Justified by Faith
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Before Christmas break, we learned that God has revealed His righteousness to us. That this righteousness is Jesus Christ, and we can receive it through faith.
These truths are important to us because the book of Romans reveals that we are sinners under God's judgment, a judgement that will result in an eternal punishment in hell.
Being under God’s judgment should be alarming news to us. For we have all fallen short of His glory and none of us will have an excuse on judgment day.
Yet, there is good news: God sent Jesus Christ.
Even though we have no righteousness of our own, through faith, we can possess the righteousness of God.
This not only means we escape God’s judgment if we put our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but more importantly, it also means that we will enjoy God forever.
As we come to today’s passage, Paul will continue to show us the importance of faith.
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,
The first truth that we find in this passage is that...
We are not saved by works.
We are not saved by works.
It is natural to us to feel like we have to earn our salvation.
We have been told that “nothing comes free” and that “ you get what you deserve”
If we look around us, we see that those that work hard, prosper.
We understand that studying hard to obtain a college degree can help you start a successful career.
We understand that working hard to develop a vocational skill like welding can help you earn a good living.
We understand that dedication to lifting can help you become a stronger athlete.
We understand that investing in people can help you earn favor with others.
It can be easy to transfer this line of thinking to our relationship with God.
We often believe that by studying our Bibles more, praying longer, going on more mission trips, or giving more to the church, we can earn God's favor.
But Paul wants to challenge this line of thinking by using Abraham from the Old Testament as an example.
Before Paul even references the story of Abraham, he tells us in verse 2 that if Abraham was justified by works, then he would have something to boast about.
The problem with the belief that we can be saved by our works is that it shifts the focus onto ourselves.
It positions us as the heroes of our story, casting the spotlight on us.
So, when we try to earn our salvation, it's actually a sin because we're taking the glory that God alone deserves.
Therefore, if we are not saved by works, that brings us to our second truth from this passage...
We are saved by faith alone.
We are saved by faith alone.
Returning to our passage, we see Paul continue with Abraham's example in verse 3, citing Genesis chapter 15.
The quote reads “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
To understand what is going on here we must go to back to Genesis chapter 15.
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.
Abraham's story begins with God appearing to him in a vision, promising protection.
Despite this, Abraham is worried because he does not have an heir to continue his legacy.
The reason Abraham was so concerned is because at this time he was 75 years old and his wife was 65 years old.
Even with today's technology, becoming pregnant and giving birth at around the age of 50 is extremely rare and often poses health risks for both the child and mother. At the age of 65, it is essentially impossible.
Yet, God promises the impossible to Abraham, He promises Abraham that he will have a son.
Abraham's reaction to this promise connects us back to Paul's quote in Romans: “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness”
In this Old Testament account, we see that God makes a promise, Abraham simply believes it, and this belief is credited to him as righteousness.
This is what occurs in us in verse 5 of our text in Romans which says “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness”
When we place our faith in Christ's work, God sees us as righteous and saves us from His own judgment.
I want to caution you: not all “faith” is saving faith.
Saving faith is a personal trust in Jesus.
Saving faith is a personal trust in Jesus.
What I meant by my caution , is that what many people refer to as faith isn't necessarily what the Bible defines as saving faith.
Biblical faith means personally trusting Jesus and surrendering all that we are to Him.
Zip-line example.
Our faith in Jesus is similar to this.
Faith isn’t merely believing in the truth that Jesus lived a perfect life.
Nor is it simply believing that Jesus died for our sins.
It’s not just about believing that Jesus was buried for three days.
And it’s not just believing that Jesus resurrected.
Rather, faith is a personal relationship, built on these truths, where we trust in Jesus to save us.