A man who was not raised in the United States enlisted in the U. S. Army. Being a foreigner he had a difficult time with the English language. One day the troop was preparing for inspection and the men realized that unless they helped him, he could flunk the inspection simply due to his struggles with the English language. So one man took him aside and said, "In a few days an inspector is going to come around. Unless you are extremely careful you could flunk the entire inspection just because of your difficulty with the English language. So let me tell you the questions he will probably ask and the answers you must be prepared to give. Now the first question he will undoubtedly ask you is, “How long have you be in the Army?” When he asks that, answer, “Two years.” The second question he will undoubtedly ask is, “How old are you?” When he asks that, answer, “22.” The third question he will undoubtedly ask is, “Have you been receiving good food and good treatment?” When he asks that, simply say, “Both.” Two, twenty-two and both. As long as you can remember those three answers, you should have no problem. But just don’t forget two, twenty-two and both. Then you’ll have no trouble with the inspection, but whatever you do, don’t forget two, twenty-two and both. Just bear in mind two, twenty-two and both and you’ll have no trouble with the inspection, but whatever you do, don’t forget two, twenty-two and both." Sure enough, the inspection day arrived and the inspector came around. Sure enough he asked three questions. The only problem was he did not ask them in the order the foreigner was prepared to answer them. Instead, he walked up to him and said, "Now, I’d like to ask you a few questions, the first one is this. How old are you?" He answered, "Two years." The inspector said, "Well, how long have you been in the army?" He said, "Twenty-two years." Angry and red-faced, the inspector shouted, "Now, what do you think I am? An idiot or a fool?" The foreigner answered, "Both."
Now, I am certain all of us are glad that we weren’t standing in the shoes of that poor man on the day of inspection. And yet we are going to participate in a far greater inspection when we stand before the architect of the universe, the God of all things living and non-living and give an account of ourselves before God. The Bible says, "It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment." It has been my experience that when you mention the day of judgment to people, their thoughts are varied. Some look forward to it and others fear it. Some feel hopeful, others feel hopeless. Some think they stand a chance, others wonder if they have any chance at all. But for the most part, when you mention the day of judgment to people, their thoughts are not pleasant. They dread the idea of standing before someone knowing their life will be as an open book before him. So for that reason, most people are as excited about the day of judgment as they get about making a dentist appointment. Some time ago a teenager called his dentist’s office and said, "I need to make an appointment." The receptionist answered, "The dentist is out of town. Could you call back again?" The teenager responded, "I’d be delighted to. When will he be out of town again?" And that’s how most feel about the day of judgment. It’s not something they look forward to.
And yet in one sentence, God has an encouraging word for every one of us here today. Because, He tells you how you can stand as perfect before God as His own Son stands - not five years from now or 50 years from now but how this morning you can stand as perfect before God as His own Son stands. And in so doing he answers the question, "What kind of people does God accept and on what basis does He do it?"
But if you are going to understand what God is saying in that verse and why He is saying it, then you have to understand there are three questions God is not asking. Interestingly though is that these are the three questions most people are convinced He is asking.
The first question Romans 4:5 makes clear is that God is not asking you "How many good works have you done?" Most people think that being accepted by God is based on what you do and therefore you’d better do all that you can. And if you ask people, "Do you think you’re going to heaven?" one of the first things they say is "I’m working towards it." As someone once said to me, "I always figured the harder you work the greater your chances." But the first question Romans 4:5 makes it clear that God is not asking is "How many good works have you done?" Because if you will notice, the first phrase of Romans 4:5 says "But to him who does not work . . ." In other words, God does not accept any man on the basis of how many good works he has performed.
But notice, God even tells you why He cannot accept you on the basis of your good works. Glance back to verse four: "Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt." If God were to accept you on the basis of your good works, all He would be doing is paying a debt, giving you something He owes you. And the Bible is saying God will not be in debt to any man. God is not about to owe you anything. Therefore, He is not asking, "How many good works have you done?"
Now, there is not one person here who does not know what the word debt means. In fact, some time ago I heard of a husband who was so depressed because he felt he had nothing to live for. His wife said, "You have nothing to live for. The house is not paid for. The car is not paid for. The boat is not paid for." The fact is, debt is something we owe to someone else. And the Bible is saying that if God were to accept you on the basis of your good works, all He would be doing is paying a debt. Giving you something He owes you. But God will not be in debt to any man. God is not about to owe you anything. Therefore, God is not asking, "How many good works have you done?"
