The Roman’s Road to Righteousness (Chapter 4:1-12)‏‏‏‏‏‏‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue our journey through the book of Romans – “The Romans Road to Righteousness.”

The Roman’s Road to Righteousness (Chapter 4:1-12)

This week we will begin reading chapter 4 verses 1-12 in which if we were to entitle this entire chapter we could title it "The faith of Abraham" because the whole chapter is actually the Biblical story of Abraham. The Apostle Paul eloquently uses Abraham as a grand illustration of the truth that salvation is by faith not works – Abraham is the complete Biblical proof of salvation by grace through faith!

Paul has already revealed to us in previous chapters how to be made right with God. It’s not by what we do but by what we believe – by believing in Jesus Christ and His perfect work. Now it is very important that Abraham be Paul’s illustration because what he has just taught would be totally unacceptable to the Jewish mind. And so Paul selects Abraham as a credible source to make his point. But why Abraham?

• First: Abraham would show the eternal truth of righteousness by grace through faith as an Old Testament character. By referring to Abraham, Paul is saying this truth is nothing new but rather very old. Abraham proceeded Moses and even the identity of the nation Israel. Abraham is from the patriarchal period – a very primitive time in early human history found in the book of Genesis. And if Paul can establish that a man in the book of Genesis was saved by grace through faith and not of works, then he has given to us a timeless truth promise.
• Second: No one else in the Old Testament exercised as much or more faith than Abraham! In fact, the New Testament book of Galatians tells us that Abraham is the father of all who believed. In a very real sense, all who come to God by faith are children of Abraham who had set the standard for faith by believing God in a most incredible way. This man's name originally was Abram which meant "father of many." No one was more inappropriately named than he was – the father of nobody. And yet he was named Abram ‑‑ the father of many.
• Third: All that Paul has said thus far in the book of Romans has been theological truth needing “flesh and blood” and so he takes it out of the abstract and puts it into the concrete – the actual, factual, historical person of Abraham.

Abraham was not a man who earned salvation by his good works. He is an example of a man who received salvation by grace through faith in believing God. In simple child‑like trust and complete yieldedness to God, Abraham took God's word at face value, believed God and by that act of faith he received righteousness. Of course it was very important to the Jews to have Abraham as an example of a righteous man whom God chose because they believed by their own self‑righteousness God had to choose them too. Therefore, if it can be established that Abraham was justified by faith alone then everyone must be justified by faith alone – for Abraham is the standard. If Abraham can't glory and boast in himself then nobody can – it must be of God’s grace. This point is absolutely critical!

Throughout chapter 4 the Apostle Paul emphasizes the following important doctrinal distinctions:

• In verses 1 to 8 Abraham was saved by faith not works.
• In verses 9 to 17 Abraham was justified by grace not law.
• In verses 18 to 25 Abraham believed by God not will.

Paul is saying the same thing from different angles and hence widening our understanding all the while as we study the book of Romans!

 

This chapter begins with a negative – Abraham had nothing “to boast about” – “before God”:

What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God – Romans 4:1-2

If Abraham was “justified by works” then he would have had something in which to boast. But from God's viewpoint, he had no right to boast and had no basis for pride. Paul is going to prove this point throughout the rest of this chapter.

 

We then enter into verses 3 to 8 in which we find the positive. Abraham “believed” God:

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin – Romans 4:3-8

Salvation is dependent upon “faith” in Jesus Christ and “works” is a result – fruit – of Salvation. The Apostle Paul said the same thing to the Galatians:

just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham – Galatians 3:6-9

Again, the writer of Hebrews says of Abraham:

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going – Hebrews 11:8

Abraham lived in the city called Ur of the Chaldees. He and his family, his possessions, his reputation, his business, his life – everything was there. God told Abraham to leave and go somewhere else – without first telling him where. Now that is faith!

 

To God, Abraham was His chosen man. And yet Abraham never saw the fulfillment of the land unfold as the possession of God's people – the Jews. Abraham never owned any land and he spent his life as a tent dweller wandering around just like Isaac and Jacob. He never saw the fulfillment of God’s promise – but it was to be out of his loins that another generation would see the promise. And so his “faith“ was a continuous walk with the Lord.

