OUR GOD GUARANTEES AN INHERITANCE
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 - March 7, 2004 = LENT 2
ROMANS 4:1-5, 13-17
1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about--but not before God. 3What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness….
…13It 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. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
16Therefore, 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. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He 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.
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Dear Fellow-Redeemed and Saints in the Lord:
Last week as we looked at the Book of Romans, we heard that mankind is not in control. We are not in control when we consider how insignificant we are in comparison to the vastness of the universe around us. We are in control of some things. In the end we are comforted knowing that God is always in control. We are comforted knowing that God knows what is best for each and everyone of us. We are thankful that God does what is best for each and everyone of us. The fact is we are thankful as our text points out this morning that God has made each and everyone of us a guarantee--God guarantees our inheritance. The Lord God reminds us today with the example of Abraham that because of our faith our inheritance is guaranteed. Paul describes in another letter in Corinthians: "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 CORINTHIANS 1:21,22). We now look at that guarantee that God has made for each one of us and to each one of us. GOD GUARANTEES OUR INHERITANCE – an inheritance
I. that we as people cannot earn with our own righteousness
II. that God provides through the righteousness of Christ
I. An inheritance not earned by man’s righteousness
We recognize Abraham as a great man of faith because of all the things that happened in his life and, because Scripture calls him that. Our text began with a question: 1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? Paul asked about a matter that Abraham learned about, and that matter was justification and faith. What did Abraham learn about justification and faith? When we look at the example of Abraham, we discover that God made many promises to Abraham, and God kept all of His promises. We think of the time when Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac. God promised, even though he didn’t take along anything else to sacrifice except his son, that He would provide a sacrifice. Abraham went, built the altar, had the wood to start the fire, and was drawing his knife to sacrifice his son; and the Lord stopped him. Abraham learned that as he put his faith and complete trust in God, God would always do as He said. God always did, always would and always could do just as He promised.
Our text describes that Abraham believed, not as a work, but because of the faith that God had given him. If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about--but not before God. Scripture describes many of the things that Abraham did in obedience to God’s promises and commands. Because of everything Abraham did some people say, "Look at all the things he did to save himself." If Abraham felt that way, he could boast about how he had saved himself; but that boasting would do no good before God. It was God who saved him. In order to better understand this, he uses the example of working and the debt that is owed to a worker compared to a gift. Paul writes, 3What does the Scripture say? 4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. He says there is a difference, isn’t there? To those that work, they earn wages or a reward or some other kind of payment. It is a debt that is owed to them, but faith is entirely different. Faith is a gift. God’s righteousness is a gift. Our text explains, 3What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." It wasn’t what Abraham had done, but it was what God had done for him that saved him. It wasn’t Abraham’s righteousness that saved him, but it was the righteousness of God. Abraham could have kept all of the laws, and that still would not save him. In verse 13: 13It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise (Remember God made many promises to Abraham.) that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. Remember Paul was trying to remind these believers that the law could not save them, that their own works could not save them. The law was only able to show them their sin. The law did not show them their Savior.
Since time began until the time Paul wrote these words to the believers until our time, that simple message has not changed--the law still condemns. The law shows us our sins and cannot save us. Today, people have a tendency to avoid the law or feel they are above the law. We see it very clearly in our society. Many feel if they break only certain small rules or regulations, it is not as bad as breaking those big laws such as murder, stealing and adultery. Yet, what does Scripture remind us--that the law condemns us no matter the sin. In the Book of James we are told: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it" (JAMES 2:10). So if we ever have one bad thought or say one bad word, or do one bad thing, it makes no difference. Sin is still sin and we are guilty of breaking all of God’s commands.
The law simply cannot and does not save us. Yet, that is something that kind of goes against our nature. We all feel better when we do something good. We all feel better about ourselves when we keep the law. Yet, the law and our own righteousness cannot guarantee an inheritance for us simply because we cannot keep all of God’s law. We are going to break it probably sooner than later.
The fact sin is all around us, and we live in sin. It is described in Isaiah: "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away" (ISAIAH 64:6). Isaiah reminds us even those things, which we would think are good and right before God are still tainted with sin. They are like filthy rags. So our sins stack up and stand against us and can sweep us away like the wind. Our righteousness cannot earn heaven, because on this side of heaven all our righteous acts are always tainted with sin. So what does that mean? This simply means we cannot save ourselves. We can’t try hard enough. We can’t live well enough. We can’t purchase heaven with all the wealth in the world. The fact is we are told the price of the eternal inheritance. In the Psalm God points out: "No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him--the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough--that he should live on forever and not see decay" (PSALM 48:7-9). It says that you and I could never believe for someone else. You and I could not give up our life that someone might be saved eternally. That price, that ransom, to be bought back from death, to be ransomed back from sin, to be ransomed back from the devil, that price is just too much. We are able to rejoice that the price was paid through the one Man--Christ Jesus. Ordinary mortals cannot pay the price.
Time and time again our text reminds us that we cannot save ourselves. The law reminds us of that. But still we praise God, because our inheritance is guaranteed by God, not by our own righteousness, but by the perfect righteousness of Christ that He gives to us.
