A. INTRODUCTION
The fourth chapter of Romans consists primarily of a lengthy illustration of the powerful truth proclaimed by the apostle Paul in the third chapter. That truth is summarized by Paul in 3:28:
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. [ KJV ]
1. In our study last week we considered the definitions of three weighty theological terms which Paul used when explaining the doctrine of Justification by Faith.
a. p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) an atoning sacrifice which succeeds in turning aside the wrath of the one to whom it is offered
(2) "The sinner has absolutely nothing to bring to appease God's wrath, but God, out of his fathomless love and holiness, gives what the sinner cannot give, namely, himself on the sinner's behalf. The ultimate sacrifice of God's offering of himself in the person of his Son on behalf of humanity removes the barrier of unrighteousness and estrangement between the two." (James R. Edwards: Romans (Vol. 6, New International Biblical Commentary )
b. r __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) the act of purchasing a slave for the specific purpose of setting him or her free
(2) "This is precisely how the New Testament describes the work of Jesus on our behalf. Jesus is our Redeemer. He is the One who paid a ransom for ur souls.
We have to be careful here, for there are all kinds of theories about what Jesus did. One that has been very famous in the history of the church is that Jesus paid a ransom to the devil, in orde th buy us back from Satan's possession. But that is an utterly unbiblical concept. The ransom or the purchase price is not paid to Satan. It is paid to God, for it is to God that we are in debt." ( R.C. Sproul: Romans )
c. j __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) the opposite of condemnation
(b) "Justification...may be defined as the judicial act of God whereby He justly declares and treats as righteous the one who believes in Jesus Christ. The justified believer has been declared by the Judge Himself to have nothing laid to his charge." ( C.I. Schofied: New Schofield Reference Bible )
2. The doctrine of Justification by Faith has been accepted without reservation by millions of believers down through the ages, but it was radical theology to many of Paul's contemporaries. Two objections were commonly raised against his teaching of this doctrine, one regarding the character of God and the other regarding the character of the believer.
a. In chapter four Paul makes an assertion which might have caused his original readers to blanche with horrified astonishment: God justifies the ungodly. To the Jewish mind, this is unthinkable! Paul hinted at this concept in chapter three, when he spoke of God being both "j __ __ __" and, at the same time, the "j __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __" of the believing sinner. But in Romans 4:5 Paul will come right out and say it: the believing sinner has placed his faith in Him who justifies the ungodly (!).
(1) This is the "Divine Dilemma" with which Jesus was confronted in John 8:1-11. A group of Pharisees -- who were wary of Jesus because of His "radical" interpretation of the Law -- brought to Him a woman who had been caught in the very act of adultery. Their understanding of the Law was clear: she should be stoned to death for such a crime. They were certain that the message of grace and forgiveness which He had been preaching would have to be compromised by the red-handed seriousness of the charges brought against her. How, they wondered, would Jesus handle the seeming dichotomy between their stern understanding of God's pure and righteous justice and His gentle teaching which (to their minds) over-emphasized God's great love and mercy?
(2) Many of Paul's readers wrestled with the same question. How can God be both fully just and fully merciful? That these two qualities of God form part of our understanding of His character is widely accepted, but the manner in which He can manifest both at the same time exceeds the limits of human comprehension. And that is exactly the point! There exists no satisfactory human solution to this riddle; a "Divine Dilemma" requires a "Divine Resolution." This fact should lay to rest once and for all time mankind's pathetic attempts to be reconciled to God by means of any human endeavor.
(3) The stupendous act of Christ's voluntary surrender of His life on the cross at Calvary is explained by Paul with the word "propitiation." As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, ...according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission [ forgiveness ] (Hebrews 9:22). And as the apostle Paul himself will declare in Romans, The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). In order for God to be truly "just," He must mete out the punishment which He Himself has declared awaits those who sin against Him. On the other hand, God's Word says that He is truly merciful, ...longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentence (2 Peter 3:9).
On the cross, God fully satisfied His long-delayed final response to sin. His justice was served in the death of the Perfect Lamb as an atoning sacrifice. His love is expressed in His justification of those for whom Christ died.
"God, because in his mercy he willed to forgive sinful men, and being truly merciful, willed to forgive them righteously, that is, without in any way condoning their sin, purposed to direct against his very own Self in the person of his Son the full weight of that righteous wrath which they deserved." - Charles Cranfield: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, Vol. II
"In Hebrew ritual, the High Priest appeared before the Ark of the Covenant which contained the stone tablets of the law and sprinkled blood from a sacrifice on the gold lid of the Ark which was called the mercy seat. [ The Greek word translated from the Septuagint as "mercy seat" is the same one translated as "propitiation." ] The symbolism richly portrayed the fact that a broken law stood between a holy God and His children, but through the shedding of blood the place of judgment and estrangement became the place of mercy and reconciliation. Christ's death is therefore seen as the means whereby the legitimate demands of God for justice against a sinful race are fully met, leaving Him free to be merciful to those who formerly merited only judgment."
