Galatians and Romans: The Consequences of the Gospel

What Is the Gospel?

In the last two weeks, last Sunday and today, I wanted to, before we departed from Galatians, I wanted to spend a couple of weeks comparing Romans and Galatians and seeing how they relate to one another. And so we’re going to look at Galatians and Romans today, focusing on the consequences of the gospel. Last time we looked at how they both speak of the content or the truth of the gospel, and now we also want to look at how both letters describe for us the consequences of the gospel. I’m sure many of you are wondering what is coming next in terms of the expository series that I have in mind next.

And the answer is that I’m thinking about and prayerfully considering preaching on the book of Genesis, especially Genesis 1 through 11. But before we get there, I would like to spend a couple of weeks, actually three weeks, talking about worship. And so for the next remaining Sundays in September, we’re going to talk about covenantal worship. And I believe that’s a useful topic for us to address, just briefly for three weeks, a topical series on worship. Because of the fact that we are transitioning to weekly communion. And so this will give us an opportunity to understand not only what communion means, what we believe about the real presence of Christ in the supper, but also to understand how it fits within the context of the whole worship service, which we view as a covenantal dialogue, a covenantal renewal between God and his people, not only through the sacrament, but also through the preaching of the word and the other elements of the service. So we will postpone Genesis until October.

But today is our last Sunday looking at Paul’s letter to the Galatians and comparing it with Romans. I believe it is important to do this. It’s important to compare things that are related, to compare related passages in the Bible. I’m sure you’ve noticed this in your own personal reading of Scripture, that there are many things that are said again and again. For example, we have four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And they all tell us the same story about Jesus, how he came, his ministry, his miracles, his teaching, ultimately culminating in his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.

The Bible repeatedly goes over the same basic facts of the truths of the gospel and our understanding of who God is and how we are to live in obedience to the Lord. But it does so not just simply repeating verbatim the same thing, but it does so giving us a slightly different perspective, filling in details that may have been missing in the other passages.

Interpreting the Bible Vertically and Horizontally

And so it is possible to read the Bible, in fact it is imperative to read the Bible, both linearly, that is going through each text or through each book in order, but also to read it in connection with keeping your eyes upon the parallel passages and how they relate to one another.

The term that I use to describe this two-fold way of reading the Bible is reading the Bible vertically, that is, if you just think of the Bible in canonical order, listing off the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, that would be vertical reading of the Bible. Reading in canonical order, as given to us in the Scriptures. And many of you probably do that, where you read the Bible just in order. So that’s reading the Bible vertically. But there is also reading the Bible horizontally. And that is where we connect the dots, and we see the same truths being communicated in other parts of Scripture.

And so just as we could do what’s called a gospel synopsis. I don’t know if you’re familiar with a gospel synopsis. That is a volume that has taken the four gospels and put them not in vertical order, but rather in horizontal order with the parallel columns where you can see, let’s say, the healing of the blind man, As it’s found in Matthew and then right next to that in the column over you can see that same story in the Gospel of Mark and so on. And so just as we could have a synoptic parallel for the Gospels, we can do the same thing for Paul’s letters.

And we can put Romans and Galatians side by side and see how they illuminate one another. How they are speaking of the same doctrines and the same truths. And yet, in each letter, there is a particular perspective, a particular angle, and a particular context in which Paul is addressing those same doctrines. And doing so is very illuminating. It brings out the riches of God’s word, and it helps us to understand the truths of God’s word. Romans and Galatians are very similar. They are both giving us the basic truths of the gospel.

Different Rhetorical Situations

Galatians: The Gospel under Attack

Just to confirm that fact, you could see this in both Galatians and Romans because in Galatians, Paul begins, does he not, if you want to just turn there and remind yourself of how he starts his letter, Paul begins in Galatians, chapter one, verse six, with his very strong call, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.

And so he is addressing the question in this letter, what is the gospel? And he’s doing so in a very polemical way, that is he’s arguing against the distorted view of the gospel that is being taught by the Judaizers who are infiltrating the church and who are trying to tell them that the gospel is keeping the law. That the way that we are righteous before God is by getting circumcised as a sign of committing yourself to keeping the law, and then keeping the law in order to be righteous before God. And so Galatians is all about the gospel. What is the gospel? And Paul clearly defines the gospel, I would argue, in Galatians 2 and verses 15 and 16.

