Romans 4:13-25 – Righteousness by Faith
Who wants to earn a $1,000.00?
If you can jump up and touch the ceiling I will give you $1,000.00
Background to the Book of Romans
Paul wrote this letter to the Church of Rome primarily made up of Jews who had brought the gospel message back there after the Day of Pentecost
Major book outlining the Christian faith
Paul approaches the task like a lawyer presenting his case
He presents the good news
Salvation is available to all, regardless of a persons identity, sin or heritage
We are saved by grace, (unearned, undeserved favor from God)
Through faith (complete trust) in Christ and His finished work
Through him we stand before God justified, (not guilty)
Subject here is how we are to attain righteousness before God
We all stand guilty before God in our carnal state because of our sin (sin separates us from God)
God because he loves us even in our carnal state, wants to move us legally to a position where he can accept up and grant us the gift of salvation
The only way he can accept us is if we are righteous – a holy God and sin do not mix
Rom 4:13-15 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, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
What are the two ways we can attain righteousness?
One that comes through obedience to the law,
and one that comes through faith
So we have a choice – we can attain righteousness through perfect obedience to the law, or we can trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
What is the risk involved in the way of the law? For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath.
The big risk we take in trying to attain salvation by trying to live up to the requirement of God’s law is we may fail and experience the wrath of God
The law is a stern taskmaster, it requires 100% obedience, in other words – perfection
How many of us have lived perfect lives?
In our analogy, it means jumping up and touching the ceiling every time even though it is impossible
What Paul is arguing is, the only way to true righteousness is by the path of faith
If we try any other way, we are not living by faith, but rather by our own “Works”
We keep jumping but never ever achieving the goal
So true faith is not expecting God to accept and love us simply because we have tried our best to obey some standard
In fact, if we live on those terms, we cannot receive what God wants to give us
Paul’s cites Abraham’s example as proof that this method can never bring us the gift of righteousness and he tells us why
First, notice that Abraham received the gift, the promise of righteousness, long before the Law ever was given.
V.13"It was not through the law," Paul says, "that Abraham and his offspring received the promise."
In fact, if you look at Galatians 3:17-19, you find that Abraham received the gift of righteousness 430 years before the Law was given
Galatians 3:17-19 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received only by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God gave it to Abraham as a promise.19 Well then, why was the law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are
Notice that last line. The law was not given so we could attain righteousness, but to show us how guilty we really are
So its impossible for us to attain righteousness through the law
Now we have another problem if we try to attain righteousness through the law
Paul says, If we insist on trying to attain righteousness through the law, it renders the promise worthless.
v.14 "For if those who live by the law are heirs [of the promise], faith has no value and the promise is worthless"
Let’s go back to the jumping exercise
“do I have another volunteer to try to touch the ceiling?”
No volunteers? Why? Because, I’m asking you to do something that is physically impossible, so what the use trying – I’ll never be able to get the $1,000.00
That’s exactly what Paul is saying here. It is spiritually impossible for man to live up to the requirements of the law, therefore the promise of righteousness that way is worthless
Ultimately what does the Law require of man? It requires us to do something that we cannot do.
It asks us to love - It asks us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves.
Jesus said that love is the fulfilling of the Law
The law asks that we act in love all the time, without fail
Very simple request, but physically impossible to achieve?
Do any of us do this perfectly?
Its not just a matter of us not doing it, it’s a matter of us not being able to do
So the promise of salvation is worthless trying to achieve it this way
v.15 because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Now Paul says there is another reason why we should not pursue the path of the law in order to gain righteousness
If we jump and miss, we will experience the wrath of the law – spiritual death
The wrath of God is defined in the first chapter of Romans
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…..24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Failure leads to separation from God
The exact opposite of what God is trying to achieve in making us righteous so he can accept us
God is saying, "If you insist on doing it your way, I’ll allow you to go down that path"
C. S. Lewis said, the world consists of just two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God is saying, "Thy will be done."
That is wrath. When God removes the restraints, we begin to fall apart.
Ultimately, disobedience leads to the disintegration of the human personality
The Painting of The Last Supper
The story behind painting of The Last Supper is extremely interesting and instructive. Two incidents connected with this painting afford a most convincing lesson on the effects of thought in the life of a boy or girl, or of a man or woman. The Last Supper was painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, a noted Italian artist. The time engaged for its completion was seven years. The figures representing the Twelve Apostles and Christ himself were painted from living person. The live model for the painting of the figure of Jesus was chosen first. When it was decided that Da Vinci would paint this great picture, hundreds and hundreds of young men were carefully viewed in an endeavor to find a face and personality exhibiting innocence and beauty, free from the scars and signs of dissipation cause by sin. Finally, after weeks of laborious search a young man, nineteen years of age, was selected as the model for the portrayal of Christ. For six months DA Vince worked on the production of this leading character of the famous painting.
