Why is God's Righteousness the Power of the Gospel in Romans 1:16-17?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes,...for the righteousness of God is revealed in it....  Romans 1:16-17

This is a picture of my son at a local park.

  "Romans is unique in that it shows that our salvation is not based on love or grace but God's righteousness."  This sentence comes from the Life Study of Romans chapter 57  which is one of my favorite messages.  

Whenever I feel like I can't come to God, I'll think about this message. I never understood how powerful God's righteousness was until I read this message. Every believer knows that they are saved by the mercy and grace of God, but did you know that the strongest base for your salvation is actually God's righteousness?  I really like this excerpt on page 599:

Now that Christ has died and has been raised from the dead, it is impossible for God to change His mind about forgiving us.  Rather, we have the ground to say to Him, "O God, whether You love me or not, You must forgive me.  Before Christ died on the cross, You could have changed Your mind.  But because He has died and because You have raised Him from among the dead [Romans 4:25], You have no legal standing to refuse to forgive me.  O God, You must forgive me now, for You have no right to change in this matter.  You are bound by Your righteousness.  In this way, righteousness is the power of the gospel (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Romans.  Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1969, Print). 

In this chapter Witness Lee also points out that according to Romans 4:25 God's resurrection of Christ proved that Christ's death paid the penalty for all our sins.   And then he connects this to Psalm 89:14 which is an amazing verse:  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.  This shows us that if God doesn't act righteously and forgive us when we confess our sins, (1 John 1:9) it would shake His throne!  And we know that can't happen. So many times I've come back to this point of truth and stood on it by saying, God, You have to be righteous and forgive me or Your throne will be shaken!  

You can listen to live portions of Witness Lee's sharing on the Life Study of Romans with helpful commentary on the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Blogs on the Life Studies of Romans:

 Why is Romans Called the Gospel of God?
What's the Connection Between Romans 4 and God's Calling of Abraham?
What is Sanctification in the Book of Romans?
Have You seen the Gospel in Romans 8:3?
Seeing God's Sovereignty in Romans 8:28
What Was Man Created For in Romans 9:21?
What is the Focus of Romans 12?
What Does Romans 14 Say About Receiving Believers & Why Does It Matter?
Have You Seen the Practical Church Life in Romans 16?
What are the Three Laws in Romans 7 & 8 All About?
What Does Being Saved in Life Mean in Romans 5:10?
How Do Carnations Illustrate a Believer's Glorification in Romans 8:30?
Why is God's Righteousness the Power of the Gospel in Romans 1:16-17?
From the Life Study of Roman - Why is God Triune?