How Much Righteousness is Enough

Salvation is when God credits righteousness apart from works, simply by faith in God’s promises.

No one is good enough for God to owe them forgiveness (Rom. 4:1-5)

++However good Abraham was in our eyes, He was not good enough to earn God’s righteousness (vv. 1-2)

++God credited His own righteousness as payment to Abraham’s indebted account, only because Abraham believed

We owe God full obedience.

Anything less than full obedience creates a debt we cannot pay because our obedience is not full.

Through believing faith, God chooses to pay that debt by crediting His full righteousness to our indebted account as full payment.

If you don’t first believe, you will have no reason to step out in faith. If you believe, choose to trust God’s promises enough to live according to them.

No one is bad enough that God cannot offer them forgiveness (Rom. 4:6-8)

++Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven and covered

++Blessed are those whose sin God covers over

++Blessed are those whose sin God calculates

David acknowledged guilt and cast himself on God’s mercy.

David believed that God was who He claimed to be.

David repented by confessing his own sin and turning to God’s promises.

If you don’t first believe, you will have no reason to confess your sin. If you believe, choose to trust God’s promises enough to let go of your guilt and trust God’s mercy.

Anyone can trust God’s promises to the point of obeying in faith (Rom. 4:9-12)

++Abraham accepted a sign (testimony) of his faith (vv. 9-11a)

++All who believe should accept a sign of their faith (v. 11b)

++All who believe can accept a sign and walk in faith (v. 12)

God asked Abraham to accept circumcision as a sign of His faith in God.

God then asked Abraham to walk in his faith.

If you don’t first believe, you have no reason to accept a sign of that faith. If you believe, choose to trust God’s promises enough to accept God’s sign and walk in faith.

To be righteous is the absence of sin, not the ability through good works to somehow outweigh sin. That is impossible.

Anything less than full obedience falls short of the full obedience we owe God.

By believing and living in faith, God uses His own righteousness to pay our debt.

He credits His full righteousness to our indebted account.

Believing in God’s promises leads to walking in faith. No one is good enough.

Believe in God’s promises and step out in faith.

Study the Scriptures and you will find that we are not going to have more faith by counting the promises of God. Faith does not rest upon promises. Faith rests upon character. Faith must rest in confidence upon the One who makes the promises. Jesus, Author of Our Faith, 5.

A. W. Tozer

Do you believe God is who He claims to be?

If so, then resolve in your mind that you can trust whatever promises of His that you discover as you read His Word.

If so, once found, live according to those promises.