Examining the Scriptures one Passage at a time.
Biblical Reasoning
Romans 10 reveals a clear dispensational distinction between Old Testament righteousness by the law and New Testament righteousness by faith.
Reasoning from Scripture, Paul marks a dispensational boundary in Romans 10, contrasting “righteousness which is of the law” with “righteousness which is of faith.” Under the law, righteousness required blameless obedience. In the current dispensation of grace, Christ became a curse to redeem us from the law. This suggests Old Testament saints relied on individual faith, while New Testament believers appropriate the Son of God’s perfect faith by taking God at His word.
The Argument
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A: Righteousness of the law requires doing the commandments blamelessly. (Lk. 1:6)
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B: Righteousness of faith relies on Christ fulfilling the law. (Rom. 10:4)
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C: Old Testament saints exercised personal faith to obey. (Hab. 2:4)
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D: New Testament believers receive the perfect faith of Christ. (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:8)
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Therefore, God makes a definitive dispensational distinction between law-based righteousness and faith-based righteousness.
Wide Margin Note:
Righteousness dispensationally shifts from law-keeping to Christ’s perfect faith.
(cf. Rom. 10:4-6; Luke 1:6; Rom. 2:25-29; Gal. 3:13; Rom. 1:17; Hab. 2:4; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:8)