14/06/15
– Romans 4:1-12 “The choice between works and faith”
Last
week we looked at the total condemnation of all mankind by the law of works,
and the introduction of the law of faith. We also looked at the connection
between Romans 3:23 and 3:24 – a connection that clearly shows that the group
of people who are freely justified (Vs 24) is the very same group that
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God in Vs 23 (they are the same
sentence). Thus all who sin are also justified
freely through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. If all have sinned, then
all have been freely justified. But what does this mean? We saw that being
justified meant to have just reason for being or saying or doing something.
Justification was therefore some kind of evidence to give support to, or testify
to, a circumstance under judgement. Our works justify our faith; thus, while
our works cannot give us faith, those works are evidence as to whether
we have faith or not. Our works give support to our claim to have faith (James
2:24).
In
gospel terms, to be justified means to have just reason why we should not be condemned
by the law. To be justified means to be pronounced just according to the law
that otherwise should condemn us. That is, the law finds us just, without any
outstanding penalty to pay (having already been paid on the cross); therefore we are justified. Thus, according to these verses,
all who have sinned have also been freely justified! That means that not one
single person who has sinned (that is, all people) can be required to pay the
penalty demanded by the law. Every single penalty has been paid for every
single person that would ever live! If just one sin remained unpaid, then that
person would prove God to be a liar, and that cannot be so. However, this does not
mean that all are going to heaven. It does not support universalism,
because it must be activated by faith (Romans 3:28). The free gift must
be accepted by faith to ratify the contract! The pardon must be accepted
according to the terms and conditions (which include pleading guilty as charged
and casting ourselves upon God’s mercy).
God
has promised that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord to be
saved shall indeed be saved (Romans 10:13). If just one person should call upon
the name of the Lord and not have every single sin penalty paid for, then God’s
promise is not sure. Romans 3:24 also says this justification is through the
redemption in Christ Jesus, that is, through His payment to regain possession
of every single person who has sinned. God’s anger cannot be upon the breaking
of the law, therefore, because the full penalty that the law requires has been
paid. God’s anger against sin has been fully propitiated, appeased (1 John 2:2
– for the whole world). God’s anger instead will be upon those who reject the
total sacrifice of His son Jesus, and this anger against the rejection of His
Son can only be propitiated by sending such people to hell for eternity. People
go to hell for rejecting God’s Son, not to pay for their sins!
So
today we get to the choice that people must make based upon what we learned
last week. That is, the law of works totally condemns us, but Jesus has paid in
full every single penalty that could be brought against every single person.
The law itself cannot save us; instead it condemns us. But that condemnation
was laid upon Jesus upon the cross. The choice now becomes not whether we will
obey the law, for Paul has demonstrated that this is impossible. Instead the
choice is upon whether we will accept by faith the payment that Jesus has made
on our behalf, or to trust in our own ‘good’ works to be sufficient to save us
from everlasting punishment. This is where we start on today’s passage.
Romans
4:1-3
– 1What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as
pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof]
to glory; but not before God. 3For
what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness.
Paul asks the Jews what
they might think of Abraham’s situation. Of course, the Jews thought of
themselves as the children of Abraham, and what applied to Abraham became their
particular inheritance. They could think nothing wrong of Abraham and therefore
if Abraham said or thought it, then they were bound by this. Paul seeks to
demonstrate that what they believe concerning Abraham might not be quite what
they think it means.
Jesus made it clear
what he thought of some of them (especially the pharisees).
Matthew 3:9 – And think
not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our]
father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up
children unto Abraham.
John 8:37-41; 52-53 – 37I know
that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no
place in you. 38I
speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen
with your father. 39They
answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of
Abraham. 40But now ye
seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God:
this did not Abraham. 41Ye
do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We
be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God. …..
52Then said the Jews unto him, Now
we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying,
he shall never taste of death. 53Art
thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead:
whom makest thou thyself?
