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ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

Romans 4:1-25

Key Verse:4:23,24 “The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

  In the last passage we learned that we are freely justified by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We are like an acquitted criminal who are sentenced not guilty and released from the criminal court. We have to remember why we are freed. We are freed because God paid off the penalty of all our sins with the blood of Jesus Christ his One and Only Son. It is amazing news that we didn’t pay even a penny for our sins, but Jesus paid it all. We thank God for Jesus who became a sacrifice of atonement for our sins. Since we are freely justified and redeemed by God’s grace, we now live a new life with Christ. We have a new relationship with God as children of God. Through faith in Jesus Christ we became heirs of God, and co-heirs of our Lord Jesus Christ. What an amazing and unfathomable love of God to sinners like us!

  In today’s passage Paul continues to state that justification comes only from faith, not from works (1-8), or not from religious acts (9-12) or law (13-25).  In order to prove his statement, Paul illustrates Abraham’s faith as an example. Today God may teach us how Abraham’s faith is credited as righteousness and what we can learn from Abraham’s faith. Amen.

First, Abraham was justified not through works, but through faith (1-8). During Paul’s days most of Jews believed that Abraham had been justified by God through his works. But, Paul refutes their ideas that Abraham’s righteousness comes from his faith, not from his moral and ethical perfectness. Paul said in verse 2, “If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about-but not before God.” Those who have studied the book of Genesis realize that Abraham was not a morally or ethically perfect man. He was full of shortcomings and showed his human weaknesses. He had nothing to boast about himself before God when he went down to Egypt and lied to King Pharaoh that his wife Sarah was his sister. (Ge 12:13) He was morally and ethically not right before God when he took Hagar as a concubine, who was the servant girl of his wife Sarah.

Paul continues in verse 3. “What does the Scripture say? “ Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Paul again addresses that Abraham was credited with righteousness through his faith, not through his works. Ten years have passed since God had promised Abraham to make him a great nations and a blessing to others (Ge 12:2,3) But still, God did not give Abraham a son, not even a daughter as his heir. Running out of his patience, Abraham was about to adopt one of his servants as his heir. At that time, the Lord appeared to Abraham and reconfirmed that a son coming from Abraham’s own body would be his heir. Then, God took Abraham outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count stars-if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.” (Ge 15:4,5) Instead of giving a son, God showed Abraham a vision. How did Abraham respond to God’s word? Genesis 15:6 says, “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”  Abraham took God at his word. Abraham trusted God who justifies the wicked and held God’s promise again. Abraham’s faith pleased God and his faith was credited as righteousness. (5)

  David’s Star is the emblem of the nation Israel. King David was a great King of Israel whom the Israelites had admired and respected. However, before the Holy God David was also none but a forgiven sinner. David had committed adultery with the wife of Uriah while his armies were in a battle field (2 Sa 11). Then in order to cover up his sins, he murdered Uriah, one of his loyal subjects. According to the Ten Commandments, David violated God’s law and could not avoid God’s divine judgment.  However, after realizing his wrongdoings before God, David confessed his sins with tears and humbly requested God’s pardon. In Psalm 51 David cries out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgression. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” (Ps 51:1,2) David was well aware of his sins. He trusted God who justifies the wicked and demonstrates his compassion on those who come to him with penitent heart. (Ps 32:5) David believed God’s unfailing love despite people’s unfaithfulness. Soon David praised God who justifies the wicked like him according to God’s unfailing love. Let us read verses 7,8. “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”  No one is perfect before God no matter who they are and no matter how great things he or she has done. No one can be righteous before God by their works. Only faith in God is credited as righteousness before God.

Second, Abraham was justified through faith, not through ceremonial acts.(9-12) Jews brag about circumcision as a mark of God’s chosen people. So they despised Gentiles who were not circumcised.  They thought that circumcision was a certificate of God’s favor and blessing on the people of God. They thought that Abraham was considered to be righteous because of his circumcision. However, Paul says that circumcision itself does not make them righteous before God. It was because Abraham had been credited to be righteous even before he was circumcised. There is 14 years gap between Genesis 15 and Genesis 17. So Paul said in verses 9-12. “Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised or before? It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.”  Simply speaking, as through faith Abraham had been called righteous before he was circumcised, so we those who live by faith are also called righteous before God whether we are circumcised or not and whether we are Jews or not. Ceremonial and ritual acts cannot make us righteous. Our religious career and parish positions or spiritual performances do not make us righteous, either. Only faith in God pleases Him and makes us righteous (Heb 11:6)

   If any one of us thinks that he or she can be made righteous before God through our diligent Bible study and faithful attendance to meetings. Not to mention that such spiritual activities are good for us, especially admirable for our spiritual growth and for the development of our relationship with God. However, we must remember that such activities or performances themselves cannot make us righteous before God. They are the process of sanctification, not a requirement of justification. We have already studied in the previous parts, through or by works, we cannot make ourselves right before God. We can be made righteous before God only when we believed in Him and his holy promises. Let us study more about Abraham’s faith in the next part.

