Romans 4

Thursday, 28 March 2013

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,… Romans 4:5

This is the amazing truth of the gospel revealed in its glory. The ungodly, the sinner, is justified by faith, not by works. This takes us back to Romans 3:31. Jesus fulfilled the law for us, and therefore when we place our trust in Him and what He did, we establish the law by faith. The righteous requirements of the law are met in Him and His righteousness is imputed to us through faith in that.

This brings us to an important concept though. If we attempt to be justified through works of the law and fail at them, then of course we can never be justified. But just as important is an attempt to be justified by deeds not recorded in the law – trusting in our own law.

If we attempt to establish our own righteous standards by adding to God’s word, then we are guilty of exactly that – adding to the word of God. This is what Jesus condemned when addressing the scribes and Pharisees. He repeatedly makes a distinction between the Word of God and the traditions of men –

“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teachingas doctrines the commandments of men.’

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.” Mark 7:6-9

As God’s word is truth, and because God is love, then the proper proclamation of God’s word, no matter how painful or cutting, is a loving action. It establishes the law of God. Truth and love are not at war with each other, they compliment each other. This is why properly handling the message of Christ is so important. When we attempt to be justified by our own deeds, we actually set aside the grace of God. When we teach others to do so, we bring condemnation, not salvation, to those who follow suit; it is the most unloving action imaginable.

God justifies the ungodly by faith. It is counted to them for righteousness. Let us believe this truth and not attempt establish our own righteousness before Him.

Life application: It is either the Bible or the teachings of man which brings salvation; the two are incompatible with each other. In our walk we must decide who we will follow and why. Let us never fail to stand on God’s word alone lest we be found to have fallen short of His grace.

Lord God, Your wisdom is displayed in Your word. Every story and every detail is given to show us who You are, what You expect, and our complete dependence on You. Help us to abide by its precepts, live by its statutes, and fear its judgments. Your word is precious and it is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path as I walk in this sin-stained world. Amen.

Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. Romans 4:4

Paul now brings up the subject of wages. When a person goes to work in a job as an employee, it is under the premise that he will receive payment for his efforts and that the pay will be comparable to his level of output, skill, knowledge, etc. Some people may work for their food and a place to sleep, some may work for currency, some may work for a precious metal like gold, etc. The first time “wages” are mentioned in Scripture it was work in exchange for a bride –

“Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?'” … “Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.'” Genesis 29:15 & 18

An agreement was made and the wage was paid based on the work performed (with a little cunning on the part of Laban…)

The concept of earning something for accomplishing deeds is found throughout Scripture and it is found throughout human history. The word for “work” in today’s passage indicates the doing of something by which something else will result. The word for “wages” is translated exactly as noted, wages. It is dues paid for working. The word for “counted” is also well chosen. It is to reckon, impute, or account. And the word for “grace,” which is found throughout the New Testament speaks of unmerited favor; it is “getting what one doesn’t deserve.” Finally, “debt” is something that is due – either for the sake of what is just or what is legally necessary; something is owed.

Taking all of these words and considering them from what Paul has been teaching us, there is a contrast between working to receive wages and demonstrating faith in order to obtain grace. A person who attempts to be justified by deeds of the law feels that God somehow owes him and that he has merited good standing in His presence; his salvation is earned. On the other hand, a person who understands that God’s grace cannot be earned places his trust completely and entirely in the hands of God, knowing that what he deserves is condemnation, but what he seeks is God’s pardon.

This is the contrast between the two – 1) Wages – The law looks to a trial based on merit. The trial will be perfectly fair and it will lead to condemnation. 2) Grace – Faith in Jesus seeks God’s favor through the work of another and the receiving of a pardon based on His accomplishments.

Life application: The choice is given to all – will we attempt to merit God’s favor by our own works, or will we place our trust in the work of Jesus? The biblical record stands – Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf if we are willing to accept it. Either way we will be judged by the same standard – it will be fair and it will either condemn us or justify us. Choose wisely. Choose Jesus.

Oh God, You have done for me that which I could never do. You have fulfilled the law in my place through a Substitute. Now, by faith in His work I stand justified in Your presence. The work of the Messiah is hinted at throughout Your word… and then He came! He was offered once to bear the sins of many and to those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hallelujah and Amen.

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Romans 4:3

Paul returns to Scripture – to the Old Testament – in order to prove his just-made statement. If Abraham was justified by works, then he would have something to boast about, but not before God. The verse Paul selects is Genesis 15:6 and the timing of the occurrence in Abraham’s life is as important as the words used. When taken in context and analyzed properly, today’s verse disproves the Calvinist doctrine of regeneration and it also shows that “faith” is not a work it all.

The previous verse said, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.” It is clear then that what is stated in today’s verse, “Abraham believed God…” is not a work. Paul began with “for” to demonstrate this. He is placing “works” and “belief (or faith)” in opposition to each other; therefore “faith” cannot be considered as “work.”

