Romans 4:1-3: Paul continues with the thought he began in Romans 3:31 using Abraham as an example. I did not really get the meaning of verse 1 until I read it in the ESV which says:
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? (Romans 4:1, ESV)
Aaah...Abraham gained nothing according to the flesh. Abraham was saved by faith. His boasting (vs2) is nothing before God because even if works could justify a man, he...even Abraham...would in some way still fall short of the glory of God. For what does the Scripture say? (Vs3). The OT does not say that Abraham was declared righteousness because of his works but because of his faith.
And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.—Genesis 15:6
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)
I liked John MacArthur’s explanation for vs 3:
Believed - Abraham was a man of faith, but faith is not a meritorious work. It is never the ground of justification—it is simply the channel through which it is received and it, too, is a gift.
Count - Used in both financial and legal settings, this Greek word means to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another’s account. It is a one-sided transaction—Abraham did nothing to accumulate it; God simply credited it to him. God took his own righteousness and credited it to Abraham as if it were actually his. This God did because Abraham believed in him
For Verses 4-8 exposition I used the bibleref site:
Verse 4: Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
Paul begins here to illustrate the difference between salvation by works and salvation by God's grace through faith in Christ. When we have a job, we get paid. That paycheck is not a gift. It is what our employer owes us in exchange for our work. Clearly, we can't demand that God "owes" us salvation on the basis of our works. First and foremost, as Paul has already demonstrated, none of us can earn being declared righteous by God. No matter how hard we try...we can't get the job done. God still owes us nothing.
Verse 5: But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
Paul is showing the difference between being made right with God by works, as opposed to by faith. If we could be justified before God by works, Paul wrote in the previous verse, then God would owe us righteousness. It would be like our paycheck for services rendered: a transaction with the God of heaven. Paul has already demonstrated in Romans, however, that nobody can accomplish this work. Instead, we all sin and fall short of God's glory (Romans 3:23).
Now Paul points to the opposite of earning something by work: receiving it as a gift. The difference comes in not laboring with a mind to "earn" or purchase that benefit. The one who receives a gift, as a gift, does not try to earn it. What would be the point? Instead, this person simply believes in the God who justifies the ungodly. His faith is what causes him to be declared righteous by God.
Verse 6: just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
Paul writes that David also speaks of those God declares righteous "apart from works," or in spite of their lack of works. David calls them blessed. (Paul quotes David from Ps 32 in verses 7-8).
Verse 7-8: “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.”
David wrote these words in Psalm 32:1–2. He says that those whose lawless deeds or transgressions are forgiven—those whose sin is covered—are "blessed." In other words, they have received a good thing, as a gift of grace. This forgiveness has not been earned by good works. David makes no mention of earning or working for this result. Forgiveness cannot be earned. Forgiveness can only be given, in this case by God.
Both Abraham (Genesis 15:6) and David demonstrate that the person being forgiven and declared righteous has earned nothing and has been given everything.
Paul completes the quote from Psalm 32:1–2, with “Blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not count (or not "reckon") his sin.”
Again, Paul is making the point that God's decision to not count the sins of which we are guilty against us is a gift of His grace. Paul is rejecting any idea that we somehow pay off our own sins by doing good works to balance them out. That is not a biblical idea. It is false. Our good works will NOT be weighed against our sinful choices to determine our eternal fate.
No, God declares us to be righteous (sinless, justified) based only on our faith in Him and not at all on our inadequate works. Without faith in God, all that is left is unforgiven sin and God's angry judgment for that sin.
Very blessed indeed, then, are those forgiven for their sin based on their faith.
WHAT I LOVED MOST IN THESE VERSES...
Paul has just given me a new description of God: "the one who justifies the ungodly." Our God does not wait for us to become godly, or righteous on our own apart from Him, before welcoming us into His family. Because of our faith in Jesus, God justifies us in spite of our sinfulness. How gracious! How AWESOME. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
Reminds me of the God Who Stays, a song by Matthew West.
You're the God who stays
You're the God who stays
You're the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You're the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays
My shame can't separate
My guilt can't separate
My past can't separate
I'm Yours forever
My sin can't separate
My scars can't separate
My failures can't separate
I'm Yours forever
No enemy can separate
No power of hell can take away
Your love for me will never change
I'm Yours forever
Verse 9: Paul asked the question: is the blessing on the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works for the circumcised only or for the circumcised as well? If Abraham was justified by his faith alone, why did God command him and his descendants to be circumcised?
Verse 10: Abraham was justified by faith not after but before he was circumcised. Genesis 16:16 tells us that Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born and he was 99 when he was circumcised. God declared Abraham righteous before even Ishmael was conceived. (See Genesis 15:6; 16:2-4) Abraham’s circumcision didn’t occur till at least 14 years later.(Genesis 17:24) Since Abraham was justified before he was circumcised this opens the door for other Gentiles to be justified apart from circumcision.
Verse 11: The act of circumcision then was not the cause of Abraham’s justification. It was the outward sign in his flesh that he had been justified by faith. Circumcision was also a seal...a seal of righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised which Abraham had while still uncircumcised. Because Abraham was justified before he was circumcised, he can be the father of other uncircumcised people—that is, of believing Gentiles. They can be justified the same way he was—by faith. They are not his children by birth but by following him as their pattern and example.
Verse 12: there was a time in Abraham's life when he had faith and was still uncircumcised, and another time when he had faith and was circumcised. Paul's eye sees in this fact that both believing Gentiles and believing Jews can claim Abraham as their father and can identify with him as his children.
Verse 13: 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.
