In Romans 4:1-25, Paul proved four aspects about justification by faith from the life of Abraham in the Old Testament: (1) how the Old Testament proved that justification is by faith and not works (Romans 4:1-8); (2) how the Old Testament proved that justification is by faith and not circumcision (Romans 4:9-12); (3) how the Old Testament proved that justification is by faith and not Law (Romans 4:13-17); and (4) how the Old Testament proved that justification is by faith in God (Romans 4:17-25).
We have now studied the first three aspects about justification by faith from the life of Abraham as recorded in the Old Testament. Now we come to the fourth and final aspect about justification by faith from the life of Abraham – justification is by faith in God (Romans 4:17-25).
Faith believes God (Romans 4:17). Faith is not only believing in God, it is also believing God. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith rests completely in God – in His wisdom, love, and power! Abraham believed in God and believed God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. Abraham didn’t only believe in God – he also believed God.
Faith believes without seeing (Romans 4:18). “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Against all evidence to the contrary Abraham believed God’s promise and His power to call as though existing that which did not exist – that he would be a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” Abraham took God at His word and believed God even under what appeared to be impossible circumstances – this gives glory to God and is genuine and biblical faith.
Faith believes in spite of circumstances (Romans 4:19). God waited until it was totally impossible from the human standpoint to fulfill His promise to Abraham by giving him a son in the face of impossible circumstances. It was unthinkable that a man ninety-nine years old could beget a child in the womb of his wife who was eighty-nine years old and who had never had a child up to this point! From a reproductive point of view, both Abraham and Sarah were dead. But in spite of the circumstances – Abraham did not become weak in the faith – he kept on believing God.
Faith believes God’s promise (Romans 4:20). God is truth and He cannot lie – believing God’s promise because of believing God’s character gives glory to God. Abraham didn’t focus on his impotence but on God’s omnipotence.
Faith believes God’s power (Romans 4:21). God is able to perform what He promises and therefore the promise of God and the power of God combine to give absolute assurance of the things hoped for – “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith receives God’s justification (Romans 4:22-25). Since faith believes God by believing without seeing, believing in spite of circumstances, believing God’s promises, and believing God’s power it receives God’s justification – completely as a gift and not something to be earned. The gift of justification is tied to God’s promise concerning His Son – this is the testimony or the promise that faith believes in order to receive God’s justification. To not believe is to not receive and to make God into a liar.
The story of Abraham and his faith is important to us today because men are now saved and have always been saved on exactly the same basis on which Abraham was saved – through believing God concerning His promise concerning His Son. Jesus said that Abraham rejoiced to see His day, and he saw it and was glad (John 8:56). Abraham believed God’s promise concerning God’s Son.
God’s promise concerning His Son was the He would deliver Him up because of our transgressions and raise Him up because of our justification (Romans 4:25). "Delivered up" is a judicial term referring to the commitment of a criminal to his deserved punishment. Jesus Christ was delivered up to serve the sentence of death that our transgressions deserved. Over and over the Bible makes it plain that the death of Christ was for our sins, for our transgressions, and not for crimes that He committed because He never did.
Christ was raised from the dead to provide our justification. Two things are true here: (1) God would have been unjust to execute an innocent man in the place of the guilty and then not raise that innocent man from the dead, and (2) a dead high priest cannot mediate between man and God and therefore cannot save anyone – but our living High Priest, Jesus Christ, can!
Justification is by faith in God!
Showing posts with label Abraham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abraham. Show all posts
Monday, October 5, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Faith not Law!
In Romans 4:1-25, Paul proved four aspects about justification by faith from the life of Abraham in the Old Testament: (1) how the Old Testament proved that justification is by faith and not works (Romans 4:1-8); (2) how the Old Testament proved that justification is by faith and not by circumcision (Romans 4:9-12); (3) how the Old Testament proved that justification is by faith and not the Law (Romans 4:13-17); and (4) how the Old Testament proved that justification is by faith in God (Romans 4:17-25).
We have already considered the first two aspects about justification that Paul proved from the life of Abraham. First, justification is by faith and not of works. Abraham was a pagan idolater who had done nothing and could do nothing to earn his justification. Second, justification is by faith and not circumcision. Abraham was justified at least fourteen years before he was circumcised. The conclusion is more than obvious: Abraham’s circumcision had absolutely nothing to do with causing his justification.
Now we come to the third aspect about justification that Paul proved from the life of Abraham – justification is by faith and not the Law (Romans 4:13-17).
Here in these verses, promise, grace, and faith are contrasted to Law so that we can see clearly that there are two opposing ideas about justification. One is justification as a gift by grace through faith in God’s promise. The other is justification as a wage by works through the Law.
Now which was it with Abraham? Was Abraham’s justification a gift by grace through faith in God’s promise? Or was Abraham’s justification earned as a wage by works through keeping the Law?
Abraham was not justified by keeping the Law (Romans 4:13-15).
God’s promise didn’t come through keeping the Law (Romans 4:13) – the Law was 430 years later. God’s promise came through faith. In other words God’s promise of justification through faith in His testimony concerning His Son isn’t given to those who insist on earning it through works, or circumcision, or keeping the Law – it is only given to those who will freely receive it.
God’s promise couldn’t come through keeping the Law (Romans 4:14-15). Through the Law faith would be made void – “For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified” – justification would then be earnable; men could please God in their flesh; faith would be unnecessary; and Christ would have died needlessly.
