Faith and Faith Alone (pt 2)

Intro

Verse 8 ended with “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin”

Verse 9 follows this verse with a question

“Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also?”

Paul will again point out that salvation is by no means attained by any kind of outward deed.

End of verse nine says, “for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.”

It was the inward faith that Abraham had that imputed righteousness onto his account.

Paul then points out that the circumcision a sign, or a seal of the righteousness of the faith that he had being yet uncircumcised

And here it is again showing that whoever follows the example of Abraham and puts their faith in Christ, the promise of the Messiah has Abraham as their father. Verse 12

Verse 12-13 “And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

In Paul’s day, many Jewish Christians maintained salvation was impossible apart from the administration of this rite (Acts 15:1-29; Gal. 2:1-14) and wanted all Gentile converts to be circumcised.

Nowadays people tend to think that salvation is impossible apart from the administration of the rites of the church.

Paul’s argument here is devastating to such a view.

Abraham was a justified man fourteen years before the rite of circumcision was imposed (Gen. 15:6; 17:10).

Paul has turned the Jew’s boast upside down

It is not the Gentile who must come to the Jew’s circumcision for salvation; it is the Jew who must come to a Gentile faith, such a faith as Abraham had long before he was circumcised."

Verse 14-15

“For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

In other words, if the Jew could inherit the promises by his own efforts, that is, by keeping the rules of the Mosaic law, then the unconditional promise of God is made invalid.

If salvation is on a basis of "trying," then it is not on a basis of "trusting." But it is faith, not works; grace, not law; belief, not behavior, which is the basis and foundation of all that God gives.

All the law truly ever was intended to be was a schoolmaster

To show every human how holy God is and how far we come short of God’s standards.

The law of Moses condemned not saved the doers or “triers” of it

Faith expounded upon

Verses 16-25

Faith brings us into God’s favor.

Human effort cannot achieve this

According to verse since it is of faith, by grace.

Grace is unmerited favor

Faith brings us into God’s family

All who believe, whether they’re Jew or Gentile are the spiritual children of Abraham and members of the family of God

There is nothing uncertain about faith!

The man who is uncertain about his salvation is not looking at the finished work of Christ with the eye of faith; he is looking with doubt at his own works—and well he might.

This is why many people wonder if they are truly saved.

They don’t have assurance

They doubt their salvation

It is usually because they are not living right.

But salvation is not based on works it is based on faith

Paul says that it is of faith so that the promise might be sure. It is sure because the promise is divine, and faith lays hold of that.

If there is a time you remember simply resting in the finish work of Christ on the cross and believing he rose again three days later all to pay for your sins, then according to God’s Word your saved.

If you’ve done that but are not living like you ought to and are doubting whether you’re saved or not, go to God’s word and trust God when he said in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“

Confess your sin and repent. Get back on the right track.

Salvation is not based on works.

But as a child of God, our works are so important.

If you truly do not think you’re saved, there are a couple options

First, I believe every single person in this room knows how to be saved.

So if you are not, do it right now. And then tell someone.

You can come tell me, you can go to pastor, tell a friend.

We would rejoice. I might cry in rejoicing

And your new life in Christ would begin

Second, simply come and talk with someone.

Another human cannot flat out tell you if you’re saved or not but sometimes just talking it out helps you get a better grasp of where you are.

Don’t put it off though

Planet fitness is known as the judgment free zone.

Anyone, whether they are a first time guest or long time attender will never be looked down upon for getting saved.

There only be rejoicing

In verses 17-18 Abraham’s faith was in a God who could quicken (make alive) the dead.

He counted on the omnipotence of God.

To a God who could create a hundred million galaxies, nothing is impossible.

Had Abraham looked at his own dead body, he would have found it impossible to believe. But he looked up to the stars. He looked at a God who could create stars out of nothing and command death to blossom into life. His was an intelligent faith.

Abraham believed God’s Word in two ways

First, by exercising faith in God’s promise.

"And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief: but was strong in faith, giving glory to God" (vv. 19-20).

He weighed the human impossibility (of becoming a father) against the divine impossibility (of God being able to break His word) and decided that if God was God, then nothing was impossible.

His faith was strong not only because he exercised faith in God’s promise but also because he exercised faith in God’s power.

"And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed unto him for righteousness" (vv. 21-22 ).

Thus the principle of faith is explained to us. It is simply taking God at His word and allowing God to be God in any and every situation.

Application

Paul concludes this great discussion on salvation by faith by making application of the truths of which he has been speaking.

He brings the principle up to date and makes it practical and meaningful for us today, for the principle of salvation by faith, so effective in the case of Abraham, is to be experienced by us (1) for the same purpose.

"Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also" (vv. 23-24a).

But for us also!

God’s method of saving Abraham and counting him righteous is also God’s way of saving us and counting us righteous.

Abraham was put into a situation where only faith could avail, and so are we.

We get the same righteousness that Abraham had the same way Abraham got it

Verse 24 “if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

When Paul preached this doctrine at Athens, the cultural and intellectual capital of the world, he was mocked (Acts 17:32).

To this day there are many who refuse to believe that the Lord Jesus is supernaturally alive from the dead.

Yet it is at the very heart of the faith.

We believe it, and God imputes to us the righteousness of Christ in return (Rom. 10:9).

Finally, salvation is made good to us (3) on the same principle.

The salvation of God in Old Testament times was substantially the same as in New Testament times.

It was based on the same principle of faith. For Paul says of the Lord Jesus that He was "delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (v. 25).

Abraham was saved the same way as we are.

He looked forward by faith to the finished work of Christ; for Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews of His day, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56).

We look back by faith to the finished work of Christ and enjoy the same salvation Abraham enjoyed.

Thus the two ways are compared and contrasted—salvation by trying and salvation by trusting.

What Abraham found, what David found, Paul found, and we must find. Salvation is by faith and by faith alone.

The Jews thought that just because they were born into a certain family that Abraham was their father.

In the most practical way, they would be in the lineage of Abraham but according to John 8 Jesus told the Jews of that day that they were not of Abraham

Read John 8:39-59