But That Works

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

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.” 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.

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.

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”  He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011)

Last week we discovered we have a problem. Paul, names it in his letter to Romans and tells us the problem is “sin.” Now, I don’t know if you realize just how pervasive sin is, how it affects literally everything. I can remember a few times growing up and listening to my parents argue, and it turned out that their argument was based around a simple misunderstanding as they were both saying the same thing. They were both insisting they were right but weren’t listening to each other enough to know that they were in agreement. When Adam was confronted by God about him knowing he was naked, when God asked him, “Did you eat the fruit?” it was because of sin that Adam blamed Eve. It was because of sin that Adam blamed God for not making Eve to be a more perfect woman. As if God built a house and Adam brought a giant sledge hammer and destroyed it all, and nothing has been right ever since. You and I today are fallen people living in a fallen world. Have you ever done something in an attempt to be nice, only to be misunderstood and told you were being offensive?

Now being presented with a problem, I believe, we have a tendency to try to find a solution. What ingredient did we leave out of the cookies that causes them to taste like this? A problem, we have to figure it out. Why does this wall lean when the others are all straight up and down? A problem, we have to figure it out. How did the magician pull that bunny out of the hat? A problem, we have to figure it out. And sin. A problem, we have to figure out.

In other words, if I accept that sin is a problem for me, and I accept that God is not happy with sin, and that means that God is not happy with me being a sinner, then how do I “fix” this. And the most obvious answer is that I “work” to get back into God’s good graces. I mean that’s what I do at work when the boss is unhappy. I work harder, maybe longer hours, trying to accomplish more so the boss can reward me for my work. If my spouse is unhappy with me because I didn’t do something I was asked to do, and I don’t like my house when my spouse is unhappy, I will try to do whatever it takes to make my spouse happy again. And this philosophy can be and often is applied in all kinds of circumstances, including with God.

I’m a sinner. God doesn’t like sin. I want God to like me. Therefore, I have to prove to God that I’m not as bad as He thinks I am. Or I have to work to make Him like me. Or I have to outweigh the bad by doing lots and lots of good. Some people even say, “I hope I’ve done enough good that it outweighs the bad I’ve done.” Now that’s one potential solution.

But Paul has either seen this argument in action, in his own life, or in the lives of others. Having grown up Jewish with all the obligations and expectations and then coming face to face with Jesus on the Damascus road. Or hearing it time after time in the places he traveled and preached he points back to Abraham. For the Jew, Abraham was the father of all fathers. For the Gentile, Abraham was the one to whom God had committed to use to bless all the nations.

And so Paul asks the question, what “work” did Abraham do to get God’s attention? And the answer is “nothing.” The answer is simply that God “chose” Abraham. There isn’t a single point in Abraham’s life where we can say, “aha, that’s why God picked him.” It wasn’t his line of work, it wasn’t his many good deeds, it wasn’t his ability to live according to the law because the law hadn’t been given yet. God simply chose Abraham. Graciously, lovingly, willingly chose Abraham.