- D. Stuart Briscoe: Romans (Vol. 6, The Communicator's Commentary)
b. While nearly all monotheistic religious systems include the concept of justification in their understanding of the relationship between God and mankind, the doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone seems to suggest that all one has to do is express a "casual" belief in Jesus in order to be reconciled to God, and then can proceed to live any kind of sinful, wicked life he or she desires.
(1) There are many, many people who do just that. Their belief in Jesus, they feel, will provide whatever is necessary for the salvation of their eternal souls, but that belief need not express itself in a life of righteous living. Two contemporary recording artists who embody this understanding are Madonna and The Artist Formerly Known as 'Prince.' Their liner notes, their interviews, their comments, their jewelry, and even some of their songs make reference to a belief in God and in Jesus, but many more of their songs and, more to the point, their lifestyles are not consistent about what God's Word would require of one who espouses their stated beliefs.
(2) This is not what the Bible teaches. Justifying Faith is much more than an intellectual nod toward Jesus. Belief in the facts about the historical Jesus -- even a belief which includes His virgin birth, sinful life, atoning death, and resurrection -- is admirable, to be sure, but, unless it is a living faith, a transforming faith, a supernatural faith, it is only a good idea. Since such a belief has no transforming power, it cannot produce that which comes from justifying faith: s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __, the process of becoming comformed to the holiness of God. Authentic, justifying faith comes from God. It cannot be manufactured or "mustered up" by even the most sincere person because it is divine in origin.
Ephesians 2:8-10
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
(3) Saving faith, since it is from God, has the power to make us "new creatures." We are changed "from the inside out," as we have often said.
First, God gives the believing sinner a new h __ __ __ __.
ROMANS 10:8-10 [ NKJV ]
But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Next, that "quickened" believer is "transformed" by a new m __ __ __.
Romans 12:1-2 [ NKJV ]
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Then, that new mind manifests itself through a new w __ __ __.
Philippians 2:12-13 [ NLKV ]
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
B. TEXT: Romans 4:1-25
In the fourth chapter of his epistle Paul will embody this "abstract" concept of Justification by Faith Alone in the person of that greatest of the Hebrew faith heroes: A __ __ __ __ __ __. As vital background reference for our study this morning I would encourage each one of us to spend the next two reading of Abraham's story in the Bible. This morning's bulletin suggests a daily study schedule, and next week's will do the same. We will limit our look back in Scripture to Abraham to a single brief passage, Genesis 15:1-6.
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."
But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezier of Damascas." And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars -- if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. [ NIV ]
1. Over the centuries rabbinical teaching about Abraham had twisted key elements of the life of this great Father of Faith and, in so doing, made a clear understanding of justification difficult for generations of Jews.
a. Their teaching twisted the "righteousness" of Abraham, suggesting:
(1) God chose him for salvation on the basis of his c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ since, they insisted, he wass the most righteous man of his generation;
(2) he had "kept the law" centuries before its being written down by "intuition" and "anticipation.
(3) In their teaching they used Genesis 26:5 - Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. What they failed to include in their teaching was that before Abraham obeyed Him, God saved him and made him r __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
"The rabbis concluded that Abraham was perfect and righteous. Therefore God chose him and made him the head of the nation. He was their standard. If you wanted to be righteous, if you wanted to be right with God, if you wanted your sins forgiven, and if you wanted to be saved and brought into the kingdom, you would have to be like Abraham and become righteous by your own good works." - John MacArthur: Justification by Faith: Romans 3:20-4:25
b. Their teaching twisted the faithfulness of Abraham.
(1) In some of the Apocryphal books Abraham is presented as righteous not by faith, but by his "anticipatory" keeping of the (unknown) law of God.
(2) Some also "shaded" Paul's Biblical reference verse for the Doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone to reinforce their belief in the role of the law in salvation. God states in Habakkuk 2:4 that the just shall live by faith. This passage was usually translated by Hebrew scholars as "the just shall live by faithfulness." That subtle re-phrasing of the text changes entirely the meaning of the verse and the lesson of the book of Habakkuk!
(3) Rabbinical scholars held that Abraham was saved by the m __ __ __ __ of his faith, that he "earned" salvation with his own exceptionally strong faith.
2. In chapter 4 Paul "re-teaches Abraham" for his readers, using his life as a proof text for the concept of Justification by Faith Alone. For good measure, he throws in a little David, but the greatest part of the chapter is devoted to the Father of Faith. He divides his teaching into three sections.
a. (v.1-8) Abraham was justified by f __ __ __ __, not by w __ __ __ __.
b. (v.9-17) Abraham was justified by g __ __ __ __, not by l __ __.
c. (v.18-25) Abraham was justified by divine p __ __ __ __, not by h __ __ __ __ effort.