This is his recollection of his speech that he had given to Peter when Peter was not acting in line with the gospel because he was allowing himself to be pressured and cowed by the Judaizers. And he was withdrawing from table fellowship with the Gentiles because they were uncircumcised. And Peter himself knew that even though they weren’t circumcised, that they were saved, that they were fellow believers, and that they were justified in Christ. And so it was wrong for him to allow the pressure to get to him and to pull back from table fellowship with the Gentiles. And so here Paul, recounting what he had said to Peter, gives us in a very brief compass, in the chorus of just one or two verses, a nutshell version of what the gospel is.

He says, Galatians 2.15, We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. You and me, Peter, we know we’re not Gentiles, we’re Jews.

And yet even we know that a person is not justified by works of the law. That is, a person is not counted as righteous in the sight of God. By keeping the law, by doing the works of the law, but rather through faith in Jesus Christ. And that’s why we also, even we Jews who had the law, who theoretically could try to be justified that way, yet even we Jews have put our trust in Jesus Christ in order to be counted righteous by faith in Christ and not by works of the law. So there in Galatians 2 and verse 16, Paul clearly, simply states what the gospel is. It is that we are righteous before God, not by keeping the law. That’s somewhat counterintuitive because you would think that keeping the law would make you righteous. A person who’s a law keeper, a person who is obedient and righteous.

That’s what we would all think. But Paul clearly says that that way of trying to be righteous before God is ruled out. Why? Because none of us keep the law perfectly. We all break it in thought, word and deed. And we’re born with the guilt of Adam’s sin imputed to us. And so right from the outset, we’re already condemned. We are under the curse of the law. No one can be righteous before God by keeping the law. That’s why we have put our trust in Christ.

You and me, Peter, we both know this. Remember, Peter, your experience of Christ when he walked among us on this earth, when he called you and the other disciples by the Sea of Galilee. He said, come after me, believe in me. I am the Messiah who’s going to the cross to die for your sins. That is the only way you can be righteous before God. The gospel that Paul preaches here is the gospel that Peter preaches and that Peter learned from the foot of Jesus Christ as he sat under his teaching and as he beheld Christ himself going to the cross.

Peter knew this deeply, did he not? Remember how he deeply sinned against the Lord by betraying him and denying him. And yet he was restored by grace after Jesus rose again from the dead. And Peter knew in the depth of his being that he was not righteous by being a good person. He knew that he was a foul sinner in the eyes of God. What treachery to betray his own master and Lord in that way, to deny that he ever knew him out of fear to save his own life.

He knew he was a sinner, and he knew that his only hope of being righteous before God, his only hope of being accepted before God, of being forgiven, and having that sentence, no condemnation written over his head, was only based upon the work of Christ, and Christ laying down his life for him on the cross, and giving him righteousness as a gift. Peter knew it, Paul knew it, Jesus himself had taught it. This is the gospel of Christ.

And so Paul’s letter to the Galatians is all about the gospel, explaining what the gospel is. However, in Galatians, it has a particular angle, a particular thrust to it, does it not? Because of the context, because of the fact that these Jewish believers in Jesus, who are legalists, who do not believe in the gospel, who believe in justification by works, by keeping the law, they have come into the church and are beginning to subtly turn their affections away from Paul to listen to them. And so Paul then, in Galatians, has the same gospel, he’s teaching the same truth of justification by faith alone, that is that we’re righteous before God, not by what we do, but by trusting in Christ and His work alone. He teaches that same gospel, but he does so in a very pointed way. It has an edge to it.

And he is calling out the Judaizers. And he’s even calling out the Galatian Christians because he’s astonished that they’re even being open to their false doctrine. He says, oh foolish Galatians, don’t you remember when I first preached the gospel to you? I didn’t preach anything about how you have to keep the law to be saved. I preached Christ and Him crucified.

And when you Gentiles first believed in that message, Were you in a state of ritual purity and law-abiding status and law-keeping and being circumcised? No, you were Gentiles. You were uncircumcised. You weren’t law-keepers. You weren’t keeping the distinction between clean and unclean food.

