Romans 4 - Living by Faith - 2/1/09
Turn with me this morning to Romans 4. Romans is a real letter to real people about a real question - the key question of life: How can a sinful man be made right with a holy God? Paul tells us we can never find right standing with God on our own. In chapters 1-3 Paul talks about condemnation -- all men are condemned: ungodly sinners, moral people, and even religious Jews. In Romans, Paul gives us as explanation of the gospel. The word “gospel” literally means “good news.” The essence of Paul’s letter to the Romans is that there is good news: we have no righteousness of our own, but in Christ we came be made in right standing with the God of all creation. Last week we saw in the end of chapter 3 our second big word: justification. We are declared “not guilty” of our sin -- not because of keeping the OT law, the 10 commandments, or anything we might DO, but because of what Jesus Christ has DONE for us. God takes the righteous perfection of Jesus Christ and “credits” it to our account. Our bill is marked “paid in full” when we trust Christ for salvation.
Paul tells us in 3:20 we are justified apart from the law; in 3:22 we are justified through faith in Jesus Christ; and in 3:29 all men are justified this way, whether Jew or Gentile. This could be very hard for Jews to accept, for they thought they had special favor with God. We’ll talk about the Jews in a couple weeks and see “what’s up with Israel.” But God is just - and cannot just overlook sin, even for the Jews. Many Jews thought they were saved by keeping the OT law -- just like many today think they are saved by what they do: being baptized as a baby or going to church. And many thought they were saved just because they were Jewish, just like many think they are Christians because they were raised in a Christian home.
To answer the Jews who prided themselves on their heritage, Paul explains that this idea of justification by faith has been God’s plan all along. And he uses the example of Abraham, the father of the Jews, to show this is true. That brings us to chapter 4. Look at 4:3 - “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Paul clearly tells us, with the authority of God, that Abraham, the father of the Jews -- if anyone could have claimed his credentials as a Jew it was Abraham -- that Abraham was saved by his FAITH, not by any works he had done. Down in verse 23, we find that Abraham is an example for US of how we are saved: The NLT states it this way: Now this wonderful truth--that God declared him to be righteous--wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead.
So Paul tells us that we also are justified, made right with God, by faith. That’s what the book of Hebrews tells us: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. [Heb. 1:6] So we understand that we are saved by faith, just like Abraham was. Today we want to ask the question, What does it mean for me to live by faith? And we’ll find some answers to that question in Romans 4. Let’s look at the first 12 verses. Read 4:1-12 pray.
What does it mean for me to live by faith? And we’ll look at that question negatively, and then positively. The first thing it means is . . . (Living by faith means . . .)
1. We don’t trust in what we do on our own strength as a means of our salvation. We are not saved by Conduct. God doesn’t weigh all the good in our life against all the bad. Regardless of what some may think! Salvation is not a wage, it is a gift. That’s the point Paul is making in verse 4 - Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. Paul is saying if you could get saved by your works, then God would “owe you.” There would be no gift, no grace in salvation. It would be owed to us.
If your boss comes to you on Friday and says, “I decided to give you a gift today” and hands you your paycheck, you would think - “That’s not a gift; I worked for that!” Well, that is the point Paul is making about salvation: we don’t earn it, it’s a gift! Eph. 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no-one can boast. Titus 3:5 - He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
Paul tells us in verse 6 that David also testifies that salvation is by faith, not by our works: David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works. And then he goes on to quote David. So Paul uses Abraham, the father of the Jews, and David, the king of the Jews, to show us that we are saved by faith. Salvation is a gift to be received, not a prize to be won.
Next Paul goes on to talk about Ceremony - Living by faith means . . .
2. We don’t trust in religious ceremony or ritual as a means of our salvation. Paul tells us about Abraham in verse 11, And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. Many Jews looked to their circumcision as a sign of their salvation. They viewed a religious ritual as a sign they would be saved. But Paul points out that Abraham was not saved by circumcision, but he was actually declared righteous with God before he was circumcised. Circumcision was an “outward sign” of an inward faith.
There are many people today who are trusting in their ceremony or ritual as an assurance of their salvation. They think because they were baptized when they were an infant that they can live like the devil and still get to heaven. After all, they were baptized into the church. Or others think that because they go to a confessional once a year and do so many acts of penance that they can ignore God the rest of the year. But it doesn’t work that way! We are not saved by ceremony.
Living by faith also means . . .
3. We do not trust in keeping the law as a means of our salvation. No Conformance to a set standard can ever save us. That is because NONE of us can ever meet the standard of perfection, the only standard God has. God is never going to lower His standards, and we can never meet them on our own efforts. We saw that in the first half of chapter 3. Look at verse 13 - It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless. Paul says you either can try to be saved by faith or by works, but not both. If you are trusting on what YOU can do, then you are not trusting in what GOD can do. We are not saved by both faith and works. And that is very freeing, because if we are saved by works, then we constantly need to be performing and trying to attain perfection. But when we are saved by faith, by God’s grace, then we can be free to live without self-condemnation, and we live without God’s condemnation. As Paul says in chapter 8 - Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So, those are some negatives of what living is faith is not. On the positive side, Living by faith also means ...