3. Romans 4:20-25 is perhaps the key text in the passage, and it includes yet another unfamiliar term for our theological glossary: the verb "to I __ __ __ __ __."
He (Abraham) did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."
Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. [ NKJV ]
a. "To impute" means "to credit to one's account." This is a key term in understanding the doctrine of Justification by Faith, and its use in Romans 4 provides another wonderful example of God's great mercy toward sinful believers. As Paul states in v.23-24, when God included his "imputation of righteousness" to Abraham on the basis of his faith in the Biblical record, He did so for our benefit.
b. Not only will God impute righteousness to anyone who expresses believing faith in Christ, but He promises never to impute sin to the accounts of those whom He justifies. Hallelujah!
(1) "The Reformers were surely right that when God justifies sinners he does not make them righteous (for that is the consequent process of sanctification), but he pronounces them righteous or imputes righteousness to them, reckoning them to be, and treating them as, (legally) righteous. C.H. Hodge clarifies this for us. 'To impute sin is to lay sin to the charge of anyone, and to treat him accordingly.' Similarly, 'to impute righteousness is to set righteousness to one's account, and to treat him accordingly.' Thus, Paul writes in Romans 4 both of God not imputing sin to sinners, although it actually belongs to them, and of his imputing righteousness to us, although it does not belong to us." - John Stott: Romans
(2) I am one of the millions of Americans who has an "automatic deposit" relationship with my employer. The money that I earn by means of the work I do is automatically put in my account. If I did not work, I would earn no money, so none would go to my account. It would be nice, wouldn't it, if I could work out a relationship whereby I could arrange for someone else to do my work for me, and then have the money he earned placed in my bank account. Paul's teaching makes it clear that Abraham did not "work" for the righteousness which God placed in his "account;" he simply trusted God to do it. It was Jesus Christ who did the "work" which God requires -- He did it on the cross. Yet God saw fit to credit the account of Abraham with the righteousness of Christ. And God promises to do the same thing for everyone who responds to His promises with authentic believing faith.
C. APPLICATION
1. Faith is not a w __ __ __.
2. Faith is a channel -- a r __ __ __ __ __ __ __ to God. It is not something some people do so well that God rewards them for it. God does not look at certain people and say, "Wow! Look at that faith!" I believe that the Bible teaches that within the saving work of God there is the provision of the faith necessary for a sinful person to believe in that work.
3. Faith is dependent upon its o __ __ __ __ __ for any value it may have. All those who have been justified by God have expressed believing faith in the Word of God. That believing faith will be revealed in a person's life in the following ways:
a. K __ __ __ __ __ __ the facts of the Gospel.
b. A __ __ __ __ __ __ __ with the facts of the Gospel.
c. I __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the Word of God.
d. Living a life of actively t __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the Word of God,
e. Manifesting a living h __ __ __ to the world in which you live.
4. Hebrews 11 is a wonderful chapter on the subject of faith. The New Geneva Study Bible includes a wonderful fascinating theological note on this chapter entitled "How Faith Works:"
a. It is c __ __ __ __ __ __ of God's promises. (v.1)
b. It is c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ in God's power. (v.1)
c. It p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the "divine design." (v.3)
d. It a __ __ __ on God's promises. (v.8-22)
e. It e __ __ __ __ __ __ Christ above all. (v.26)
f. It o __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ tremendous odds. (v.29-38)
D I S C U S S I O N G U I D E
1. Read Hebrews 11:8-19.
a. Complete these statements:
(1) Abraham expressed his faith by
(2) Sarah expressed her faith by
b. V.13 is interesting, but a little confusing. Read this verse in several different translations, then write your own "paraphrase" of it.
c. What exactly is the point of v.13?
2. Now read Hebrews 11:32-40. Again, read v.39-40 in different translations.
a. Discuss the connection between v.1 and v.39.
b. Most people take great comfort in v.1, but are a little disappointed in v.39. How do you feel about them?
3. While both Protestants and Catholics express firm belief in the doctrine of Justification by Faith, there is considerable difference in how this doctrine is applied.
a. Look up these words in a dictionary, then write a brief summary of their meanings.
(1) penance:
(2) penitence:
b. Under what circumstances are these expressed in Roman Catholic doctrine? (If you don't know, ask a Catholic [or former Catholic] acquaintance to tell you.)
c. Is is possible to correctly apply these terms to the doctrine of Justification by Faith as presented by Paul in Romans 3:21-4:25? _______ Why, or why not?
4. Read Romans 4:9-12. Why is it important that Abraham was declared righteous before being circumcised?
