DRAWING NEAR
What does faith mean to you? How would you explain it to a child?
THE CONTEXT
In Homer’s Iliad, the great Trojan warrior, Hector, was preparing to fight Achilles and the invading Greeks. As he was about to leave home, Hector wanted to hold his young son Astayanax in his arms and bid him farewell. But Hector’s armor so frightened the infant that he shrank back to his nurse’s caress. The father, laughing out loud, then removed his bronze helmet and took up his little child in his arms. The boy discovered his loving father behind all that armor.
That is similar to what Paul does here in Romans. Having shown God as holy judge, he now shows the God of love, who reaches out with open arms to sinful people in the hope that they will come to Him and be saved. After conclusively proving the universal sinfulness of humanity and their desperate need for righteousness (1:18–3:20), Paul shifts gears and demonstrates that God alone can provide that righteousness. To illustrate this truth, Paul devotes the entire fourth chapter to Abraham. This godly Old Testament saint is a shining example of the central biblical truth that a person can become right with God only by faith in response to His grace, never by works.
KEYS TO THE TEXT
Justification: The words justify and justification occur some thirty times in Romans and are concentrated in 2:13–5:1. This legal or forensic term comes from the Greek word for “righteous” and means “to declare righteous.” This verdict includes: pardon from the guilt and penalty of sin, and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believer’s account, which provides for the positive righteousness man needs to be accepted by God. God declares a sinner righteous solely on the basis of the merits of Christ’s righteousness. God imputed a believer’s sin to Christ’s account in His sacrificial death. The sinner receives this gift of God’s grace by faith alone. Justification is a gracious gift God extends to the repentant, believing sinner, wholly apart from human merit or work.
Abraham: Paul uses the model of Abraham to prove justification by faith alone because the Jews held him up as the supreme example of a righteous man (John 8:39), and because it clearly showed that Judaism with its works-righteousness had deviated from the faith of the Jews’ patriarchal ancestors. In a spiritual sense, Abraham was the forerunner of the primarily Gentile church in Rome, as well.
UNLEASHING THE TEXT
Read 3:21–4:25, noting the key words and definitions next to the passage.
Romans 3:21–4:25 (NKJV)
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
But (v. 21)—an adversative, contrasting humanity’s total depravity and inability to please God, and God’s own provision of a way to Himself
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
propitiation (v. 25)—appease-ment or satisfaction; Christ’s death satisfied the offended holiness of God
passed over (v. 25)—a temporary withholding of judgment
26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
accounted (4:3)—a word used in legal and financial settings; here to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to the account of another
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
justifies the ungodly (v. 5)—Only those who freely admit their unworthiness are candidates for salvation.
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
David (v. 6)—King David’s sin with Bathsheba is another Old Testament example of imputed righteousness.
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,
the sign of circumcision (v. 11)—the physical, racial mark of identity for the Jewish people
12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
walk in the steps (v. 12)—those non-Jews who emulate Abraham’s faith
13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,
faith is made void and the promise made of no effect (v. 14)—Paul is demonstrating that if adherence to the Law could save, then faith in God’s promise would be worthless.
15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
weak in faith (v. 19)—to allow doubt to erode and undermine belief
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,
24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
delivered up (v. 25)—to be crucified as punishment for human beings’ sins
1) Why does Paul argue that when it comes to one’s standing before God, no one has the right to boast or be filled with religious pride?
2) Circle every word or phrase in this passage that describes what God has done.
3) Paul goes to some lengths to demonstrate that Abraham was justified in the sight of God long before he was ever circumcised. Why was this an important argument for him to make to his Roman audience?
4) Underline every reference in the passage to God’s law. What is the purpose or effect of God’s law (4:13–15)?
GOING DEEPER
Read Galatians 3:6–25, noting the parallels with Romans 3:21–4:25.
Galatians 3:6–25 (NKJV)
6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”
9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.
16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.
18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.
20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
24 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.
EXPLORING THE MEANING
5) What points in Galatians 3 underscore Paul’s argument in Romans 3–4?
6) What incidents from the life of Abraham and Sarah does Paul use to make the case that salvation is by divine power, not human effort?
7) Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. If God’s wrath is directed toward unrighteousness, and His favor is directed toward righteousness, what are the wonderful implications of this verse for believers?
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Scripture makes it clear that there is indeed a way to God, but that it is not based on anything men can do to achieve or merit it. Man can be made right with God, but not on his own terms or in his own power. In that basic regard Christianity is distinct from every other religion. As far as the way of salvation is concerned, there are therefore only two religions the world has ever known or will ever know—the religion of divine accomplishment, which is biblical Christianity, and the religion of human achievement, which includes all other kinds of religion, by whatever names they may claim.
REFLECTING ON THE TEXT
8) Some Christians view God’s law and His grace as contradictory. Based on what you have seen in this study, how would you harmonize these two truths?
9) What’s the problem with trying to do things in order to earn favor with God? Why is that never sufficient?
10) If salvation were by human effort, we could boast. Since salvation is all of grace, what is the proper response of the redeemed?
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Write out additional reflections, questions you may have, or a prayer.
ADDITIONAL NOTES