Key Verse:
Romans 4:3b NASB
3b ...“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Romans 2:29 NASB
29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.
Beloved, it’s just that simple. At the end of the day, righteousness comes by faith. Faith alone. He became the father of nations because he believed God, and God found pleasure in that.
Where to begin?
Romans 3:28 NASB
28 [x]For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works [y]of the Law.
Galatians 1:6-8 NASB
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you [c]by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel, 7 which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be [d]accursed!
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Paul was writing to two groups of people within the Church at Rome: Jews and gentiles (non-Jews). In this week’s lesson, Paul’s focus was on the Jews, who believed that the gentiles among them could only be made right with God by observing the letter of the Law of Moses. So it was, they did not believe Jesus to be the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. Rather, the Jewish Christians believed that accepting Christ was the beginning of the process of salvation that could only come to maturity through obedience to the Commandment. Paul sought to correct the error in their theology.
The Lesson
Romans 4:1 NASB
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, [a]our forefather according to the flesh, has found?
Every Jew (and Samaritan) counted themselves as descendants of Abraham. As descendants of Abraham, they believed themselves to be the rightful heirs to all of the promises of God, up to, and including eternal life with God in His eternal kingdom. They believed that the Messiah, Jesus would restore Israel to a place of prominence among the nations on Earth. After all, they were God’s chosen people.
Romans 4:2 NASB
2 For if Abraham was justified [b]by works, he has something to boast about; but not [c]before God.
However, when we examine Abraham’s life, we find that Abraham was far from perfect. If, in fact, Abraham had never sinned, he may have had reason to boast before God. Perish the thought. Abraham proved to be all too human. He lied to the Pharoah of Egypt, telling him that Sarai was his sister instead of his wife. He worried that his age and the age of Sarai, his wife, would prevent them from producing an heir, as God had promised. Then, after receiving God’s reassurance that he would indeed father an heir, he joined with his wife’s maidservant, Hagar to try to do for God, what God had promised He would do alone. No. Abraham missed the mark, as do we all. He had nothing to boast of before God.
Romans 4:3 NASB
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Genesis 15:5-6 NASB
5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your [i]descendants be.” 6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He [j]credited it to him as righteousness.
Romans 12:1-2 NASB
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, [a]acceptable to God, which is your [b]spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this [c]world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may [d]prove what the will of God is, that which is good and [e]acceptable and perfect.
Hebrews 11:17 NASB
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son;
However, when God spoke, Abraham believed. Every time God spoke to Abraham, Abraham believed. From the time God called Abraham through the end of his time on earth, Abraham believed that God was able to do what He said He would. Abraham’s walk with God was progressive. Early on, though he believed God, he thought as one who was carnal in their understanding of God’s way. But, by the time he was climbing Mount Moriah to offer his son as a sacrifice to God, he was walking in the realm of faith in such a way that; he believed that God would resurrect his son, whom he was about to sacrifice. That level of faith comes from a renewed mind. A mind no longer conformed to this world.
Romans 4:4 NASB
4 Now to the one who works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due.
Paul then explains to his audience that ‘work’ requires a ‘wage’. In essence, ‘work’ implies a prior agreement between two or more parties that provides an agreed-upon ‘wage’ for ‘work’ provided. Sadly, the misunderstanding occurs when the agreed-upon ‘wage’ is later referred to as a ‘gift’ rather than a ‘wage’. We teach our children this errant theology with the myth of Santa Claus, by telling them that if they are ‘good’, they will get a ‘gift’. A gift, by its very nature, can never be the result of what you do, or how you act. Rather, a gift results when one receives favor, undeserved, from the giver of the gift. We call this … ‘Grace”.
Romans 4:5 NASB
5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,
Hebrews 11:8 NASB
By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going.
Paul presses the point: justification and righteousness come through faith alone. Justification is not earned, it is a gift. Paul also points out that Paul justifies the ungodly through faith. Consider then, that Abram (Abraham’s name when God called him) was ungodly at the time of his calling. Indeed, the land of the Chaldeans, the land of Ur was a place full of idolatry and wickedness. Abraham had to be called out from such a place in order to learn how to worship the King of the universe, Elohim properly. When we confess our sins and accept Christ as our Savior, we who were ungodly become godly, by faith.
Romans 4:6-8 NASB
6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered.
8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”
Psalm 32:1-2b NASB
1 How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven, whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord does not take into account,...
Paul then moves forward a thousand years in Israel’s history to fold a psalm of David into his argument for grace; salvation through alone. David wrote what Abraham experienced. He did so because he, David came to know that he too, was a beneficiary of God’s unmerited favor. Blessed is the person whose righteousness is a product of faith, and not works. Blessed is the person whose life outside of the law is forgiven. Blessed is the person whose sins are covered. Love covers a multitude of sins. Beloved, God is love. Finally, blessed is the person whose sin God will not take into account. Beloved, God is not searching for perfect people. God is searching for those who will receive his free gift of salvation by grace. Grace is what we will forever praise God for.
Romans 4:9-12 NASB
9 Is this blessing then on [d]the circumcised, or on [e]the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it credited? While he was [f]circumcised, or [g]uncircumcised? Not while [h]circumcised, but while [i]uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which [j]he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which [k]he had while uncircumcised.
Paul now turns his attention to one of the observances that the Jews consider most sacred: circumcision. All Jewish men were required to be circumcised a week after birth. Throughout their history, they required foreigners who desired to convert to Judaism to be circumcised. The Jews were adamant in their belief that this was required. Paul succinctly disassembles this argument by putting forth the provable fact that Abraham was justified and uncircumcised. Justified and uncircumcised. After he trusted God and was instructed by Him to be circumcised, circumcision became a symbol of his faith. An outward sign of an inward change. Beloved, we, as Christians, practice a similar ritual in water baptism. Baptism is an outward sign of inner change. However, baptism, like circumcision, does not complete what began in faith. The moment we believe, the moment we accept Christ as Savior, the ‘work’ of salvation is complete. Nothing else is really required. Not for salvation. In the same way, circumcision was not a requirement for salvation. Paul closes his argument by pointing out that because Abraham was uncircumcised when he believed, he became the father of all who believe without being circumcised. In this way, righteousness is imparted to the uncircumcised. The same is true for the unbaptized. Righteousness is imparted by Grace, through Faith, Alone.
Selah,
wb
Ephesians 2:8 NASB
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [l]this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
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