But Now: Righteousness Revealed Through Faith in Christ

May 02, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The "But Now" Shift

Roman soldiers hammered nails. Tax collectors cheated neighbors. Pharisees polished rituals. All fell short. Then Paul’s pen scratched parchment: "But now." Two words shattered human striving. Righteousness came apart from lawbooks, etched in scars. Jesus became the turning point. [01:09:16]

This shift redefines everything. God’s standard isn’t a checklist—it’s Christ Himself. The law exposed our lack; Jesus fills it. His cross cancels ledgers. Boasting dies here.

You’ve chased approval through performance. Stop. Breathe. Let Romans 3:21 unclench your fists. Where does "but now" need to disrupt your self-made righteousness today?

"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe."
(Romans 3:21-22, NKJV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus aloud for making righteousness a gift, not a goal.
Challenge: Write Romans 3:21 on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it hourly.

Day 2: Mercy Seat and Bloodied Hands

High priests trembled before the ark. Lambs bled. Blood sprinkled the mercy seat, veiling stone commandments. Centuries later, Roman spikes pierced wrists. Jesus’ blood became the final propitiation—God’s wrath satisfied, mercy unleashed. [01:27:20]

Animal blood covered; Christ’s blood cleanses. The cross answers every "not enough." No more annual sacrifices. No more shame.

You’ve hidden failures like the ark hid stone tablets. Bring them to the cross. His blood speaks louder. What sin still whispers condemnation despite His payment?

"Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed."
(Romans 3:25, NKJV)

Prayer: Confess one specific failure. Declare: "Christ’s blood covers this."
Challenge: Read Leviticus 16:1-10. Circle every mention of "blood."

Day 3: Law’s Longing, Prophet’s Cry

Moses received stone. Isaiah saw suffering. Malachi awaited refiner’s fire. For 1,500 years, scriptures pointed like arrows. Then Jesus walked Galilee. Paul connected the dots: "The law and prophets witnessed." Every scroll whispered His name. [01:17:22]

Bible reading isn’t duty—it’s discovery. Old Testament shadows find substance in Christ. Every story leans toward the cross.

You’ve skimmed Leviticus or skipped Chronicles. Read differently today. Hunt for Jesus. Which obscure passage will you approach asking, "Where’s Christ here?"

"To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."
(Acts 10:43, NKJV)

Prayer: Open your Bible. Pray: "Jesus, show me Yourself here."
Challenge: Read Isaiah 53 aloud. Underline every prophecy fulfilled in the Gospels.

Day 4: Filthy Rags to Robes of Right

Isaiah gripped filthy rags—human righteousness. Paul grabbed grace. "Justified freely," he wrote. No wages earned. No tithes traded. A dead man can’t negotiate; resurrection life is always gift. [01:12:37]

Self-made holiness suffocates. Christ’s robe fits perfectly. Stop tailoring your own.

You’ve measured yourself against others. Strip off comparison. Dress in His righteousness. What "spiritual achievement" do you need to stop boasting about?

"We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; but we are all saved by the Lord’s mercy."
(Isaiah 64:6, NKJV)

Prayer: Burn a scrap of paper labeled "My Righteousness." Whisper: "I wear Christ’s."
Challenge: Tell one person: "I’m relying on Jesus’ perfection, not mine."

Day 5: Rejoicing in Barren Fields

Habakkuk’s fig tree stood fruitless. Flocks vanished. Yet his pen danced: "I will rejoice." Not in harvests, but the Harvester. Not in blessings, but the Blesser. Desert seasons reveal enduring roots. [01:01:30]

Crises test where we anchor joy. Circumstances shift; Christ doesn’t. His salvation outlives droughts.

You’ve measured God’s love by life’s yield. What if today’s emptiness becomes soil for deeper trust? Where can you say "yet" today?

"Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines… yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
(Habakkuk 3:17-18, NKJV)

Prayer: Name three barren areas. Thank Jesus for being enough in each.
Challenge: Text someone: "Read Habakkuk 3:17-19. Let’s rejoice together."

