Romans 5:11-12

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"11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned." ~ Romans 5:11-12

Today, we continue in our study of Romans 5 where the Apostle Paul is instructing us about justification by faith. So much false teaching comes out of our lack of biblical understanding between justification and sanctification. Justification is what must happen to us in order for us to get into heaven. Justification is a one time event when we believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross resulting in making us right with God. Simultaneous to being made right with God, the Holy Spirit makes our spirit alive to God. Sanctification, on the other hand, is a process whereby heaven is getting into our souls now. Sanctification takes place in the changing of our minds, wills, and emotions. We could say sanctification is when we gain God's wisdom. Justification gets us into heaven and sanctification gets heaven into us now.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

The Greek word translated "reconciliation" was commonly used in financial transactions signifying an exchange. Every purchase involves an exchange. In return for the money a customer gives a merchant, he receives whatever goods or services he is purchasing. Thus with the completion of the transaction, the two parties were said to be reconciled. This is what the Lord Jesus did on our behalf. He laid down His life as a sacrifice so that we could become the children of God.

The word "boast" can also be translated "rejoice." As a result of being reconciled to God through the finished work of the Lord Jesus, we rejoice in God. No matter our circumstances, when we understand the greatest gift ever, salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, we can not help but rejoice that we have been redeemed unto God and He is now involved in our lives. Our ability to boast in God is dependent upon the joy that we experience once we know that our sins are forgiven us and we have entered into a personal relationship with God. God loved us when we were at our worst, and, He demonstrated His love by sending His Son to rescue us. True joy is when we have discovered that God, our Creator, did all of that to rescue us because He thought we were worth it. 

Three times in Romans 5 we are given reasons for rejoicing: The first is in v.1, "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." The second is in v.3 "we also glory in tribulations." And, according to v.11 "we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

These three kinds of rejoicing represent three levels of spiritual maturity. These are not necessarily chronological levels, but these are levels of understanding truth and responding to it in such a way that we grow in our faith and are deepened in our walk with the Lord. Notice again that Paul, as he so frequently does, reminds us that everything that comes to us comes through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me." Even though we have been infected by sin, through the Savior we can access the kind of life that has the touch of eternity on it. And, our salvation is not merely a future reality, it is a present joy in anticipation of our present and future salvation.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned."

All of the misery in this world is due to one man's sin. Sin came into the human race through that one man, Adam, who was not the originator of sin. According to 1 John 3:8 we learn that the devil inaugurated sin, then, he tempted Adam who took the bait. Even though Eve ate of the forbidden fruit first, it was Adam whom God held responsible because Adam was the head of the first family.

Once Adam violently rebelled against God, the immediate result was degeneration in Adam’s nature. Death invaded Adam and he died and he began to die. He died completely spiritually while he began to die physically and psychologically. Adam was consumed by the corruption of sin and self. Adam's fall took down the entire human race into corruption, and all of creation has suffered because of it. In the Garden of Eden, Adam enthroned himself as god, as he refused God's definition of life.

Yet, there is good that comes out of this very dark story. Sin and death is the black velvet behind the diamond of God's Son who came to redeem man back to life, real life. It is very difficult to appreciate the work the Lord Jesus accomplished on the cross without understanding how bad our rebellion was and is. In fact, to the degree that we understand how wretched sin is will be the degree to which we will appreciate what the Lord Jesus did for us on that cross.

For those who trust in the goodness of God, the sin that we have a hard time forgetting, God remembers no more. If we resist embracing the humility that is required to cry out to God for forgiveness, we will remain dead in our sins and trespasses. But, when we embrace the gifts of humility and honesty, we become the candidates of God's forgiveness. This is really the issue for all of mankind. Embracing the humility and honesty required to steer our souls to the generousness of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:9-10

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9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ~ Romans 5:9-10

Today, we continue in our study of Romans 5. You will remember that the book of Romans is divided into five sections: Romans 1-3 is about the sinful condition of man, Romans 4-5 is about salvation or justification by faith, Romans 6-8 is about sanctification, Romans 9-11 is about the sovereignty of God, and, Romans 12-16 is about service. Today's study is found in that second section of Romans: salvation: the justification of the believer in Christ.

In v.9 of today's passage we read, "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!"

Even though we deserve the wrath of God, when we believe in Christ as our Savior, we are rescued from God's wrath. This fact is underscored by the choice of the Lord Jesus from eternity past to become the Savior of all who are humble enough to believe that His sacrifice earned our rightness before God. We were doomed. We had absolutely no hope. But God intervened. His wrath was removed from us because we came to the place where we chose to believe that the death of Christ on the cross was the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament types and prophecies. 

Our justification required Christ’s blood to be shed for us. He is the faithful offering, the satisfactory substitute for all sinners willing to believe that His perfection replaced our imperfection. This is what it means when it says "His blood" which is a graphic way to symbolize the sacrifice the Lord Jesus made on our behalf on the cross. Through His death, the Lord Jesus not only absorbed God's wrath but He absorbed our sin. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we read, "For God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he acted as the representative for all of humanity. That's why the Lord Jesus is called the last Adam in just a few verses. Everything Adam messed up in the Garden of Eden, the Lord Jesus came to undo. And, once we have believed in Him, our sin is forgiven us through Christ. That means we will never have to worry about being the object of God's wrath. And, in accordance with the promise of God through Christ, He will never leave us or forsake us.