Let’s suppose that you owned the most spacious mansion in the entire state. I mean, it was a three-story house with a two-story basement. It had gleaming hardwood floors throughout and 12 foot ceilings. It had the most design-conscious furniture. A fireplace and a chandelier enhanced every room. The trees in the yard looked like they would touch heaven. Windows served as skylights at night. It had a bowling alley, a tennis court, and an olympic-sized swimming pool in the basement. An acre of grass surrounded each side of the house. Now let’s suppose I came to you and said, "May I come live with you?" You say, "Sure, Larry, all I ask is that you do these ten things." You give me a list that includes everything from loving my wife, which I do, to loving my enemies, which I am trying to do. But after I’ve done those ten things, you let me in your house. All you’d be doing would be paying a debt - giving me something you owed me. The Bible is saying, if God were to accept you on the basis of your good works, all He’d be doing would be paying a debt, giving you something He owes you. But God will not be in debt to anyone. He is not about to owe you anything. Therefore, He is not asking, how many good works have you done?
Romans 4:5 also makes it clear that there is a second question God is not asking. Not only is He not asking, "How many good works have you done?" but secondly, He is not asking, "How well have you behaved?"
If you ask people, "Do you think you are going to heaven?" they often say, "I think I stand a better chance than a lot of people I know." And if you ask, "Why?" they say, "Well, I’ve never been to jail, I don’t stick my nose in other people’s business, and I try to do what’s right." And they are just about as humble as the man who wrote the book The Ten Most Humble People and Why I Chose the Other Nine. But the Bible makes it clear the second question God is not asking is "How well have you behaved?" Notice the middle of verse five says "But believes on Him who justifies the ungodly." It’s a matter of believing. It is not a matter of behavior. And the two are as different as day and night. But God again tells you why He cannot accept you on the basis of your behavior. The reason is that it does not matter how well you have behaved, you are still what He calls ungodly. The middle of verse five says, "but believe on Him who justifies the ungodly."
The word "ungodly" is one of those words we think we know what it means, but then we are not sure. For example, there are books in the Bible called epistles, like the Epistle of James, the Epistle of John. Then there are men in the Bible called apostles. As a child I didn’t understand the difference. Therefore, I sincerely thought that an epistle was probably the wife of an apostle. That made a lot of sense to me. That man was an apostle, and his wife was Mrs. Epistle. And by the same token, "ungodly" is one of those words that we think we know what it means but then we are not sure. But actually "ungodly" means there are times you have been irreverent and you have not lived as righteously as He says to live. You are probably thinking, "Now, hold everything, Larry. I’m not convinced that this is true." But the reason you are not convinced it’s true is because when you consider how godly you’ve been you compare yourself to the worst criminal you’ve ever heard of and you come out looking great. But when God considers how ungodly you’ve been, He compares you to the most perfect person who ever lived, His Son Jesus Christ. His Son never, ever told a lie. You already have a pocketful of those. His Son never had one unkind thought. You average a minimum of two a day. His Son never hated His enemies. Sometimes you can’t even stand the person you’re married to.
Years ago, there was a wicked emperor by the name of Dionysius. He discovered that near to where he lived was a cave shaped in the form of a funnel with an opening right at the surface. Dionysus used this cave as a workshop for his slaves. He put all the slaves in caves and then he’d go up and put his ear at the top of it. Inside the slaves were uttering all kinds of harsh and cruel things about him. Then the next day they would go before him where he would repeat everything they had said about him to their face. And it cost many their own lives or severe torture.
Now God is a good king, not a wicked king. At the same time, He knows every thought you’ve had, every word you’ve spoken and everything you’ve done, and all He says about you is "ungodly." Even your best does not impress Him. Therefore, He is not asking, "How well have you behaved?"
You say, "Well, if it is a matter of believing and not behaving, what does believe mean?" But before we examine that word, there is one other word we have to examine, and that’s the word "justify." The middle of verse five says, "But believes on Him who justifies the ungodly." This word "justifies" means is to declare you the opposite of what you are right now. In other words, you have told a pocketful of lies. God wants to declare you as a person who has never told even one. You’ve had one unkind thought after another, another, another, another. God would like to declare you as a person who has never had an unkind thought. You’ve had times you’ve hated your best friends. God would like to declare you as a person who has never hated anyone.