II. An inheritance given by Christ’s righteousness.
That is what Abraham believed. Now, we know Abraham never saw Christ. He lived thousands of years before Christ was even born. Yet, he always looked ahead. He looked ahead to the promise that God had made to Adam and Eve--that a Savior would come. He looked ahead to the promise that God had made to him that there would be a Savior. We are told that Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. He believed in God’s promises. Abraham didn’t work for them. He didn’t go out of his way to find God’s promises. God’s promises came to him, didn’t they? Paul writes his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. A beautiful example of one of the promises God made to Abraham and a beautiful example of how faith comes to a believer!
We may remember the account of Abraham when he was by his tent and three visitors came to him with a message. The message was that Abraham and his wife Sarah would have a son within the year. Of course, that was strange because Abraham and Sarah were well beyond the years that they were able to have children. Yet, what happened? Within a year they had a son -- Isaac. Not only did they have Isaac, Abraham and Sarah had more sons and daughters until the generations after Abraham became as countless as the sands on the seashore and the stars in the sky. Now Abraham did not go out of his way to find messengers to tell him that the Lord would bless him. Rather, the messengers came and found Abraham and told him God’s promise for him. Faith comes and tells us we are saved. Faith came to Abraham and he believed and it was credited as righteousness. It says, 16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring--(God describes the offspring of Abraham--why you and I have a guarantee of inheritance) 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.
The world today, the believers today, are descendants of Abraham. Believers are descendants not necessarily by flesh and blood, but by the spirit of faith that is in them as we will soon study. That was the promise that God made to Abraham--You are going to be the father of many nations. Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness. He believed and was saved, not because of works but by God’s grace. He says: 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed. Abraham believed in God -- the only true God. This is described for us: the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. That is what Abraham believed in. God said to Abraham, "You are going to have a son. You are going to have many children." He called things that were not and were impossible, but it became possible because of God’s promise. Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness.
So we come to that second great teaching of Scripture--the gospel that shows us our Savior that shows us that our sins are forgiven. Yes, the law shows us our sin and reminds us that by ourselves and on our own we are lost and condemned creatures forever. But then the Lord tells us by His grace we are saved. Rather than being lost and condemned creatures forever, you and I have an inheritance that is guaranteed. We have eternity. We have heaven as our home. We rejoice in those familiar words of Ephesians: "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" (EPHESIANS 2:8,9). So you begin to see the miracle of God’s grace--not by works.
Just think how devastating it would be if we could work out our own salvation. Working our own salvation would mean some would believe and some wouldn’t. Believers then would say, "I believe and you don’t. Look what I have done." People wouldn’t care about unbelievers then figuring those unbelievers didn’t care enough about their own salvation to try hard enough to save themselves. But it is not at all that way, is it? It is purely out of God’s divine grace that we are saved. It is absolutely, positively not by us, but by God’s design and plan and not by works that any are saved. Paul writes in Timothy: "God has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time" (2 TIMOTHY 1:9). So even before we were born, the Lord had His plan for mankind. God wanted all men to be saved. The Lord had His grace planned for us as believers that we would be called out of darkness into His light.
God saves us by Christ’s righteousness, by His love, by His mercy, by His grace. It is a great blessing to know that the future is certain. It is a great blessing to know that yes we may not be in control in this life from time to time, but God always is. Or gracious God has prepared a place for each and every one of us. He has guaranteed an inheritance for us. We might be tempted and sit back and put up our feet and say, "Well, we are saved. What more do we need?" "Well, let the rest fend for themselves." We would be right to sit back and say, “Our inheritance is guaranteed, I do not have to work for it.” Yet, we know that is not quite correct. The Lord reminds us that around us Satan is still tempting us. There are the attractions of this world, and our own sinful flesh that try to lead us down that broad and wide path of destruction. So the Lord reminds us that He wants us to continue in His Word and grow in our faith. Even the Apostle Paul, who spent the last half of his adult life preaching the gospel and being beat up for the sake of the name of Jesus, realized he still had to strive to grow in faith. It is in Philippians that Paul writes and reminds us: "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (PHILIPPIANS 3:12). You can picture ourselves being grabbed by God out of the depths of hell so that we can inherit eternal life. That is where we are today. From today until the time we see God face to face we still have opportunity to grow in our Christian faith. We still have a privilege time and time again to hear God’s Word and to read God’s Word and to study God’s Word in order to begin to appreciate the great, undeserved love God has shown us.
We know on this earth that we sometimes are anxious about an inheritance. An inheritance usually means an unexpected blessing. An earthly inheritance usually means money or earthly things. Today, the Lord says, "Your inheritance is guaranteed. Your spiritual welfare is a certainty." He says He has given us faith. The Holy Spirit which is a seal guaranteeing our deposit. It reminds that He takes all of that responsibility out of our hands, because we cannot earn our inheritance. Rather we can learn to appreciate our inheritance, to appreciate it and all the work that Christ has done for us.
Job describes it: "Then he comes to men and says, ’I sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved. (God gives us an eternal inheritance, and not what we deserve, but He gives it to us anyway.) He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light’" (JOB 33:27,28). Our sins deserve eternal death. God in grace, mercy and love gives us eternal life. He guarantees us an inheritance, not because of our sinfulness and our earthly righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ our Savior from sin. Our inheritance is guaranteed forever. Amen.
Pastor Timm O. Meyer
