Grant, John: Romans-06 Chapter 4 Justification Confirmed

We have seen clearly in our previous studies how Paul has been teaching the truth of justification by faith, culminating in these closing verses of chapter three, where we saw the great summary of the truth of the gospel set out in the last ten verses of the chapter. In chapter five, Paul takes up the theme and sets out the great blessings of those who are justified by faith. Before he does so, however, there is one matter which he must address to show how conclusive is his argument and to show the consistency of the teaching of scripture. In chapter three verse twenty one, we learned that the righteousness of God without the law is witnessed by the law and the prophets. The question is, did the Law and the Prophets witness to something which would come in the future, or did they experience this themselves? In other words, did God justify by faith? Did he impute righteousness to those who believed during the time of the Law and the Prophets, or is this something new which came in after the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross? If this was the case, it could be argued that there is an inconsistency in Paul's reasoning, because God would then have been acting on two opposing principles before and after the cross. Chapter three, chapter four, and chapter five of the epistle can be summarized this way. The closing eleven verses of chapter three is an explanation of justification by faith. Chapter four is examples of justification by faith, and chapter five is the enjoyment of justification by faith. Let us turn now to chapter four. What this chapter does is to show us that justification by faith is not a new thing. The law and the prophets did not only witness to it. During their time, God was justifying by faith. What better examples can Paul bring before a Jew, indeed before us all, than the examples of Abraham and of David the king? These two revered characters are cited as examples of justification by faith. In bringing this truth before us, Paul takes the opportunity of teaching us further some vital lessons which those who are justified by faith can enjoy. Let us now look at the chapter as a whole and see how Paul lays out his argument. In verses one to eight, we have two great examples. Verses one to five uh gives us the example of Abraham. Paul shows here clearly that Abraham was not justified by works. He was not justified because he was circumcised. He was justified by faith. Verses six to eight gives us the example of David. Paul quotes from the Psalms to show that David knew the truth of righteousness being imputed to him, that is, being charged to his account, rather than as a result of his own works. In verses nine to seventeen, we have two great questions. In verses nine to twelve, the question is, was righteousness due to circumcision? The Jew will still argue that circumcision was involved in the justification of Abraham, and there must be an element of work in this. Paul shows that this is not the case. In verses thirteen to seventeen, the question is, was righteousness due to the law? Again, the Jew will protest and state that the giving of the law showed that the keeping of it was the means by which we would be justified. Again, the error of this argument is clearly shown. In verses seventeen to twenty five we have one great conclusion. Belief led to imputed righteousness even before the cross. In this section, the whole character of the faith of Abraham is laid out for us, and what a great definition of faith is given for our instruction. Think for a moment of the teaching of this chapter, and we will see again that God has always dealt with the sinner on the same basis. The thought that God changed his ways of dealing after the cross does not stand up to the light of scripture. All who go to glory will be justified by faith and will have that righteousness imputed or charged to their account, which is the result of faith. It may be that you are saying, surely we have finished with justification by faith. What more can Paul possibly have to say about this subject that will add to whatever he has already said? Is this just repetition for the sake of repetition? The answer to that lies partly in what we have already stated. Paul has taught this great truth, but he must show from the past that it really was in operation in times past. He has to show from the scriptures that there were men who did enjoy and understand justification by faith. He has to show that this is not merely some pet theory of his own, for no doubt such a statement would be made. We will see that in looking back to those who were justified by faith in the past, Paul gives us further revelation as to the glory of this truth, and also shows us the great example of Abraham, of what he believed, of how he believed, and what the result of his belief was. So, let us tackle this chapter, looking forward to those further lessons on justification by faith. This is not a needless repeat of past teaching. It introduces to us truth which we have not heard before in the letter. Let us now read the opening four verses of the chapter. What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath way off to glory, but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now let us look at the two great examples brought before us by Paul. The first, in verses one to five, which we have read, is the example of Abraham. In dealing with Abraham, see that in verse one and two Paul presents the supposed difficulty. In verse three he gives the answer from scripture, and in verses four and five he explains the principles involved in the answer which he has given. Let us now look at the supposed difficulty. Paul uses the expression, what shall we say then, when he is addressing a supposed difficulty in his line of arguing. You will find the same words used in chapter six verse one regarding the question of continuing in sin. In chapter