You simply heard the good news of Christ crucified. You simply heard the gospel that we are righteous before God because of the work of Christ, not by anything that we do. You simply believed it. And you were filled with the Spirit as a result. How did you receive the Spirit? Was it by keeping the law, he says? No, it was by trusting in Christ, by hearing the gospel and believing it.

So Paul was somewhat agitated in Galatians, somewhat on the edge. He’s very pointed, speaking against the Judaizers and their false doctrine and even calling out the Galatian Christians because of their immaturity and being swept aside, swept along by these plausible teachings that seemed reasonable to them and forgetting the basic truths of the gospel that they had heard at the beginning. In Romans, however, Paul is writing to a different church and to a different context. He is teaching the same gospel, proclaiming the same truth, that a person is not justified or righteous before God by keeping the law, but rather by faith in Christ.

Romans: A Calm Exposition of the Same Gospel

The parallel to Galatians 2.16 in Romans would be Galatians 3.21-28. Where he talks about, but now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed. That is the righteousness of Christ that comes from God as a gift and that is received by faith alone. He’s teaching the same gospel in Romans, but it doesn’t have that same edge because the polemical context is lacking. In fact, Romans was not a church that Paul himself had planted. The church in Rome was already existing.

In fact, he knew about this church, and for many years, he had wanted to come and visit them, but had been providentially hindered from doing so. But now, he is setting his sights on going to the far western edge of the Roman Empire to preach the gospel in Spain.

He feels like he’s done most of his work. Remember the three missionary journeys that are recorded in the Book of Acts, most of which were centered upon the Mediterranean area? Especially Asia Minor, but also Greece and so on. He has finished preaching the gospel in that region, and now he’s setting his sights upon Spain on the western edge of the Roman Empire, and he wants to go to Rome to set up camp there, to make Rome his base. And he wants the church in Rome to be his missionary base, to support him financially, to help him with all of the logistics, to provide with co-workers who can go with him on the journey.

And so he writes this letter, the letter to the Romans, in order to say, you don’t know me face to face, although we have heard about each other. The church in Rome has heard about Paul, and Paul has heard about them. He even knows some of the members of that congregation. If you look at the end of the letter in Romans chapter 16, he mentions some of them by name, so he apparently had connections with them.

There was many travel going on in the ancient world at that time, especially among the Christians. But although he had not seen them face-to-face yet, had not visited them yet, he wants to write this letter to say, I want you to be supportive of my future ministry in Spain. So, in order to gain their support, he says, here is the gospel that I preach. This is the gospel that I proclaim.

It’s possible even that maybe some of the Christians in Rome had heard negative things about Paul’s preaching. Maybe they had heard that he was so strong and emphasizing that we’re justified by faith alone that maybe he was accused of being an antinomian.

That means somebody who thinks that you don’t have to worry about being obedient. You don’t have to worry about living the Christian life. You can just indulge in the flesh as much as you want and just say, I’m justified. Christ has forgiven me. Maybe they had heard that.

And so Paul wants to write to them and clarify and say, no, let me explain to you what the gospel is. Let me explain to you the truths of the gospel, as well as to address that objection that some may have had. And so Paul, in Romans, has several major divisions in his letter. So first of all, you’ve got to think about all the practical applications from chapter 12 to the end. 12, 13, 14, 15 are practical applications that are addressed to the church in Rome. For example, they had some debates over whether Christians could observe some of the Jewish law, such as the Sabbath or the food laws.

And Paul here is not addressing them as if they are being threatened by Judaizers, who are saying you have to do these things to be right with God, but rather as Gentile Christians who are thinking that it’s an optional way of trying to grow in sanctification.

So in Romans 14, he has that whole passage about the weak and the strong. The weak brothers are the ones who feel compelled in their conscience that they still need to keep some of the Jewish laws. The strong brothers are the ones that know that in Christ the ceremonial law has been fulfilled and that they’re not obligated to keep those things. But he encourages the weak and the strong to bear with one another in love and not to judge one another.