Abraham's relationship with God began with a command and a set of promises. First, God told Abraham to "go" from his country into another land. God promised to make Abraham a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, to bless those who blessed him and curse those who dishonored him, and to bless all of the families of the earth through Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3). Verse 12:4 tells us Abraham went. 😊
Verse 14: For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,
Those promises, (discussed above) amount to Israel being heirs of the world. Paul shows that this inheritance will not come by following the law. The promises were given centuries before the law existed. Paul writes that if the inheritance is to be given to those who follow the law, then faith does not matter and worse the promises of God don't matter—because not all of Abraham's descendants had the law! Aside from that, Paul has already shown that nobody can keep the law. All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:10; 3:23). So if God's promises to Israel are only for those able to follow the law, those promises will not be given. When law is a requirement for salvation, faith serves no purpose.
Verse 15: because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
So again, the law cannot deliver the promises of God, since nobody can keep the law. Instead, Paul now writes, the law brings God's wrath in judgment for human sin, for the breaking of the law. Without the law, on the other hand, Paul writes that there is no transgression. Nobody can break a law that doesn't exist, or which doesn't apply to him. I am glad for the following explanation:
“This is not meant to be understood to mean those not under the law have never sinned. Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23), and has done so without any valid excuse (Romans 1:18–20). Paul simply means that those who are not under the law have not broken the law, specifically.”
I always “assumed” that is what was meant but it was helpful to see it in writing.
Verse 16: 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
Yet another restatement but this time in a positive sense and one that I am so grateful for.. He says once again that receiving the promised inheritance depends on faith, not on following the law, but because it is received by faith, the promise rests on God's grace. Without this statement no one could be saved. (Romans 3:23). Our own failures to obey and follow God would make us ineligible for that righteousness (Romans 3:10). Salvation comes as a gift, and it is guaranteed to all of Abraham's offspring: offspring defined by faith, not by legalism.
“Paul has been careful to show that since Abraham was declared righteous by God for believing God, everyone who comes to God by faith is Abraham's offspring. This includes both Jews and Gentiles who believe in God. In that way, Abraham is the father of all believers.”
As I read and studied the verses from Romans 4 above, Romans 5:1-2 echoed in my heart and mind.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.—Romans 5:1-2
Our access to God is our faith...moment by moment...day by day. Faith has been described as a conduit of God’s grace. ❤️
Romans 14:17-20
Studying these verses did my heart much good.
Abraham's faith did not weaken. He held fast to his faith, even long after the hope of having a natural-born son became impossible according to human experience. Paul writes in verse 20 that Abraham experienced no unbelief. He didn't waver in trusting God. Just the opposite: He grew stronger in his faith and continued to give glory to God. I want to be like Abraham and believe God moment by moment no matter my circumstances. I want my faith, my hope my peace and my rest to be in my Jesus.
Father, Help me to take my anxious and fearful thoughts captive by bringing them immediately to You in prayer. Keep my focus in the here and now of the moment...not the what ifs of tomorrow. Stay my heart on You and Your Word. Be the subject of all my thoughts.
Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
Selah—Psalm 61:1-4
Romans 4:21-25
Faith is being fully-convinced that God is able to do as He promised. God calls us to be "fully convinced" that, in Christ, our sins are forgiven and we are welcomed into God's family. It is this "trust" which saves us from our sins (Hebrews 12:1–2), not good works or legalism. Now Paul writes that this benefit was not just for Abraham alone. He is not the only one in human history who can become righteous in God's eyes by faith. The path is available to everyone who will believe in what God has done for us through Jesus. We, too, can be counted as righteous by faith in Jesus' death for our sins and God's resurrection of Him for our justification.
This is central to Paul's main argument in this passage: that salvation is offered only to those who truly believe (John 3:16–18), and only on the basis of that belief.
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.—John 3:16-18
The application here for me in these verses from Chapter 4 of Romans focused on this verse from Hebrews.
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him,] for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
This is how I must always...moment by moment...come to my Father in Heaven. First, I must believe that He is...that He is there and that He will make Himself known to me as I seek Him. I liked how Spurgeon describes faith. His explanation has really helped me understand that I can do nothing to obtain anything from God. My job is just to receive Him and all that He has for me in any given moment by and through faith.
Why Faith Is the Channel of Salvation - Spurgeon
Why is faith selected as the channel of salvation? “For by grace are ye saved through faith.”
It appears to me that faith has been selected as the channel of grace because there is a natural adaptation in faith to be used as the receiver. Faith is created on purpose to be a spiritual receiver. The faith that receives Christ is as simple an act as your child receiving an apple from you because you hold it out and promise to give the apple if the child comes for it. The belief and the receiving relate only to an apple, but they make up precisely the same act as the faith that deals with eternal salvation, and what the child’s hand is to the apple, your faith is to the perfect salvation of Christ. The child’s hand does not make or alter the apple; it only takes it. Faith is chosen by God to be the receiver of salvation because it does not pretend to make or help salvation, but it receives it. Faith is doubtless selected because it gives all the glory to God. It is of faith that it might be by grace, and it is of grace that there may be no boasting, for God cannot endure pride. Paul adds, “Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2: 9). The hand that receives charity does not say to the body, “Thank me, for I feed you.” It is a very simple thing that the hand does, though a very necessary thing, but it never arrogates glory to itself for what it does. God has selected faith to receive the unspeakable gift of His grace because it adores the gracious God who is the giver of all good. God also selects faith as the channel of salvation because it is a sure method, linking man with God. When man confides in God, there is a point of union between them that guarantees blessing. Faith saves us because it makes us cling to God.
Sources for above notes: John Mac, David Guzik, bibleref site, Spurgeon and me. 😀🙃