We have been talking
about circumcision earlier on in Romans, concluding that inward (spiritual)
circumcision is preferable to outward (fleshly) circumcision.
Romans 2:28-29 – 28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is
that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he [is] a Jew,
which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the
spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men,
but of God.
This passage today goes
on to reveal that this ‘pertaining to the flesh’ relates to circumcision. Abraham certainly believed God and this was
accounted to him for righteousness (Vs 3), but the circumcision in the flesh
was given as a sign of Abraham’s covenant with God after he had been
accounted righteous (Vs 10). Abraham was not justified by works (that
is, made just according to the law’s requirements) but by faith in God, while
he was yet uncircumcised!
Was Abraham justified
by his circumcision? The emphasis the Jews put upon the requirements of
circumcision certainly showed that they considered circumcision of the flesh to
be absolutely necessary to be righteous in God’s eyes. Paul is making sure that
they get the message here, that physical circumcision is not necessary to be
accounted righteous, to be justified. Of course, if circumcision could justify
a person, then perhaps Abraham could boast of being circumcised, a work in his
flesh. But, Paul says that he had no right to glory
(or boast in) his circumcision: ‘not before God’, because
God says otherwise! It was Abraham’s belief, his faith in God’s promises, not
any personal works, that justified Abraham. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted
unto him for righteousness.” (Vs 3)
This quote comes from the following:- Genesis 15:6 – And he
believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
And Abraham wasn’t
circumcised at this point in time! It would be 2 chapters later in Genesis 17
that Abraham would be circumcised as a sign of the covenant between God and
him.
Genesis 17:9-14 – 9And God said unto Abraham, Thou
shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their
generations. 10This [is]
my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after
thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11And ye shall circumcise the
flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and
you. 12And he that is
eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your
generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any
stranger, which [is] not of thy seed. 13He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with
thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh
for an everlasting covenant. 14And
the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised,
that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
In Romans, Paul is
emphasizing that the physical circumcision was merely an outward sign of their
acceptance of God’s covenant, and that spiritual circumcision (an inward
acceptance of God’s covenant shown by obedience to God’s law) was the real
thing.
The fact that Abraham’s
accounting for righteous occurred before his physical circumcision
demonstrates that physical circumcision (according to the flesh) had nothing to
do with ensuring Abraham’s righteousness.
Paul now looks at the
difference between the two alternatives, works and faith, which he appears to
be comparing with physical circumcision and spiritual circumcision.
Romans 4:4 – Now to him that worketh is the reward not
reckoned of grace, but of debt.
There are two choices
to make when it comes to being justified according to God’s law. One is to
decide that you aren’t all that bad, certainly not as bad as God’s law appears
to make you out to be. The alternative is to accept what God says as true and
thus to accept His remedy for it all. Here in Vs 4 the first option is
presented, and the verdict given as well. If you think you’re going to be
justified on the basis of your works (“This is Your Life”) then there’s only
one verdict that can be given – guilty! You will never have sufficient
good works to justify forgiveness, no matter how long you should live. Just one
bad work in your life and the rest of your perhaps otherwise perfect life(??)
is down the gurgler, down the drain! You will be declared spiritually bankrupt!
(in debt!)
James 2:10 – For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and
yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all.
Romans 4:5 – But to him that worketh not, but believeth on
him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness.
But there is an
alternative – believe on God’s promise that He will justify the ungodly through
faith in Jesus’ payment on the cross. (believe = pisteuo = to think to be true; to
be persuaded of; to credit; place confidence in, esp. to trust in Jesus or God
as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something; saving faith)
This requires an
acceptance that (a) you are guilty as accused, condemned by your works, and
admit this fully, and (b) you trust God’s promise that He can and will save
you, in spite of your overwhelming guilt. This is termed saving faith; this
faith is not a gift of God as some would falsely teach but instead is a
response of trust in a promise made by another.
