Romans CH 4

Recap Ch 3

So Happy New Year Everyone

Good to be back and done with the Holiday Season for Now

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and a Happy New year

So before we went on Break Mr. Rodriguez Taught us through Chapter 3

There was a-lot of really good stuff in that chapter

we saw in vs 9-18 that all (greek& Jew) fall short and are sinners and that the Law was created to reveal Sin which leads to Humanities need for the gift of righteousness

in vs 21- 26 we see How we are Justified by Gods grace through the death on the cross

through the Law the need for a savior was acknowledged

and then we become righteous through Jesus because of His grace poured out on the cross

in these verses we see the word redemption used

it is a term that refers to Purchasing freedom for slaves

in this case (all people are slaves to sin) because of the fallen nature

our freedom comes from the purchase price of Jesus on the cross

and then in vs 27- 31

we see that obeying the law does not grant us salvation

but it is based on faith and belief in Jesus

God is the God of everyone,

There is only one God and people are made right by Him through their faith in Him

When we have faith then we obey the Law and fulfill it

So basically when we recognize and believe in Jesus we see the fruit that comes from the Law

we have a desire to Obey the Lord and the Law

it is not one without the other

faith and the Law work hand in hand and reveal the need for Jesus

Read ch 3:27-31 In the NLT version

Now In chapter 4 we are going to see how Paul compares the Life of Abraham and the Life of David to the Law

Abraham being solid and David Not so Much

So lets begin

Romans 4:1 “1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?”

Romans 4:2 “2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.”

Abraham was known to be a man who Kept the Law

he was obedient in every way to the Law

He would have been like the perfect child of the family that never did anything bad

Genesis 26:5 “5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.””

vs two is evidence that Abraham had something to boast about when it came to His obedience to God

he was a good dude and obedient

Romans 4:3 “3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.””

Genesis 15:6 “6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

Vs 3 is again backing up chapter 3 that faith is what it takes and that it is not obedience to the Law

You can follow the law all you want but it cant save you

its only when you have faith in who God is and believe in Him that the Law or works are able to be fulfilled

for example if i build something like a structure without the faith that it will work

then the work i put into it is pointless

how can you go about something without believing ?

If you don’t believe or have faith that your going to pass a test than you probably wont

its the same with our walk

without faith and belief , the “works we do are for nothing

it should be that the faith I have gives me a change of heart to do the works in the name of God and for God

the Definition of Faith itself is : The complete trust or confidence in someone or something

so having that complete trust and confidence in the Lord knowing that he gifts us salvation is faith

Romans 4:4 “4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.”

Romans 5:5 “5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

now in these two verses Paul is contrasting faith and works

Works here are described as an obligation (debt)

so a person who works receives wages that are obligated to be payed

where as faith is vs 5 is described as Justified and righteous

not only justified and righteous but free

faith doesn’t force the giver to pay, or create a demand that they are paid

only works does

because when you work you expect something in return

this is opposite to what the word of God teaches us

Salvation through faith is a gift from the one who Gave it, not something they had to give

Salvation the gift from God is not something we can earn

through faith it is something that we humbly accept

God is a God of Love, mercy, and grace

God is the one who justifies us

All of us as it says in Chapter 3 are not righteous

Isaiah 64:6 “6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”

Romans 4:6 “6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:”

Romans 4:7 “7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;”

Romans 4:8 “8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.””

Now Paul here is referencing what King David said

David is recognizing in Psalm 32:1–2 “1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

that we are justified apart from works

God considers us righteous when our sins are not counted against us

so what does that Mean ?

When we look further on in Romans , specifically chapter 10

it says Romans 10:9–10 “9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

When we are saved through Faith , our sins are no longer counted against us

we have the ability to pray and ask for forgiveness

this further supports the fact that nothing we do guarantees us a spot in Heaven accept by Believing in Jesus

Our achievements mean nothing, and our faith means everything

Romans 4:9 “9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.”

So now Paul hits us with this question

is salvation for those who are circumcised or uncircumcised ?

the second part he says that Faith was granted to Abraham for righteousness

so Abraham himself wasn’t circumcised and he was considered righteous

why ? because of His faith

Romans 4:10 “10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.”

again he wasn’t even circumcised

Romans 4:11 “11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,”

Abraham was justified by faith and circumcision

He was the father or Leader of both the circumcised and uncircumcised

In other words Gods blessing is for everyone including the gentiles who believed

its important to note that circumcision was a sign and a seal of a righteous man that had recieved faith

Romans 4:12 “12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.”

Abraham was the physical father of the Hebrew Nation

but we see here in Pauls examples of Him that he is a prime example of Faith

His example should be one that we all learn from and apply to our Life’s

I just want to share some verses that have to do with Faith and then we are going to brake off into groups and discuss some questions i made for this new year

Matthew 21:22 “22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.””

Luke 1:37 “37 For with God nothing will be impossible.””

2 Corinthians 5:7 “7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Romans 10:17 “17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Hebrews 11:1 “1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:6 “6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Ephesians 2:8–9 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Proverbs 3:5–6 “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”