Romans 4:1-8

Rachel Workman: 4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” So that God can receive all the glory our salvation depends only on believing and repenting. Otherwise we could say we earned our salvation and we deserve the glory. There is beauty in it. Could we ever do anything to deserve salvation? No we will never be good enough, works or no works. Thank you Jesus for the cross.

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”[b]

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John Burnett:  ²¹ But now apart ^[a]from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those ^[b]who believe; for there is no distinction; ²³ for all ^[c]have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Verse 23 again tells us that we all need Jesus because we all have sinned. ²⁴ being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;  We are only saved/justified by His grace.  This is the reason I go to Grace Bible Church.  It helps me remember how I am saved and why I should be so thankful ²⁵ whom God displayed publicly as a^[d]propitiation ^[e]in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, ^[f]because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶ for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who ^[g]has faith in Jesus.  God is the just judge but He is also the justifier and those of us who trust in Jesus as our Savior have been imputed His righteousness.

²⁷ Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. ^28 [h]For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works ^[i]of the Law.  Can’t be any more clear than this.  Works are apart from justification/salvation so anyone who says you have to trust Jesus and do this, is teaching a false gospel. ²⁹ Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since indeed God who will justify the ^[j]circumcised ^[k]by faith and the ^[l]uncircumcised through faith is one.

³¹ Do we then nullify ^[m]the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.  We are condemned by the law because we can never follow it.  We establish the law through our faith in Jesus because He is the only one who followed it perfectly.

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, ^[a]our forefather according to the flesh, has found? ² For if Abraham was justified ^[b]by works, he has something to boast about, but not ^[c]before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ⁴ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,
And whose sins have been covered.
⁸ “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”

Abraham and David both were credited as righteous by God because of their belief in Him and His promises to them.  It had nothing to do with their works.  David was an adulterous murderer and but believed God credited righteousness based on belief and not works.

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Allen Michaels:  4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? ² If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. ³ What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Paul is not saying that God’s laws are unimportant but that it is impossible to be saved simply by obeying them.

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. This verse means that if a person could earn right standing with God by being good, the granting of that gift wouldn’t be a free act: it would be an obligation. Our self-reliance is futile: all we can do is cast ourselves on God’s mercy and grace. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. When some people learn that they are saved by God through faith, they start to worry. “Do I have enough faith?” they wonder. “Is my faith strong enough to save me?” These people are entirely missing the point. It is Jesus the Christ who save us, not our feelings or actions, and he is strong enough to save us no matter how weak our faith is. Jesus offers us salvation as a gift because he loves us, not because we have earned it through our powerful faith. What, then, is the role of faith? Faith is believing and trusting in Jesus Christ, and reaching out to accept his wonderful gift of salvation. ⁶ David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
⁸ Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

What can we do to get rid of guilt? King David was was guilty of terrible sins—adultery, murder, lying—and yet he experienced the joy of forgiveness. We too can have this joy when we (1) quit denying our guilt and recognize that we have sinned, (2) admit our guilt to God and ask for his forgiveness, and (3) let go of our guilt and believe that God has forgiven us. This can be difficult when a sin has taken root and grown over many years, when it is very serious, or when it involves others. We must remember that Jesus is willing and able to forgive every sin. In view of the tremendous price he paid on the cross, it is arrogant to think that any of our sins are too great for him to cover. Even though our faith is weak, our conscience is sensitive, and our memory haunts us, God’s Word declares that sins confessed are sins forgiven (1 John 1:9)

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Monday’s reading for Romans 4:9-15

⁹ 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. ¹⁰ Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! ¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, 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. ¹² And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

¹³ It was not through the 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. ¹⁴ For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, ¹⁵ because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.