During the next six years Da Vinci continued his labors on his sublime work of art. One by one, fitting persons were chosen to represent each of the eleven apostles, space being left for the painting of the figure representing Judas Iscariot as the final task of this masterpiece. This was the apostle, you remember, who betrayed his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, worth $16.95 in our present-day currency.
For weeks Da Vinci searched for a man with a hard callous face, with a countenance marked by scars of avarice, deceit, hypocrisy and crime, a face that would delineate a character who would betray his best friend.
After many discouraging experiences in searching for the type of person required to represent Judas, word came to Da Vinci that a man whose appearance fully met the requirements had been found. He was in a dungeon in Rome, sentenced to die for a life of crime and murder. Da Vinci made the trip to Rome at once, and this man was brought out from his imprisonment in the dungeon an led out into the light of the sun.
There Da Vince saw before him a dark, swarthy man, his long shaggy and unkempt hair sprawled over his face. A face which portrayed a character of viscousness and complete ruin. At last the painter had found the person he wanted to represent the character of Judas in his painting. By special permission from the king, this prisoner was carried to Milan where the picture was being painted. For six months he sat there before Da Vinci, at appointed hours each day, as the gifted artist diligently continued his task of transmitting to his painting his base character in the picture representing the traitor and betrayer of the Savior. As he finished his last stroke, he turned to the guards and said: "I have finished, you may take the prisoner away." As the guards were leading their prisoner away, he suddenly broke loose from their control and rushed up to Da Vinci, crying as he did so; "Oh, Da Vinci, look at me! Do you not know who I am?" Da Vince, with the trained eyes of a great character student, carefully scrutinized the man upon whose face he had constantly gazed for six months and replied: "No, I have never seen you in my life until you were brought before me out of the dungeon in Rome." Then lifting his eyes toward heaven, the prisoner said: "O God, have I fallen so low?" Then turning his face to the painter he cried, "Leonardo Da Vinci, look at me again, for I am the same man you painted just seven years ago as the figure of Christ!"
This is the true story of the painting of the Last Supper that teaches so strongly the lesson of the effects of right and wrong thinking of an individual. He strongly was a young man whose character was so pure and unspoiled by the sins of the world, that he represented a countenance and innocence and beauty fit to be used for the painting of a representation of Christ. But during the seven years, following a life of sin and crime, he was changed into a perfect picture of the most notorious character ever known in the history of the world.
Romans 1:28-32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Ultimately, the Law does not bring righteousness for man. It brings wrath, emptiness and despair.
“Where there is no law, there is no transgression."
Paul here is speaking of the sin of ignorance
Our societies are getting further and further away from the Christian values our nations were founded on
Young people today think nothing of living together outside of marriage
It’s become the natural thing to do
But just because it is in ignorance, doesn’t mean they will avoid the penalty of the law
You cannot break the law without it breaking you
Bit by bit, their human personality is disintegrating
All this may sound pretty bleak, but surprising, there is an upside to the law. Not only does the law bring wrath, but it also brings hope
The converse of what Paul just said, about where there is no law, there is no transgression, is “Where there is law, there is transgression
Gal 3:19 Well then, why was the law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are
You see when we become aware of the Law, it makes us aware of what is wrong with our lives
It makes us aware of our sinfulness and our need for a Savior
This puts us on the true road to righteousness – faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ
Galatians 3:24-25 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.(The Law)
The law has achieved what it was designed to do, convict us of sin and show us our need for our Savior
Rom 4:16-17 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring -- not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."