seven verse seven regarding the law, in chapter eight verse thirty one regarding the great truths of predestination, and in chapter nine verse thirty regarding the blessings which have come to the Gentiles. So here he uses it for the first time in the epistle. Now, what is the difficulty which is presented? It is that Abraham could not have been justified by works, if the teaching of Paul in the previous chapter is to stand examination. The Jew, however, would argue that the works of Abraham were the basis of his justification. The act of circumcision was a part of this, a part of his works. Abraham, Paul states as a Jew, is our father as pertaining to the flesh. The Jews recognized him as their father. If Abraham was justified by works, he would have something to glory in. But what does the scripture say? Let us look then at the answer that is given to us from the scripture in verse three. As usual, the answer to the supposed difficulty is found in the word of God. Paul takes us back to the book of Genesis and quotes from Genesis chapter fifteen verse six. This is the first mention of belief in the scripture. That does not mean that Abraham was the first to believe, for obviously men like Enoch and Noah also believed. It is, however, the first mention of belief. And what does it tell us? It tells us that Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Here we have right at the beginning of scripture the written proof that belief always has been the means by which God counted men as being righteous. It was the belief, not the works of Abraham, which gave him righteousness. Can we just consider the meaning of the word count here? It is the word which is translated reckon. The word means to place to your account. Look, for instance, at the epistle to Philemon. Paul tells Philemon to place to his account anything which may be owed by Onesimus. Thus, righteousness was placed to Abraham's account. It is the same word as is used in the epistle to Philemon. He was given the credit for it. Likewise, righteousness is placed to our account when we believe the gospel. How clearly we see now that justification by faith was not an emergency plan which was put into motion because the law had failed. It always was God's way. Verses four and five are simply a statement of the general principles involved in the answer which he has given. If you work for something, the reward which you get is not a gift, but is a debt which is due to you. If, however, you do not work, your faith, your belief is counted for righteousness. Faith is therefore not a work which we get credit for. It is an acknowledgment that no work of ours is of any value whatsoever. This is an important point. The fact that we place our trust in the Lord Jesus does not mean that we have a work placed to our credit. Belief is not a work. Faith, let me repeat it, is an acknowledgement that no work of our own can give us righteousness. Having dealt with Abraham, Paul now turns to the writings of David. Let us read now verses six to eight. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Notice here how cleverly Paul brings in the case of David. Abraham and David were both individuals who were highly regarded by the Jew. David was the great king whose reign ushered in the golden age of Jewish history. Notice that when Matthew writes his gospel, he introduces the Lord Jesus as the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of the Jewish people, and David was the king to whom the promise was made that the Messiah would come from his loins, that Messiah would come from his family line. These verses, from verse six to verse eight, are a quotation from Psalm thirty two, which came from the pen of David. In verse six, we are told that the words of Psalm thirty two confirm the truth of Genesis 15, verse 6. This Psalm was written by David after the sad incident when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then arranged the murder of her husband on the field of battle. David has gone through the sad, lonely experience of being away in heart from the Lord due to his dreadful sin. You can read the full story of this in the second book of Samuel, chapter eleven. The prophet Nathan comes to David to show him that his deeds are known to God. David eventually repents of his sin and writes this psalm. The whole point of the quotation is not that David believed God, although he did, but that he confirms that righteousness had been imputed to him without works. David had done nothing to merit the favor of God. Indeed, his conduct, rather than meriting God's favor, deserved God's judgment. But David writes of the man who is blessed, and blessed because his sins are forgiven and have not been imputed to him, that is, have not been charged to his account. We will see that these verses teach us that if sin is not charged to our account, then righteousness is. Thus, the man is blessed indeed and has enjoyed the same experience as Abraham. Three things are said about the man or the woman who has righteousness imputed to them. Firstly, their iniquities are forgiven. Secondly, their sins are covered. And thirdly, sin is not charged to their account. The man who has come into the good of this is called twice over blessed. When iniquities are forgiven, sin is also covered. The word here means to cover as with a shroud. Now, when this is the case, God will not charge sin to your account. In other words, righteousness and sin cannot be charged to our account at the same time. You may ask once again if this is righteous for God so to do. When he does not charge sin to our account, is he acting in a righteous way? The answer is an emphatic yes, because these sins have been dealt with by the Lord Jesus. Listen to what Paul writes in two Corinthians chapter five verse nineteen: God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. Our sins are not charged to us because he, the Lord Jesus, was made sin for us. They were charged