Romans 4:1-12 – Abraham’s Faith Justified
Abraham
believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. When a man works, he is given wages. This is not a gift, but an obligation. To a man who doesn’t work but trusts God, his
faith is credited as righteousness.
David said the same thing in Ps.
32:1-2 when he said a man is blessed apart from works. Even though Abraham was circumcised, he was
credited as righteous before he was circumcised. He is the father of all who believe but have
not been circumcised. He is also the
father of the circumcised and those who walk in the footsteps of the faith. (Rom. 4:1-12).
Paul
wanted to prove his message about faith so he started by explaining faith in
the Old Testament. He used Abraham and
David as examples. He wanted to show
that to become righteousness is not by our works, but by our faith.
Abraham
was called a friend of God in Is. 41:8
and in Is. 51:1-2 he was called a
righteous man. He could have bragged
about it others, but he couldn’t brag to God.
God accepted him because he believed God not because of his good
works. He believed God’s promise of a
son and that he would have many descendants and had faith it would happen. Paul quotes David in verses 7-8 as saying we
are blessed when we know God has forgiven our sins and credits us righteous
apart from any works.
Jews
believed a man needed circumcision. In
Genesis God commanded that every Jewish male child be circumcised as part of a
covenant with God. This was an outward
sign and a permanent reminder to Israel that they needed to obey God’s
laws. Circumcision is practiced today
although it is not necessary for any religious reasons. God is more interested in spiritual
circumcision. Physical circumcision can however
prevent disease and so does spiritual circumcision. Spiritual circumcision prevents sin disease
that starts in the heart. It is putting
off immorality, evil desires, anger, lying, etc. Today God requires obedience just as He did
during the Old Testament times.
A
person who thinks he qualifies for heaven because of his religion or good works
is wrong thinking. We are justified by
faith and not by our works. This applies
to all people. Abraham was justified
before he was circumcised. So there is
no basis or rule that one must be circumcised.
God can justify anyone who believes in Jesus Christ, even the uncircumcised. This is the truth is the foundation for your
Christian life. Good works does not save
you. Religion does not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ can save you.
What
are you trying to do to assure your place in heaven?
Does
God see you as righteous?
“However, to the man who does not work but trust God who justifies
the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” – Rom. 4:5. Does this mean we don’t have to do any
works? No, it means your works don’t
save you. He is talking about the Jews
and those who thought good works would save them. We are
under grace and under grace you don’t have to do anything to be justified and
righteous. God recognizes Jesus’ death
as payment in full for all our sins. We
are all sinners so God justifies the ungodly – that’s all of us.
If you
see yourself as a good person and deserving salvation, you can’t be
justified. If you see yourself as a
sinner and deserving of God’s judgment, then you can be justified. God justifies the ungodly. We need to recognize ourselves as sinners and
in need of Jesus. We need to acknowledge
that the wages of your sin is death and sin eternally separates us from God,
trust in God’s promises and that Jesus died for you, and accept Him in
faith. If he justifies the ungodly,
there’s hope for you. The best news ever
is we don’t have to work for our salvation.
Salvation comes to those who believe in Jesus Christ.
Are you
depending on your baptism, your church attendance, or how much money you give
to the church to save you?
What
outside signs are you depending on?
Principle: God justifies us by our faith alone, not by
our works.
If God
has forgiven me of my sins and has justified me through the blood of Jesus, why
do I sometimes feel guilty of my past? It is a lack of faith. We let Satan into our thinking to make us
feel guilty. It seems too easy for God
just to say we are forgiven. That is
lack of faith. God tells us if we
confess and repent, He will forgive any sins and remember them no more and God
doesn’t lie. SO – believe it and move
on!
What
sin are you looking back on that makes you feel guilty?
Have
you confess it to God?
Romans 4:13-25 – Abraham’s Faith Rests in
God’s Promise
It was
not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promised to be
the heir of the world, but through righteousness that comes by faith. Abraham is the father of many nations. He is the father of us all. He is our father in the sight of God in whom
he believed – the God who gives life to the dead. Abraham was about 100 years old and his body
was as good as dead. His wife Sarah’s
womb was dead also, but in hope he believed and so became the father of nations. He didn’t waver in unbelief in God’s promise,
but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God being fully persuaded
that God had the power to do what He had promised. This is why it was credited to him as
righteous. This is written to us also
who believe in Him who raised Jesus from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins
and was raised to life for our justification. (Rom. 4:13-25)
In Genesis 12-23 God promised He would
make Abraham into a great nation. He
promised to bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him and that
all people would be blessed through him.
God promised to give the land of Canaan to him and his descendents. God promised that Abraham’s wife would have a
son and she would be the mother of nations and kings.
God had
promised Abraham and Sarah a child, but they were now old and it hadn’t happened. Abraham didn’t give up. He had faith and believed God even though it
was humanly impossible and very unlikely at this point in his life. At times our faith cannot be without
struggles, just as it was for Abraham.
As we look back on history we see God kept His promise to Abraham and
gave him many descendants.
To
believe in God’s promise is the same as believing in God. If someone promises to do something and you
don’t believe him, then it’s the same as calling him a liar. If you don’t believe God, you are calling Him
a liar. God does not lie and Abraham
knew it.
Do you
believe God’s promises?
Do you
believe in His written Word?
Abraham
grew in his faith and gave glory to God.
This teaches us that our faith should be growing. Your faith may be weak, but it is still
faith. Faith is a gift from God, but we
have the responsibility to grow it. We
can grow it by studying God’s Word and learning His attributes and His
ways. Put your faith into action and as
we do that our faith is strengthened to trust Him more and more.
How is
your faith like Abraham’s?
What
has your faith taught you?
Is your
faith growing?
Abraham
believed God’s promise in spite of his seemly impossible circumstances. Maybe you look at your own heart and realize
how sinful you are and think it is impossible for God to save you. Maybe you say God can never forgive all that
I’ve done. God can forgive any sin and
He will if you confess and repent. We
must believe God and that Jesus died as the substitute for all sinners – even
you. We are saved by grace alone through
faith in Him alone.
Have
you personally applied the lesson of Abraham’s faith so righteousness can be
credited to you?
Principle: God separates the sin from the sinner by placing
it on Jesus.
Next time
we will study Romans 5. Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my
site. Hope to see you here again. -- I
encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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