Quoting the noted Bible scholar Albert Barnes, “Faith is uniformly an act of the mind. It is not a created essence which is placed within the mind. It is not a substance created independently of the soul, and placed within it by almighty power. It is not a principle, for the expression a principle of faith, is as unmeaningful as a principle of joy, or a principle of sorrow, or a principle of remorse. God promises; the man believes; and this is the whole of it.”

As Barnes notes, “It is not a created essence which is placed within the mind.” In substantiation of this, Barnes reviewed every passage on which the corresponding Hebrew word was used in the Old Testament, and then again every corresponding time the Greek was used in the New Testament. His conclusion was that “there is not one in which the word is used in the sense of reckoning or imputing to a man what does not strictly belong to him; or of charging on him what ought not to be charged on him as a matter of personal right.”

This completely and entirely demonstrates that the doctrine of regeneration as submitted by Calvinism is wrong. Faith, which comes from within the man, results in justification. A man is not “regenerated” first in order to believe, as if God were injecting man with something externally in order for the act to occur. Further, to demonstrate that “faith” is not a “work” we can contemplate the following argument –

1) Deeds of the law, or works, do not lead to justification (as noted in Romans 3:28).

2a) “Faith” is not something required within the context of the law. The law is of works and demands perfect obedience (Romans 3:19, 20 & Galatians 3:11).

2b) But by faith a person is justified and declared righteous (Romans 3:28, Galatians 3:24)

3) Therefore, because the law demands works, and faith is not a requirement under the law, then faith cannot be a work; it is something entirely different.

It is completely evident, fully supportable, and biblically correct to note from this one verse that 1) belief is an act of the free will of man; 2) it is not placed in man through a nebulous process of being “regenerated to believe” by which he then believes; and that 3) this faith is in no way considered a work.

Therefore, the truth of Scripture indicates, from the first pages of Genesis, that man has been granted free will and that He must exercise that gift in faith. Further that this faith must be properly directed and in line with the revealed light which God has provided.

Now to address the second issue of today’s verse – the timing of God’s declaration. Genesis 15:6, which today’s verse from Romans cites, occurred several chapters and many years before the sign of circumcision. Circumcision was mandated in Genesis 17 when Abraham was 99 years old and when Ishmael was 13. However, Genesis 15 was prior to the conception and birth of Ishmael. Therefore, the declaration of righteousness was at least 14 years earlier, possibly more. Further, Abraham’s offering of Isaac in Genesis 22 and which is noted in James 2 came many long years after that.

Because Abraham’s faith was credited to righteousness prior to either of these acts, then neither of them can have any bearing at all upon his declaration of justification.

Life application: When reading the Bible, make sure you take time to stop and think through why ideas and concepts are introduced. God is revealing His light to us and to quickly pass over what is being said will cause you to miss the point of the passage. And be careful to not rely too heavily on commentaries. Reading them is fine, but be sure to compare them with what God has laid out, when they conflict with the word, they need to be disregarded.

Most gracious and heavenly Father. You have given me the ability to choose, but I know that the faith I exercise must be properly directed. Please be with me and open my eyes to the truth of Your word and the principles it contains so that my decisions will be right and in line with Your will for me. To Your honor and glory I pray this. Amen.

Monday, 25 March 2013

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. Romans 4:2

Paul’s words today would be set against the thought of the Jew who says, “Abraham was justified through circumcision.” And again, “Abraham was justified by the offering of his son on Mount Moriah.” To argue against this, he will introduce Scripture which will stand against this thought.

It’s important to note here though that James 2:21 seems to indicate contrary to this –

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?”

There are important concepts which must be understood clearly before we can grab the words of James 2 and stand before God and boast in our deeds. The first is that the term ek or “out of” is used by both Paul and James concerning works, not the term dia or “through.” Although the difference may seem small, Paul consistently shows that justification does not come “through” works. The second thing to note about James 2 is that the example of Abraham and the others given (such as Rahab the harlot) are fully explained in Hebrews 11. There, they are clearly described as deeds of faith. “By faith Abraham…”

In other words, the faith in God’s word led to the deed, not the other way around. The deed had no part in the justification of righteousness. So where did the justification come from? Paul will explain it quite clearly in the following verse. To set it up though, he gives today’s verse. “If Abraham was justified by works…” The words “if Abraham was” implies that he wasn’t, but the introduction is proper to show why. Therefore, “If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about.”

Of course, if we do something to merit favor, then we can boast in what we’ve done. If we are in a battle and everyone is certain to die unless an immediate source of relief is found, then the actions of the person providing the relief could lead to boasting. “Johnny charged the hill alone, took out the enemy guns, destroyed the mine field with a blasting charge, and had lunch waiting for us when we arrived at the bunker…” Well, Johnny can boast. He didn’t have faith that he would make it though. In fact, he probably thought he would die trying. He simply saw no other action and took it. It was a step in the dark.