2 Corinthians 7:10a – For godly sorrow worketh repentance to
salvation ….
Paul
states that this alternative, to trust in God’s promises of salvation, will be
accounted for righteousness. This doesn’t mean ‘not-guilty’, as in ‘never-did-it’,
but instead, through our acceptance of God’s promises, we are imputed to
be not guilty, effectively a pardon for our guilt. The fact that we have sinned
remains, but our responsibility for that sin has been imputed to Jesus. This
means that there was a judicial transfer of the sins of
man to Jesus Christ, God’s sin-bearer. (See Leviticus 16:8-10; 20-22 regarding
the scapegoat.) The act remains but it no longer is declared a sin punishable
by the law; the full payment has already been made. (And, no, the lost are not
sent to hell to pay for their sins. They go because they rejected the payment
that had already been made!)
Colossians 2:13-14 – 13And you, being dead in your
sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him,
having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was
against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to
his cross;
Thus it is by faith in the finished work of
Christ on the cross. Our sin-penalty has been paid
in full by Christ on the cross, and through faith in God’s promises His
righteousness is imputed to us in return.
Romans
4:6-8 – 6 Even as David
also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom
God imputeth righteousness without works, 7[Saying],
Blessed [are] they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are
covered. 8Blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord will
not impute sin.
While the
penalty demanded by the law for our sins has been paid in full by Christ, sin
is still imputed to us until we believe by faith in God’s promises of
righteousness without works. That is, the fact (not the law penalty) that we
have sinned remains on our records unless we accept the pardon for those
sins. If we trust in works, and reject God’s gift of life, then it’s
effectively a rejection of the pardon offered; we are still considered to be in
sin, despite the law penalty no longer being applied (for that penalty was paid
in full for all mankind on the cross). The pardon, though offered to all
mankind, may only be accepted (and come into effect) by faith in the One who
offers the pardon. Thus all are offered a pardon for
sins, yet only those who accept the pardon by faith will receive the blessing
of God who will not impute their sin to them.
To reject the
pardon is to stay under condemnation of that sin.
John 3:18 – He that believeth on him is not
condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
David also
tells us that it is a blessing of God to the man to whom God imputes
righteousness as long as it is not trusting in works. The quotes are from
Psalm 32:1-2 – 1Blessed [is he whose] transgression
[is] forgiven, [whose] sin [is] covered. 2Blessed [is] the man
unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in
whose spirit [there is] no guile.
without works – or “apart from works”; to choose works for our defense
will always reach the one verdict – guilty, so imputing of righteousness can
only be if our defense does not rest on our works, but instead on the finished
work of justification obtained by Jesus on the cross.
sins are covered – epikalupto (to cover over)
In
the Old Testament the Hebrew word for
atonement is kaphar
(as in Leviticus 17:11) meaning to cover over; pacify; propitiate; make
atonement for (especially sin).
kaphar was the Hebrew word for the pitch (tar; bitumen; asphalt) used to
waterproof such as boats.
In the Old Testament
the blood of bulls and goats could only cover sin, not remove it.
Hebrews 10:4 – For [it is] not possible that the
blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
But Jesus’
sacrifice achieved what the blood of animals could never achieve.
Hebrews 9:13-14; 22 – 13For if the blood of bulls and
of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14How much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 22And almost all things are by
the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
So, the imperfect
covering of sin by the blood of animals has now become the perfect removal of
sin by the blood of Jesus. And thus, because the sin has been cleansed away, it
no longer remains. Or rather, while the fact of the sin might remain, it is no
longer capable of condemning us, thus effectively non-existent. By faith, it is
no longer the guilt of sin that will condemn me, because that guilt has now
been imputed to Jesus on the cross, and God has now quite justly imputed His righteousness
(without works) to us. The sin hasn’t been put to one side or covered; it no
longer has any application to the law! That is, effectively sin ceases
to exist on our records. The fact of the sin might still exist but it can no
longer be seen as a sin-offense against holy God. And as such, the law cannot
and will not be used against it, ever again. Of course, if we were to trust in
works for our justification, then those acts which are no longer declared sin
still exist as debt on our lives (Vs 4). Such debt can only be cancelled by
trusting in Jesus’ payment, accepting it as God’s gift to us. Then we are
judged, not by works (= debt) but by faith (= righteousness) (Vs 5).