It comes across in a very different spirit, doesn’t it, than in Galatians. And the reason is because in Galatians the Judaizers were forcing these things upon the Gentile Christians. They were saying, you have to do these things in order to be saved. And when that happens, whenever somebody comes along with a forcing and a compelling and saying, you must do this on pain of being able to enter heaven, then Paul is going to stand up with great vigor and he’s going to proclaim the gospel liberty that we have in Christ from the ceremonial law. Especially when it is imposed as a condition of salvation. In Romans, he’s more calm because it wasn’t being presented that way, that same degree of forcing.

It was rather that there were some weak brothers in the church who felt that they needed to practice those Jewish distinctions, or part of some of them, in order to help them to walk with the Lord. And so Paul was more patient with them, gentle, and encourages them to get along in the spirit of grace in Christ.

Paul’s letter to the Romans then has that section at the end, from 12 to the end, that is very practical, dealing with specific issues in the Church of Rome that Paul wants to address. But that leaves the first 11 chapters. Romans 1 through 11 is Paul’s presentation of the gospel that he proclaims. This is the part where he’s trying to get the Roman Christians to hear and understand his teaching, understand the gospel that he proclaims, so that they would be supportive of him when he comes among them in the future and sets up his base of operations in their church. That section, Romans 1-11, can be further subdivided into three parts. Let’s work backwards, since we already started with the last part of Romans 12 through 16 about all the practical applications. Let’s work backwards. The third section is Romans 9 through 11.

This is the part where Paul addresses the question, why is it that God made all these wonderful promises to Israel about the coming of the Messiah, and yet, now that the Messiah has come, it seems as though the majority of the Jews have rejected the Messiah?

That seems like somewhat of a problem, doesn’t it? It’s like a, the best word for that would be a theodicy to explain why something’s happening that in the providence of God seems unlikely. And so he explains why. The reason is so that the gospel would go to the Gentiles. But that is also in turn going to make the Jews jealous so that they too would come to know the Lord. And through this process of the gospel going to the Gentiles and the Jews also coming to know the Lord, a process that happens throughout the church age, he’s not talking about something at the end. It happens throughout the church age.

In this way, all Israel will be saved. That is the Israel of God, the church composed of both Jews and Gentiles. There is no parallel to that third section of the main essay of Romans 1-11 in Galatians. Aside from Galatians 6-16 at the very end where Paul refers to the church as the Israel of God. That would be one parallel to Romans 11-26 when he says all Israel will be saved. But there is no extended discussion of this problem of why it is that the Jews who have, who receive the promises are the ones that seem to be most rejecting of the promises.

The Consequences of the Gospel

That leaves us then with sections 1 and 2. Sections 1 and 2 of Romans is Romans 1 through 4, which is the content of the gospel, and then Romans 5 through 8, which is the consequences of the gospel. Romans 1-4 is where he explains what the gospel is.

Romans 5:1: The Key Pivot

It is that we are righteous before God, not by keeping the law, but by trusting in Christ and receiving His righteousness as a gift, imputed to us as a gift. But then in Romans 5 verse 1, as Paul moves into the second major section of his argument, of his essay, he deals with the consequences of the gospel. Romans 5 verse 1 is a key pivot point.

It says, therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s as if he’s saying, since we have been justified by faith, as I have explained in the first four chapters, Let us now consider the implications of that. Let us now consider the consequences of being justified by faith. And the key insight is this, that the gift of the Spirit and progressive sanctification by the Spirit are the chief consequences of the Gospel, but they are not the content of the Gospel. The content of the gospel is what he said in Romans 1-4, about how we’re justified by faith alone, in Christ alone.

The Spirit and Sanctification as Consequences

But in 5-8, Paul then deals with the consequences of the gospel. Lest anyone think that we can live in sin, that grace may abound. And he says, don’t you know that you are in Christ and that you have the Spirit? Paul teaches that the Spirit is the Spirit of the eschatological age to come. The spirit is the spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, Romans 8 verse 11. And if that same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then you have that eschatological glorious hope already at work within you.

Now you might say, I don’t feel like that. I have sickness. I know that I’m probably going to die unless Jesus comes back before that day. I deal with all kinds of difficulties in this fallen world. I don’t feel like I’m living a glorified resurrection life yet.