Also through the Law the promise would be nullified – “For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified.” God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants was an unconditional promise. The covenant or promise that God entered into with Abraham was based solely on what God would do and on nothing that Abraham would do. Abraham didn’t work for the promise; he wasn’t circumcised in order to receive the promise; and he didn’t keep God’s Law in order to receive the promise. If Abraham had the ability to bring about his justification then there was no need for God to make the promise that he would bring it about and therefore the promise would be nullified.
Through the Law justification is impossible (Romans 4:15). The Law brings about wrath not justification because men are sinners and the penalty for violating God’s Law is God’s wrath and the death of the sinner. The Law wasn’t given to save men but to show men that they need to be saved. The Law which brings about wrath shows men their great need for grace and mercy so that they will flee to God’s promise of justification through His Son and come to Jesus who said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Abraham was justified by faith (Romans 4:16-17)
Abraham was justified by God as a gift (Romans 4:16). The promise cannot and will not be received by works through the Law – it is only by faith in accordance with grace – and this way the promise is guaranteed. Think about it – if the promise of eternal life was through works of the Law it could not be guaranteed because the Law can be broken and because we are all sinners no one could ever reach it or attain to it. But the promise is guaranteed because it cannot be broken (God keeps His promises) because it is in accordance with grace and not by Law. Also this way the promise is guaranteed not only for those who are of the Law – the Jews – but also for those who are not of the Law – the Gentiles. And in both cases, for the Jews and for the Gentiles, the promise is guaranteed by grace through faith. Therefore only those who are of the faith of Abraham receive the promise.
Abraham was justified by grace through faith (Romans 4:17). Faith isn’t just believing in God (the demons believe in God); faith is believing God. Believing God gives God glory for in doing so one believes the trustworthiness and ability of God. Abraham believed God! Abraham believed God concerning God’s promise. Abraham believed God concerning the Christ and His resurrection from the dead. Any man who will be saved will believe God concerning His testimony about His Son – “The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son” (1 John 5:10).
Adding works of any kind to the gift of justification by grace through faith is to not believe in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. It is unbelief and makes God into a liar.
We have already considered the first two aspects about justification that Paul proved from the life of Abraham. First, justification is by faith and not of works. Abraham was a pagan idolater who had done nothing and could do nothing to earn his justification. Second, justification is by faith and not circumcision. Abraham was justified at least fourteen years before he was circumcised. The conclusion is more than obvious: Abraham’s circumcision had absolutely nothing to do with causing his justification.
Now we come to the third aspect about justification that Paul proved from the life of Abraham – justification is by faith and not the Law (Romans 4:13-17).
Here in these verses, promise, grace, and faith are contrasted to Law so that we can see clearly that there are two opposing ideas about justification. One is justification as a gift by grace through faith in God’s promise. The other is justification as a wage by works through the Law.
Now which was it with Abraham? Was Abraham’s justification a gift by grace through faith in God’s promise? Or was Abraham’s justification earned as a wage by works through keeping the Law?
Abraham was not justified by keeping the Law (Romans 4:13-15).
God’s promise didn’t come through keeping the Law (Romans 4:13) – the Law was 430 years later. God’s promise came through faith. In other words God’s promise of justification through faith in His testimony concerning His Son isn’t given to those who insist on earning it through works, or circumcision, or keeping the Law – it is only given to those who will freely receive it.
God’s promise couldn’t come through keeping the Law (Romans 4:14-15). Through the Law faith would be made void – “For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified” – justification would then be earnable; men could please God in their flesh; faith would be unnecessary; and Christ would have died needlessly.
Also through the Law the promise would be nullified – “For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified.” God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants was an unconditional promise. The covenant or promise that God entered into with Abraham was based solely on what God would do and on nothing that Abraham would do. Abraham didn’t work for the promise; he wasn’t circumcised in order to receive the promise; and he didn’t keep God’s Law in order to receive the promise. If Abraham had the ability to bring about his justification then there was no need for God to make the promise that he would bring it about and therefore the promise would be nullified.
Through the Law justification is impossible (Romans 4:15). The Law brings about wrath not justification because men are sinners and the penalty for violating God’s Law is God’s wrath and the death of the sinner. The Law wasn’t given to save men but to show men that they need to be saved. The Law which brings about wrath shows men their great need for grace and mercy so that they will flee to God’s promise of justification through His Son and come to Jesus who said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Abraham was justified by faith (Romans 4:16-17)
Abraham was justified by God as a gift (Romans 4:16). The promise cannot and will not be received by works through the Law – it is only by faith in accordance with grace – and this way the promise is guaranteed. Think about it – if the promise of eternal life was through works of the Law it could not be guaranteed because the Law can be broken and because we are all sinners no one could ever reach it or attain to it. But the promise is guaranteed because it cannot be broken (God keeps His promises) because it is in accordance with grace and not by Law. Also this way the promise is guaranteed not only for those who are of the Law – the Jews – but also for those who are not of the Law – the Gentiles. And in both cases, for the Jews and for the Gentiles, the promise is guaranteed by grace through faith. Therefore only those who are of the faith of Abraham receive the promise.
Abraham was justified by grace through faith (Romans 4:17). Faith isn’t just believing in God (the demons believe in God); faith is believing God. Believing God gives God glory for in doing so one believes the trustworthiness and ability of God. Abraham believed God! Abraham believed God concerning God’s promise. Abraham believed God concerning the Christ and His resurrection from the dead. Any man who will be saved will believe God concerning His testimony about His Son – “The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son” (1 John 5:10).
Adding works of any kind to the gift of justification by grace through faith is to not believe in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. It is unbelief and makes God into a liar.
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