In John 5:24 the Lord Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life." Note that He did not say, "will have." Nope, He said, "has everlasting life." This promise is given by God to those who believe in Him and this promise is given throughout the Bible. In fact, right on the heels of man's rebellion in the Garden of Eden, God responded for the first time in the Bible with the promise of salvation. In Genesis 3:15 we are given the first promise of salvation in the Bible. In that verse God promised that the Seed of Eve would one day crush Satan and sin and death. Everyone knows that the woman doesn't have the seed, the man does. And, this Seed is not man's seed, it is God's. The "Seed" points us to the virgin birth of Jesus Christ so many years later.

In v.10 of today's passage we read, "For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"

The Apostle Paul argues from greater to lesser, and his words are both logical and theological. His main argument is: If the dying Savior reconciled us to God, then surely, a living Savior will keep us reconciled to God. If God can bring a sinner to heaven, then surely God can keep a saint while on the earth. 

Since our sin could not keep us from God's love before we were saved, nothing can keep us from his love now that we're saved. Since our sin was not a barrier to the beginning of our salvation, then it will never be a barrier to the completion of our salvation. If our past and our future salvation is secured by God, and it is, how can you and I ever be insecure about our status as children of God? 

God is the author and the finisher of our faith. He is the One who has begun a good work in us, and, He will complete what He started. Our safety depends on God's nature and promise, not ours. Our access to His love does not depend upon us, but upon Him. This means the Lord Jesus not only pardons us, He also preserves us. He not only heals our souls, He keeps our souls for eternity.

Romans 5:6-8

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"6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:6-8

Today, we continue our study of Romans 5 where the Apostle Paul has been highlighting the basis and the benefits of our  justification in Christ. Having considered these, today, we continue to consider the background events that led to us coming to the place that we believed on the Lord Jesus as our savior. 

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."

Suffering is looked upon much differently by those who have been born of God's Spirit. Suffering, in and of itself, does not produce the qualities of heaven in us automatically. The key is in seeing our suffering as evidence of God's love, and not His rejection. When this happens, the Holy Spirit deposits into our hearts an experience of the love of God. But, if we see our suffering as evidence of God's rejection, we will be frustrated, angry, resentful, miserable, and defined by self.

Most people, when pain comes into their lives, blame God. We do this because we instinctively know that He is the only one who can do something about our circumstance. And, if our understanding of His sovereignty is limited, we will feel rejected and unloved by the Lord. This will especially be the case if we view the unwanted suffering in a negative light. Due to our poor understanding of what love truly is, it is almost impossible for us to think we are being loved when we are hurting. This is why we must understand the argument that the Apostle is presenting in today's passage.

The words, "At just the right time," provides great comfort to those struggling to trust this God whom we can not see with our eyes. God's sovereign timing is always perfect. We find it very difficult to see this when we are going through the dark moments of life, but, it is none the less true, God's timing is always perfect. This is why patience is such a huge commodity in this process. When we are patient and give God the time that He needs to bring all the pieces together, our lives end up being a beautiful tapestry of His love and grace.

Notice the last half of v.6, "When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." 

One of our biggest maladies is we have blinders on our ability to see broadly. Once we begin to garner the ability to see more broadly, we will begin to see how dependent we are upon God for everything in our lives. This type of vision enables us to see that when we were hopeless and powerless to do anything about our lost estate, when we had no ability to improve our condition, when we had no capability to help ourselves, Christ died for us. Nothing performs the overhaul that is needed in our hearts better than His sovereign choice of us even when we were His enemies.

In the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ we see ourselves as the helpless sinners that we are. When we look at Him as He hung on that cross, we see how ungodly we are. That which nailed Him to that cross is ugly, selfish and scary. As a result, we all arrived on the scene as the enemies of God. This is what caused the Lord Jesus to come and to break through all of our sin and the resulting despair, shame, and sorrow. He came to demonstrate the love of God for all of mankind who are trapped in this state of blindness at the hands of the prince of darkness.

Since God loved us when we didn't deserve it, we can conclude that this suffering is not the result of God's rejection of us. In fact, our suffering is the direct result of our rejection of God. And, since suffering is evidence of our fallen reality, God uses it to make it possible for us to come to know Him. As we grow in His wisdom, we recognize more and more that suffering has become the unique tool of God's sovereignty to accomplish our sanctification. 

Our faith enables our hearts to see God. It is in the darkest moments that we see His heart best. Darkness creates a platform for the light. It is at our most darkest moments, that we are most blessed because it is the darkness that makes more obvious to us the father heart of God. 

In v.7-8 of today's passage we read, "7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

The apostle Paul provides a contrast between divine love and human love to show us the vast difference between the way man loves and the way God loves us. Human love is almost always based on the attractiveness of the object that it loves. And if the object is more attractive, there's more love. If the object is less attractive, there's less love. That's human love. It is object-oriented. It is based upon the value, worth, status, and beauty of the object.  

God's love is not like human love. God's love is not object-oriented it is subject-oriented. It is part of His nature, His character, completely independent of the beauty, attractiveness, and value of the object. His love is completely dependent on the quality of the subject giving the love. It is unusual to love and to sacrifice for a scoundrel, a villain, a cheat, a thief, but God is so inclined.

Understanding God's love enables us to conclude that God is never going to stop loving us. The greatest gift that we have is our confidence in the permanence of our salvation through Christ's perfection alone. Since God loved us when we were unable to earn His love, He will continue to love us now that we are His children. This is where the security of the believer in Christ is accentuated. And, when we face hardships, we must not conclude that God has turned His back on us. No, we must conclude that these hardships are evidence that He loves us. This is why we read in Hebrews 12:6, "God disciplines those whom He loves."

Romans 5:3-5

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3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, 4 because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. ~ Romans 5:3-5

Today, we continue our study of Romans 5 where the Apostle Paul outlines the benefits that come to the justified believer in Christ. Having consider the first two benefits, today, we consider the third benefit of the one who has been justified before God through his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas, in the past we have peace with God, in the present, we have access to His grace, and, in the future we have glory. In today's passage the present is addressed.

