Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Romans 4: 1-8 (NASB).
“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 4Now to the one who works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 6just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. 8BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”
What the Word is Saying
Paul is now turning to the issue of works versus faith and what constitutes righteousness. He already has established that a life lived in complete adherence to the law can be considered righteous. However, since we all cannot live up to the requirements of the law none of us can be made righteous by it. We need atonement for our sins to be made righteous again. Nevertheless, there was a time that someone was credited with being righteous and that was Abraham. Notice in these verses that Paul is certain to point out that it was not works that made Him this way. He did not yet have the Torah. Therefore, he could not follow the law to be made righteous again.
Abraham was declared righteous not because of his actions. Rather he was declared righteous because of His faith. He believed in God and ascribed glory to him because of who He is. Because of that God declared him righteous. What an amazing gift that the creator of the universe who is Holy and worthy of praise would look down on a fallen man and restore Him to right standing with Himself because the man simply had faith in who God was. By grace or unmerited favor from God He ascribed righteousness to Abraham because of His faith.
This is a trope or allusion to the grace offered to us in the faith of Jesus. Abraham was credited with righteousness because of his faith. In the same way when we by faith confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. We are made righteous in Him. It is not any work we did or any act that we did to earn that favor. Rather it is the unmerited favor or grace of God that makes us righteous. Jesus did the work for us, we need only by faith believe He did it.
If you have not yet given your life to Christ Jesus than you are not Justified and made righteous by Him through faith. This is an easy problem to fi you need only pray this payer with me now: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord, I believe you came to earth and lived a sinless life, I believe you suffered and died on a cross for my sins, I believe they placed you dead body in a tomb, and I believe that three days later you rose from the dead. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask for your forgiveness. I ask you to send me your Holy Spirit to give me power to conquer sin in my life and lead me into all truth. In Jesus name, Amen.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.
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