to his account and have therefore been dealt with at the cross. So he bore our sin, and we are reckoned righteous. So in Psalm um thirty two, David has confirmed the truth of Genesis fifteen. Do not forget, however, that he states that the forgiven man or woman is blessed. It is a state to be enjoyed. It is a state of spiritual happiness, and blessed indeed is the one who appreciates the great truth of it all. Let us never forget the wonder of this great work in our souls. We sometimes become so familiar with the truth of the gospel that we fail to appreciate just how great the work is. Let us wonder, let us worship, and let us enjoy what God has done in not imputing our sins to us, but instead imputing righteousness to us. Let us now turn our attention to verses nine to fifteen where we have two great questions. The first is found in verses nine to twelve and we will now read these verses. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? 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. 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, yet being uncircumcised. The first question which Paul deals with is the question of circumcision. The Jew may argue that if works were not necessary for being counted righteous, circumcision certainly was. We see in this the seed of the teaching which dogged the footsteps of Paul, that the gospel was good, but the law must be added to it. This led to some maintaining that circumcision was necessary for those who believed the gospel. In dealing with this, Paul appeals to certain clear facts of history. These were spiritual truths, but they do tie in with the historical facts. The answer to the question is clearly seen in the fact that Abraham was declared to be righteous, as we have already seen in Genesis fifteen. We then ask the question, when was circumcision given? The answer is in Genesis chapter seventeen. In other words, Abraham was counted to be righteous before circumcision was introduced. The careful reader of the word of God would realize that in the case of Abraham, circumcision was not essential for God counting him to be righteous, thus destroying the argument that it must be practiced before we can be justified. But why then was circumcision given? The answer is found in verse eleven. It was the sign of the fact that he had righteousness imputed to him. It did not give him righteousness. It was an outward sign of an inward transaction. The purpose of this is that Abraham might be the father of them that believe. The father is the originator of the family. Now, this does not mean, as we have seen, that Abraham was the first man to believe. There was Noah, there was Abel, there was Enoch, among others. But Abraham is the one through whom God declares clearly the means of justification by faith. Now, if there is a father, there must be a family. So who are the members of this family? There are two groups mentioned. The first is all who believe, though they be not circumcised. Now, those who are not circumcised are the Gentiles, and as Abraham was justified fourteen years before the introduction of circumcision, we can see that belief and not circumcision is the point at issue. Thus, Abraham is the father of the Gentiles who believe. The second group to which Paul refers is found in verse twelve: Abraham is 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. Now, what does this mean? It means that Abraham is the father to those who are circumcised, but who also exercise the faith which he exercised. He is not father to all who were circumcised. He is the father to those who were circumcised, but who walk in the steps of the faith which Abraham had before he was circumcised. Thus, circumcision must be accompanied by faith. The family is therefore made up of Jews and Gentiles, but in both cases, only of those who do exercise faith. Faith is the deciding factor, not circumcision or any other sign. Paul sees this group not only as a family, but as a group walking in file behind Abraham. When he uses the expression walk in the steps of Abraham, he uses an expression which means to walk in file. So those who have faith are walking in file behind Abraham. They are following the example of Abraham and belong to the family of the faithful, the family of those who exercise faith in God. Let us now turn to verses thirteen to seventeen uh where Paul deals with the second question. This question is, what about the law? Was this not necessary for justification? You can see how Paul is dealing with the Jew, who will use every argument and every device to try to make his point that justification by faith alone is not enough. Let us now read the verses. 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. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of none effect, because the law worketh wrath, but where no law is, there is no transgression. 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. 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. The Jew rejoiced in the promises which had been made to Abraham. These promises were to the seed of Abraham, that is, to his descendants. Now, Paul argues that the promises which the Jews valued so much were not given on the basis of the law, which they claim is the basis of their blessing. Let us look at the arguments which Paul presents in these verses to show this fact, that the promises did not come to Abraham through the law. The first argument is found in verse thirteen. Once again, the argument in this matter is based solely on the facts as they are recorded in the book of Genesis. History proves the spiritual truth. The fact is that the promise was made before the law was given. It was made hundreds of years before the law was given, so the promise was not based on the keeping of the law, for Abraham did not have the law. The Jew ignored some very fundamental facts about the history of Abraham and the history of the nation of Israel. He looked at scripture and took