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings." 

Having just made the statement "we boast in the hope of the glory of God," the Apostle Paul now turns our attention to sufferings. It is not strange that the believer in Christ encounters trials and tribulations. It is normal. In fact, trials and difficulties are half of what God uses to develop our faith in Him. The other element that He uses to develop our faith or our heart's ability to see Him is His spoken word. See Romans 10:17 for more on that. Having said that, unless the believer in Christ is living in such a way that he is being defined by God and gaining God's transcendent view of life, he will not "count it all joy when he falls into various tribulations." 

The word "glory" in v.3 is written as a present middle subjunctive which is best translated "should rejoice for oneself." This concept of rejoicing in our suffering is a result of learning to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We could call this wisdom or the ability to transcend and recognize how the dots in life, be they good or bad, connect. In the end the process that we are engaged in, our sanctification, is about our growing ability to think and choose according to God's definition of things.

A personal relationship with God renders for the believer in Christ a unique perspective especially on the difficulties of life. The believer in Christ rejoices in his sufferings because he knows something the unsaved man does not know. It is something his faith in the God of the Bible enables him to know, a kind of inside information that he has due to the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life. 

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

This unique knowledge of the believer in Christ tells him that "suffering produces perseverance." The Greek word used here for perseverance literally means "to abide under, to stay under the pressure." Pressure is something we want to get out from underneath in most cases, but suffering teaches us to stay under, to stick in there and hang with it. 

In addition, the believer in Christ who is learning to transcend, understands that "perseverance produces character." The Greek word for character carries with it the idea of being put to the test and approved. It is the idea of being shown to endure through the hardships all the while being defined by God's culture. The idea is the tree shaken by the storm develops deeper roots. This means the very trials and tribulations of life, God uses to define and shape us. They make us long for God and heaven more and more.

In 1963 the USA Navy built and deployed the Thresher, a submarine. At the time, the Thresher was the most advanced submarine of its kind. After it was deployed, it descended deep into the Atlantic ocean. However, as it reached 1300 feet, it imploded. The cause of the implosion was faulty welding. The pressure on the outside of the vessel was greater that the pressure within. This is a reminder that in order to withstand the pressures of the world, the substance within the soul of the believer in Christ must be greater than the pressures on the outside. This is the character that the Apostle is referring to here.

Next, the transcending believer in Christ understands that "character produces hope." My mind turns to one of my most favorite movies ever, Shawshank Redemption. In that movie, there are two friends who have two very different perspectives on life. Both are prisoners in a maximum security prison. Andy, played by Tim Robbins is hopeful; Red, played by Morgan Freeman is pessimistic. Andy believes that he would shrivel without hope. Red believes that hope would sever him from reality. To Andy, hope is necessary. To Red, hope is dangerous. Eventually, Andy’s perspective wins out, and Red is won over to the side of hope. There comes a point in the movie when Andy writes to Red, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.”  What a great illustration of what it looks like to live transcendently, living life viewing everything through the lens of God's word. Of course, due to the fact that we are still sinful, we will never be prefect at doing this.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." 

The reason any of us live transcendently or have character is due to the fact that God lives in us. When we trusted the Lord Jesus to be our savior, the Holy Spirit came into our spirit making us alive to God. This explains why our hearts are tilted toward God. The Holy Spirit is the down payment or the engagement ring from God that our salvation is real and lasting and guaranteed. This verse is not talking about our love for God, it is talking about God’s love for us. The reason our hope doesn’t disappoint is because God’s love is eternal and it has been poured out within our hearts.

Perhaps, you will remember that day in 1990 when the forces of Iraq invaded the neighboring country Kuwait. As the TV cameras were rolling, not one Kuwaiti was seen in the streets of Kuwait City. But, in a matter of days, the Americans went in to Kuwait and pushed back the Iraqi forces. The scene after the Americans had entered Kuwait City was quite different. The streets were filled with Kuwaitis shooting their guns in the air and rejoicing over their liberation from the Sadaam Hussein lead aggressors from Iraq. This true story from the past provides for us a picture of what the Holy Spirit does for the believer in Christ. And the more we are trained by Him to think and live God's way, the more we will view life through the lens of the Scriptures. This is how we live the transcendent way, the way of rejoicing in our sufferings.

Romans 5:2

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1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ~ Romans 5:1-2

Today, we continue our study of Romans 5 where the Apostle Paul is revealing to us the benefits of our rightness with God. Yesterday, we considered the first result in v.1: Peace with God. Today, we consider the second: access by faith into this grace.

There is nothing like the grace of God. Philip Yancey once said, "Grace is like water, it always runs downhill." God's grace is accessible to anyone willing to humble himself before the Lord. This access is the result of being forgiven and being given the Spirit of God who has awakened our formerly dead spirit to Him. 
When mankind chose to reject God and His definition of things, we instantly became dead to God. Sin blocked our ability to access Him and to relate to Him as He originally intended.

This is why in John 3 the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again." Sin drove the life of God out of us once we decided that God could not be trusted. The amazing thing is that God has always been known to come looking for sdistrustful man. Once we have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior and we invite Him into our lives, God makes alive to Himself. God makes us alive to Himself when we embraced His humility. Just like the Prodigal Son, humility gives us the wherewithal to return to the Father. Most often we access humility through humiliating circumstances. This explains why humility is not in high demand. Not to mention that it most often makes us look weak. No one wants to be humbled or to look weak. Yet, humility is one of the greatest of blessings, because it puts us in the position to be embraced by God.