 

In verses 9 to 12, we come to the next section in the chapter in which Paul tells us that Abraham was justified – “while uncircumcised”:

Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised – Romans 4:9-12

Historically, circumcision was the major issue with the Jews. Here they questioned Paul in that if one is saved by “faith,” why did God tell them to be circumcised? What is the meaning of circumcision? What validity does it have? What is its point if it doesn't guarantee entrance into the covenant of God? They believed that when a male child was circumcised, that rite placed him into the covenant. They believed that men were made right with God by circumcision – by their “Jewishness” so to speak. They believed the surgical act on an 8‑day‑old male child secured that child's righteousness and was the only way into the covenant. That's basically reflective of what they taught and believed.

 

Question: How old was Abraham when he was “circumcised?”

Answer: He was ninety‑nine years old!

That’s a painful thought, isn't it? 

Interestingly, on the same day that Abraham was circumcised, Ishmael was also circumcised and he was “thirteen” years old:

And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin – Genesis 17:25

When God made His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15, Ishmael had not yet been born! So at best, Abraham was not circumcised for some 14 years after his being stated by God as “righteous!“ Therefore, Abraham was made “righteous“ inside God’s covenant before he was actually circumcised! Note that Ishmael was circumcised and was never in God’s covenant. Therefore, circumcision is not even an issue in terms of a covenant relationship with God. This too is a very critical point!

 

Circumcision was actually instituted by God as the mark borne by every Jewish male to remind them and all the succeeding generations that God desired to circumcise their “hearts”  - not just their flesh!

 

In Deuteronomy we can bring our thinking to a fuller understanding:

And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live – Deuteronomy 30:6

Abraham is not only the father of the Jews. He is also the father of all Gentiles who have been made righteous by God through His gift of “faith.” Abraham is the father of “all“ who “believe.” Since “uncircumcised” Gentile believers are justified the same way Abraham was, he's our father too! God always desires to circumcise the “heart“ – to cut away the “skin” that consumes the heart with sin. In fact, the Jews would have read about this in their own Pentateuch – the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses. For that was always God's plan for the future...

 

In closing:

 

Many people today are basing their salvation from eternal hellfire on various religious rites and rituals such as infant baptism, confirmation, adult baptism, communion or some other type of ceremony. Do you know why many folks seek the Baptism of infants? Because they believe these human religious efforts somehow impart regeneration, forgiveness of sin, the Holy Spirit and eternal life – whether or not there's a personal mediation of faith.

 

For example: How is one “justified” in the Roman Catholic system? By being baptized. When are you baptized? As an infant. Therefore, you are “justified” in your infancy. In fact, the Council of Trent issued a decree on original sin:

"If anyone denies that by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ which is conferred in Baptism, the guilt of original sin is forgiven or even a search that the whole of that which has the true and proper nature of sin is not taken away, let him be anathema”

In other words, if you deny that infant Baptism takes away the guilt of original sin – you're cursed!

Roman Catholicism as well as many Protestant churches today also teach error in that by these various ceremonies, rituals, sacraments and certain rites duly prescribed and carried out in the proper described method or order according to tradition will somehow impart redemption, salvation, righteousness, grace and holiness. Many folks coming from a Lutheran background or even a Baptist background may have also believed that salvation was secured with some type of baptism or confirmation of sorts. 

 

This is no different than what we see in studying the historical Jewish view of circumcision here in the book of Romans. 

 

Question: What part do religious rites and ceremonies play in salvation?

Answer: None!

 

Remember: Abraham was “uncircumcised“ when he was “justified!” That's tantamount to saying he was “unbaptized!” It is through “faith“ by God’s “grace“ that saves us from our sin. This is the general thrust of this section of our text – “justified… while uncircumcised.” 

 

This is what Paul also said to the Ephesians:

For by grace are you saved through faith and it's not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast – Ephesians 2:8-9

God has always saved people by His “grace” – even in the book of Genesis it states:

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord  – Genesis 6:8

God is a God of great “grace“ and He saves on the basis of His own Sovereign will to undeserving sinners – by “faith.” That's what “grace“ is – free favor to undeserving sinners. AMEN!

Please begin by reading verses 1-12 of the fourth chapter of Romans.

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

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Blessings!
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