Book Review: The God and the Gospel of Righteousness (Part 2)

 

Part 2 – The Gospel of Righteousness

In Part 1 of The God and the Gospel of Righteousness, David Pawson invites us to recover a fuller picture of who God is—not only as loving, but as perfectly righteous. This naturally leads to an important question: if God is truly righteous, what does that mean for us?

Scripture is clear—God’s righteousness is not just an abstract quality; it is the standard by which all things are measured. And when we are honest, that raises a difficult reality: none of us meet that standard on our own.

The Bible speaks plainly about this. No one is righteous by nature. No one fully lives up to what is right. If righteousness is required to dwell with a righteous God, then we find ourselves with a problem we cannot solve ourselves.

But this is precisely where the good news—the Gospel—enters.

It’s important to remember that the Gospel is not simply about improving our lives, finding purpose, or even escaping judgment. While those may be real outcomes, they are not the heart of the message. At its core, the Gospel addresses our deepest need: righteousness before God.

Paul writes in Romans 1:16–17:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… For in it a righteousness from God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last…”

The key phrase is this: a righteousness from God. Not merely God’s own righteousness—which would only expose our need—but a righteousness that He gives.

Pawson explains that this gift of righteousness unfolds in two closely connected ways.

1. Imputed Righteousness

First, God declares us righteous. This is what Scripture calls justification. When a person places their trust in Christ, God counts them as righteous—not because of what they have done, but because of what Christ has done on their behalf.

This is an act of grace. It restores our relationship with God and gives us a new standing before Him. We are received, not because we have earned it, but because Christ has accomplished it.

2. Imparted Righteousness

Second, God begins to make us righteous. This is the ongoing work of sanctification. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, our lives are gradually transformed. What God declares, He also begins to form in us.

This is why salvation is not a single moment alone, but a work that involves the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Father gives the righteousness, the Son secures it through His life, death, and resurrection, and the Spirit works it out in our lives over time.

This righteousness is not without cost. It is grounded in the cross—where Christ bore sin so that we might be made right with God. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says:

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

This is often described as the great exchange: our sin placed on Christ, His righteousness given to us. It is not something we could ever earn, but something we are invited to receive.

At the same time, Scripture consistently connects this gift with a response: repentance and faith. Repentance is not about earning forgiveness, but about turning—turning away from sin and toward God. It is a change of direction, a reorientation of the heart and life.

At times, it can be tempting to separate these ideas—to want forgiveness without transformation, or grace without change. But the Gospel holds them together. The same grace that forgives also begins to renew.

Pawson also highlights an important tension here. Our greatest barrier is not simply that we fall short, but that we can sometimes rely on our own sense of goodness. Scripture reminds us that even our best efforts cannot establish our righteousness before God (Isaiah 64:6). This is not meant to discourage us, but to redirect us—to move us away from self-reliance and toward trust in Christ.

The Gospel, then, is not just an offer of forgiveness. It is the gift of a new standing and a new life. It invites us not only to be pardoned, but to be made new.

And this is where the message of God’s righteousness becomes good news.

Because God is righteous, He does not ignore sin—but because He is also merciful, He provides a way for sinners to be made right with Him. In Christ, both are held together perfectly.

This is the Gospel we see proclaimed in Scripture—a Gospel that is honest about sin, clear about grace, and centered on Christ.

It is not merely a message to be understood once, but a reality to be lived in daily—receiving, trusting, and being shaped by the righteousness that comes from God.

Rooted in Jesus Grace,

Mara Wellspring 

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