Romans 4:1-25
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Faith Existed First
Faith Existed First
1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
According to Abraham’s flesh, he had nothing he could boast in.
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
Egypt is a picture of the world
13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
Abraham lies about Saria being his wife.
4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.
Instead of waiting for God, he listens to his wife and lies with Hagar.
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
We already established he is a sinner. But what are the great things that he does that would deserve boasting. Does listening and doing as we are told qualify? Nobody boasts about this, as it is an expected attribute. If someone were to boast about doing the simplest of things, they would be laughed at.
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
The works here were what he was asked of God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
It is the thought that works can get you something.
Grace is the free gift.
We don’t deserve it
You work because you need. You have to keep working because it never fulfills the need.
Nothing we do is a one and done.
Grace is once and done.
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
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.
Romans 4:6-8 (NKJV)
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
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.
David learned you can’t hide from your sins. You can’t cover your sins up. David was tortured internally for the sins he committed. He suffered consequences for many years because of his sins. But once he was confronted, he realized he needed to come clean, and this repentance set him free even though he had to deal with the consequences of his sin.
4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”
There is a penalty for sin.
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. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 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, 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 blessed before circumcision, and before the law.
10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;
Paul talks a lot about circumcision.
A very private matter
a constant reminder of the covenant with God.
Is Abraham our father?
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,
that he might be the father of all those who believe
Do you believe?
Is the God of today the God of yesterday? The God of the Old Testament?
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;
but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised
Steps, or footprints. The idea that we would follow Jesus step by step.
13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
Many nations, not just the nation of the Jews. How many Jewish nations are there?
Israel is the only country in the world with a Jewish majority and is considered the only Jewish state. As of January 2024, Israel was home to 7.2 million Jews, which is 42.9% of the world's Jewish population.
How many countries have Jewish people?
two nations
Jewish people make their homes in nearly every country worldwide, but the majority live in one of only two nations: Israel and the United States.
but through the righteousness of faith.
Faith in Jesus that makes us right with God
The law identifies what we do wrong, what laws we break.
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
V. 16 Sure, certain
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
The active life in Christ, is He lives through you. You will experience His blessing daily when you bring Him with you. You will be calmer, more perceptive, more patient, peaceful, loving, forgiving, but also right in God’s eyes and ways with your dealings. Not all our dealings are joyful. There are many Christian leaders serving in a leadership capacity. Leaders, have to do things that are not always fun. I believe Jesus comforts those and guides them through the trials they have to deal with. It is important to be in tune with Jesus. I never hear about this side of Christ, but I believe it to be true.
Because when we deal with things in the flesh, the results are often very messy, and can be very hurtful.
100 year olds are not normally having babies.
73 yearsSeptember 2019Erramatti MangammaSitarama Rajarao, her 82-year-old husbandPost-menopausal IVF treatment with oocytes donationIndia[208]
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
Looks like all the sources out there are wrong except the Bible.
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
3 But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
Jesus does all of this for our sake.
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
Imputed - To count something to somebody means to reckon something to a person, to put to his account, either in his favor or for what he must be answerable.
The New King James Version (Rom 4:24b)
in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
The New King James Version (Rom 4:25a)
who was delivered up because of our offenses, and
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
The New King James Version (Rom 4:25b)
was raised because of our justification.
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
We need Jesus. We have the sin, and we can’t do anything to be right with God. God created man to have fellowship with us! What a messy bunch we are though.