Justification Through Faith Is Nothing New. Series

ROMANS 4: JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH IS NOTHING NEW.

• HAVE YOU EVER HEARD SOMETHING NEW FOR THE FIRST TIME AND IT HAS JUST BLOWN YOUR MIND AWAY? MAYBE IT HAS BECOME UNCOMFORTABLE, BECAUSE IT IS CHALLENGING ALL THOSE PRECONCEIVED IDEAS AND BELIEFS YOU HOLD. WHAT YOU HEAR DOESN’T FIT INTO YOU FRAMEWORK OF UNDERSTANDING AND SO IT LEAVES YOU THINKING. “HOW CAN THIS BE?”

ISN’T THE GOSPEL MESSAGE LIKE THAT? DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME YOU HEARD IT? WAS IT NOT HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND BELIEVE “HOW CAN THIS BE?” ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP WITH A RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND - CONSIDERED TO BE BORN A CATHOLIC OR PROTESTANT - BROUGHT UP TO GO TO CHURCH - LIKE FAMILY GENERATIONS BEFORE YOU –- GONE THROUGH SUNDAY SCHOOL - MAYBE YOU JUST SAT ON THE PERIPHERY BUT YOU HAD COMPLETELY INDOCTRINATED BY ITS RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS AND WORKS AND BELIEVED THAT BY THESE THINGS ONE WAS MADE RIGHT WITH GOD.

THEN YOU HEAR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, SOMETHING NEW TO YOUR EARS, THE GOSPEL MESSAGE: JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH ALONE. WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL RESPONSE? ACCEPTANCE OR SCEPTICISM?

IS IT NOT GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME FOR ALL THOSE WALLS OF DEFENCE AND BELIEF BUILT UP FROM CHILDHOOD TO COME CRUMBLING DOWN. AND SO IT WAS FOR THESE JEWS. PAUL HAS BROUGHT THE GOSPEL MESSAGE TO THEM HE HAS PROCLAIMED IT, HE HAS EXPLAINED IT, HE HAS DEFENDED IT. BUT THE JEWS ARE STILL HAVING DIFFICULTIES GRAPPLING WITH IT.

1. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IS NOTHING NEW : 3:27 A - 4:1-2 GEN 15: 6

SO PAUL IS GOING TO TAKE THEM TO THE VERY ROOTS OF THE JEWISH FAITH TO REVEAL “THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN” WHEN IT COMES TO JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

THAT JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ISN’T JUST PAULINE THEOLOGY ( ADD ON ) OR PROTESTANT THEOLOGY, IT ISN’T CHRISTIANITY’S ADD ON TO THE JEWISH FAITH BUT IT’S GOD’S THEOLOGY RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING AND IT’S TAKEN FROM THE OT SCRIPTURES THEMSELVES.

HE PAINSTAKINGLY HAS MADE THAT APPARENT ALREADY ROM 1:2 THE GOSPEL HE PROMISED BEFOREHAND THROUGH HIS PROPHETS IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. ROM 3:21 BUT KNOW RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD, APART FROM THE LAW, HAS BEEN MADE KNOWN TO WHICH THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS TESTIFY.

PAUL IS SHOWING HIS COUNTERPARTS THAT THE WAY OF SALVATION HAS BEEN WITNESSED TO BY THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS AND THAT JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH RATHER THAN CONTRADICTING THE LAW AND PROPHETS ACTUALLY FULFILS IT. V31 .

THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAM:

IN CHAPTER 4 HE WILL CONTINUE TO DO DRIVE THIS POINT HOME, HE NO DOUBT HAD COME UNDER PRESSURE BY THOSE CRITICS WHO SAY, “THIS WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS SOMETHING NEW AND NEVER TAUGHT IN THE SCRIPTURES? WE’VE NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE?”

PAUL TAKES HIS CRITICS TO THE OT SCRIPTURES AND FIRSTLY TO ABRAHAM THE FATHER OF THEIR FAITH. IN SO DOING HE WILL PROVE HIS POINT THAT JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IS NOTHING NEW. BUT SOMETHING THE SCRIPTURES CONFIRM.

• LET THE BIBLE DO THE TALKING C.H SPURGEON SAID ,” THE BIBE DOESNT NEEDED TO BE DEFENDED – JUST LET IT OUT OF ITS CAGE ITS A ROARING LION.”

V1-3 PAUL HAD COME TO SEE ABRAHAM AS THE FIRST RECIPIENT OF GODS PROMISES FOR THE WORLD IN GODS SALVATION PLAN. IT IS HERE IN GENESIS 15:6 WE SEE ABRAM TRUSTING IN GODS PROMISE TO GIVE HIM AN HEIR, BUT NOT ONLY ONE, BUT A PROMISE OF A FAMILY AS NUMEROUS AS THE STARS ABOVE SO SHALL HIS OFFSPRING BE. GEN 15: 6. ... ABRAHAM BELIEVED THE LORD AND HE CREDITED IT TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

WHY DIDN’T THEY SEE THIS?

THE MAIN ERROR OF MANY JEWS WAS THEIR INSISTENCE ON PROMOTING THE MOSAIC COVENANT (LAW) WHICH WAS GIVEN 430 YEARS LATER AT THE EXPENSE OF THE COVENANT PROMISES OF GOD TO ABRAHAM WHICH THEY SIMPLY FAILED TO SEE. PAUL HERE CLEARLY MAKES HIS POINT THAT JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IS NOTHING NEW ABRAM LIVED BY IT. IN GAL 3:15 -18. PAUL CONFIRMS THAT THE LAW DOES NOT SET ASIDE THE COVENANT ESTABLISHED BY GOD. V13 -14 HE EXPRESSES THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS DIDN’T ARRIVE THROUGH LAW BUT THROUGH THE PROMISE WHICH COMES BY FAITH.

THE JEWISH PEOPLE HAD LOST THIS TRUTH, PAUL WANTS THEM TO RE-DISCOVER IT . PAUL HAD TO UNPACK THIS TRUTH FOR THE SAKE OF OWN COUNTRY MEN WHO HE LOVED 2COR 3:13-16 BECAUSE THE LAW HAD BLINDED THEM THE OLD COVENANT WAS VEILED THEIR MINDS HAD BEEN MADE DULL

THROUGH THE CENTURIES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST HAS GONE THROUGH DARK TIMES , WHERE WHAT IT MEANS TO BELIEVE HAS BEEN DISTORTED HIDING ITS ORIGINAL INTENTION MAKING PEOPLE BLINKERED TO THE TRUTH BY CHURCH TRADITIONS, TEACHINGS AND ORDINANCES : AS A RESULT PEOPLE ARE UNABLE TO COMPREHEND THE TRUTH

IN THE 16TH CENTURY MARTIN LUTHER A CATHOLIC MONK STRUGGLING WITH HIS OWN STANDING BEFORE GOD , TRAPPED IN THE TRADITIONS OF THE CHURCH , GOT BACK TO THE SCRIPTURES AND THE REFORMATION PERIOD WAS BORN AS HE REDISCOVERED HIS TRUTH JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN THEIR PAUL HAD TAUGHT IT ABRAM AND DAVID EXPRESSED IT BUT THE CHURCH HAD VEILED IT FOR CENTURIES.