4. Believing God’s Promises - Look at verse 16 - the promise comes by faith - God had given Abraham a promise - that he would have a son, and that he would be the father of many nations. Abraham received that promise in Genesis 12 when he is 75 years old. Abraham has a son, Isaac, in Genesis 21, when Abraham is 100. So, that means that for over 25 years, Abraham held on to the promise that God would bless him with a son. Living by faith means believing God’s promises, even when they are a long time in coming. My middle brother Dale was always the black sheep of the family. But my mother faithfully prayed for Dale for years and years and years. And today, thankfully, I can say that Dale is walking with God. Why? I believe it is largely due to the constant faith and prayers of my mother for him. Abraham used to be called Abram, which means “exalted father.” He was probably the laughingstock of the town -- exalted father, but he doesn’t have any children. Yet Abraham believed God, and lived a life of faith. Living by faith means believing God. Next, it means
5. Believing God’s Potential (or power) - Abraham didn’t waver in his faith when he saw things become physically impossible. Instead he saw the possibilities of what God and God alone could do. Abraham is 100 years old; Sarah is 90. They are well past the age of bearing children. But they still hold on to a belief that God CAN do what He said, even though it seems physically impossible.
Think about the bumblebee. Scientists have claimed that the bumblebee should not be able to fly, as it does not have the capacity in terms of wing size or beats per second to achieve flight. But not being aware of the scientists’ calculations, the bumblebee just goes ahead and flies.
Satan loves to bring doubt into our minds. We try to figure out how God is going to work, and sometimes we think our situation is hopeless. We give in to despair. But just like the bumblebee and just like Abraham, we need to keep believing in the miraculous power of our God. Abraham did not let obstacles stop him from believing in God. And we see that Abraham fully believed in the resurrection of the dead. In Hebrews 11:17 we find this record of Abraham: By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
Abraham was so confident in God’s power, in God’s potential, that he was ready to take his son’s life, because he believed that God could bring Isaac back from the dead. Abraham believed in the resurrection power of God. And so do we. Our hope is not in never dying, but in the resurrection from the dead. That just as God raised Christ from the dead, so also we will rise. Paul writes in Romans 8 - And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you. So living in faith means believing God’s promises, believing God’s power
6. Believing God Persistently - Abraham never stops believing in God - not after 25 years without a child, not when things look hopeless. Verse 18 tells us, Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed - and then on to verse 19 - Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Abraham never gives up on God. Sadly, we give up so very quickly. We pray for something, and if it doesn’t come right away, we give up on God. God, give me patience, and give it to me now! We say God doesn’t love us or he would give us what we ask for. But Abraham patiently, persistently keeps on believing in God. Even in difficult times.
Lest we forget his situation, Abraham lived in a country of idol worshipers. We sometimes think Abraham is this spiritual giant who everyone turns to. Yet in his day, there was no one else around him who was worshiping God. Yes, he does meet Melchizedek one day. But his neighbors and friends are idol worshipers. There was no encouragement from them to keep trusting God. Even his wife gives up on God and schemes to get a son by Abraham having sex with her maid Hagar.
Did you notice what verse 20 said about him - Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. This is something important to notice:
Faith grows as we exercise it. Abraham starts out with faith, and as time goes on, his faith grows. The more we exercise faith, the more faith we will have. Often in January many Americans make commitments that they will exercise more so they can lose weight, get in shape, and be stronger. Why not make a commitment that you will exercise your faith. Trust God more. Pray more. Look for God to work in your life and answer prayer.
And notice How Abraham’s faith grew: vs. 20 - but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. Abraham showed his faith through giving glory to God. How do we give glory to God? Do what He says! Obey Him. Abraham obeyed God - when God calls him to sacrifice his son Isaac, Abraham gets up early the next morning and immediately starts out to obey God (Gen. 22) John 14:15 - “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Faith is the capacity to trust God while not being able to make sense out of everything. Abraham obeyed God, even though he didn’t have the answers, and that brought glory to God. Notice what else it says in verse 20 - but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. WHEN does Abraham give glory to God? BEFORE God has actually done what He said he would do. Abraham glorifies God before He has acted! It reminds me of something we looked at last Sunday night in Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. We are to give thanks to God when we pray, trusting, having faith, that God WILL work for us.
If as a parent you tell your 15 year old child that you are going to buy them a new car once they get their license - that child will begin telling all their friends that they are getting a new car. Why? They haven’t even taken the test, but they trust your word as their parent. In the same way, we need to have a persistent faith in our heavenly Father that He will do what He says.
So what does it mean to live in faith? It means not trusting our conduct, ceremony, or conformance to the law for our salvation. Instead it means trusting God’s promises, power, and persistently looking for Him to work.
Next week we’ll go on to chapter 5, and see it also means living in Peace and Rejoicing when under Pressure. We’ll look at how God produces godly character in our lives. But today in closing, I would invite you to ask yourself: Have I been trusting God as I should? Or have I been trusting in my own strength? Have I turned to doubt and despair, giving up on God. May God help us this week to confidently keep trusting in Him!