But Paul says, you are, because the spirit lives within you. And the spirit is the spirit of the eschatological age to come. It is heaven and the life of heaven in advance. You’re already living a heavenly life now by the gift of the spirit in us. This is directly parallel.

This whole section of Romans, Romans 5 through 8, which talks about the consequences of being righteous by faith in Christ, meaning that we have the Spirit and by that Spirit living within us we are being progressively sanctified and growing in our walk with the Lord.

Romans 5–8 and Galatians 5–6

This is directly parallel to Galatians 5 and 6. Galatians begins with explaining what the gospel is. Galatians 1-4 is all about what is the content of the gospel, arguing for this truth that we are righteous before God simply because of the righteousness of Christ credited to our account. And not by our own growth, and not by our own sanctification, and not by our good works. But then in Galatians 5 and 6, he does the same thing that he does in Romans 5 through 8, which is he says, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Yes, we have gospel liberty, but shall we use that liberty in order to indulge in the flesh? And in both, the answer that he gives is fundamentally about the Spirit. The work of the Spirit, the ministry of the Spirit, this glorious gift of the Spirit that we have in Christ, that is what helps us to understand that we are not free to simply live as we please or to indulge in the flesh. Good works are not the basis upon which we are accepted before God, but they are the necessary evidence of salvation.

Good Works as Necessary Evidence of Salvation

They are the necessary fruit of saving faith in Christ. Paul will say in Galatians 5, verses five through six, for through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything. But only faith working through love. Faith works through love. Faith works because how do we get faith in the first place?

It’s by the work of the spirit within us, giving us new birth, changing us from being dead in sin to now being alive in Christ, giving us a new heart. And that same spirit that gave us spiritual life is also working in us and helping us to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

And that’s why Paul says that we should not indulge in the flesh. The works of the flesh are evident. And if we indulge in those things without turning from them, without repenting of them, then we will not inherit the kingdom of God. But he says on the other hand, the fruits of the spirit are obvious.

The Transforming Spirit as Christ’s Reward

And the fruits of the spirit are at work in us by the spirit who has been purchased for us by Christ. The key thing to understand is that these two ideas, the objective work of Christ, which gives us the righteousness by which we are accepted before God, and the work of the Spirit, by which we are being transformed into the image of Christ, are connected to one another. Romans 1-4 is the foundation. Romans 5-8 is the consequence. Galatians 1-4 is the gospel foundation of righteousness by faith alone. But then Galatians 5-8 is the consequence of that.

That we have the Spirit. And what is the connection between the work of Christ and the work of the Spirit? The connection is this. That Christ, by His work, has earned the Spirit. Christ, by his perfect obedience to God, and by bearing the curse of the law in our place, has earned the gift of the Spirit for his people. And that Spirit then dwells within us as the reward that Christ himself has received. Isn’t that a wonderful thought to think about?

So often we get caught up in our own struggles with sanctification, our constant battles with sin. It seems like we’re never making any progress. We try so hard, but then we fail. And we think that it’s all up to us. And we think that, maybe there’s something wrong with me. Maybe I’m not really saved if I keep struggling with sin.

Here’s a wonderful comfort and encouragement to you. Your sanctification isn’t up to you. Your sanctification is the work of Christ by His Spirit in you. And He has earned that reward. And He will see to it that you are sanctified. He will see to it that you are brought all the way to His heavenly kingdom.

The Spirit’s Work in Us Flows from Christ’s Work for Us

The Spirit, the work of the Spirit in us, is the consequence of the work of Christ for us. That’s a helpful thing to think about. The work of the Spirit in us is the consequence of the work of Christ for us. That’s primarily what I had in mind in the title, the consequences of the gospel. It is the work of the Spirit in us that is the consequence, the result, the reward of Christ’s work for us. And Christ will see to it that you are sanctified. He will present you without fault before his presence when he comes again.

