Saving Grace Series

Romans 4:9-17. 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. (ESV)

Calling himself a “wretch” who was lost and blind, John Newton recalled leaving school at the age of 11 to begin life as a rough, debauched seaman. Eventually he engaged in the despicable practice of capturing natives from West Africa to be sold as slaves to markets around the world. But one day the grace of God put fear into the heart of this wicked slave trader through a fierce storm. Greatly alarmed and fearful of a shipwreck, God lead him to a genuine conversion and a dramatic change in his way of life. After some time, Newton began to write his own hymns, often assisted by his close friend William Cowper. In 1779 their combined efforts produced the famous Olney Hymns hymnal. “Amazing Grace” was from that collection. Until the time of his death at the age of 82, John Newton never ceased to marvel at the grace of God that transformed him so completely. Shortly before his death he is quoted as proclaiming with a loud voice during a message, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!” (Osbeck, K. W. (1996). Amazing grace: 366 inspiring hymn stories for daily devotions (p. 170). Kregel Publications.)

Newton realized that one is forgiven of their sins not because of the works that they do, but in spite of them because of God’s grace. Yet, apart from Christianity, every faith system is a desire to earn merit through human works. The works-centered systems of religion that people create under Satan’s inspiration, seeks to convince people that they can be made right with God and guaranteed a place in heaven by performing certain rites and ceremonies. Some religions are much more sophisticated and humanly attractive than others, but all share the common false belief in works righteousness in some form or the other. The unredeemed person instinctively believes that somehow they can make themselves right with God by their own efforts.

In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul continues his assault against works righteousness and citing the supreme example known to his audience of Abraham, who was the supreme example of a godly man, to show that he was saved by faith rather than by works (Rom. 4:1–8). Paul is now establishing that Abraham was saved through God’s grace and not by being circumcised or by keeping the law. His argument was that if Abraham, the greatest man in the old dispensation, was saved through faith by God’s grace, then every other person must be justified on the same basis. And, contrarily, if Abraham could not be justified by being circumcised or by keeping the law, then neither could any another person.

In Romans 4:9–17 Paul demonstrates three closely related truths showing how Saving Grace is the only way to achieve eternal life. He shows this first by proving that: 1) Abraham’s justifying faith did not come by his circumcision (Romans 4:9–12); it did 2) not come by his keeping the law (vv. 13–15); but rather 3) it came solely by God’s grace (vv. 16–17).