Thomas Merton once wrote, "A humble man can do great things with an uncommon perfection because he is no longer concerned about incidentals, like his own interests or his own reputation, and therefore he no longer needs to waste his efforts in defending them. For a humble man is not afraid of failure. In fact, he is not afraid of anything, even of himself, since perfect humility implies perfect confidence in the power of God before Whom no other power has any meaning and for Whom there is no such thing as an obstacle. Humility is the surest sign of strength." 

Getting back to Romans 5:2 we read, "through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." 

Note that word "stand." The grace of God fortifies, secures, and establishes the believer in Christ. I have increasingly notice in my years of being a Christian that my insecurities are what causes me, from a posture of fear, to embrace "the not so wise way." It is the grace of God that does the work that challenges the root of all sin most profoundly. The root of all sin is the suspicion that God is not good. When we can't see that God always has our best at heart, it is then that we wander off from Him. His grace always calls us back to Himself. And, once He has, He calls us to lose control of our lives. The way of God's grace frees us from the way of self and death.

Through His grace God wants to grip us. We are hesitant to be gripped by anything, including a story and especially the author of a story. We are always skeptical of stories that are too good to be true. But, we are constantly drawn to such stories. We want to believe that Frodo will do in evil as he hurls the wicked ring into the flames of the abyss. And, if God's grace grips us, we will not only be attracted to such stories, we will take on the leading role in such a story. There has always been something within us that makes us to want to grip back. 

The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is a real story. The Lord Jesus is not just some made up character in a storybook. Time as we know it proves that He was a real historical figure. And, His story highlights the fact that grace defeated sin and death. It can also defeat our suspicions and win our allegiance for the author of the story so that we allow ourselves to be gripped by Him. Once His grace grips us and we grip back, we are enabled to live a life free of the entanglements of insecurity and fear.

The last sentence in today's passage reads, "And we boast in the hope of the glory of God."  

A better translation of that word "hope" is "a happy certainty." The Christian's salvation is anchored in the past because the Lord Jesus made peace with God on our behalf. Our salvation is anchored in the present because we have access to God continually. And now, our salvation is anchored in the future because we have a promise from God that all of this will lead us to heaven. God's hope is a ringing certainty, based upon the words of the Lord Jesus Himself. In John 14:19 we read, "Because I live, you shall live also." That is the certain hope of everyone who has been justified by faith. The hope of the Christian is in the glory of God. 

The apostle Paul also wrote, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Our hope goes beyond today." 

The day the Lord Jesus died, the hope of the disciples died with Him. But, only for a few hours because on that third day the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, hope went ballistic. In fact, later Peter wrote that he had a living hope because of the resurrection. This kind of hope never dies because the Lord Jesus overcame sin and death once and for all.

Romans 5:1

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Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Romans 5:1

Today, we continue our study of the letter written to the first century Christians who lived in Rome. This powerful book is a description of the righteousness of God come to the souls of those who are humble enough to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans is about the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ through whom God arranged the only way to justify the ungodly. Whereas Romans 4 was about the basis of our justification before God, Romans 5 is about the benefits of our justification before God. Today, we will consider the first of these benefits and it is peace with God.

Peace with God brings to a screeching halt the hostility that existed between us and God. This hostility was not of God, it was created out of the void of our disconnection with Him due to our violent and intentional rejection of His kingdom. This first immediate effect of our justification means our war with God is over. It means our rebellion against Him and our war with Him is history because the Lord Jesus signed our peace treaty with God with His blood.

I find a lot of people who say it is not fair that God holds all of mankind responsible for the choice of Adam and Eve. Well, He doesn't. He holds us responsible for our choice of rebellion against Him. He holds us responsible for choosing to reject the free gift that solves our problem of separation from God. But, when we receive the free gift that His Son garnered for us, we experience peace with God.

The believer's justification before God through Christ brings with it the declaration of acquittal. This legal declaration, results in peace with God. This acquittal is not based on our merit or performance, it is not even pronounced on us because we are somehow not guilty. No, it is pronounced by God as a result of the work the Lord Jesus accomplished on His cross. It is accessed by us when we come to the point of deciding to place our faith solely on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Second Law of Thermodynamics declares anything left in isolation deteriorates. Sin has separated us from God and eternal life. This separation is largely expressed in our lives by our distrust of God. When God reconciled us to Himself through the death of His Son, He made it possible for His wrath to be diverted from us onto His Son. By the death of the Lord Jesus, the barrier of separation that sin erected between us and God can be ripped away, only if we receive the free gift. When we get to the point of being willing of heart to believe, our place in the family of God will be realized by us. 

There are three types of peace in the Bible. There is spiritual peace or peace with God. Then there is psychological peace or peace within. And then, finally, there is relational peace or peace with others. Peace with God makes the other two possible and it is a gift. Peace within oneself is the fruit of that gift. And, peace between people is a result of the work of God's righteousness in our lives.

According to today's verse, having been reunited to God through His Son, we have access to eternal life which is much more than the forgiveness of sin and the ability to get into heaven. This life with the touch of eternity upon it brings with it the ability to get life right now. Not that we can earn or maintain rightness with God, the Lord Jesus took care of that. No, this life brings with it the ability to access the wisdom of God. The importance of this is far reaching. In fact, far more reaching than we can imagine because it gets to the real purpose behind our sanctification which is the salvation of the lost. The process that we enter into after we have been made right with God has as its design the salvation of the unbeliever. The goal of our sanctification or the changing of our souls is much more than we have ever known. It is God's design that as we come into a personal relationship with Him and we grow in His wisdom by choosing to walk in His culture, the lost would be able to peer into our lives and want what we have with God.