from it what he wanted to believe. In some way, his attitude to the word of God is no different from our own. We take from it what our traditions and what our background have taught us, rather than reading it with no preconceived notions. If we read something which is at variance with what we believe, or at variance with what our traditions have told us is right, we balk at it and look for reasons for saying that the particular passage does not mean exactly that, or that it is what we term a non-fundamental truth. Let us not fall into the trap of the Jew. Let us turn now to the fourteenth verse. The second argument regarding the law, which is found here, is that if the promise made to Abraham was on the basis of the law, it renders faith null and void. If the keeping of the law made men and women heirs to the promise, which was given to Abraham, then there is no place for faith. The reason for this is that law and faith are completely opposed to each other. Law has to do with doing certain things, with carrying out the commandments, and is therefore concerned with our works. But what did the scripture say? It said, as we saw earlier, Abraham believed God. There was nothing here about the works of Abraham. It was belief which brought the blessing, and if we are going back to the principle of law, and therefore back to the principle of works, the promises to Abraham will be null and void because these promises, as far as Abraham was concerned, were not based on works. When law comes in, faith is put out. The two cannot exist side by side. A promise cannot be based on law and be based on works, because how could one person be excluded from the promise because he broke the law, yet another be included even although he could not keep the law? What a nonsense this would be. The third argument is found in verse fifteen. It is that the law does not lead to blessing, but to judgment. What the law does is to reveal our sin and to throw our weaknesses into stark relief. With the law, we cannot hide our sin or pretend that it is not sin. So the result of the giving of the law was not blessing to men, but judgment. The law, therefore, could not possibly have been the basis on which the blessings and promises to Abraham were given. This is further emphasized by the words which follow. For where no law is, there is no transgression. Paul is not saying here that sin did not exist before the law was given. What he is saying is that the law made sin transgression. It made sin the breaking of specific laws. The law formalized, as it were, the fact that sin is present and leads to judgment. Again, we see that the law does not lead to blessing, but it leads to judgment. So, in verses thirteen to fifteen, Paul has presented us with three arguments why the law could not be the basis of the promise given to Abraham. These are, firstly, in verse thirteen, we have seen that as a matter of history, the law was given after the promises were made to Abraham. Abraham did not have the law then or at any time. Secondly, in verse fourteen, we have seen that law is fundamentally opposed to the principle of faith, and if the promises were given on the basis of law keeping, this would render the promises to Abraham null and void, as the promises were made on the basis of faith and not on the basis of law. Thirdly, in verse fifteen, we have seen that law never produces blessing, only judgment, and could not, therefore, have brought about the fulfillment of the promises given to Abraham. The law can never bring blessing into the lives of men and women. Now, in verses sixteen to seventeen, he draws his argument together. Verses thirteen to fifteen were negative, showing that the promises could not have been made on the basis of the law. Now, in verses sixteen to seventeen, the argument is positive, showing the basis on which the promises were made. Now, because the promise was by faith, Paul notes it was therefore by grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God and is the only way in which the promise was fulfilled. Grace and faith go together because if there is none of my works involved, it must be grace. But what is Paul teaching us in verse sixteen? There are two main lessons in this verse. The first is that the fact that the promise was of grace means that it is absolutely secure. It was to the end the promise might be secure. The principle of works brings in only insecurity, but the principle of faith brings in security. Anything based on our works must be insecure, but what is based on the grace of God is secure because it is God's promise on which it is built. My works can never bring security because they fail so easily. My word can never be guaranteed, but his word is completely secure. The second lesson in the verse is that the promise is made sure to all the seed. What does he mean by all the seed? What this teaches us is that the promise is not only secure, but it is secure to all the seed, whether they be Jew or whether they be Gentile. It is not given on the basis of law, and is therefore not to them only who were under the law. It was for all who believe. As we move into verse seventeen, we see confirmation of this in the fact that God spoke of Abraham being the father of many nations. We find this in Genesis chapter seventeen verse five. Do we see again how scripture speaks for itself? Abraham, whom the Jews regarded as being their own father exclusively, was actually called the father of many nations, in that those who believed would be from many nations. Now, as God spoke to Abraham, these nations did not exist. Indeed, as God spoke to Abraham, Isaac was not yet even born. But Abraham believed God that he would be the father of many nations, even although he was ninety nine years of age, and thus he and Sarah his wife dead as far as ability to bear children was concerned. So, in believing God, he was believing the God who could quicken the dead, the God who could bring life