF OR NOT SUBMITTED TO THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD REVEALED IN THE GOSPEL IS GOING ABOUT TO ESTABLISH A RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THEIR OWN.