Post by arete on Mar 18, 2014 19:58:47 GMT
Introduction:
From the Jewish Encyclopedia - Abraham's singularly majestic and attractive personality, as it appears in Genesis, is in this view the outcome of generations of thought. Each age contributed to the portrait of what it held to be purest and noblest and worthiest of the first forefather. The result is a figure, solitary, calm, strong, resting unswervingly on God, and moving unscathed among men. Later he was thought of as "the friend of God" (Isa. xli. 8). Paul calls him the father of all who believe (Rom. iv.). Mohammed takes him as the representative of the absolute primitive religion, from which Judaism and Christianity have diverged, and to which Islam has returned. The character shows, however, a commingling of high and low. There are generosity (Gen. xiii.), bravery (Gen. xiv.), a fine sense of justice (Gen. xviii.). But tradition, in order to bring out God's special care of the hero, twice makes him guilty of falsehood (Gen. xii., xx.); this last fact throws light on the ethical ideas of the eighth century AD. – While much is made of the greatness of Abraham, the idea of him as a sinner is relegated to be a rather late date idea. Instead, we find this morning that Paul refers his Roman audience to Abraham as the one who best displays salvation by grace and not by works. All the religions that claim to venerate Abraham would do well to read Paul in Romans and the passages he mentions as we turn to Romans 4 this morning…
Context:
So far in Romans Paul has removed any presumption that man is in anyway righteous or that man has any claim to the free grace and mercy of God. All men are equal in that all men sin. There is no part of man that is not affected by the Fall. There is nothing that man does in his own power or righteousness that earns God’s favor. Man does not fear God or fear the consequences of unrighteousness from God’s hand. The only avenue left to man to avoid the penalty of his sin is the free gift of salvation in Christ – and that is by faith in Christ alone to save us. Anything else or anything less or adding anything to Christ – all these lead only to hell. Salvation is by faith alone, by grace alone, and in Christ alone. We cannot earn it or add anything to it. So there is nothing to boast about – except boasting in Jesus. Since this is such a difficult teaching, especially to many Jews who tried to earn God’s favor by keeping the Law, Paul moves on to talking about Abraham…
Body – Romans 4:1-12 – ESV
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather 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 counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
No Righteousness in Works vv. 1-2
Paul turns to the Patriarch – one who was much admired by the Jews. The Pharisees often made much of being descendants of Abraham – they even bragged of such to Jesus
Paul has made much of grace and made it clear that works do not save – so he now answers a natural objection – What was gained by Abraham the forefather of all Jews?
Well, first, if Abraham had become justified by works – Abraham would be able to boast in Abraham. But the fact is that even the Patriarch was not able to save himself by doing good. Every Jew would have to agree as well. Genesis is quite clear that Abraham was a sinner like every other man.
The fact is that while Abraham, or any man, might be tempted to brag about their accomplishments or boast about their own righteousness, it amounts to nothing when brought before God.
Illustration:
One of the interesting things about the Bible (and Xty in general) is that the sinfulness of the important people is never hidden and is in fact clearly explained. Rather than glorifying the heroes of the faith, the Bible glorifies God who has always been at work in the lives of faithful men and women.
Application:
The fact is that if any man is his own source of righteousness and justification – he is in real trouble. The only place our own righteousness can ever take us is deeper into sin and eventually to hell. We know ourselves – we know how we mess up and how we sin. We should always be the last person we trust to get us into heaven. Instead, we can trust in Christ alone and his righteousness.
