A
Study of the Book of Romans
Lesson
# 10
“Justified by Faith!”
Romans
4:1-16
We are all taught from a very early age
that we must work hard to make something of ourselves. We are taught that with hard work
come many of the benefits of this life. Even the recruiting slogan for the United States
Army is, “Be
all that you can be!”
You
probably at some time have heard the illustration used to make this point. It is the story
of the frog who fell into a pail of milk. He found that he could not leap out of the pail
though he had tried every conceivable way. He was floating in the milk and so could not
get enough leverage to leap over the high sides of the pail. But rather than give up, this
frog did the only other thing he could do. He paddled and paddled and paddled to keep
afloat. And an amazing thing happened. All of his paddling churned a pad of butter. He
hopped on the pad and launched himself out of the pail. The moral of the story is that if
you work hard, your hard work will pay off.
The problem comes when you apply this to
Christianity. One preacher, misguided in his understanding of the truth of the Gospel,
told that story to an audience and told them, "Just keep paddling, keep on working, keep on
doing your best, and you will make it." And unfortunately, this accurately
reflects the common view of a great many in our culture today.
Last week we were told that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (3:23). But we were also told that salvation is by faith in Christ Jesus.
Paul now reinforces that point with two
illustrations from the Old Testament; an Old Testament Saint, Abraham and an Old Testament
Sinner, David. The first illustrates how no human being should be exalted in receiving
salvation and the later illustrates how no human being need be excluded.
First, Salvation Is Found In Faith Not Works.
4:1-8
The author’s first case in point is
the
Paul begins to give the answer in verse
two, “For if
Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about,
but not before God. (3) For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness.”
To the Jews Abraham was a hero, the epitome
of a life lived right, They believed that God accepted and justified Abraham because he
had earned it. Obviously if anyone could be saved by works it was him. But as righteous as
Abraham may have been, works did not
save him.
But then in verse
four and five the writer makes the application again from the example of Abraham. “Now to him who works, the wages are
not counted as grace but as debt. (5) But to him who does not work but
believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”
Paul points out in verse four that if
salvation is by works, then heaven is a reward not a gift. The end result of working is
that it earns a wage. That really is not hard to understand, when you go to work, your
paycheck is not a gift. It’s a result of your hard work. How would you feel if when
you were presented with your next paycheck the boss said, “Here is
your gift.” Our response would be, “Hey this is not a gift, I earned this!”
It is the same with salvation. If we have to work for it, it’s not a gift, You have
earned it! If salvation is by works, then God owes you heaven.
But the writer says in verse five that
believing brings a gift. The word translated “counted”
(logizomai)
is literally a bookkeeping term that means “to credit to one’s account.” The point that is being made is that when we
believe, God transfers his righteousness to our account. Sin is transferred from
our account and righteous-ness is transferred to our account. The point being that
salvation is gift and faith is the key to receiving this gift. Simply stated Abraham’s
salvation was based on the fact that Abraham believed God (faith) and God saved Abraham.
In verse six King David
is presented as someone who has experienced the great forgiveness of God. “Just as David also describes the blessedness of the
man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.”
Paul here quotes Psalm
32 written after David’s great sin. In his sin with Bathsheba he had broken three of
the Ten Commandments (coveting, adultery & murder) Two of these sins were capital
offense in Israel, murder and adultery. Yet David repented and was forgiven. His life
illustrates the mercy and forgiveness of God. It illustrates that no one need be excluded
because of the greatness of their sin.
John Phillips said in
his commentary on Romans about this: “Some years ago a wealthy English businessman
purchased a Rolls Royce and soon afterward took his new car to France. When in the south
of France, it broke down and he phoned the Rolls Royce people in Britain. The manufacturer
flew a mechanic to France and the man's car was repaired. He expected to receive a sizable
bill for this unprecedented service, but as months passed and no invoice arrived the
businessman wrote the Rolls Royce Company asking for his account to be rendered. By return
mail he received a courteous note from the company assuring him that they had no record of
anything having gone wrong with his car! In other words, the Rolls Royce company refused
to acknowledge any imperfection in their product. That is exactly what happened to David
in a spiritual sense. "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."
When God forgives, he blots out the record.” [John Philips. Exploring Romans.
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1969) pp. 79-80]
In verses seven and
eight Paul reveals three great results of salvation. “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; (8 ) Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
· Sins are Forgiven (v. 7a)
“Blessed are they whose
lawless deeds are forgiven.” The word means to "send away."
It has the idea of physical removal from
one location to another. When God forgives you, he removes your sins from you and takes
them so far away that you will never be able to find them again.
· Sins are Covered (v. 7b)
“Whose sins are
covered." The word means to "cover
so completely that it can never be uncovered again." The picture behind the word
relates to the sprinkling of the blood of a sacrifice by the high priest on the Mercy Seat
on top of the Ark of the Covenant on the yearly Day of Atonement. Although the picture is
unfamiliar to us, all Jews instinctively understood it. By the sprinkling of the blood,
the high priest was unknowingly acting out a picture of the bloody death of Jesus Christ.