Romans 4:19-25

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19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." ~ Romans 4:19-25

Today, we come to the conclusion of our study of Romans 4 wherein the Apostle Paul establishes that even though rebellious and sinful man has been found helpless and hopeless due to his sinfulness, God sent His Son to earth to remedy our problem. And, as a result of placing our faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, we have been fashioned to be able to spend eternity in heaven with Him. 

In Romans 4-5 the Apostle Paul explains how we are saved by grace through our faith in the God of the Bible and the promise that He made to Abraham and to all who are humble enough to believe in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith has always been the means by which anyone enters into a personal relationship with God. It was Adrian Rogers who aptly once said: "When your eye is right, it responds to light. When your ear is right, it responds to sound. When your heart is right, it responds to God, and that response is called faith. Unbelief comes out of the heart. Faith honors God and God honors faith."

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead."

The phrase, "Without weakening in his faith," is a challenge to understand but when we think of it from a realistic point of view, we begin to see that like you and me, Abraham was at times weak in his faith. Struggling with our faith is a significant part of the strengthening of our faith. In the same way that the muscles in our bodies are strengthened through tearing, so our faith is developed when it is stretched and even torn. We think that pain and hardship is the enemy of our hearts ability to see God, but to the contrary. Our faith is developed best and most completely through those dark moments when we lose sight of God with our eyes. It is through those dark moments that our faith in the God of the Bible whom we can't see is developed best.

Twenty-five years passed after God first gave to Abraham the promise of not only a son but of descendants. Undoubtedly with the passing of each year, Abraham struggled to understand God's plan. But, this is the context where the God of the Bible shows up the best in the lives of those whose hearts are tilted toward Him. The impossibility of a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman conceiving a child just underscores that Isaac was the result of God's power. That impossibility points us to another impossibility: the salvation of those humble enough to believe in the One born to a virgin.

In v.20-22 of today's passage we read, "20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness."

God does not judge our faith in a single snapshot. No, He looks at the whole. We have thought, just seconds after our failures, "God has given upon me." Such a statement is made by the one who does not understand the nature of faith or of our sanctification. You see, it isn't our faith that saves us. No, it is the Savior who saves us. Of course, our faith plays a role, but when we think that it is the quality of our faith that accomplishes the great exploits of our God, we reveal that we simply have a puny view of this God who mastermind our eternity.

Full persuasion of the heart is the product of greater uncertainty of the eyes. Mike Yaconelli once said, "Life is a kind of unraveling of the mystery of ourselves, a never-ending search for clues about the stranger that resides within. The older we get, the more complicated the mystery becomes. Our identity weaves its web into more intricate and sticky patterns. The more we know about ourselves, the less we know...and yet...yet there is, at the same time, a new kind of knowing." Through the diminishing of our greatest god, ourselves, we gain a greater vision of the true God, the God of old Abraham.

Those who desire for themselves the glory that the Lord deserves reveals perhaps they are not born again or that their faith hasn't been languished enough for them to be convinced that it is only God who can accomplish these great feats.

In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."

Amazingly, the believer in Christ is on par with father Abraham. This is only possible due to the fact that it was the goal of the Lord Jesus to share His glory with all crazy enough to believe in Him as our Savior. Think of it, the Lord Jesus has made us fellow-heirs with Himself. We will spend eternity with Him because He chose to stoop to our level to bring us up to His. And, as a result, we will be like Him in heaven; we will be for eternity bondservants.

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."

The moment we believed in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, the humility of heaven came to reside in our souls. His humility will fuel us for eternity. We think the greatest gift is that our sins are forgiven us but we are wrong. The greatest gift that was promised to Abraham was the very presence of God in our lives. In Galatians 3:14 we read, "Because of the price Christ Jesus paid, the good things that came to Abraham might come to the people who are not Jews. And by putting our trust in Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit He has promised." When the very presence of God arrived in our lives, He brought with Him His humility. It is this humility that is gradually moving our gaze from self to our Savior. To Him be the glory!

Romans 4:16-18

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16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  Romans 4:16-18

Today, we return to our study of Romans 4 where we are being shown what saving faith looks like. Having shown that all men are sinful and bound for Hell, the Apostle Paul is now showing us how our eternal hope was bolstered when God decided to reach out to rebellious and sinful man with a promise. As we have seen this promise is known as the Abrahamic Covenant.

The Abrahamic Covenant is an  unconditional covenant which is an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party. In this covenant which is for all mankind, God’s solitary action shows that the covenant is principally His promise to us. Through this covenant God chose to bind Himself to the guaranteed results. In this case, the result is that those who believe in the promise of God are made right with God.

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all." 

We all share this deep desire of being approved, of being loved, wanted and accepted. When we choose to make the God of the Bible the object of our faith, it is then that we take hold of this promise that God gave to Abraham so long ago. Better yet, it is then that the promise takes hold of us. The promise only comes to us after we have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What good behavior could not do for us, faith in the God of the Bible does.

The grace of God is the champion here. The word "grace" is used 131 times in the Bible. Of that total number, 124 times, it appears in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul used this most wonderful word 86 times in his writings. This means two-thirds of all the usages of the word "grace" in the Bible are attributed to one writer: the Apostle Paul. 

The grace of God shouts to us that He is fully accepting of us, but, our sin must be dealt with before we can access God's acceptance. Whatever our greatest sin is, it is weaker than God’s grace. God’s grace is greater than not just our worst sin, but every sin we have ever committed or ever will commit ... combined. The reality is that even though we barely understand the depth of our sin, we vastly underestimate the power of God’s grace!