Righteousness by Faith vv. 3-8
As Paul gets ready to refute the idea that any person can be justified by works, he turns to the Scriptures. Really, if we want to know who God is, who we are, and what God says about salvation – we need to turn to God’s revelation of truth
The Scriptures make it clear – Abraham’s righteousness was not from himself – rather when Abraham believed in God – he was counted as righteous – by God
To illustrate the truth of Scripture, Paul also refers to everyday life. Everyone knows that a worker gets paid for his efforts – and his wage is not a gift. A worker earns his pay, but a man cannot earn his salvation
So instead of works, Paul explains it is belief – but that belief has content. We don’t just get to believe in anything, we must believe in what is true. So rather than just some generic higher power or any false od, our belief must be in the God of the Bible – the God who justifies man
Such faith and belief is what leads to God’s declaration of righteousness
Paul now sandwiches what he has been teaching us, he started with OT Scripture, he explained what that means for us, now he turns again to OT Scripture.
We don’t earn forgiveness – forgiveness is a gift, a blessing from God. We shouldn’t feel entitled to God’s forgiveness, but stand in awe that he blesses us by forgiving us and covering our sin – and now we know that the covering David mentioned is the blood of Christ. When our sins are covered by the blood, our sins are not counted against us
Illustration:
By instinct I feel I must do something in order to be accepted. Grace sounds a startling note of contradiction, of liberation, and every day I must pray anew for the ability to hear its message. One Pastor draws a contrast between Augustine and Pelagius, two fourth-century theological opponents. Pelagius was courteous, convincing, and liked by everyone. Augustine squandered away his youth in immorality, had a strange relationship with his mother, and made many enemies. Yet Augustine started from God’s grace and got it right, whereas Pelagius started from human effort and got it wrong. Augustine passionately pursued God; Pelagius methodically worked to please God. Many Christians tend to be Augustinian in theory but Pelagian in practice. They work obsessively to please other people and even God.
Application:
Fact: there is no way to read the Bible and take it as it is written and think that works contribute to our salvation even a little bit. Everything in Scripture is clear – we do not contribute to the work of Christ, nor should we want to try – anything we add is sinful. Only Christ can save us. Even our faith is not something we can claim as a work – otherwise we would be earning our wages. Instead, even saving faith is a grace gift from God. The HS is the one who convicts our hearts that we are sinners in need of salvation. He is the one who empowers us to understand Scripture. He is the one who stirs us to faith and indwells us and empowers us to live to please God.
Relationship with God for Both Jew & Gentile vv. 9-12
Paul keeps to his pattern and asks the questions his audience might be asking. Is the blessing of God reserved for the Jew alone (the circumcised)? Or is it open to the Gentile (the uncircumcised)? Paul has actually answered this several times over, but we forget again that the idea of the Hebrew God offering salvation to the entire world was strange to many people. But we know that the God who created all is God over all
Well, Paul does answer this question differently this time. He trusts that the audience is familiar with the history of Abraham. Abraham was counted as righteous before circumcision. This may sound like an odd argument, but one area that many Jews, especially Jews like Pharisees, saw as a defining difference between them and the pagan was circumcision. They took the covenant so seriously it was carved into their flesh. The reality is that circumcision is actually easier than living the way God wants
Instead of Abraham’s works leading to his justification, God declaring Abraham justified led to the circumcision. Works do not precede saving faith. Saving faith precedes and is seen in works.
iv. Paul also points out that the history of Abraham was not an accident not some random events that God worked around. Instead, the history of Abraham occurred precisely as it did because God wanted it clear that Abraham’s example was for all people.
Illustration:
The Pharisees had a great idea for avoiding sin. They called it the hedge. If they could identify the point sin occurred, then they would make a rule that kept them far from the sin. By having a hedge between them and sin, they felt they would be able to live the law perfectly. The problem was legalism and pride – also sins.
Application:
One place that Christians can drop the ball is in going to the wrong kinds of extremes. Because the Bible teaches salvation by grace through faith, some think it best to then avoid works altogether. That is wrong. It is sin. We are not saved by works but to works. God saves us not to inaction, but action. We are to do good works – even good works prepared for us beforehand. We just need to remember that the works don’t save us and don’t earn God’s favor – we already have God’s favor. We also need to remember that God empowers us to do these works – and we cannot get prideful in ourselves, but give all glory to God.
So What? What do we do with Paul's teaching?