Paul now contrasts what the law could not do with what faith can achieve
First, the promise comes by faith. You actually obtain what you are seeking – godly righteousness
Not because we were able to jump and touch the ceiling, but because Jesus did it for us
He did live perfectly. He fulfilled the requirements of the law
By faith we can now be accept by a loving God. Our sins are forgiven, we are his sons, part of his family
What our own works could not do, faith achieves
The second thing that faith does is to introduce us to the principle of grace
Grace is that wonderful gift of God given to the undeserving at Christ’s expense
Its free to us, but that doesn’t mean it was not free to the giver
Grace is what allows a christian to enjoy his relationship with his God
Man dreaming of approaching the Pearly Gates
An active, dedicated, hard-working church member dreamed that he passed away after a long and satisfying life. As he approached the Pearly Gates, he noticed a sign posted which read, "ENTRANCE REQUIREMENT: 1000 POINTS." He looked worried. He walked up to the angel guarding the entrance into Heaven and said, "That requirement seems pretty high. Do you think I could possibly have accumulated that many points? The angel kindly replied, "Well, why don’t you tell me what you have done, and we will see how many points you have." "Okay," the man said enthusiastically. "I was an immersed believer in Christ for 32 years, and I had a perfect Sunday School attendance record for 14 straight years. Also, I taught a Sunday School class for over 12 years." "That’s wonderful!" said the angel. "Now let me see, that’s worth – one point." The man suddenly became very pale and began to perspire, but he went on. "Well, I tithed all my income, and sometimes even more. Also I served as an elder in the church, and served on the finance committee and the building committee. I attended every workday at the church; I mowed the grass and did repairs and painting. At every pitch in dinner, I helped set up the chairs and tables and then stayed late and helped take them down. I witnessed to friends and family and won quite a few people to Christ. I never cheated on my taxes." The angel smiled sympathetically and answered the man politely, "Fine, fine. That’s good. That’s all worth another point. Now you have two." The poor man looked as if were about to go into shock for a time, but he finally slumped his shoulders in resignation and said, "I may as well give up." "I don’t think I can ever be good enough to get into Heaven. In fact, it seems impossible for me or anybody else to get in there but for the Grace of God." "Ah, now," said the angel brightly. "Now you’re talking! That in itself is worth the whole 1000 points!" At that point the man woke up from his dream. Though his bed was soaked in perspiration, he had a smile on his face and a whole new outlook on his Christian life.
If we are constantly trying to measure up to the law, we can never rest
The man in the story had a smile of relief on his face once he truly understood grace
That needs to be our outlook too
Grace alows us to enjoy our christianity
We are ready now to consider what faith actually is. Paul gives us three things that tell us what faith is:
Rom 4:17 He [Abraham] is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed -- the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
Here is the first key to true faith – Whom did Abraham believe?
First Key is the object of our faith
Abraham, Paul says, believed God. God is the object. The quality of our faith depends on the object in which that faith has placed its trust.
When it comes to “faith” and “works”, one trusts in God, the other trust in self
I know whom I would rather trust
Who has a better chance of jumping and touching the ceiling? You or Jesus
It also puts the glory where it should be – with God
Next, he shows us the obstacles to faith
Chainsaw and diesel
I put my faith in the fuel in the can – and it failed
Sooner or later all physical thing will fail or let us down
But notice what happens when we put our faith in God as Abraham did
Notice what this God can do
First, he is the God who gives life to the dead
and Second, he is the God who "calls things that are not, as though they were."
He calls into existence the things that do not exist
When you and I want to make something we start with raw materials. God starts with nothing
Joke – “Get your own dirt”
Doesn’t mean there were not obstacles to his belief
What were the chances physically speaking any of these promises would be fulfilled?
He had to believe he had attained a righteousness he did not deserve
He had to believe he was going to be heir of the world
And somehow he had to believe his dead body and Sarah’s dead body would produce a child
And that child descendant would be the Savior of the world
Think you would have trouble believing any of those?
18.Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 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. 20.Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God,"
After looking at the (Facts) physical impossibility of the task, Abraham believed
Why? Because when he looked at his dead body he remembered that he had a God who raises the dead.
And when he thought about Sarah’s barren womb, he remembered that he had a God who calls into existence the things that do not exist
What about us. Do we believe?
We too have attained a righteousness we do not deserve?
We too are his children
And if children, we are going to be heirs of the promises of God?
v.20 .... but [he] was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,"
Now we know from the story of Abraham that his faith was not always strong, but over the process of time it grew
Notice too that Abraham didn’t make a big deal about his being faithful as though his faith caused the miracles
He gave glory to God, the source of his miracles and the source of his faith
v.21 Being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22. That is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."
He didn’t vacillate, he was fully persuaded.
When it comes to believing faith we too need to believe with all our heart the promises God gives us
When he says, “When we are justified by faith in the blood of Jesus”, we need to be fully persuaded of that fact
We don’t have a bet each way and have a backup “works” mentality just in case
Otherwise it may not be credited to us as righteousness
Righteousness can only be credited to us through belief
It was only because Abraham was fully persuaded that it was credited to him as righteousness
Notice what Paul goes on to say
v.23 The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness -- for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
The same faith and the same outcome is available to us today 4000 years later
You and I can exercise the same faith as Abraham with the same results
We too can be forgiven, We too can be righteous, we too can be a friend of God, we too can inherit eternity
This verse says the gift of righteousness is for those "who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."
He is still the God who gives life to the dead, He raised Jesus, He raised you and I at our baptism, he will raise us to glory at the last day
"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
So if we believe in this God who raised Jesus from the dead and we are ready to live on the basis of his death and his life for us, we, like Abraham, are heirs of eternity
Sound too good to be true – better believe it, the God who brought to fruition the promises made to Abraham, is the same God who will bring to fruition the promises made to us