Our justification before God is accomplished not by obligation on our part, but freely through grace by the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. And, the more we understand what God has done for us as sinners, the more willing we will be to do whatever He requires. The first step involved in genuine sanctification is an ever-increasing awareness of our own sinfulness. With that comes, at the same time, an ever-increasing awareness of God’s grace. And then, with that, comes from us an ever-increasing love and willingness to obey Him. Obedience then is not a requirement for God's acceptance but a result of having been granted His acceptance through His grace.

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "As it is written: 'I have made you a father of many nations.' He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not."

From the beginning, God promised Abraham, this former Gentile, this man who was defined by the cultures of this world, would be the father of many ethnicities. We know this because the word that the Apostle uses here for "nations" is the Greek word from which we get our English word "ethnic peoples." We are the partakers of the promise to be the sons and daughters of God, not by anything but our trust that the God of the Bible has been truthful and we believe His promise. This has made it possible for Him to define us as His sons and daughters.

The last sentence of v.17 is powerful and it means that when we were conceived, we were conceived as dead toward God. But now, His grace has delivered unto the willing of heart the ability to believe in Him and His promise of life and authentic relationship with Him.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'" 

Salvation for Abraham was based on the same promise that our salvation is based upon. It is a sovereign and a gracious promise. It is given to those who do not deserve it. We are declared righteous and just, once we have believed that God is the God of salvation. God promised that we, along with Abraham, will inherit everything that is Christ’s. Abraham believed when all of the odds in Las Vegas were against him. And, when you and I believe, it is then that we realize the culture of God come to all of our yearnings, even those created out of our lack of hope. What a thrill it is when we see that He truly is involved in our lives, as He enables us to see with our hearts. 

Romans 4:13-15

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"13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression." ~ Romans 4:13-15

Today, we continue our study of Romans 4 where the Apostle Paul has established the fact that all of mankind is sinful and therefore separated from God. As a result, man's attempt to get life on this earth right doesn't work and will not work. This is why in Romans 4-5, the Apostle is showing us how to enter into a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is by faith in the faithfulness of God that the righteousness of God is accessed by the believer in Jesus Christ. 

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith."

The promise that Abraham received from God that he would be the heir of the world is a reference to the Abrahamic Covenant which was first given to Abraham in Genesis 12. God repeated the Abrahamic Covenant to Abraham and built upon it in Genesis 15, 18, and 22. In that promise God promised Abraham physical and spiritual descendants likened to the sands of the sea and the stars of the heavens. 

Through the Abrahamic Covenant God promised to Abraham that he would be the heir of the world and that the blessing of salvation would be available to all of the peoples of the world. This salvation would come through the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In John 8:56 the Lord Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day and he saw it and was glad." And, in Galatians 3:16 we read, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made." A careful study of Galatians reveals that the seed of Abraham is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression."

Many years after Abraham was on this earth, God gave to the people of Israel His Law, the Law of Moses. From the very beginning God intended that the Law would direct those of faith to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Jews had gotten to a place where they believed that they could earn God's favor through their adherence to the Law. But, if anyone could earn rightness before God through our adherence to the Law, we would be able to access the inheritance of the promise through the Law. But, that is impossible. Our sinful condition makes it impossible for us to access the promise of rightness before God through our obedience to the Law. 

The Law of Moses has never been able to save anyone, because, due to Original Sin, all the Law can do is to incite the wrath of God against us. All the Law does for anyone is to show us how bad we truly are. So, since we could not adhere to the Law, we stood condemned by the Law which made us the recipients of God's wrath. So, instead of depending upon the Law to define us, God introduced to us His grace through His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

That last sentence in v.15 of today's text has caused much confusion among many down through the years. The Apostle Paul was simply saying that through the Law we know the definitions of God on any topic, and, as a result, we can know when we are at fault in our thoughts and/or our actions. And, of course, if there were no Law, we would not know where we were wrong. The is what the Apostle meant when he wrote, "And where there is no law there is no transgression." He was not saying that there was no sin, he was saying that the absence of the Law would have excused man of his sin. But, of course, this is not the case.

In Galatians 3:24 we read, "The Law was used to lead us to Christ. It was our teacher, and so we were made right with God by putting our trust in Christ." 

The whole book of Galatians reminds us again and again that the Law cannot make us righteous before God. However, the Law does one very important thing. In fact, it does several important things for us. After showing to us our utter helplessness to be made right before God, the Law leads us to Christ. We recognize right and wrong because of the Law. We recognize our failures, imperfections, sins, transgressions, and weaknesses because of the Law. In addition, we recognize our need for a Savior because of the Law. And, most importantly, we recognize the Lord Jesus as our Savior through the Law. But, if the Law has not done its work of crushing us before the Holy God of the Bible, we will lack the much needed preparation to be enabled to see the Lord Jesus as our Savior. You see, the Law has to show us our inability to measure up before God before we find ourselves willing to cry out to God for help.

Romans 4:11-12

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11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. ~ Romans 4:11-12

Today, we continue our study of Romans 4 where the Apostle Paul is in the middle of using the life of Abraham to show us that sinful man is only justified before God through faith in Christ. All who have ever chosen to place their faith in the God of the Bible are spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham. True worth and true value only come to those who have chosen to be defined by the gospel of God.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them."

Circumcision was used of God as a sign to Abraham pointing him toward the superior reality of being made right before God through his faith placed in the God of the Bible. Circumcision functioned as a seal or an external confirmation of the righteous standing Abraham had already received before God through his faith almost thirty years earlier. Abraham was declared righteous by faith before he was circumcised. The result is that he can be, and indeed is, the spiritual father of every Gentile who believes but has never been circumcised. 

The moment Abraham chose to be defined by God he was made righteous in God's eyes. When God gave him the object lesson of circumcision many years after he had been justified, Abraham was continually reminded of the gift of being loved by God. Circumcision was given to Abraham to spur him on to allow God to make him a father of many. You and I have believed in Abraham's Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, and once we believed in the Lord Jesus, we became children of God.

