It Depends on Grace

Introduction

Thankful for men who will faithfully and ably proclaim the truth of God’s Word.

Thankful for the opportunity to leave to go to Romania to train pastors.

Greetings from two churches in Romania that I had the opportunity to preach at. They send their love and prayers.

Where we have been in Romans

No one is righteous. Both Jew and Gentile are under God’s just condemnation because we have all rebelled against Him. We have all chosen our own way and suppressed the truth in unrighteousness.

No one is righteous, no one seeks God, altogether they have turned aside… This includes Jews. We all are in a place of utter hopelessness. We cannot undo the damage of our rebellion either by seeking to be moral enough for the Gentile or by keeping the law of Moses for the Jew.

But God has done something. Apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, a righteousness that comes by faith to all who believe. This is the heart of the gospel. The only way one can be made right with God is by divine grace.

Then Paul shows the Jews that it has always been this way. That the only way to be justified (counted as righteous) is by grace working through faith. Abraham is used as Paul’s example. He was justified before he was circumcised and before the law came by believing God. Because of faith, Abraham became an heir to the world and all who have the faith of Abraham are children of Abraham and heirs to the world.

Romans 4:16–17 ESV

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

This week we will look at how you can have confidence that you are secure and next week we will look at what to do when your faith is weak.

Faith and Grace

Faith and Grace

Romand 4:16-17

Romans 4:16 ESV

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

Three things to see in this verse.

It Depends on Faith

Paul keeps coming back to this recurring theme in Romans that everything revolves around faith. He has gone to painstaking lengths to emphasize faith over and against works for justification.

Here is the goal of all that Paul has said, If you're not saved by circumcision, by some ritual act, if you're not saved by keeping some rules, keeping some law, if that's true, then salvation is by faith through grace. You say, "Is that important?" Sure, because if you're saved by grace who gets the glory? God does. That's true, but that's not what this text says. Paul's not focusing on the glory of God here; he's focusing on something else. He says it's by grace to the end that God may be glorified? No, although that's true, but to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed.

If salvation is by grace through faith then the promise is available to everybody who will constitute the redeemed seed. Look at it the other way. If salvation is only available to those who keep the law, then who is it available to? Nobody. But what he's saying is, if it’s of faith and grace, the result is that it’s available to everybody, because nobody is disqualified by their sin.

It's available to the Jew and then to those also who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. And that has to do with believing Gentiles. You say, "You mean the faith of Abraham is the Gentile faith?" Sure. Was Abraham a Jew? No. Abraham was a Chaldean Gentile. That is a shocker for many Jewish people, by the way. But he was a Chaldean Gentile. He had no Mosaic orientation. He lived and died before that all came to pass. He came by faith, and so he illustrates believing Gentiles. So, Paul says, look, if salvation's by faith and grace, then it's available to everybody, whether you're of the law or like Abraham, you're just a believing Gentile. Abraham becomes the father of all of us by his faith. We're all children of Abraham by faith. Now that is not to say that he doesn't have a physical seed in Israel, he does. But the message here has to do with the spiritual seed.

Why faith? So that the promise may rest on grace.

If the promise rested in our performance, it would no longer be by grace.

Grace guarantees the promise

Because it is by faith, both Jew and Gentile who have the faith of Abraham become heirs with Abraham to the promise.

God is no longer dealing with the world through Israel. He is dealing with the world through His son.

Through faith, both Jew and Gentile become heirs to the promises of God.

This word guaranteed is important. It is certain, sure, secured. As good as done.

Romans 4:17 ESV

as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

If it is by grace, it is not by human effort. (I have). Who did it? God did. Abraham didn’t earn this. It was given.

The surety of the promise rests in God’s ability. (I have made). This quote is from . Isaac had not been born yet, but God said “I have made you the father of a multitude of nations”. How can God say this? It hadn’t happened but He says it as if it has happened. Because God’s purposes will not be thwarted.

Can God really deliver?

He brings life to the dead

He calls into existence things that don’t exist.

Application

Our faith is a result of God’s grace therefore, give thanks to God for your faith

Our security is tied to God’s grace therefore, have confidence in God’s ability to complete what He started

Our salvation from beginning to end is tied to God’s word, and therefore to God’s glory.