What is Faith? What is Belief? Belief is more than a mental nod to God and his existence. Belief is believing in what God says, trusting in and having confidence in his ability to save us. This belief also is such that it leads necessarily to action. The faith in question is not just faith in anything, but the act of belief, trust and confidence in one that is trustworthy and reliable.
What is justification and righteousness? Righteousness is the state of being completely at peace with God and the keeping of his will. We never attain this and so we come to justification. This is where God imputes Christ’s righteousness to our lives. That means that Jesus’ righteousness is so complete, that he has it in abundance to apply to those who believe in him. We are justified when God declares us right with him because we belong to Jesus.
Some other things to note:
I subscribe to the London Baptist Confession of Faith 1689, but only with Scripture as the final arbiter of truth and the content of faith – so it is with Paul, he turns to the Scriptures. The final answer to what we believe is not in denominations, pastors, elders, councils, creeds, mom, dad or anything other than Scripture. The Bible is the final determination of God’s will and the content of our faith.
Why make such a big deal about works. There is a place for works. Too many Christians consider their faith to be something only active on Sundays or special events. We can hide behind our faith and try to use it as an excuse to not do good. Since we know we are saved by grace and not of works, we can lie to ourselves and excuse our lack of works. Let’s be clear – we are not saved by our works – but we are saved in part to do works. Jesus even tells us that the clearest evidence of a believer is that they produce fruit. James in his letter clarifies for us that faith without works is dead.
So this morning, let us follow the example of Abraham the man. If we have not trusted in God, follow Abraham’s example and trust in God to save you. For those who have been saved by God, let us follow Abraham’s example by living to please God – doing good works as we are called and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Let us also remember that we will sin like Abraham and will need to turn regularly to our God and ask his forgiveness.
Let us also take a moment to reflect on what James tells us to be true. We may say we have faith – but is there evidence of that faith in our lives? May God in his grace direct the Holy Spirit to convict us of any lack and encourage us to live ever more to please our great God.
Benediction:
"Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish." (1 Peter 1:14-19 NRSV)
From the Jewish Encyclopedia - Abraham's singularly majestic and attractive personality, as it appears in Genesis, is in this view the outcome of generations of thought. Each age contributed to the portrait of what it held to be purest and noblest and worthiest of the first forefather. The result is a figure, solitary, calm, strong, resting unswervingly on God, and moving unscathed among men. Later he was thought of as "the friend of God" (Isa. xli. 8). Paul calls him the father of all who believe (Rom. iv.). Mohammed takes him as the representative of the absolute primitive religion, from which Judaism and Christianity have diverged, and to which Islam has returned. The character shows, however, a commingling of high and low. There are generosity (Gen. xiii.), bravery (Gen. xiv.), a fine sense of justice (Gen. xviii.). But tradition, in order to bring out God's special care of the hero, twice makes him guilty of falsehood (Gen. xii., xx.); this last fact throws light on the ethical ideas of the eighth century AD. – While much is made of the greatness of Abraham, the idea of him as a sinner is relegated to be a rather late date idea. Instead, we find this morning that Paul refers his Roman audience to Abraham as the one who best displays salvation by grace and not by works. All the religions that claim to venerate Abraham would do well to read Paul in Romans and the passages he mentions as we turn to Romans 4 this morning…
Context:
So far in Romans Paul has removed any presumption that man is in anyway righteous or that man has any claim to the free grace and mercy of God. All men are equal in that all men sin. There is no part of man that is not affected by the Fall. There is nothing that man does in his own power or righteousness that earns God’s favor. Man does not fear God or fear the consequences of unrighteousness from God’s hand. The only avenue left to man to avoid the penalty of his sin is the free gift of salvation in Christ – and that is by faith in Christ alone to save us. Anything else or anything less or adding anything to Christ – all these lead only to hell. Salvation is by faith alone, by grace alone, and in Christ alone. We cannot earn it or add anything to it. So there is nothing to boast about – except boasting in Jesus. Since this is such a difficult teaching, especially to many Jews who tried to earn God’s favor by keeping the Law, Paul moves on to talking about Abraham…
Body – Romans 4:1-12 – ESV
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather 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 counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
No Righteousness in Works vv. 1-2
Paul turns to the Patriarch – one who was much admired by the Jews. The Pharisees often made much of being descendants of Abraham – they even bragged of such to Jesus
Paul has made much of grace and made it clear that works do not save – so he now answers a natural objection – What was gained by Abraham the forefather of all Jews?