What a change this makes in our orientation and in our motivation to life. Living life as a gift rather than something we earn changes everything. The disease of self is dealt a death blow in this context. And, as a result, we can relax and give God our lives and love on people without demanding anything in return. This is real freedom. This is what Christianity is all about. 

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised."

Life for us boils down to this: we are either being defined the culture of the devil or we are being defined by the culture of the God of the Bible. Abraham is our father and we are his descendants when we believe as he did in the God of the Bible. This is true for those who are circumcised and for those who are uncircumcised, Jew and Gentile. This means that both Jews and Gentiles are only made right before God by their faith in Him. It has always been faith, not rituals, that gains us access into a personal relationship with God. Abraham has always been the model of salvation by faith apart from any good work or behavior on our behalf. Abraham, once an uncircumcised Gentile became the father of the circumcised Jew so that all could be granted by God a heart for Him and His culture.

Circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign, a necessary picture, pointing to the desperate need of every sinner to have spiritual heart surgery. Circumcision was given to Abraham by God as an object lesson reminding him that his faith in the veracity of God was that which made him right before God. The teaching from circumcision is that only the righteousness of God can be credited to the one who believes only.

In Philippians 3:3 we read, "For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." 

The Scripture teaches us that the believer in Christ has been given the promised Holy Spirit to be the guarantee of our inheritance through Christ. Observing the Passover did not save anybody, it signified that God would save all those who believed in His promise of salvation through the blood of His Son. Through the Holy Spirit God circumcises the human heart and grants to all who believe in Him righteousness as He did with Abraham. 

In the same sense, observing the Lord’s Supper does not save us. No, the Lord's Supper is a mere reminder of what the Lord Jesus did in order to save us. The Lord's Supper declares to us when we observe it that God has saved us by the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. Baptism or the Lord's Supper does not save us. They just declare that God has made it possible for us to be made right with God by receiving the free gift of forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ God's only begotten Son.

Romans 4:6-10

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"6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 '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.' 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!" ~ Romans 4:6-10

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.

Romans 4:4-5

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4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. ~ Romans 4:4-5

  

Today, we return to our study of Romans 4 where the Apostle is establishing the fact that the believer in Christ is justified or made right before God only through his appropriated faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And, today, we will see the masterful approach God chose in dealing with fallen man.

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation."

Here the Apostle probes into the heart of the issue at hand. As we have pointed out several times before, Satan never tries to get us to follow him. No, he tries to get us to follow ourselves, and, in so doing, we follow him and his culture. Satan's goal is to get us to the point that we blame God for our fallen condition, and then, to get us to embrace his fallen approach to life and eternity.

When we believe that we somehow earn God's favor, we prove that we do not see ourselves as the wicked sinners that we truly are. To the one who knows in his heart that he can not earn God's favor, he will abandon his totalitarian approach to highlight his supposed self-righteousness. To the one who knows in his heart that he is ungodly and unacceptable before God, he is positioned, by faith, to embrace the only One who by His own humility justifies the ungodly. 

Today's passage is included in the context whereby the Apostle Paul uses the Old Testament patriarch Abraham as an illustration of a man who had been granted the gift of righteousness through his faith in the God of the Bible. In context, Paul establishes the fact that if we work for something, then we rightfully expect remuneration in return for the work. When this is the case, the remuneration is not a gift, it is what we have earned. We have been paid as a result of our labor and it is an obligation that must be paid. As a result, we can take the credit for having earned the wages. 

It is the default mode of fallen man to want glory. We all want varying degrees of fame and notability. The design that God created us with was meant to produce a glorious world for us, one wherein we would enjoy perfect relational harmony with God. But, sin corrupted the original design, and now you and I have inherited the desire to live for ourselves. Instead of living for the glory of God, we try to steal that glory for ourselves.

We demand to be in the center of our world. We take credit for what only God can produce. We want to be sovereign. We want others to worship us. We establish our own kingdom and punish those who break our laws. We tell ourselves that we're entitled to what we don't deserve, and we complain when we don't get whatever it is that we want.

If we were to somehow earn our salvation, God would be indebted to us. Imagine the God of the universe being in debt to sinful man. But salvation can only come by grace, because we are fallen in our sin and we can not perform well enough to earn God's favor. Righteousness before God was not something Abraham had earned, but something he was given by God's grace. Imagine this world with not one ounce of God's grace expressed. 

My mind goes to the movie, Back To The Future 2, where Biff Tannen gains power and fame by taking advantage of time travel. Biff had gotten his hands on a future sports almanac that gave all of the sporting results still to come, and by which, through placing sure-fire bets, Biff takes over the town of Hill Valley. The town quickly became a place of relentless evil and hopeless despair just days after Biff gains his power. In fact, it resembled Hell Valley more than it did Hill Valley. Since then whenever I conjure a picture of the horror of hell, it is often accompanied by images of Hill Valley in Back to the Future II. And, it gives us a peek into a world where there is no grace.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness." 

Abraham's faith account was credited by God with the largest check ever, God's righteousness. If God credited our account on the basis of our performance it would render the most disappointing of results. Since the Fall, man has been totally depraved. Total depravity is the belief that mankind is sinful throughout and can do nothing of himself to earn God’s favor. Because of his sinful state, mankind wants nothing to do with God as described in Romans 1:19-32. It is safe to say that because mankind is totally depraved, mankind chooses his sin, loves his sin, defends his sin, and glories in his sin. This is the backdrop one must understand if he were to understand the importance of the first word in v.5.