The message is clear: The blood of Jesus is so powerful that it completely covers all your
sins. All means all. If you have trusted Christ, your sins are covered—yesterday,
today, tomorrow and forever.
· Sins Are Not Counted Against You
(v. 8) “Blessed is the man whose sin
the Lord will never count against him."
This brings us back to
the word “counted”
(logizomai), which means "to credit to one's account." In this
context, it means that once you trust Christ, your sin will never be counted against you. God will not credit your sin
to your account. Why? Because your sin is now "credited" to Christ's account and
his righteousness is now "credited" to your account.
Think of what is being said here. Your sins are . . .
“Forgiven.” - Total Removal.
”Covered.” - Total Covering.
”Not Counted Against You.” - Total Disappearance.
Second, Salvation Is Found In Faith Not Circumcision.
(4:9-13)
“Does this blessedness then
come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was
accounted to Abraham for righteousness. (10) How
then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised,
but while uncircumcised. (11) And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the
father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might
be imputed to them also, (12) and the father of circumcision to
those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith
which our father Abraham had while still
uncircumcised.”
Circumcision was the
most important religious ritual of the Jewish faith just a as baptism is ours! For the Jews
circumcision was more than a ritual, it was the point of entrance into a relationship with
the living God. They were sincere in this belief, but they were sincerely wrong.
There are two things I
want us to see tonight in conjunction with circumcision. First, I want us to note when Abraham was circumcised. The writer is
dealing with the question, “Which came first – salvation or
circumcision?” By comparing Gen.
15:6 with Gen. 17:24 we note that he was justified or saved fourteen years before his
circumcision. So the answer is that Abraham was saved long before he was circumcised.
Therefore, circumcision cannot be necessary for salvation because Abraham was saved before
he was circumcised!
James (2:21-24)
explains further the relationship between faith and works. Was not Abraham our father
justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on
the altar? (22) Do you see that
faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? (23) And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. (24) You see then that a man is
justified by works, and not by faith only.” This is really saying that
Abraham was justified by faith 25 years after God had already declared him justified.
Abraham’s offering merely proved
that he was saved.
Secondly, I want us to
note why Abraham was circumcised. It was
important because it was the seal of the righteousness that had been received by faith!
The ritual was observed because it was a physical confirmation of a unseen spiritual
decision of faith.
Third, Salvation Is Found In Faith Not The Keeping Of The Law.
(4:13-16)
Paul has just successfully argued that
Abraham couldn't have been saved by circumcision because his point of saving faith came 14
years before his circumcision. The identical argument could have been made about the law
since Abraham lived 500 years before the
giving of the law. (A side note here would be to note that he was also saved will he was
still a Gentile.) It's perfectly true
that Abraham was saved before the law was given. Verses thirteen says, “For the promise that
he would be the heir of the world was not to
Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”
Then Paul explains two things that we must
understand about the nature of faith and the law.
What a dependence on the Law Does!
“For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made
void and the promise made of no effect, (15) because the law brings about wrath; for
where there is no law there is no transgression.”
· It
Renders Faith Of No Value. (v. 14a)
“For if those who are of the law are
heirs, faith is made void…”
What
does that mean? It means simply that faith and the law are mutually exclusive. You have salvation by faith or
salvation by keeping the law, but you can’t have it both ways.
· God’s Promises Are Made Worthless.
(v. 14b) “…
and the promise made of no effect…”
Why
does the promise become of no effect? Because if you can earn salvation by keeping the Ten
Commandments then you don’t need the God’s promise.
· The Law Brings Condemnation. (15)
“because the law brings about wrath.”
What Dependence on Faith Grants (v. 16)
“Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure
to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the
faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”
· Faith confirms dependence on grace.
“Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace…” As Paul sets forth in Ephesians 2:8-9,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
· Faith makes salvation knowable.
“… so that the promise might be sure…” There are many who believe that it is not
possible to know for certain, that you are saved. But the Bible says in 1 John 5:13,
“These things I have
written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have
eternal life…”
But the only way
that one can ever have that kind of certainty is if salvation is by grace through faith.
If salvation comes by keeping the law, no one can ever know for sure.
· Faith makes salvation available to anyone.
“… not only to those who
are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”
Since salvation is by faith, salvation is
available to everyone who will call upon the name of the Lord. Salvation is not for the
Jews alone but even Gentiles become the children of Abraham when they share the faith of
Abraham.
Conclusion
“An Englishman by the name of Ebenezer
Wooten had just concluded a preaching service in the village square. The crowd had
dispersed, and he was busily engaged in loading the equipment. A young man approached him
and asked, “Mr. Wooten, what must I do to be saved?” Sensing that the fellow was
trusting his own righteous-ness, Wooten answered in a rather unconcerned way, “It’s too late!” The inquirer was
startled. “Oh don’t say that, sir!” But
the evangelist insisted, “It’s too late!”
Then, looking the young man in the eye, he continued, “You want to know what you must DO to be saved. I
tell you it’s too late now or any other time. The work of salvation is done,
completed, finished! It was finished on the cross.” Then he explained that our
part is simply to acknowledge our sin and receive by faith the gift of forgiveness.
[Our Daily Bread -www.bible.org/illus./Romans]