Well, first, if Abraham had become justified by works – Abraham would be able to boast in Abraham. But the fact is that even the Patriarch was not able to save himself by doing good. Every Jew would have to agree as well. Genesis is quite clear that Abraham was a sinner like every other man.
The fact is that while Abraham, or any man, might be tempted to brag about their accomplishments or boast about their own righteousness, it amounts to nothing when brought before God.
Illustration:
One of the interesting things about the Bible (and Xty in general) is that the sinfulness of the important people is never hidden and is in fact clearly explained. Rather than glorifying the heroes of the faith, the Bible glorifies God who has always been at work in the lives of faithful men and women.
Application:
The fact is that if any man is his own source of righteousness and justification – he is in real trouble. The only place our own righteousness can ever take us is deeper into sin and eventually to hell. We know ourselves – we know how we mess up and how we sin. We should always be the last person we trust to get us into heaven. Instead, we can trust in Christ alone and his righteousness.
Righteousness by Faith vv. 3-8
As Paul gets ready to refute the idea that any person can be justified by works, he turns to the Scriptures. Really, if we want to know who God is, who we are, and what God says about salvation – we need to turn to God’s revelation of truth
The Scriptures make it clear – Abraham’s righteousness was not from himself – rather when Abraham believed in God – he was counted as righteous – by God
To illustrate the truth of Scripture, Paul also refers to everyday life. Everyone knows that a worker gets paid for his efforts – and his wage is not a gift. A worker earns his pay, but a man cannot earn his salvation
So instead of works, Paul explains it is belief – but that belief has content. We don’t just get to believe in anything, we must believe in what is true. So rather than just some generic higher power or any false od, our belief must be in the God of the Bible – the God who justifies man
Such faith and belief is what leads to God’s declaration of righteousness
Paul now sandwiches what he has been teaching us, he started with OT Scripture, he explained what that means for us, now he turns again to OT Scripture.
We don’t earn forgiveness – forgiveness is a gift, a blessing from God. We shouldn’t feel entitled to God’s forgiveness, but stand in awe that he blesses us by forgiving us and covering our sin – and now we know that the covering David mentioned is the blood of Christ. When our sins are covered by the blood, our sins are not counted against us
Illustration:
By instinct I feel I must do something in order to be accepted. Grace sounds a startling note of contradiction, of liberation, and every day I must pray anew for the ability to hear its message. One Pastor draws a contrast between Augustine and Pelagius, two fourth-century theological opponents. Pelagius was courteous, convincing, and liked by everyone. Augustine squandered away his youth in immorality, had a strange relationship with his mother, and made many enemies. Yet Augustine started from God’s grace and got it right, whereas Pelagius started from human effort and got it wrong. Augustine passionately pursued God; Pelagius methodically worked to please God. Many Christians tend to be Augustinian in theory but Pelagian in practice. They work obsessively to please other people and even God.
Application:
Fact: there is no way to read the Bible and take it as it is written and think that works contribute to our salvation even a little bit. Everything in Scripture is clear – we do not contribute to the work of Christ, nor should we want to try – anything we add is sinful. Only Christ can save us. Even our faith is not something we can claim as a work – otherwise we would be earning our wages. Instead, even saving faith is a grace gift from God. The HS is the one who convicts our hearts that we are sinners in need of salvation. He is the one who empowers us to understand Scripture. He is the one who stirs us to faith and indwells us and empowers us to live to please God.