Third, Abraham’s faith was credited when he had absolute faith in God Almighty. (13-25) The popular TV evangelist and pastor Joel Osteen said in his book “Your Best Life Now”, “Stop talking to God about how big your mountains are, and start talking to your mountains about how big your God is!” What the pastor Joel meant was that we must use our tongues not for complaining, but for praising, not for negative words, but for positive words. Indeed, we often complain about our mountains which are our human limitations or poor situations. Then we easily despair and give up. But, Abraham did not do so. God promised Abraham to make a father of many nations. (17). God also showed him a numerous stars in the sky and said, “So shall your offspring be!” God’s promise was really great and fantastic. However, from human point of view, Abraham was completely hopeless and helpless. Verse 19 says that Abraham 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.”  Humanly speaking, it was impossible for Abraham to have a son from Sarah. He and his wife Sarah were too old to have a baby.  Human limitation was a big mountain to Abraham. Any hope or miracle which human beings can expect was over to Abraham. In a word, the game was over. No more hope for a child was left to Abraham’s family. However, how did Abraham confront such unfavorable situations? Did he complain that the mountain was too big to move? Did he continue to say negative words to his wife, “Sarah, sorry to say, but you’re done. No more! We cannot have a baby!”

  How did Abraham challenge his human limitations and how did he treat God’s promise? Look at verse 18,19. “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.” 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.” Pay attention to the words “Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations…” Here we learn that Abraham did not give up the hope of having a child just because of God’s promise which says, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you.” (Ge 12:2) There is saying, if anyone who gives away hope, the spot where he stands is his burial place. Proverbs says people without dream will perish.( Pr ) It means that Abraham never gave up a hope for a son. Whenever he saw Sarah in the morning, Abraham must have said to her, “You will be a mother of many nations and I will be a father of many nations.”  Abraham must have bought clothes, toys and even a cradle for coming children from Sarah. Abraham never let his hope go just because of God’s promise.

  Paul added to praise Abraham’s faith. Look at verse 20,21, “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.” Here the word “waver” is replaced with “vacillate”, which means to sway back and forth according to situations or conditions. Abraham was not swayed by his poor human situations and limitations. The Bible says that he did not waver through unbelief, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. Above all he had absolute faith in God that God had power to do what he had promised.  Abraham did not limit God’s power by his unbelief. He did not doubt about God’s mighty power. He absolutely believed that our God is Almighty God to do whatever pleased Him. Abraham also believed that our God is faithful God to do what he had promised. Abraham believed God’s almighty power and his faithfulness. In verse 22, Paul said, “This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”

  It is not only Abraham alone who is credited as righteous before God, but we are also credited to righteous when we have faith in God the Almighty. Look at verses 23,24. “The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” When we have absolute faith in God Almighty and in his promise, we will receive the same blessing which Abraham had received from God through his faith. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8) The God of Abraham is the God of Jesus, the God of the Apostle Paul, and the God of St. Louis and the God of each one of us. My family had been without children for nine years. But, my wife absolutely believed that God would give her children despite her physical weaknesses. Her faith was credited with righteousness and we got twin children twelve years ago. We have hope and God’s promise to become a father or a mother of many nations. I am not an exception. However, present human situations and limitations try to take away our hope at any moment. But, we should not waver through our unbelief regarding the promise of God. Rather we must be strengthened in our faith and give glory to God. God wants us to believe that our God has power to do what he has promised to us. We must praise the Lord like Abraham because God will use those who praise the Lord. It does not matter what you have done before, how you have lived. The moment you repent of your sins and believe in Him, we will be justified and be made right before God.

  We believe Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins and his glorious resurrection for our eternal life. Jesus’ death delivered us from death to life and his resurrection confirms our salvation.(25) Those who believe in the promise of God for eternal life in the kingdom of God will live a new life with Christ Jesus.  Those who live a new life with Christ Jesus will be blessing to others. They will be a father and a mother of many nations.  Because of this living hope we do not waver. We do not give up. Rather we keep on marching to the Zion, our eternal home, the kingdom of God.

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• ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BY FAITH.doc

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