Justified

Romans 4:1-8. "Justified". Safe Haven Community Church. Sunday September 25th, 2022. Romans 4:1-8. 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, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." (ESV) Do you really believe that God will keep His promises to you? Have you ever felt that God has forgotten you? When God made a covenant with Abraham, it was more than just a few legal terms pasted on a piece of paper. God chose to take full responsibility for Abraham's destiny. God guaranteed His commitment to him, unconditionally. As Christian believers, we also benefit from the Abrahamic Covenant. How? It guarantees our justification (Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2001). Practical Illustrations: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians (p. 78). Leadership Ministries Worldwide.) The doctrine of how a sinner can become right with God, in Christianity known as justification. Every faith system except Christianity, discusses various ways in which good works will appease a deity or the fact that there is no deity to appease. Only the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is a God who is infinitely holy, requiring perfection to order to satisfy His wrath. Since all of humanity is inherently sinful, the question must be asked about how one can therefore be justified before such a God. The theological reality of substitutionary atonement, where Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, alone can satisfy the wrath of God is a controversial one. How is it that faith in Christ satisfies God's wrath? Is this a form or cosmic child abuse or a religious fiction invented by people to satisfy their consciences? To get this answer wrong is to be eternally mistaken. The entire fourth chapter of Romans is devoted to Abraham, whom Paul uses as an illustration of the central biblical truth that people can become right with God only by faith in response to His grace, and never by works. Verses 6-8 pertain to David, but Paul is simply using David as an illustration to substantiate what he is teaching about Abraham. By using Abraham as the supreme scriptural example of justification, or salvation, by faith alone, Paul was storming the very citadel of traditional Judaism. By demonstrating that Abraham was not justified by works, the apostle demolished the foundation of rabbinical teaching-that people are made right with God by keeping the law, that is, on the basis of their own religious efforts and works. If Abraham was not and could not have been justified by keeping the law, then no one could be. Conversely, if Abraham was justified solely on the basis of his faith in God, then everyone else must be justified in the same way, since Abraham is the biblical standard of a righteous person. In Romans 4:1-8, the Apostle Paul explains how one is justified, or in a right standing with God, by faith alone. Using the ultimate example why human works do not save, he explains how: 1) Abraham Was Not Justified By His Works (Romans 4:1-2) 2) Abraham Was Justified by His Faith (Romans 4:3-5), 3) Justification Brings Blessing (Romans 4:6-8) To understand how a sinner is justified, we must understand how: 1) Abraham Was Not Justified By His Works (Romans 4:1-2) Romans 4:1-2 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 (ESV) Paul begins by asking, What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? He was asking, in effect, "Because we agree that Abraham is the peerless example of a justified man in God's sight, why don't we look at him carefully in order to determine the basis of his justification?" In this context what then is the equivalent of therefore, tying the discussion of Abraham to all that Paul has said in the preceding chapter. After asserting that both Jew and Gentile are justified by faith (Rom. 3:30), the apostle brings Abraham into the picture because he knew that this greatest of Jewish patriarchs, their forefather according to the flesh, was used by the rabbis as the ultimate example of one being justified by works. Paul will demonstrate that, to the contrary, Scripture clearly teaches that Abraham was saved by his faith alone. Abraham was the human forefather of God's first covenant with His chosen people. He was therefore, according to the flesh, the human standard of a genuine Jew and of a man who is right before God. The whole Hebrew race came from his loins, and what was true regarding his relationship to God must therefore be true of all his descendants. Abraham's name meant "father of a multitude" (cf. vv. 16-18). His original name, Abram, meant "exalted father." (Utley, R. J. (1998). The Gospel according to Paul: Romans (Vol. Volume 5, Ro 4:1). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.) Not only was Abraham the model for Israel, but later rabbis considered him the model Gentile convert to Judaism and affirmed his and Sarah's witness to Gentiles. Those who appealed to the model of Abraham often appealed to his works, with faith among them (Keener, C. S. (2009). Romans (p. 63). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.). Please turn to Genesis 12 According to the flesh refers first of all to physical lineage. But in this context it also suggests human effort in regard to justification. Paul has already asserted that Jew and Gentile alike are justified by faith (Rom. 3:30) and in Romans 4:2 he refers to the traditional Jewish idea of Abraham's justifying himself by good works. Therefore, according to the flesh could refer to reliance on human works. Abraham's works according to the flesh did not produce boasting but produced shame and confusion. (McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Romans 1-8) (electronic ed., Vol. 42, p. 77). Thomas Nelson.) Yet, the blessing contained in Genesis 12 explains the covenant relationship that God had with Abraham, and what is promised to his lineage: Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (ESV) * God's invitation to Abram challenges him to abandon the normal sources of personal identity and security: his family and country. To obey, Abram must trust God implicitly; all human support is largely removed. The promised outcomes are conditional on Abram's obedience (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 71). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.) * Abraham therefore is the picture of faith. In coming to Christ, one must abandon identity in self-merit and earthly security. This involves repenting of sin and trusting in God through the meritorious work of Christ for eternal life. If one has done this, obedience will evidence that repentance and faith. In a hypothetical syllogism, Paul says in verse 2, For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about. The major premise is that, if one could be justified before God by human efforts, then there is a ground for boasting in that effort. The minor premise is that Abraham, as a man, was argued by some to be justified by works. The necessary conclusion would be that if this all be true, Abraham therefore has something to boast about. The major premise is true: If one could be justified by works, they would indeed have something to boast about, because such would have merited their own salvation. But, as Paul goes on to demonstrate, the minor premise is not true. Consequently, the conclusion is untrue. Abraham did not have anything in himself to boast about before God. No one is justified by his works (if Abraham was not, who could be?) (Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 195). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.). Illustration: HAVE you ever gotten a letter in the mail from a credit card company telling you that you've been prequalified? These letters will usually tell you that you can spend five thousand dollars because they've already checked you out and decided you would be a good customer. Now, this is just a ploy. They are just trying to get you to spend money so that they can charge you interest. God has also prequalified us for righteousness. Unlike the trickery involved with the credit card companies, He has prequalified us by already applying the righteousness of Christ to our accounts. Our balances have already been paid. (It's not been paid because of the works that we would or have done, but solely on the work of Christ on our behalf). (Evans, T. (2009). Tony Evans' book of illustrations: stories, quotes, and anecdotes from more than 30 years of preaching and public speaking (p. 179). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.) 2) Abraham Was Justified by His Faith(Romans 4:3-5) Romans 4:3-5. 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, (ESV) On the positive side of his argument, Paul first appeals to Scripture, the divine and infallible truth upon which all of his arguments are based. Quoting Genesis 15:6, he declares, that "Abraham believed God, and it was counted/reckoned to him as righteousness. Paul's point here is that Abraham was justified by faith before he did any of the great works for which he is so famous (Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven (p. 90). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.). Early in the Genesis account of Abraham, which begins with Genesis 12, Moses was inspired to write of the patriarch that he was made right with God only because of his faith. Because Abraham believed God, and on no other basis, his belief was counted/reckoned to him by God as righteousness. Just as Abraham trusted God's word to give him a land he had never seen, he trusted God's power to raise Isaac from the dead, if necessary by a divine miracle he had never seen. It was in response to Abraham's faith in God that it was counted/reckoned to him as righteousness". "Was counted/reckoned" is from logizomai, which carried the economic and legal meaning of crediting something to another's account. The only thing God received from Abraham was his imperfect faith, but by His divine grace and mercy, He counted/reckoned it to Abraham's spiritual account as righteousness. That gracious reckoning reflects the heart of God's redemptive revelation and is the focus of both the Old and New Testaments. God has never provided any means of justification except through faith in Him. Faith is never the basis or the reason for justification, but only the channel through which God works His redeeming grace. Faith is simply a convicted heart reaching out to receive God's free and unmerited gift of salvation. For Abraham, by putting his faith and trust in God's promise, he showed that righteousness lies in believing instead of working (Schreiner, T. R. (1998). Romans (Vol. 6, p. 215). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.) What was true in regard to Abraham's faith is true in regard to every believer's faith. As verse 4 explains, "Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted/reckoned as a gift/favor, but as his is due. Faith is not, as some claim, a type of work. Paul here makes clear that saving faith is completely apart from any kind of human works. If people were able to save themselves by their own works, then salvation would be apart from God's grace, and Christ's sacrifice on the cross would have been in vain. If such righteous works were attainable by human effort, then salvation would not be a gift of God's grace but would be a wage that is due. Not only would works righteousness circumvent God's grace, it would also rob Him of glory, for which all creation was made (Rom. 11:36). The primary purpose of the gospel is not to save people but to glorify God (Eph. 3:20-21). There are many reasons why sinners cannot save themselves by their own works. First, because of sin people are incapable of reaching the divine standard of righteousness, which is absolute perfection. Second, no matter how generous, sacrificial, and beneficent works might be, they could not atone for sins. Even if God recognized all of a person's works as being good, the worker would still be under the divine penalty of death for their sins. Third, once again, if people were able to save themselves, Christ's atoning death was useless. Finally, if people could save themselves, God's glory would be eclipsed by people's works. Grace is not the end point but the beginning of Paul's logic; from the fact of grace comes the conclusion that the faith that justifies must be a faith that is "apart from" all works (cf. 3:28) (Moo, D. J. (1996). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 264). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.). Paul continues in verse 5, "Now/But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted/reckoned as righteousness. God only saves the person who does not trust in their own work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly. Until a person confesses that they are ungodly, they have not been drawn by God unto salvation, because they still trust in their own goodness. Those who are righteous in their own eyes have no part in God's redemptive work of grace. Working involves doing, while the genius of belief is receiving (Schreiner, T. R. (1998). Romans (Vol. 6, p. 215). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.) Although faith is required for salvation, it has no power in itself to save. It is the power of God's redemptive grace alone, working through the atoning work of His Son on the cross, that has power to save. Even genuine faith does not in itself merit or produce the perfect righteousness apart from which no one can come to God. His faith is rather counted/reckoned as that required righteousness. To be "counted/reckoned" speaks of here is justification, that forensic act of God whereby He imputes Christ's perfect righteousness to the sinner's account, then declares His verdict that the forgiven one is fully just. In his book Redemption Accomplished and Applied, John Murray wrote, "God cannot but accept into His favor those who are invested with the righteousness of his own Son. While his wrath is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, his good pleasure is also revealed from heaven upon the righteousness of his well-beloved and only-begotten" ([John Murray, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955], p. 124). * When some people learn that they are saved by God through faith, they start to worry. Do I have enough faith? they wonder, Is my faith strong enough to save me? These people miss the point. It is Jesus Christ who saves us, not our feelings or actions, and he is strong enough to save us no matter how weak our faith is. Jesus offers salvation as a gift because he loves us, not because we have earned it through our powerful faith. What, then, is the role of faith? Faith (includes repenting of sin), believing and trusting in Jesus Christ, (to achieve the reconciliation with God that our efforts cannot) (Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., & Wilson, N. S. (1992). Romans (p. 84). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.) Please turn to Isaiah 53 God thus justifies the ungodly, not by simply disregarding their sin-but having imputed our sin to Christ, who paid the penalty in full, He now reckons Christ's righteousness to us. This is the transaction that Isaiah explained in Isaiah 53, of the work of Christ: Isaiah 53:1-5. Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (ESV) * Acting as his people's substitute, with no support or understanding from them, the servant in verse 4 took upon himself the bitter consequences of their sin: (cf. Matt. 8:14-17). The sufferings of the servant would experience show the consequences that sin brings to fallen humanity. In being: "smitten by God, and afflicted" He received the wrath of God, in place of those who would trust in Him, as verse 5 explains. This is substitutionary atonement (Rom. 4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24-25).( Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1338). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.) * Because God credits the believer's sin to Christ's account, He can credit Christ's righteousness to the believer's account. God could not have justly credited righteousness to Abraham had not Abraham's sin, like every believer's sin, been paid for by the sacrifice of Christ's own blood. Before the cross, the believer's sin was paid in anticipation of Christ's atoning sacrifice, and since the cross the believer's sin has been paid in advance. Illustration: The story is told of a poor farmer who had saved his money for years in order to buy an ox to pull his plow. When he thought he had enough saved, he traveled a great distance to the nearest town to shop for an ox. He soon discovered, however, that the paper money he had been saving had been replaced by a new currency and that the date for exchange from the old to the new had long since passed. Because he was illiterate, the man asked