Raised for Our Justification - Romans 4:13-24

One of the difficult things about picking up a passage like this is that we are midstream in Paul’s argument in the book of Romans. I will attempt to summarize what Paul has been saying up to this point, but is necessarily an gross oversimplification.

In chapter one Paul has demonstrated the nature of our sinful condition. Humanity naturally suppresses and replaces the truth of God in unrighteousness. We’ve talked about that in our SS class.

In chapters two and three, Paul powerfully demonstrates that Gentiles are guilty before God, but also that Jews are guilty before God because God judges without impartiality. On the one hand, the Jew have an advantage: God gave them his direct communication in through the Law and Prophets. On the other hand, they are no better off because everyone, both Jew and Gentile, are under sin.

This is punctuated with the striking list of quotations in the Chapter there.

Romans 3:10–18 ESV

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Paul lays this out so that “every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God”

But then comes the good news. Despite our sinful condition, despite the reality that all have sinner and fall short of God’s glory, there is forgiveness available and it comes through faith.

Romans 3:21–22a (ESV)

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

But then the question becomes. Wait a second Paul. What about the law? are you overthrowing the whole law? How can the Gentiles be justified if they aren’t following the Law?

Romans 3:31 ESV

Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

And that takes us into chapter four where Paul uses the precedent and example of Abraham to demonstrate that salvation has ALWAYS been by faith in the revelation and promises of God.

Romans 4:1–5 ESV

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Do you all remember in the Gospels when the Pharisees said with pride “We have Abraham as our Father” they took great pride in being the offspring of Abraham. The whole Israelite nation was circumcised and took pride in that because it was a sign that they were connected to Abraham. So there’s that children’s song

“Father Abraham had man sons. many sons had father Abraham.” For the Jew that was a massive source of pride.

Now a few years back I was listening to the kids sing that song and I said wait a minute. We aren’t literal sons of Abraham. That song makes us out to be Spiritual Israel. And since I don’t believe in replacement theology I started teaching my kids alternate lyrics “Many sons had Father Abraham. I am blessed through him, and so are you”

in keeping with the Abrahamic covenant “through you all the families of the earth will be blessed”

HOWEVER, as I read this passage I have realized that my zeal to avoid the legitimate error of replacement theology was misplaced.

Look at what the text says here:

Romans 4:11–12 ESV

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, 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.

We see that Abraham is the spiritual father of all who will believe. He is the spiritual father of uncircumcised gentiles who believe in Jesus, but he is also the father of the Jew who also follow Abraham in the same kind of faith that Abraham had.

And that brings us up to our passage that we will examine today. There is a lot of talk here about the promise made to Abraham.

Genesis 15:1–6 ESV

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Remember, in the flow of Paul’s argument, he has demonstrated that both Jews and Gentiles are in the same sinking boat when it comes to personal salvation. Both are dead in their sins.

But Abraham did receive a promise! The Jews believe they are heirs to that promise due to their bloodline. Paul says not so fast. You can be an heir to that promise, but not through your blood line. Not through keeping the law. How then is that promise to be fulfilled? And what in the world does all this have to do with Resurrection Sunday?

As we will eventually see, the promise to Abraham is ultimately fulfilled and confirmed by the resurrection of Christ.

But in order to get there, we need to see the rest of his argument.

So, five things about the promise to Abraham to give him many offspring

The Promise to Abraham could not be fulfilled through the Law

Let’s read vs 13-15

Romans 4:13–15 ESV

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

Paul explains how it is impossible for the Promise to be fulfilled through the Law. Why?

He could have said that the Law was given after the promise, and not in conjuction with the promise, but he doesn’t, at least not here.

He could have said that we are unable to keep the law, but he doesn’t, at least not here.

He could have said that because the law was never intended to be a means of salvation, but he doesn’t, at least not here.

Paul doesn’t say any of that. His argument is much more basic.

Back in verse 4 he says something significant that ties in to this:

Romans 4:4 ESV

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.

If the promise was achieved through law keeping, it would not be a promise, but rather earned wages.

If those who strive to keep the law are the heirs to the promise, then faith is worthless. It’s empty. There is no point to it.

Not only that, but it renders the promise void. Why? Because God didn’t make this aspect of his promise to Abraham a conditional promise. God didn’t put any stipulations on it. He said “This is what I will do” and Abraham simply believes.

If someone then comes along and says, yes Lord! Great promise! let me earn it by Law-keeping. That invalidates the very essence of the promise in the first place.

It is impossible for the promise to be fulfilled through law keeping, since it was an unconditional promise in the first place.

Therefore

The Promise to Abraham could only be fulfilled through faith

Romans 4:16–17 ESV

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

The promise must depend on faith. God gave the promise to Abraham and he believed. That same principle carries on from Abraham down to all his offspring, both physical and spiritual. If the physical descendants want the blessings of Abraham, it’s not the law they need to pursue but Faith in Jesus Christ.