Sermon Summary

Romans 3 and Habakkuk 3 frame a single, hopeful movement: human effort exposes guilt, and God supplies a different way. Paul strips human self-righteousness bare, showing the law and moral striving only diagnose sin and cannot undo it. The law and the prophets served as two witnesses pointing forward to the coming of Jesus, the decisive reveal of God’s righteousness. That reveal changes the game: righteousness becomes a standing granted through faith in Christ, not a status earned by works or ritual.

The text names crucial realities. Righteousness arrives as a gift, publicly displayed in the person and work of Jesus, and received through trust rather than performance. The cross functions as propitiation, satisfying divine justice while opening mercy; the sacrificial system foreshadowed that reality, but Christ fulfills it once for all. When God justifies the one who believes, boasting of human achievement falls away and genuine humility replaces competition.

Practical application follows theological clarity. Scripture engagement must point readers to the person revealed across the whole Bible. The Old Testament’s laws and prophecies trail toward the gospels, and the epistles then articulate how Jesus grounds salvation. Regular, simple habits of Bible reading aim not for self-improvement but for acquaintance with Christ, so that belief shapes life, gratitude deepens, and reliance on grace becomes the daily norm. The posture the text invites is twofold: rejoice in God amid loss, as Habakkuk models, and accept the but now of God’s intervention in Christ, allowing faith to receive the righteousness God offers.

Key Takeaways

1. Righteousness revealed, not earned Paul announces a turning point: the law’s role was to expose sin, and the revelation now is God’s righteousness apart from law. That righteousness arrives as a divine provision, not a human achievement, shifting worship from self-effort to receptive trust. This repositioning reorients identity and uproots spiritual competition. [66:22]
2. Righteousness received by faith Scripture roots right standing in faith through Jesus, echoing Abraham’s precedent of accounted righteousness by trust. Belief becomes the instrument that unites the soul to Christ’s life and life-count before God, transforming status without changing merit. This teaches reliance and invites ongoing dependence rather than internal performance. [74:45]
3. Cross satisfies justice, frees mercy The idea of propitiation shows the cross both honors God’s justice and discharges wrath through a decisive sacrifice. That solution removes the need for perpetual coverings and renders the old sacrifices as foreshadowing, not finality. Receiving this truth reshapes fear into worship and legalism into grateful obedience. [86:57]
4. Engage scripture to know Jesus The Bible reads as a single trajectory toward Christ: law points forward, prophets anticipate, gospels reveal, and letters explain. Reading aims first to encounter the person at the heart of the pages and let that encounter reconfigure daily living. Simple, steady practices cultivate familiarity with Jesus more than informational gain. [79:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[54:32] - Announcements and life groups
[60:17] - Habakkuk hymn of faith
[66:22] - Romans 3:21-27 reading
[71:56] - Defining righteousness
[74:45] - Righteousness by faith explained
[86:57] - Propitiation and the cross
[91:42] - Law of faith and boasting
[95:21] - Practical Bible engagement tips
[98:38] - Yet rejoice and the but now
[101:22] - Closing prayer and invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Romans 3:21-27 (NKJV)
"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith."

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV)
"Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills."

Observation Questions

What does Romans 3:21-22 say about how righteousness is revealed and received? How does this contrast with human effort?
The sermon mentions that the Old Testament law and prophets "pointed forward" to Jesus. What specific phrases in Romans 3:21-27 support this idea?
Habakkuk 3:17-19 describes a dire situation, yet the prophet responds with "yet I will rejoice." What specific actions or attitudes does he declare in his response?
According to the sermon, what does the term "propitiation" mean, and how does it connect to the Old Testament sacrificial system? [26:57]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul emphasize that righteousness is a "gift" (Romans 3:24) rather than something earned? How does this redefine spiritual identity?
The sermon states, "The cross satisfies justice and frees mercy." How does Romans 3:25-26 explain this tension between God’s justice and His mercy?
Habakkuk’s declaration of joy comes before his circumstances change. What does this teach about the relationship between faith and circumstances?
The sermon says boasting is excluded because of the "law of faith" (Romans 3:27). Why would human achievement naturally lead to boasting, and how does faith dismantle this? [33:34]

Application Questions

Righteousness is described as a "standing granted through faith," not earned. How might this truth change the way you respond to personal failure or guilt?
Habakkuk chose to rejoice in God amid loss. What current situation in your life could you approach with a "yet I will rejoice" attitude this week?
The sermon encourages "simple, steady habits" of Bible reading to know Jesus, not just gain information. What practical step could you take to focus more on encountering Christ in Scripture? [35:21]
How does recognizing righteousness as a gift (not a reward) challenge tendencies to compare yourself spiritually to others? What would humility look like in this area?
The cross is called the "final once-and-for-all sacrifice." How might trusting this truth reduce fear of God’s judgment or pressure to "perform" for His approval?
Habakkuk’s faith was rooted in God’s character, not his provision. What specific attribute of God (e.g., strength, salvation) could you cling to in a difficult circumstance?