a neighbor school boy to write a letter to the president of their country, explaining his dire situation and asking for an exemption. The president was touched by the letter and wrote back to the farmer: "The law must be followed, because the deadline for exchanging bills has already passed. The government can no longer change your bills for the new ones. Even the president is not exempt from this rule. However," the president continued, "because I believe that you really worked hard to save this money, I am changing your money for new money from my own personal funds so that you will be able to buy your ox." * Before God, every person's good works are as worthless as that farmer's outdated money. But God Himself, in the Person of His Son, has paid the debt. And when a confessed sinner casts himself on God's mercy and accepts in faith the Lord's atoning work in their behalf, such a repentant believer can stand forgiven and divinely righteous before Him. 3) Justification Brings Blessing (Romans 4:6-8) Romans 4:6-8. 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." (ESV) Paul here cites David in order to establish that the greatest king of Israel understood and taught that justification is by faith alone. The blessing David is speaking about is salvation, God's supreme blessing offered to fallen humanity. The only ones who can receive it are those for whom God counts/reckons righteousness apart from works. Christians do sin, and these sins need to be forgiven if we are to have fellowship with God (1 John 1:5-7); but these sins are not held against us. God does keep a record of our works, so that He might reward us when Jesus comes; but He is not keeping a record of our sins (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 525). Victor Books. In Psalm 32 the man after God's own heart declared, as quoted in verse 7: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven. The person of genuine faith is blessed. The emphasis is on the blessed state of those who come to God without works and trust themselves to the grace and mercy of God rather than boasting in their own achievements. The point is obvious: righteousness cannot be attained by works. No matter what the attainment-whether religious, moral, ethical or spiritual-nothing can ever earn justification. Moreover, it is God and God alone who controls salvation, and therefore he alone can credit righteousness. The sovereignty of God is uppermost. These people can be described as blessed because their "sins have been covered". Sin is universal and produces an insurmountable barrier between us and God. Works cannot suffice to bridge that gap. However, on the basis of Christ's sacrifice God has brought salvation to us, and we accept it by faith. At that point Christ's atoning work has covered our sins, and so our sin is never put to our account...Thus we are acquitted and pronounced "right" with God (Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 110-111). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.). Please turn to Psalm 51 Because of the covering of sin, as verse 8 explains: Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." . This is so because the basic sin and depravity of their fallen nature the Lord will not take into account. How is this possible? David clearly understood God's grace. In his great penitential psalm written after Nathan confronted him with his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, David cast himself entirely on God's grace. He pleaded for God's forgiveness when he called out to Him: Psalm 51:1-14 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide our face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. (ESV) * The only way God can have mercy on a sinner (v.1) is according to His "steadfast love". That is His covenant faithfulness. God's righteousness/justice is fulfilled in His covenant terms. The only way that one who has transgressed His covenant/law, receives mercy/forgiveness (v.9) is by the terms that He specifies in his covenant, that He alone must accomplish (v.7). * The plea for forgiveness here is based entirely on God's mercy, recognizing that the worshiper does not deserve it. One must first acknowledge the transgression (v.3), ask for forgiveness (v.7) and delight in that forgiveness (v.8). One shows the results of forgiveness in the exemplification of a forgiven life by evangelism (v.13) and worship (v.14) Abraham was justified only by faith, David was justified only by faith, and every believer before and after them has been justified only by faith. A sinner's faith is graciously accepted by God and counted for him as righteousness for Christ's sake. Hymn: With the following touching lines from his hymn "It Is Finished," James Proctor captured the essence of justification by faith apart from works: "Nothing, either great or small- Nothing, sinner, no; Jesus did it, did it all, Long, long ago. When He, from His lofty throne, Stooped to do and die, Everything was fully done: Hearken to His cry! Weary, working, burdened one, Wherefore toil you so? Cease your doing; all was done Long, long ago. 'Till to Jesus' work you cling, By a simple faith, "Doing" is a deadly thing- "Doing" ends in death. Cast your deadly "doing" down Down at Jesus' feet; Stand in Him, in Him alone, Gloriously complete. "It is finished!" yes indeed, Finished every jot; Sinner, this is all you need, Tell me, is it not?" (Copyright 1922. Hope Publishing Co., owner; in Choice Hymns of the Faith [Fort Dodge, Iowa: Walterick, 1944], #128.) (Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1991). Romans (pp. 231-245). Chicago: Moody Press.)