Amazing Grace
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Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
Throughout the past couple of weeks we have seen that God demonstrated His presence through nature so that men are without excuse.
Then we saw that because of man’s persistent wickedness God poured out His wrath on any and all wickedness of men.
Now the part that we are seeing today—“God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another . . .”
The we saw God will judge all of mankind—without showing favoritism. Judgment will even come to those who are under the law. And we learn that the Law of God never was able to save anyone!
Finally, last week we learned that there is no one righteous, not even one!
But now there is a new way to be placed into a right relationship with God—Justification. God says that the only way for mankind to be justified—placed into a right relationship with God—is through FAITH.
So then the logical question some may ask is how then were the Old Testament saints (like Abraham) justified?
Romans 4:1-
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Justified by Faith
Justified by Faith
According to our passage today their belief in action was credited to Abraham as righteousness.
Here Paul quotes . “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are they
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
Romans 4:
Faith in God
Faith in God
How does faith work?
Wages
Wages
Paul tells us that mankind is not justified by works, because if works justified us we would have something to boast about.
Faith
Faith
Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven, because the Lord will never count the sins against him.
So here’s the truth—what Abraham did was not able to save him—it was the fact that his actions demonstrated his faith. God said “Go.” And Abraham went!
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Romans 4:9-12
Nothing to do with circumcision
Nothing to do with circumcision
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Nothing to do with with the Law
Nothing to do with with the Law
Romans 4:16-
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
It’s all about Faith!
It’s all about Faith!
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 4:18-25
Faith in Jesus
Faith in Jesus
Here’s the key—Jesus paid it all! His righteousness is credited to us, and to the Saints of the Old Testament.
Because Jesus conquered death, we can be placed into a right relationship with God—justified. We are now seen as if we never sinned.