Book of Romans
Lesson # 11
Romans 4:6 - 25
By Rev. James May
The Apostle Paul continues his discourse pertaining to justification by faith and not by works, making a strong argument against those Jewish converts to Christianity who wanted to believe that they were special above everyone else and that their long history as the chosen nation of God on the earth somehow gave them special privileges and the place of honor in the Kingdom of God. In the past few weeks we have seen Paul painstakingly explain that none of those things which Israel had learned pertaining to the Law, and all of their observances of that Law, only served the purpose of proving that they needed a Deliverer because they could not keep their own law. Paul continues now to prove that justification, salvation and obtaining the righteousness of Christ is all a work of faith and not of works of the Law.
The Jews could not boast because of Abraham. They had no special privilege for being a Jew. God is the same God, with the same requirements of salvation through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for sin upon the cross, for all men, Jew and Gentile. There is only one way of salvation and that way is through faith in Jesus and his blood that was shed to pay the debt for our sin that we could not pay no matter how many good works we may do. Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven; who has been awarded salvation through Christ! This is the thought that Paul expresses as he begins to refer to what King David said in Psalms 32.
David, of course, was the King of Israel, and one of the most revered and loved kings of Israel. To refer back to King David was another way of establishing the fact of salvation through grace.
Now let’s continue with our study in Romans.
Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Romans 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Here is how those verses are written in the Amplified Version of the Bible:
Romans 4:6-8 (Amplified Version) Thus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does: Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried. Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him. [Ps. 32:1, 2.]
Instead of trying to figure out what part good works play in the plan of salvation, Paul is saying that we need to feel so blessed, because we are blessed. God, in his infinite mercy, has called us “Righteous”, not because of our works, but often in spite of our works!
You are blessed today! I am blessed today! And it’s not because we are worthy through our good works! We are blessed because our sins are gone! They are “covered up”; hidden under the blood of Jesus, forgotten forever by God, and completely and utterly gone! The whole world that is caught in sin will stand in envy of your blessing! Mankind tries to create his own righteousness and never will succeed, no matter what he does, and here you and I are, right now, already made righteous through the grace of God through faith in Jesus!
What a wonderful thing it is to know that we shall never have to answer for the rebellion that is in our hearts; that we will be able to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ in robes of righteousness, purer than the driven snow, holy and acceptable unto God our Father, all because of the cleansing power of the Blood!
Paul is telling these saints at Rome that this is their condition as well! It’s all because of Jesus, and nothing else! Their own self-righteousness wasn’t enough! Their knowledge, understanding and former observance of the Law was enough! BUT THANK GOD, THE BLOOD OF JESUS, THE MESSIAH OF ISRAEL AND SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, IS ENOUGH! Thank God for that blessing!
Romans 4:9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
The next question is, “Who, among all men on the earth, shall be able to enjoy this blessing of forgiveness?” Shall it be Jews only, or shall the uncircumcision, the Gentiles, enjoy it? Abraham's faith was counted for righteousness; will this be true of all, both Jews and Gentiles?
Romans 4:10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
How did all this begin with Abraham and Israel? The question that Paul poses now is this, “Was Abraham a Jew or a Gentile when God proclaimed that his faith was counted for righteousness?” The answer becomes clear when we consider the fact that Israel, as a nation did not exist; that Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldees, a place that was steeped in idolatry; and that Abraham himself was not circumcised until 14 years after God proclaimed that his faith was counted for righteousness! That meant that Abraham was justified, before God ever made a covenant with him through the act of circumcision. Abraham was still a Gentile when he was counted as righteous by God himself.
Abraham’s righteousness did not come through the outward mark in the flesh. The work of being made righteous in the eyes of God was already done when Abraham was given the covenant sign of circumcision!
This outward mark in the flesh was meant to be a mark to seal the covenant between God and Abraham. A seal is often used to prove that a document is legal and true! This was the purpose of the sign of circumcision for Abraham and all of Israel from that day forward. But remember, Abraham was already righteous, so the seal had no part in making him righteous. It only served to prove that he was an obedient servant and part of God’s covenant in the earth to bring forth a nation that would proclaim his name!
Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised:
that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
Abraham is the "great father," the father, not of the circumcision only, but of all who have such faith as he had before he was circumcised. When Abraham was "counted righteous through faith," there was no difference between Jew and Gentile. Christianity, by its revelation of "righteousness through faith," brings us back to the same condition.
Romans 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
So everyone who walks in the same faith, believing God and walking with God, obtain that same righteousness of Abraham, through faith.
Romans 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
What are the three promises God made to Abraham?
•Abraham would become a great nation and a great name.
•God would bless those that blessed him and curse those that cursed him
•That in Abraham eventually ALL nations will be blessed.
Abraham didn’t receive these promises through the Law for the Law had not been given. The promises came through the righteousness of faith alone.
Romans 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
The Law cannot award any promises or fulfill any promises. If the Law could make and fulfill covenants, then there would be no need for faith; only obedience.
Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
By Grace, through faith, is the promise of Abraham obtained, and righteousness granted from God.
God said, “I have made thee a father of many nations”. This means that God had already given, had already granted, and had already predestined Abraham to be what God intended for him to be from the very beginning. Abraham had an expected end, as do all of God’s people. God has a plan for your life and mine, and by his grace, through faith, we are given righteousness and obtained the promise of God that shall be fulfilled in each of our lives. In the mind of God, the promises are already completed.
Romans 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
How long should you have faith in the promises of God? At what point should you throw in the towel, give up and walk away from believing what God has said will come to pass in your life?
The answer is that you never give up! Abraham hoped against all hope, believed God in spite of the great odds that were against him, and held onto the promise in spite of every negative thought, every doubt and fear and every attack of the devil against him. He never faltered in having absolute faith in God’s promises.
Romans 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
Romans 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Romans 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
It takes a faith like Abraham’s to really trust god through it all! In spite of his and Sarah’s advanced age, he believed God for a son. He believed God and lived his life with the full expectation that God was going to do exactly what God said he would do. He trusted, believed and never wavered. That kind of faith will bring the grace of God to play.
Romans 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Because he never wavered, Abraham was granted the righteousness of God. It was all because of faith, nothing else.
Romans 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Romans 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
At the end of chapter four Paul has finally, and completely, and firmly established that we are justified and made righteous, not by works of the Law, but by faith and trust in the promises of God alone. But our faith must be an unwavering, firm faith; one that will believe God to the very end.
We must be absolutely convinced in our own hearts that “What God said he will do, he will do, and God will not fail”. God’s promises are true. His Word is Yes and Amen! He shows no partiality! He will accomplish whatever he has promised. Why, because in the mind of God it’s already accomplished when the promise is made.
If we then choose to walk by faith, trusting God as Abraham did, without wavering, then that’s the kind of faith that will save us. Faith will bring grace to forgive sin and to cause the Righteousness of Christ to be placed upon us. It’s all by Grace through Faith in the shed blood of Jesus!
Now that we have fully established that salvation is by faith and not by works, we will see that Paul will continue in this letter to the saints at Rome, to get into areas of serving God that you may find more interesting and more relatable to where you are right now. But we had to establish that righteousness comes by faith lest some of our brothers in Christ would begin to teach that salvation comes only by obedience to a set of laws that either the preacher or the church establishes.
While we all should walk in holiness, ever working toward being more like Jesus and doing his will in our lives; let us never be convinced that our works are good enough to save us. Never forget that our righteousness is as filthy rags in the eyes of the Lord and that we must have the righteousness of Christ that comes only by faith and grace.