Progressive Sanctification Is Not Our Righteousness

Now Christ for us, not Christ in us by his spirit, is our righteousness. That’s a key thing to keep in mind too. But Christ in us, by His Spirit, is the necessary consequence of the work of Christ for us. Does that make sense? The work of Christ for us is the basis upon which we are accepted as righteous before God. It’s the work of Christ plus nothing. It’s His perfect obedience to God to the point of death on the cross that makes us righteous before God, accepted before God, justified in His sight.

It’s not the work of Christ in us that makes us accepted because the work of Christ in us by the Spirit is not perfect in this life. It will not be completed until the end when our bodies are raised and all sin is removed from us. The work of Christ for us is our righteousness, but Christ in us by his spirit is the necessary consequence of the work of Christ for us. What is the consequence of the gospel?

In a word, it is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. And that sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit producing in us those fruits of the Spirit, those Christ-like qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and so on, is God’s work in us. And those fruits are pleasing to the Lord because of the righteousness of Christ that covers all the flaws in our sanctification. All of our shortcomings in producing those good fruits. All of our failures are covered by the work of Christ.

The Belgic Confession, Article 24, talks about this. This is the article dealing with sanctification. And it talks about this very point. It even quotes Galatians 5, 6. That genuine faith works through love. That genuine faith will produce those fruits by the Spirit working in us. But then, Belgic Confession 24 adds that those good works, those fruits of the Spirit, do not count toward our justification. For by faith in Christ, we are justified. Even before we do good works. What a wonderful gospel we have. The glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Does it encourage us to continue in sin? Does it give us this antinomian freedom that we can just do as we please? God forbid, how can it be?

As Paul says in Romans 8 verse 9, you’re not in the flesh, but you are in the spirit. If in fact the spirit of God dwells in you, and anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, although you’re still dealing with sin and remaining corruption, and you’re living in an unglorified mortal body that still deals with sinful desires, yet, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit that is in you is life because of the imputed righteousness of Christ. And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies. So then, he concludes, Romans 8 verse 12, so then brothers, we are under an obligation not to indulge in the flesh and to live according to the flesh, but rather to live according to the Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. We have an obligation to live in keeping with the Spirit by which we have been raised to spiritual life in Christ and by which we will ultimately be raised to physical glorified life in the age to come when Christ returns.

Let me just close with one analogy that might help somewhat. Like at a water park, like let’s say Hurricane Harbor over here in Valencia. In a water park, there are often these tubular water slides that go on and on in all kinds of circles. And then they drop you into the pool at the end.

The gospel is like climbing the long staircase to the top of a water slide. Once a person is dropped into the tube, there is no escape; the course leads inevitably to the pool below. This analogy illustrates the relationship between the gospel and its consequences. Who climbed the arduous steps to the top? Not you, but Christ, through his obedience and merit. Indeed, he carries you up those steps and brings you all the way to the end.

Because you can’t do it. You’re too weak. But then, once He gets to the top, He puts you into the tube. That’s the Spirit. And that tube is going to lead all the way to the eschatological end, which is Heaven itself. And there’s no way you can escape it. You could try as hard as you want, but Christ has already purchased you. He’s already justified you. He has guaranteed that you will make it all the way to Heaven at the end. The work of the Spirit is that tube that is destining you to the eschatological glory. It is heaven itself. The Spirit is heaven itself already at work within you.

I was trying to think of an analogy that fits in with my with the analogy of the water slide. The closest thing I could come up with was the water that they have at the bottom is going to be pumped up all the way to the top. You got to have some lubrication. So that’s the water pumped up to the top.

That is the Spirit. The Spirit is already the end, but he has already being given to you now in this life. But he is going to take you and carry you all the way by his power to that heavenly goal. You are living a heavenly life even now. And so you have an obligation. In fact, according to the Apostle Paul, not only an obligation, you have no choice. If you truly belong to Christ, then you have the Spirit. Like it or not, you’re in the tube, and you’re going to be there all the way to heaven. So live like it now. You have an obligation to live according to the Spirit, according to the eschatological heavenized Spirit at the end. You have an obligation to live that way even now in this life by God’s grace.

But none of that counts towards your justification. None of that counts towards your justification. Christ is the one that carried you up the stairs to the top by his righteousness. But his righteousness has earned for you the spirit of the age to come that is already at work within you even now.