I love how it says the promise rests on grace. Literally it could say “is according to grace”. The promise is not based on, is not in accordance with law-keeping, but based upon the grace of God.

And because of that it is a promise that can be guaranteed.

When asked about the possibility of believer’s losing their salvation, Pastor John MacArthur once commented “If you could lose your salvation, you would.”

If salvation depended upon you and me working to maintain our salvation, if we had to keep the entirety of the Law of Moses, we would certainly fail. There is no guarantee of salvation in such a system.

This is what makes Christianity so different from all the false religions of the world.

Not long ago I had the opportunity to speak to a man who is a missionary to Latter Day Saints, or the Mormons. He was explaining some of the theology of the LDS church and how they have to maintain such high levels of perfection in order to have any hope of the highest level of heaven.

When I heard the explanation I commented to him, this sounds so soul crushing. How could anyone every hope to live up to this?

The same is true for Roman Catholicism. Or Jehovah Witness. Or Isalm. Or any other religion. If it’s based on you and your performance, there is no guarantee. Good luck, pal, you’re gonna need it.

But if it comes by faith. If it is in accordance with grace. That is the only way that the promise can be guaranteed. If it isn’t dependent upon our working but God’s.

Someone might object. But the content of the promise seems impossible. How is it possible for his descendants to be as numerous as the stars?

How big is your God?

The Promise to Abraham is possible because God does the impossible

Romans 4:17–21 ESV

as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

God gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

I think of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones. Can these dry bones live? Humanly speaking, no. They’re bones!

But God does the impossible. He makes the dry bones live!

Abraham was facing an impossible situation. I love how it says “he was as good as dead” He wasn’t dead yet, but he might as well have been for the purposes of procreation.

If that wasn’t enough, Sarah, his wife was also old and barren. The ESV does us an injustice here when it says Barrenness. literally it is the word “nekrosis” Abraham is as good as dead, nekrow. Sarah’s womb is dead. Same word group.

And yet, Abraham did not waver in his faith, why??

Because he was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Our God is the God who does the impossible. How was it that Sarah could have a son? God does the impossible. How is that Abraham would have so many descendants? God does the impossible.

How is it that sinners, who are enemies of God, who fall short of His glory, who blaspheme God, and suppress and replace the truth of God for a lie, how is it that sinners can be justified?

God does the impossible.

And he does the impossible for those who have faith.

The Promise to Abraham benefits us today

Romans 4:22–24 ESV

That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,

God has made a promise that all who would trust in Christ would be saved.

Just like God would fulfill his promise to Abraham through the faith that Abraham had, so to today God’s promise is fulfilled in those who have faith in Jesus Christ.

the phrase “It was counted to him” was written for our sake. for our benefit. That we would see that it is not about our doing that saves us but it is about what God has already done!

The concept of credit applied is here in the word “counted to him” There are several passages that use financial terminology to speak of what occured on the cross. Jesus took our sin. It is finished. Paid in full. Jesus gives us his righteousness. Faith is the vehicle through which that transaction occurs.

Simply amazing.

Look at the last verse.

The Promise to Abraham is fulfilled and confirmed in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead

Romans 4:25 ESV

who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

The meaning of this verse is debated by scholars. The first part is not debated.

He was delivered us for our trespasses. It was because of our sin that Jesus had to die. The preposition in the ESV is “for” our trespasses could also be translated “because” of our trespasses.

Simple enough.

The struggle is what to do with that last part of the verse. He was raised for our justification. The confusion is due to the fact that it’s the same word “for” in both parts.

Some interpreters think that “because” is an impossible understanding here because it would make the resurrection dependent upon our justification.

So they would translate it as “with a view to” our justification, as though it is the resurrection that secures the justification. The problem here grammatical. We would have to take the same word and assign two different meanings in one text where the meanings very much appear to be parallel.

I believe it is best translated as just about every other major translation other than the ESV renders it: who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

If it is causal, what then does it mean?

Simple this. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, he secured our salvation. the price has been paid. Nothing more to do. All that remains is for us to trust, and when we trust we are justified. The very next verse in Rom 5:1 says having been justified by faith.

So Jesus secures for us our justification in His death, and then to prove that the payment has been accepted and that the promise has been fulfilled, Jesus is raised to life again.

The resurrection is the proof that the payment has been accepted by God. It is confirmation that the promise holds.

Because of the work of Christ, the promise to Abraham has been fulfilled. Because of the the work of Christ, all who trust can be saved.

God does the impossible as He raised Christ from the dead! God does the impossible when he saves wretched sinners like you and like me.

We have a powerful God. We have a promise keeping God. And now because of the Work of Christ, we can have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you have never trusted in Christ, now is the time. Today is the day of salvation. He will guarantee your salvation if you would but trust him. We are all sinners deserving death. Through faith in him he offers life.