The first word in v.5 is "However." The Apostle Paul uses this word in order to turn us from self to turn us to the Savior. And, he uses Abraham as the example. The life of Abraham provides for us the perfect human picture of the gospel. Abraham was, in the eyes of God, a man who was dead to God because his sin had not been forgiven. Anybody who tries to earn God's acceptance by trying to perform for him, is a person who has not been granted a personal and living relationship with God. That is what this passage is saying. We are trying to gain something by our own merit that can never be gained that way.

Our faith in the God of the Bible is merely a channel through which we receive the acceptance that Christ has earned for us. Our faith in Him is an empty hand that reaches out. It is not God somehow concluding that we are so worthy due to our impeccable performance or faith. None of us can do enough good works of any kind to gain His favor. In fact, all of mankind beyond Adam and Eve were conceived in sins and trespasses. That means we were the enemies of God.

Several years ago, my wife and I decided to take our sons to the local mall and get a bite to eat at the food court. I knew that we didn't have much money in our checking account, but there was enough to buy the family a meal. I will never forget pulling up to the ATM and expecting to find a certain balance in my checking account. My jaw dropped when I learned that the balance was five thousand dollars more than I knew to be in there. Since, I knew the bank manager, I immediately went in to notify her that there had been a mistake made by someone. To make a long story short, I discovered the next day that someone had deposited over five thousand dollars into our account. 

This is illustrative of what God does for every believer who turns his back on his own self-righteousness and places his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This illustration breaks down though because there is one really big exception here: the deposit God has made into our account with Him is much, much more than a mere 5000 dollars. The amount that He deposited in our account is infinite. This is a picture of the doctrine of Justification by faith. And this is the theme of Romans 4-5.

Romans 4:1-3

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"1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 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.'" ~ Romans 4:1-3

Today, we transition into Romans 4 where the Apostle Paul has begun his presentation on justification. As we have seen, in the first three chapters of this letter written to the Christians in Rome, the Apostle presented the useless and non-biblical approaches to life. Then, in Romans 3:21, he began to introduce us to the grace-saturated approach to life. Paul showed us that mankind's rejection of God's definition of things rendered us hopeless and helpless. 

Beginning in Romans 3:21 on through Romans 5, the Apostle presents the doctrine of Justification which means to be made right before God. It means that after trusting in the Lord Jesus work on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin, in God's eyes, we are perfect, even though we will yet sin. This is so because God has imputed to us the perfection of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?"

History informs us that Abraham was an idolator and worshiped the moon goddess named "Sin," among others gods. He didn't know any better for he was influenced by his family as they lived in Ur of the Chaldeans which is modern-day southern Iraq. It was in that context that God appeared to Abraham and spoke to him. In response, Abraham believed in the God of the Bible and he trusted Him to lead him to a land he had never seen before.

Like Abraham, we all have a problem with the concept of faith. Everyone has faith, even the atheist. The difference is the object of our faith. For years, you and I, trusted in ourselves to get life right. For me, in October of 1981 when my dad died, I began to question the substance of the object of my faith. It was at that moment that I turned to God. I wasn't convinced that He was really there. I just cried out to Him and invited Him into my life. And, He has been working in my life ever since.

Philip Yancey once said, "Inquisitiveness and questioning are inevitable parts of the life of faith. But where there is certainty, there is no room for faith." Faith brings with it the uncertain, and we do not like uncertainty. But life is more about entertaining the questions than it is about enjoying the answers. There is a fine line between fear and faith. Fear proves that we are in control. We, ignorantly believe, that we are the captains of our ships and that we can call the shots for our lives best. Not so! And it usually takes a tragedy to open our eyes to our need to direct our faith onto the One who truly is the Supreme Being.

In Genesis 12, God appeared to Abraham. The first thing recorded in that chapter is the fact that God spoke to Abraham. From that, we learn that it is God's word that creates faith in the life of the willing believer. In Romans 10:17 we read, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the rhema of God." The Greek word "rhema" means the spoken word of God. It is not that we hear with our ears the audible words of God. No, it is that we hear God's spoken word with our hearts. When we entertain His voice, biblical faith is born within our hearts. Biblical faith is the product of hearing the word of God spoken to us by God. And, it is this kind of faith that justifies us before Him through His Son.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God."

Since the law can only reveal sin and it can never remove our sin, God sent His Son to be the satisfying sacrifice so that we by faith in Him could enter into a personal relationship with Him. God even said that salvation by faith was witnessed by the law and the prophets in the previous verses. We find ourselves in that portion of Paul's letter to the Romans that he is proving that we are only justified before God through our faith in Him to be our God. This is why the Apostle writes that Abraham was not justified before God through his good behavior.

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.'" 

Abraham was made right before God by believing in Him and trusting Him with His life for time and eternity. There are those who say that the gospel is just too easy. They say this because they do not understand how much we are all messed up by sinfulness, even though we have not acted quite as egregiously as the worst among us. Our salvation, all of it, is God's work, not ours. We have a very low view of God and His truth if we think we can measure up to His perfection. The role that we play in our salvation is to simply believe with our hearts. This is more difficult for some due to their pride. Faith is truly steeped in humility.

The word "accounted" in this verse underscores the fact that Abraham, like you and me, was spiritually bankrupt. He had not one asset on his ledger before God. This is why God had to make a deposit into Abraham's account, and He did that through His Son's death on the cross. The gift of forgiveness and justification was given to Abraham in advance of that dreary day several thousand of years later when on the cross the Lord Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sin. Interestingly, when Abraham was around the Law wasn't. In fact, the Law of Moses came some 400 hundred years later. It was the Law and the Prophets that foretold of the One who would come and satisfy the Law and fulfill all of the prophecies. That One is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only One who justifies us before God.