Romans
4:9-12 – 9[Cometh] this blessedness then upon the circumcision [only],
or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to
Abraham for righteousness. 10How
was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in
circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which [he had yet] being uncircumcised: that
he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not
circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 12And the father of circumcision
to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of
that faith of our father Abraham, which [he had] being [yet] uncircumcised.
Is this blessedness
given only to the circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well? Here Paul goes
back to his statement at the start of this passage, that Abraham’s belief in
God was indeed accounted to Abraham for righteousness. But was it while he was
circumcised or uncircumcised? We have already seen that he was accounted as
righteous well before his circumcision, and therefore the whole point of this
passage on faith by righteousness is that it couldn’t be based upon physical circumcision
in any way, noting that Abraham was yet uncircumcised when he was accounted as
righteous! He received the sign of circumcision after he had believed,
in much the same way that we get baptized after we believe. Our baptism
is not what makes us righteous, but is the evidence of such. Without baptism we
can still be saved! Likewise with circumcision here –
being accounted for righteousness is independent of circumcision. Paul is
making the point that the Jews who thought they were superior to the Gentiles
because of their circumcision, were actually not righteous because of
their circumcision, unless they also believed.
Paul says in Vs 11 that
Abraham became the father of all them who believe, even if not circumcised, and
righteousness would be imputed to them because of their belief. He was the
father of all those who believe, not necessarily of those who were circumcised.
The Jews saw their circumcision as being the proof of their descendancy from
Abraham, while Paul is saying it is actually their belief that should determine
that he was their father! Thus even people who
believed, yet uncircumcised, could be the children of Abraham. It is ‘belief’
that accounts for righteousness, not ‘circumcision’. And the Jews in Paul’s day
were relying upon their circumcision, not their belief.
In Romans 11, Paul
discusses the blindness that has come upon most of the Jews because of their
unbelief. Their circumcision, which they relied upon so much, couldn’t save
them, couldn’t justify them, couldn’t account them as righteous at all!
Romans 11:23-25 – 23And they
also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed
in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24For if thou wert cut out of
the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed
contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be
the natural [branches], be graffed into their
own olive tree? 25For
I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye
should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to
Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
And
so Abraham became the father of all those who would
believe, both Jew and Gentile, for there is no difference; he became the father
of both the circumcision and the uncircumcision, as long as they ‘walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham,
which [he had] being [yet] uncircumcised.’
So what does this mean for us today? Too many are
relying upon other experiences as I said last week. Churches do not preach the
cross of Christ as the only way to a holy God. They
preach spiritual manifestations, or tongues, or being of the elect, or doing the
works of salvation (not necessarily as a result of salvation), or doing service
for God when He hasn’t called them to do such, especially if they should be
relying upon that service to justify their righteousness, and their entrance
into heaven.
Matthew 7:21-23 – 21Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast
out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
There
is only one way to approach God in righteousness.
John 14:6
– Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
And to tie this all back to Romans (note the consistency of the Bible)….
1 Corinthians 1:17-18 – 17For Christ sent me not to
baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of
Christ should be made of none effect. 18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
There
are those who will claim to have a new revelation of how we might approach God
in righteousness, claiming that God has called them, anointed them, using them,
blessing them etc. However, are they doing it in obedience to God? In the end,
it is obedience that proves our belief; it is obedience that demonstrates the
reality of our faith. We may do much that looks good in the world’s eyes, but
unless God is in it, it is only failure.
John 14:15
– If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Psalm 127:1 – Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain.
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