Today, we return to our study of Romans 4 where the Apostle Paul is establishing the fact that the believer in Christ is made right before God solely through his faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. Romans 4-5 are all about the believers salvation of justification by faith.
In v.6 of today's passage we read, "David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works."
In this verse the Apostle Paul quickly moves from the righteousness of Abraham, who lived before the Law was given, to King David, who lived after the Law was given. King David effectively wrote of how blessed of God he was in light of the fact that he failed so miserably. And, we all know the story of how he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then arranged for the murder of her husband, Uriah.
In v.7-8 of today's passage we read, "Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them."
These two verses are a quote from Psalm 32:1-2. These words written by King David after he had committed those two most awful of sins, adultery and murder. In those verses David wrote about the joy he experienced after confessing his sins and experiencing God's forgiveness firsthand. Forgiveness of our sin is something God does, not what we do. It is not rooted in our own emotions. Forgiveness is what God does when He marks "canceled" over our debt of sin. We are forgiven when He declares us legally acquitted, regardless of how we might be feeling at the moment. This is why He foretold of His Son's death those many years ago in the Old Testament through men like David.
In Psalm 51, we learn of King David's deep pain and agony that his sin of adultery and murder brought him. As anyone would, David felt as if God had abandoned him. And, he subsequently felt deeply the horrible experience of guilt and separation. Had he not known the presence of God in his life previously, David would not even had written Psalm 51, a psalm that we have all benefitted from greatly. But, he not only knew the presence of God, he also knew the forgiveness of God.
David wrote, "Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven." The word "forgiven" literally means "to send away." And, the duration of God's forgiveness is eternity. God remembers not our sins once they have been atoned for through Christ. In Psalm 103 David wrote, "Our sin has been removed as far as the east is from the west." Never ending is God's forgiveness for those humble enough to believe.
In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!"
The Apostle Paul further adds that Abraham's righteousness was a gift that he received from God long before he did anything meritorious or righteous. Abraham was called the friend of God, not because he was such an obedient servant, but because he believed in what God had promised. And, the adulterer and murderer, King David, found righteousness not by being the King of Israel, but through faith in the God of all forgiveness. God's type of forgiveness rendered in King David a broken spirit and a contrite heart. David was justified when he was a young shepherd-boy tending his father's sheep, but the more he discovered the long-suffering faithfulness of God, the more his heart resembled the heart of God. It was through David's failure that he learned of God's forgiveness. As a result, David is called a man after God's heart.
God chose circumcision as the symbol of Abraham's friendship with God. Abraham was circumcised fourteen years after he was pronounced righteous by faith, fourteen years after he was called the friend of God. The believer is not justified by being good, but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I find it most instructive to remember that circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign and a seal. So, every time Abraham had to go to the bathroom, he was secretly reminded that God had made him His friend.
Intimacy is feeling without touching. This is the genius of God, especially when we consider how He has dealt with our rebelliousness. God allowed man to choose contrary to His will, so that man would know in his heart not only the guilt of sin but also its destructiveness. And, it is out of the guilt and destructiveness of sin that we were humbled enough to cry out to God for help. And, once we have experienced such grace from God, our hearts are made intimate with our Creator.