Faith is not a step in the dark. Rather it is a step into God’s revealed light; it is trust that what He has said is true and will come to pass. This is why Paul finishes today’s verse with, “but not before God.” It is the introduction into verse 3 which will explain why Abraham’s faith was not a step into the dark, nor was it a point on which he could boast. He bore no part of his justification, but rather it was an act of God based on his faith alone.

This leads to the final point today. Faith… faith is not a deed. Exercising one’s faith is not somehow usurping God’s gift as many Calvinists would claim. Their idea is that God regenerates us to believe, we then believe, and then are saved and justified. This is nonsense of the highest order and it crosses the lines of reason. It also violates the tenor of Scripture on a multitude of levels.

When man fell, he gained the “knowledge of good and evil” and, as God said, “the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.” Something was lost, but something was gained. Using reason is a part of what we are. There may be nothing inherently good in us, but we can “see the good” in God and accept it. This reason, leading to faith, is not a work and it in no way diminishes the glory God deserves. On the contrary, it exalts Him because we use our free will, granted by Him, to choose Him. God regenerating somebody in order for them to be saved does the opposite. It would demonstrate God’s need to be glorified. But God lacks nothing, including the need to be glorified.

By mixing categories of what occurs in our salvation, we come up with confusion and a loss of what has happened in creation since the beginning; it skews the plan of redemption which is laid out in Scripture. Man chose to disobey and this is in no way laid at the feet of the Creator. Man chooses to accept His offer and it is completely and absolutely a gift for which God alone receives the glory. It is belief in what God says, not mere belief in God as we will see in verse 3.

Life application: Jesus and the apostles, throughout the New Testament, state time and time again words such as “believe,” “call on,” “have faith,” “trust,” etc. These are things that we do throughout our lives. The ability to do these things establishes us as rational, free-willed beings. This is a gift of God and therefore when we exercise them “for” God, it is still ultimately “of” God, not ourselves. Today, take time to revel in what God has given you… choice. Now go and give Him the glory for the choice of accepting what He has done for You – the giving of Jesus!

O God, at the very beginning we chose to reject Your word and to do things our own way. We took from the tree and were separated from You. But without all the bad, we could never appreciate the good. Thank You that the way has been restored through another tree… the cross of Calvary. I stand amazed at the glory You have revealed there. Amen.

Sunday, 24 March 2013

What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? Romans 4:1

Paul begins chapter 4 in a manner similar to chapter 3 (the original letter contained no chapter or verse divisions, but these are logical points of demarcation which were later added) by introducing a pertinent question. He has built an argument and defended it in a precise and exacting manner, introducing legal terms and processes in order to validate his points. Each step has been introduced to confirm the concept of justification by faith.

During the progression, he has shown the nature of sin and the nature of fallen man, both under natural law and the Mosaic law. All are bound under sin and none have an innate righteousness. Because of this, none can attain to it by their own works; something external is needed.

And so now he introduces Abraham as a living example of his argument. As Abraham is the father of the Hebrew nation and because he lived hundreds of years before the introduction of the law, he will demonstrate that what occurred between God and Abraham was apart from the law or any deeds of the law. This will confirm his statements at the end of chapter 3 which concerned boasting before God.

He now asks “What shall we say that Abraham our father has found…?” Paul is clearly indicating that Abraham is the father of the faith, a point not missed by those under the law when speaking to Jesus such as during this exchange in John 8 –

“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” (vs. 38, 39)

Even the Lord acknowledged this to the people of Israel when He spoke to them through Isaiah –

“Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarahwho bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” Isaiah 51:1, 2

Because this is testified to the nation, even from their own Scriptures which established them as a people, then what is deduced concerning Abraham will be all the more sure and binding if it is a demonstrable truth. Paul’s next words will begin to establish what Abraham “has found according to the flesh.”

The introduction of this phrase “according to the flesh” has been debated and two options are most disputed –

1)That Abraham is the physical father of the people; he is their ancestor and they are his descendants.

2) That “according to the flesh” is tied to the words “has found.” In other words, “What thing in the person of Abraham is found to be true concerning our previous argument?”

The second is the obvious and correct option. Paul has been speaking about how righteousness is found and how one stands justified before God. He will continue with this thought by giving the practical example of Abraham. The fact that he is the father of the faithful is true, but how he became that way is what is of importance to Paul and his argument. The first is dependent on the second, but the reciprocal is not the case.

Life application: Use caution when reading commentaries, particularly in biblical matters. Don’t bind yourself to one interpretation until you have researched other possibilities. The Bible is a unified whole and it will always internally validate itself. Logical arguments must rest on ultimate truths and the conclusions must be in line with the overall objectives presented in Scripture.

Oh heavenly Father, Your word is a delight to my mind and the highest point of joy in my daily thoughts. From Your word I see light and truth and in Your word I see the glorious plan of the ages – all of it pointing to what You alone have accomplished for us, your wayward creatures. And so to You alone be the glory. May I only boast in what You have done for us. Amen.