Sermon Clips

42s

#ScriptureToKnowJesus

“But the message is very clear. The message is clear. God has done what we can't do. God has done what we can't do, so we don't read the scriptures to perform, to attain to a level of righteousness even. We read them to be acquainted with him who is Christ our Lord. We read our scriptures that we would know him and to love him and serve him for the fullness of our life and all of our hearts because it reveals the person that I wanna know better.”

56s

#SavedByGrace

“So what does that mean? That means pride is removed. That means comparison is removed. Performance is removed. What were they doing at the time? What we again, we go visit back to the first couple of chapters, Romans two and three, where he Paul goes to great length to expose humanity. And he identifies all the things that they were doing under performance in order to make them self righteous. We use the term self righteous. But Ephesians two, it says, for by grace that you have been saved through faith, not of works, lest anyone should do any kind of boasting.”

33s

#BiblePointsToJesus

“So when we were engaging with the scripture, we're not just reading pages. We're following a trail that leads to Jesus. Throughout the Old Testament, we're following a trail that leads to Jesus. When we engage with the gospels, we hear and read about his coming. How beautiful and powerful that is. And as we read on past the gospels into the letters, we get a further revelation of the fullness of who Jesus Christ is.”

39s

#OneStoryOneSavior

“And the whole bible is unified in its message of Jesus Christ. So as we are reflecting back to our scripture engagement, as we're as we're engaging with the scriptures, we are engaging with the reality and the revealed person of Jesus Christ. The scriptures combined together are unified in purpose to reveal Jesus. That's why we read. That's why we engage in the scriptures because we engage with the person of Jesus Christ. So the whole bible is unified. The law points forward.”

62s

#DeclaredRighteousByFaith

“Being justified freely by his grace, Being justified by a thousand dollars, being justified by a million dollars, by justified by the sacrifice of this and that. No. Being justified freely by his grace. So Paul here is unpacking what Jesus the difference Jesus makes. Justified, declared righteous by God by faith. Does it mean that we are that we do away with the law or the writings of the prophets? No. We don't because Jesus comes and he fulfills the law and the prophets that that spoke of his coming.”

45s

#RighteousnessByFaith

“So it is revealed and received by faith and not by works. Righteousness, a little bit more on the faith aspect. Righteousness comes through faith. Romans three twenty two. That's where we are. That's our main passage. It says, through faith in Jesus Christ. Not law, not works, not striving, but by by faith. And righteousness is a a gift.”

38s

#NoMoreEarningSalvation

“And the scriptures will say that throughout that ceremonial procedure, the sins were never taken away. They were just covered. Is that right? And but here, Paul is saying there is a great turning point that brings righteousness, a right standard of living, attaining to the fullness of what Christ desires that is now attainable because the savior Jesus has been sent. There's a turning point. It's no longer under the law striving or trying to earn.”

43s

#LawExposesSin

“So the law only really did one thing. The law that was written, thou shouts, thou shouts, and thou shouts. How many commandments is there? 10 commandments, and then all the procedural law that went with it and had one particular purpose was to reveal to humanity their sinfulness and nothing much more. And then in it, there were certain procedures and processes that they would go by, rituals, which they would go by annually in order to to retain a level of redemption from God for their sins.”

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But Now: Righteousness Revealed Through Faith in Christ

Devotional

Day 1: The "But Now" Shift

Day 2: Mercy Seat and Bloodied Hands

Day 3: Law’s Longing, Prophet’s Cry

Day 4: Filthy Rags to Robes of Right

Day 5: Rejoicing in Barren Fields

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

But Now: Righteousness Revealed Through Faith in Christ

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