Not by the Law
Grace Greater than Our Sin • Sermon • Submitted
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1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather 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 counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
How are we saved? That is the question that Christians have struggled with for two thousand years. We read in Luke 10 about a young lawyer asking Jesus how we receive eternal life. Jesus tells him that we must love our neighbor through our actions. The gospel text for today is Nicodemus coming to Jesus searching for answers about this question. Jesus’ answer? You must be born again. How are we born again? Jesus famously tells Nicodemus that if we believe in the One whom God sent, we will have eternal life. In our text today from Romans 4, Paul brings together these two concepts of belief in Christ and the action that follows to help us understand how one is saved.
In order to get the context of our passage, we have to back up into chapter 3. We have to remember that Paul addresses Romans to two primary audiences in the Roman church: the law-abiding Jews and the Gentiles who have not followed the law. Paul’s purpose in the opening chapters of Romans is to bear witness to the fact that salvation is open to all people, both Jew and Gentile, regardless of the law.
In Galatians, we find Paul writing to a church that has been overrun by those who believe that to be a good Christian one must follow the law, primarily laws of circumcision, festival keeping, and dietary restrictions. The same is true of the Romans. Where Paul gave a preview of his theology in Galatians, he teases out more in Romans 1-5.
In our modern day context, we may find it strange to think that we need to follow certain laws in order to be counted among the righteous. Certainly, there are no churches or denominations that tell us that we must be circumcised by a pastor. I don’t believe I want to sign up for that duty. However, there are certain churches that require heavy-handed stipulations. There are churches that require women to not cut their hair or wear jewelry or pants because of something that is found in Leviticus. There are churches that require certain diets and worship on the Sabbath. If you have to work on Sunday, it is seen as a sin. And in individual churches, there can be requirements placed on people to serve in positions or follow customs. The point is that many denominations and individual churches place burdens on people to follow “laws” to show that they are true Christians.
My primary purpose today is to show you through scripture that it is not the works of the law that save us but the grace that has been freely given to us that saves us.
1. The promise of salvation is rooted in faith in Christ. (vs. 1-5)
1. The promise of salvation is rooted in faith in Christ. (vs. 1-5)
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
2. The law brings wrath, not salvation. (vs. 13-15)
2. The law brings wrath, not salvation. (vs. 13-15)
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
3. The power of grace recreates us. (vs. 16-17)
3. The power of grace recreates us. (vs. 16-17)
15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.