from the bodies of Abraham and his wife. Thus, the fulfillment of this promise could not be on the principle of works, because of the dead condition of the bodies of Abraham and Sarah. What could they do to bring it about? The answer is they could do nothing at all. It is of faith that it might be of grace. That is, it is of faith that it might be the free, bestowed gift of God, owing nothing at all to the works or the abilities of those who receive the gift. We now come to the closing verses of the chapter, where we have the one great conclusion that Abraham's righteousness was not on the basis of works, not on the basis of circumcision, but was on the basis of the fact that God imputed it to him. God charged it to his account, completely in accord with the teaching of chapter three. Let us now read verses eighteen to twenty two, where we have a description of the faith of Abraham, 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. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform, and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Paul has now completed his doctrinal exposition of the truth of justification by faith. It has been a careful and patient exposition, but before he leaves the subject, he has one further matter to deal with. Some may say, what is faith? You have been speaking of it, but can you tell us exactly what faith is? Here Paul describes the faith of Abraham and shows us clearly what it means to have faith. There are four features which are given to us here to describe the faith of this remarkable man. Firstly, in verse eighteen, we learn that faith believes when no apparent ground of hope exists. When the promise was given to Abraham, he was well nigh nearly one hundred years old. And to consider that he could have seed as numerous as the sand of the sea and as numerous as the stars of heaven seems completely impossible. But Abraham believed God because God had spoken. Note secondly, please, in verse nineteen, that faith faces the facts. We see here that the faith of Abraham was not escapism. It was not a way of running away from reality. He considered his body now dead and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not blind himself to the facts. He did not ignore the issues. He considered all of the issues carefully. He considered them fully, and came to the conclusion that what God could do, although humanly speaking impossible, would nevertheless be brought to pass. Faith does that. Faith is not a means of blinding yourself to the reality of life. Faith looks at the circumstances, examines the issues, observes all that surrounds the situation, and then decides that if God has promised, no matter what appears to be, God will fulfill his word. Thirdly, we see in verse twenty that faith does not stagger, that is, it does not doubt. Abraham found his strength in faith and was never divided in mind over the promise. Why could he do this? Because he gave glory to God. Because he gave God his place. Because he considered God. It is not true to say that believers never have doubts, but like Peter walking on the water, we never sink if we give him his rightful place. When we give glory to God by bringing him into the situation, we then do not stagger at the promise. Fourthly, we see in verse twenty one that faith made him fully persuaded. He was fully convinced. As we have said, he weighed up all the facts and was persuaded that what God had promised he would do. Faith was not some blind emotional reaction. Faith gave him persuasion, conviction, a deep down understanding, a deep down ease that God would perform his word. Faith is not running away from the fact. Abraham faced the fact of his great age and the great age of his wife. He understood that, humanly speaking, they could not have one child. Far less could he become the father of many nations. When he brought God into it and considered that it was his promise, when he considered the greatness and the power of the God who had promised, then he believed. Then he did not consider the deadness of him and his wife. Then he did not stagger at the promise. Then he was fully persuaded. Faith today is no different. We face the facts, we consider all the issues, and we believe. Let us now read verses twenty three to twenty five where the lesson is applied to us. Now it was not written for their sakes alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. These closing verses constitute one of the great sections of the Word of God. What Paul has been speaking about does not only refer to Abraham, it refers to everyone who believes on him who raised up Jesus Christ from the dead. Thus, any follower of any other belief cannot be justified because they do not believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. This is fundamental. The glory of these verses to the Christian is that by believing on him who raised up Jesus Christ from the dead, we are justified, just as was Abraham. We are justified because the Lord Jesus was delivered up at the cross for our offenses. That means that he was delivered up at the cross for our transgressions, and he was raised again for our justification. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the proclamation that God is fully and completely satisfied with the work of the cross. It is the proclamation that God is fully content with the work that was carried out at Calvary. Thus, we are justified because God is satisfied with the cross, and the resurrection is the proof of that. Thus he is raised for our justification. Sin has been judged. All the requirements of the law have been met, and as a result, those who believe are justified. The work is secure. The believer can rest on that. God's wrath has been appeased. There is nothing else to be done. Sing with vigor and with persuasion. Bold shall I stand in that great day, for who ought to my charge shall lay, while through thy blood absolved I am from sin's tremendous curse and shame.