The Roman’s Road to Righteousness (Chapter 4:13-25)‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏

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 4:13-25)

This week we will be reading the balance of chapter 4 verses 13-25 in which we will continue to look at the faith of Abraham. Obviously Paul and the Holy Spirit – God Himself – expected us to think about Scripture or he wouldn't have made it so profound!

Jesus Christ faced a very sophisticated kind of religion in His day that was no different than what we see today. It was the religion of the Pharisees in which they believed that by external rites such as circumcision and other outward religious works they were buying their way into heaven and having their sins forgiven. Jesus faced it. Paul faced it. We face it today...

 

There are only two kinds of religion in the entire world:

• The religion of divine accomplishment – Biblical Christianity
• The religion of human achievement – every other man-made “religion”

The Apostle Paul is showing here that salvation, the forgiveness of sin and heaven is not available to men through ritual, ceremony, self‑sacrifice or religious works of any kind. Only by “grace“ through “faith“ in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the only way. There's no other way! But someone might say, "But aren't those other people sincere?" Yes, they're probably quite sincere but they're damned to hell forever because they're sincerely wrong. Again, salvation comes only by “grace“ through “faith“ in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

As we have already discussed, 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.

These points overlap and crisscross and are the basic themes in each section. We are justified by “faith” not works. By “grace” not law. By divine power not human effort.

 

In our previous verses Paul says that Abraham was not Justified by “circumcision.” That's very important to remember because the Jews believed that that's exactly how he was justified. In fact, they believe that's the way everybody ought to be justified! However, Paul shows that Abraham was declared right with God through “faith” and it was 14 years later that he was “circumcised.” So, circumcision becomes only a symbol and God’s Word proclaims to every generation: What you are doing on the outside is what I want to do in the heart.

 

Along with “circumcision,” the other point the Jew leaned on was the keeping of the ”law.” So, as we come to verses 13 to 17 Paul deals with the issue of the ”law” which only “brings about wrath”:

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did – Romans 4:13-17

What “promise” is Paul referring to here in this passage? It’s the Abrahamic covenant. It was given to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 and was repeated in chapter 15 is repeated in chapter 18 and again in chapter 22. God told Abraham to go out of the land of Ur of the Chaldeans to a land that God planned to give him and make him a great nation and whoever blesses him will be blessed and whoever curses you will be cursed. And God said to Abraham that He would give him a seed like the sand of the sea and they'll number as the stars of the heaven. Remember, at that time Abraham and Sarah didn't have any children – in fact she was barren – and they were already approaching 100 years old! By the way, the book of Joshua tells us the story of him taking possession of that promise. Abraham's descendants took the land under the direction of Joshua.

 

Abraham was the father of nobody on the way to nowhere but he knows that God told him to go – beyond that he knew nothing! However, he “believed” that God was going to fulfill His promise because God had planted this confidence within Abraham’s heart – and by “faith” Abraham “believed” God. But Abraham saw beyond the physical posterity. He saw beyond having a son, Isaac. And Isaac having a son and Isaac's sons having sons and multiplications of nations. He saw beyond being a father of many nations.  

 

Now Abraham “believed” and waited for Isaac to be born. We see Abraham here in Paul's description after he heard the promise and is found waiting for the birth of Isaac. We pick up the story as Paul says of Abraham in this final section of the chapter:

who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be. And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He 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 for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification – Romans 4:18-25

Here in these tremendous passages we find three realities:

• The analysis of faith = Against all human capability and capacity, Abraham “believed” God. “Hope” is the desire for something to happen. Faith is the confidence that it will happen!
• The answer to faith = God gave Abraham righteousness, the ground of his justification was his “faith.” He “believed” God therefore he was made right with God. In belief God transmits His righteousness!
• The application of faith = We must “believe” on Him Whom raised up Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead!

What does the story of Abraham in this chapter mean to us as Christians today? The ultimate purpose of Scripture is for our justification (salvation), sanctification (edification) and glorification (heaven)! Jesus Christ went to the cross, died for our sins and rose again. So, we “believe” in Him who died for us and was raised from the dead for our justification.

 

What kind of “faith” appropriates Jesus Christ? What kind of “faith” brings righteousness? It's the kind of “faith” that says I have nothing to offer. That's where Abraham was. That's the kind of “faith” Abraham had when it was imputed to him for righteousness. It is the submissive kind of “faith” that demonstrates patience. It allows God to be God. And it is selfless obedient “faith.” Abraham left everything and “in hope believed” because he trusted God. Saving “faith” is hopeful, humble, strong, confident, submissive and obedient. And we have every reason to put that “faith” in our God because He raised Jesus Christ from the dead – AMEN!

 

In closing:

 

Abraham was not made right with God by keeping the ”law” – because the law came some 430 years later! The Jews believed that circumcision and law where the two things which brought a man into right relationship with God. We don't come into a right relationship with God by an outward ceremony or by an outward observance of laws. When Abraham was declared right with God he had no circumcision. And when he was declared right with God he had kept no law because the Mosaic Law hadn't even been given yet! He was justified by believing God's promise. And that makes salvation a grace gift. Justification is not only by “faith” but it is borne in the “grace” and “promise” of God.

 

And this “promise” incorporated not only a people – the Jews – but a physical nation. In fact, out of Abraham came not only Israel but the Arab nations as well. In the book of Genesis it says:

I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth so that if a man can number the dust of the earth then shall thy seed also be numbered – Genesis 13:16

God gave Abraham a seed and the book of Exodus shows us the realization of that seed – the birth of the Semitic peoples and their history.

 

Abraham also knew that there was in that promise a spiritual blessing:

And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed – Genesis 12:3

I'm convinced without a shadow of doubt that in the promise given to Abraham, he saw beyond Isaac to a redeemer – Jesus Christ! Why do I believe this? Because our Lord Jesus said it Himself:

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day and he saw it and was glad – John 8:56

Abraham saw the day of The Redeemer. Maybe he saw it in the typology of the ram provided in the thicket when he would have needed to take the life of Isaac. The reason God blessed the world through Abraham and made him the “father” of a world of people is because there would come out of his loins a Redeemer who would redeem all the tribes, tongues and nations of those who would “believe” God by “faith” – and all those “sons of faith” would be the sons of Abraham!

Please continue reading verses 13-25 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!

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