Relationship with God for Both Jew & Gentile vv. 9-12
Paul keeps to his pattern and asks the questions his audience might be asking. Is the blessing of God reserved for the Jew alone (the circumcised)? Or is it open to the Gentile (the uncircumcised)? Paul has actually answered this several times over, but we forget again that the idea of the Hebrew God offering salvation to the entire world was strange to many people. But we know that the God who created all is God over all
Well, Paul does answer this question differently this time. He trusts that the audience is familiar with the history of Abraham. Abraham was counted as righteous before circumcision. This may sound like an odd argument, but one area that many Jews, especially Jews like Pharisees, saw as a defining difference between them and the pagan was circumcision. They took the covenant so seriously it was carved into their flesh. The reality is that circumcision is actually easier than living the way God wants
Instead of Abraham’s works leading to his justification, God declaring Abraham justified led to the circumcision. Works do not precede saving faith. Saving faith precedes and is seen in works.
iv. Paul also points out that the history of Abraham was not an accident not some random events that God worked around. Instead, the history of Abraham occurred precisely as it did because God wanted it clear that Abraham’s example was for all people.
Illustration:
The Pharisees had a great idea for avoiding sin. They called it the hedge. If they could identify the point sin occurred, then they would make a rule that kept them far from the sin. By having a hedge between them and sin, they felt they would be able to live the law perfectly. The problem was legalism and pride – also sins.
Application:
One place that Christians can drop the ball is in going to the wrong kinds of extremes. Because the Bible teaches salvation by grace through faith, some think it best to then avoid works altogether. That is wrong. It is sin. We are not saved by works but to works. God saves us not to inaction, but action. We are to do good works – even good works prepared for us beforehand. We just need to remember that the works don’t save us and don’t earn God’s favor – we already have God’s favor. We also need to remember that God empowers us to do these works – and we cannot get prideful in ourselves, but give all glory to God.
So What? What do we do with Paul's teaching?
What is Faith? What is Belief? Belief is more than a mental nod to God and his existence. Belief is believing in what God says, trusting in and having confidence in his ability to save us. This belief also is such that it leads necessarily to action. The faith in question is not just faith in anything, but the act of belief, trust and confidence in one that is trustworthy and reliable.
What is justification and righteousness? Righteousness is the state of being completely at peace with God and the keeping of his will. We never attain this and so we come to justification. This is where God imputes Christ’s righteousness to our lives. That means that Jesus’ righteousness is so complete, that he has it in abundance to apply to those who believe in him. We are justified when God declares us right with him because we belong to Jesus.
Some other things to note:
I subscribe to the London Baptist Confession of Faith 1689, but only with Scripture as the final arbiter of truth and the content of faith – so it is with Paul, he turns to the Scriptures. The final answer to what we believe is not in denominations, pastors, elders, councils, creeds, mom, dad or anything other than Scripture. The Bible is the final determination of God’s will and the content of our faith.
Why make such a big deal about works. There is a place for works. Too many Christians consider their faith to be something only active on Sundays or special events. We can hide behind our faith and try to use it as an excuse to not do good. Since we know we are saved by grace and not of works, we can lie to ourselves and excuse our lack of works. Let’s be clear – we are not saved by our works – but we are saved in part to do works. Jesus even tells us that the clearest evidence of a believer is that they produce fruit. James in his letter clarifies for us that faith without works is dead.
So this morning, let us follow the example of Abraham the man. If we have not trusted in God, follow Abraham’s example and trust in God to save you. For those who have been saved by God, let us follow Abraham’s example by living to please God – doing good works as we are called and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Let us also remember that we will sin like Abraham and will need to turn regularly to our God and ask his forgiveness.
Let us also take a moment to reflect on what James tells us to be true. We may say we have faith – but is there evidence of that faith in our lives? May God in his grace direct the Holy Spirit to convict us of any lack and encourage us to live ever more to please our great God.
Benediction:
"Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish." (1 Peter 1:14-19 NRSV)