And you say, "But how can He do that?" There is only one way. Sin cannot be passed over. Sin must be punished. And the punishment for sin is death. But the reason God can declare you righteous is because someone else, His Son, has already taken that punishment and died in your place. He saved you by dying for you. He was your substitute. Years ago a newly constructed bank building in Sao Paulo, Brazil, burned to the ground. Forty-six stories high, burned all the way to the ground. Several of the air-conditioners on the 12th floor had not been wired properly. 600 employees were in the building at the time. 188 died. One-third died when they jumped or fell to their death. One-fourth died when they went to the top floor to escape the flames and instead were captured by them. But the reason even more did not die is because of a 27-year-old elevator operator. She had been told to get out of the building and forget the elevator. But she refused. Instead, she kept taking the elevator up and down bringing as many as 25 to safety each time. She went up to get the fourth load. When the elevator hit the 20th floor the power shut off. The next day they found her charred body lying by the door of the elevator. She saved many others by dying for them. She died in their place. The Bible is saying that Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, came into the world. He took your sin and my sin, placed upon Himself, He died in our place. The nails that should have been driven through my hands and yours were driven through His. He died in our place and rose again the third day.
Therefore, the reason God can declare you righteous is because someone took your punishment. All you have to do is believe. Again, verse five says, "But believe on Him who justifies the ungodly."
Now we use that believe for everything and anything. A husband says to his wife, "Believe me, I’ll be in from golfing by 3:00." She doesn’t realize he means a.m. not p.m. A wife says to her husband, "Believe me, the dress was on sale." However even though on sale, the price doesn’t comfort him at all. A teenager says to his parents, "Believe me, I did my homework." But apparently afterwards he made an airplane out of it and someone must have hi-jacked it. We use that word believe for everything and anything. But in the Bible believe means two things. It means to accept something as being true and it means to trust.
For example, of all the people who have ever crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope the most spectacular has to be that person who was known as the great "Blondin." The first time he crossed was June 30, 1859. The next year he walked across with chains around his hands and feet so I’ve read. But the most spectacular thing of all was carrying his manager on his back across the tightrope. I am told that the great Blondin walked up to someone who had seen him do all these things and said, "Would you like me to take you across?" The man ran, leaving behind a trail of dust. Now, he may have accepted it as true that Blondin man could do it. But he did not trust him to do it. And when the Bible uses the word believe it means accept it as true that Christ died and arose and trust in Him alone, not your good works, not your church attendance, not your baptism, but trust in Christ alone as your only way to heaven. It is a matter of believing. It is not a matter or behaving. Therefore, God is not asking, "How well have you behaved?"
But if you will note Romans 4:5 makes it clear that there is a third question God is not asking. Not only is He not asking "How many good works have you done?" not only is He not asking, "How well have you behaved?" the third question He is not asking you is, "How good a Christian do you promise to be?"
Some time ago I spoke in Del Rio, Texas where I talked to a businessman who admitted he did not know if he was going to heaven. I asked, "Do you understand the gospel?" He said, "Yes, I do. Christ died for me and arose. If I put my trust in Him He will save me." I said, "Why don’t you do it?" He said, "Because I’m not sure how long I could last. I’m not sure how good a Christian I could promise to be." I said, "That is one question God is not asking.” The reason we think that way is because our love is so conditional.
One time a man wanted to marry a particular woman. He finally got up the nerve to ask her and said, "Will you marry me?" She said, "I won’t marry anyone unless they have several thousand dollars in the bank." He went away for six months, came back and said, "Will you marry me now?" She said, "Well, how much do you have in the bank?" He said, "$75." She said, "That’s close enough." The truth is, our love is so conditional. But God’s love is unconditional. And for that reason He is not asking, "How good a Christian do you promise to be?"
Will you look at the end of verse five where it says, "His faith is accounted for righteousness." That word accounted means to reckon or to credit something to your account. In other words, let’s suppose there were a big sheet of paper up here right now with a line right down the middle. This side represents your sin. This side represents Christ’s perfection and righteousness. All the Bible is saying is is the moment you put your trust in Christ God takes His Son’s perfection and He puts it on your account. As it says, "His faith was accounted for righteousness."
