In this message we want to see more concerning Christ as the Servant of Jehovah. As the Servant of Jehovah, He is a covenant to the people and a light to the nations. Christ is the very covenant given to us by God. He is not only the covenant but also the light. The covenant was given to God's chosen people, Israel, and the light was given to the nations. Both Israel and the nations are fully qualified to inherit Jesus Christ as the covenant and to enjoy Him as the light.
The covenant is a matter of righteousness according to the law. Every covenant is something legal. A covenant actually is a kind of legal agreement. It fulfills the requirement of the law. If there is no fulfillment of the requirement of the law, the covenant means nothing. The covenant is also a matter of righteousness.
Paul said in Romans that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (1:16). Unto salvation means for salvation. To do anything we need power. The power of electricity is for all our electrical conveniences. The gospel is the power of God for us to be saved, for our salvation. This is because in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed (v. 17). God has saved us not only by His love and not only by His grace but also by His righteousness. His righteousness binds Him, and His righteousness gives us the ground, the standing, to say, "God, You have to save me." If God did not save us when we repented and believed into the Lord Jesus, He would not be righteous. God's Son, our Savior, died for us to fulfill all the requirements of God's righteousness. That was according to the law, so the law has been fulfilled. The legal requirements of God have been fulfilled by our Savior according to God's righteousness. Thus, God has to save us according to His righteousness. He has to justify us.
Before the death of our Savior, God could condemn us. We did not have any ground to claim any kind of justification, forgiveness, and salvation. But now His death has accomplished all the requirements of God's righteousness according to His law, so this death gives us a righteous ground. Now God has to forgive us, justify us, and save us.
In the early years of my Christian life, I was not this bold. I was always begging. I was afraid that God might regret that He made a mistake in saving me. If He were to change His mind, my salvation would be gone. Later I came to know that God saved me not only by love and not only by grace but also by righteousness. Whether we are good or bad, God has to save us because our Savior died for us to fulfill all of God's righteousness.