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Pray
I think this would be a good point to take a look at an outline to re-orient ourselves.
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH (3:21-4:25)
Righteousness of God (3:21-26)
By Faith Alone (3:27-4:25)
Explanation (3:27-31)
Example from Abraham (4:1-25)
Faith and Works Abraham and David (4:1-8)
We are a large section of Paul’s letter to the Romans that discussesJustification by Faith.
This section begins at Chapter 3, verse 21 and continues on to the the end of chapter 4. First Paul addresses the Righteousness of God, in verses 21-26, then in the remainder of this section he discusses what he means by faith alone.
The section we covered last week, verses 27-31 can be thought of as an explanation of faith alone, and then chapter 4 deals with a practical example from the life of Abraham, and that is where we are today.
Now, the best way to understand faith alone is by example, so Paul takes all of chapter 4 to show us how this plays out in Abraham’s life.
Let me read Romans chapter 4, verse 1 through verse 8.
Today we are going to look at 2 points, we can learn from the first few verses of chapter 4
How radical Justification by Faith alone really is
How it Demonstrates that Justification by faith alone it is the foundation for Christian life.
Teaches us How radical this idea really is
There really is no other place that there is an idea anything like this.
All of society is based on the idea of justification by works.
Every court system in the world since law began is based on the idea that we are declared guilty or innocent based on what we do, our actions.
If I was speeding I am guilty, if not I am not.
We teach this to our children.
But it isn’t just in secular society, it is also in place in many other major religions as well.
Karma for instance is the universe either paying you back or rewarding you for your actions.
Islam you are judged by a set of scales, and you good deeds must outweigh your bad.
When the reformers rediscovered the doctrine of Justification by faith alone it was radical enough that it started the reformation.
To this day this is the doctrine that divides protestants, from all other religions.
Yet Protestant churches often drift from this doctrine.
A drift began right after the reformation.
As churches try to equate some sort of work with justification.
It has always been and continues to be a point of contention.
Here in the letter to the Romans we see that Paul knew that his audience would find it just as radical.
That is why he goes to great lengths to explain it.
For thousands of years Judaism was based on justification by works.
So Paul here in chapter 4, reaches back into Jewish history.
All the way back, to their most revered Father, and founder of the Faith Abraham.
What Paul is going to show, is that Justification by Faith alone is actually not new, and radical as people think.
Instead Paul will show that the Biblical plan all along was justification by faith alone.
It goes all the way back to the beginning.
You may recall last summer we did a study of Genesis.
We went through the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis, and then as summer came to and end, the last message was on Chapter 12, the call of Abraham.
Let me refersh your memory.
In Chapters 1-11 of the book of Genesis, we read about the story of the descent of man deeper and deeper into sin.
The world and Adam and Eve are created good, then in Chapter 3, they sin, and are expelled from the garden.
People then sin amore and more, right?
Cain and Able the first murder, and then the world is so corrupt, that God decides to pour out his wrath on the earth in a great flood.
Noah and his family is saved, but Noah too sins.
Then, all of mankind is gather in one place, the tower of Babel.
God sees their wickedness and scatters them to the ends of the earth.
But then....Starting in chapter 12, the rest of the whole book of Genesis is the story of God’s rescue plan unfolding through one family, the family of Abraham.
Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation, and through His obedience He becomes the father of the Jewish nation.
Paul then anticipates the Jews rejection of justification by faith, because in the Jews mind, Abraham was justified, by his obedience.
Abraham as you know was the father of Issac and Issac the Father of Jacob and Jacob the father of the twelve tribes.
Abraham, was the ancestor of Israel.
The forefather according to the flesh.
Then Paul writes in verse 2
Jewish rabbis, and believed that Abraham actually kept the whole law, even before the law was given.
Jewish tradition believed that Abraham was blessed, because he was righteous.
The argument that the rabbis would hold to goes like this.
Genesis chapter 12, Abraham follows God and leaves his country and goes to the land, this is Abraham being obedient.
Then he lives his whole life as a godly man until chapter 22, when He is tested.
To the Jewish mindset, all of the promises of God are hanging in the balance as to whether or not Abraham will follow God and sacrifice his son Issac.
Since Abraham does indeed offer Issac on the altar, Abraham is proved righteous and the blessing comes into effect.
Then Paul, says, If anyone would have a right to boast it should be Abraham.
Paul already wrote extensively about boasting so he does not press it too hard and just passingly says, but he can’t boast before God, no need to revisit that.
But then Paul takes a radical turn.
Paul writes
Here is the bombshell, Paul quotes Genesis 15, 6.
Why is that such a big deal.
because, Paul is not quoting something at the end of Abraham’s life after he had proved himself righteous by offering Issac on mount Moriah.
That event doesn’t take place until chapter 22, He is quoting a passage that happens long before that.
Long before the promises are fulfilled, while Abraham was still in the middle of the struggle to trust God,
Abram-believed the Lord and that was credited to him as righteousness.
In the verses before God gave the promise to Abram.
God gave Abram the promise that he will make him into a great nation, and Abram believed the Lord, and it was credited it to him as righteousness.
It says he believed God, He believed what God said, He believed what God had promised.
This is more than believing there is a God, that has long passed, He believed what God said, and that was credited to him as righteousness.
That word credited in the Septuagint is logizomai.
You may recognize the prefix log is there to record, it has this sense of recording, as if in an accounting ledger.
It has this sense of thought as if in an accounting ledger, the money may not be there physically, but a record of the money is there.
Along with that is to reconcile as if a debt.
Abram was not inherently righteous, but God credited Him as righteous, or logizomai, him as righteous.
This word is extremely important in chapter 4, it appears 11 times in the 25 verses of chapter 4 alone.
Here in verse 3, then in verse 4, now to the one who works, wages are not credited to him as a gift, verse 5, his faith is credited as righteousness, verse 6, God credits righteousness apart from works.
Verse 8 it is in the negative-whose sins the Lord will not count against him.
Verse 10 under what circumstances was it credited, logizomai.
Verse 22, this is why it was credited to him as righteousness, and verse 24 to whom God will credit righteousness.
Verse 4,
We go to work, we work hard, and we are due our wages.
In the accounting ledger of the employer it is a debt they owe us the money.
We work for someone and they owe us, our wages.
When our paycheck comes it just squares up the account.
He then moves that debt off his books, and we are back to zero.
It is not a gift when the boss hands you your check, it is what you are owed.
If Abram, indeed worked hard at his righteousness, where is the blessing?
Why would that be a gift?
If Abram worked for his righteousness, then God was not crediting his account as a gift, it would have been an obligation.
God would have owed Abram.
God would have been in debt to Abram, a mere man.
Can God be in debt to a man?
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