Years ago there was a well known speaker by the name of Dr. Harry Ironside. One time he was visiting a sheep ranch in Texas and he saw the most peculiar animal. It looked like it had two heads, not one, four front feet instead of two and four back feet instead of two. Then the rancher explained, "We had a sheep give birth to a lamb and the lamb died. We had another sheep that gave birth but the mother died. That lamb needed a mother but the other mother would not accept it because she knew it was not her own. So we took the skin or her dead lamb and draped it over the skin of the living lamb. As soon as we put it in the pen she seemed to walk over to it and say, “That’s mine.’"
The Bible is saying the moment you put your trust in Christ God takes His Son’s perfection, His righteousness and He clothes you with it. Your faith is accounted for righteousness. And therefore when God looks upon you He no longer sees your sin. All He sees is the perfection of His Son Christ. And therefore it does not matter if you live five years or fifty, if you do pretty good or very good, you will never be any more right before God than the day you trust Him as your only way to heaven.
Now, that is not to say that you ought not live a good life and do good things. The Bible makes it clear that good lives and good works should distinguish those who know the Lord. But all that can only increase your reward in heaven. It cannot increase your righteousness before God. You are never any more right before God than you are the day you trust Him as your only way to heaven. And therefore, God is not asking, "How good a Christian do you promise to be?"
Years ago a man was asked the question, "When you stand before the Lord, what do you think is going to be the first thing He is going to ask you?" And the man said, "I don’t think He’ll ask me anything. I think He’ll just look at me and say, “He’s mine.’"
The fact is, when God looks upon you right now He either sees your sin because you never trusted Christ or He sees His Son’s perfection because you have. And if He sees His Son’s perfection all He knows to say is, "He belongs to me." Therefore He is not asking, "How good a Christian do you promise to be?"
What are the people like who God accepts and upon what basis does He do it? They are ungodly people who trust in Christ alone as their only way to heaven. They are ungodly people who trust in Christ alone as their only way to heaven. They are not people who see themselves as good. They are not people who see themselves as sincere. They are not people who see themselves as honest. They are not people who see themselves as religious. They are people who see themselves as ungodly and trusting Christ alone as their only way to heaven.
But God is not asking, "How many good works have you done?" It’s directed to those who don’t work at it. God is not asking "How well have you behaved?" It is a matter of believing not behaving. God is not asking "How good a Christian do you promise to be?" Because the moment you trust Christ you stand righteous in the sight of God. Your faith has been accounted for righteousness.
It’s so simple that kids get it and adults miss it. We, by nature, are the type that we want to work in order to get it, behave in order to deserve it, then try in order to keep it. So when God wants to do something just out of love it is so difficult for us to receive it.
Years ago I spoke in Indiana and when I got off the plane the pastor who greeted me said, "A woman is driving 100 miles to see you tomorrow morning. She says she just has to talk to you. The first time you were at our church you spent hours trying to get her to understand God’s simple plan of salvation." I remembered her well. I had spent hours trying to get her to see it. The next morning she walked up to me after the service and said, "I just had to come tell you that I’m saved. I know I’m going to heaven.” I said, "Well, I don’t know who is most excited, you, the Lord, the angels, or me, but I do know that I’m delighted. Tell me about it." She said, "Well, it happened six months after you and I talked." And then she began to explain what she meant. Then I asked, "To help me help others, did I say anything that helped you to see the truth?" She said, “You kept repeating over and over again maybe six or eight times (sometimes I do that) it’s too simple. That’s why you can’t get it. It’s too simple. If God said “To get to heaven you have to go to church four Sundays, you have to live straight five years, you got to be baptized six times, and you have to take seven sacraments.” You would go to church four Sundays, live straight five years, be baptized six times, and take seven sacraments. But when God says, “My Son died for you. The price has been paid. Just trust My Son to get you to heaven and you are right in the sight of God, you’ll have eternal life," that is so simple you can’t get it." She said, "Six months later it dawned on me what you meant. I trusted Christ. I know I’m going to heaven."
You don’t have to wait six months. You can trust Christ today and be declared 100% righteous in God’s sight. The moment you do He makes you a 21-word promise. "But to him who does no works but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness."
Now I ask you, could God have made it any simpler than that?
