Sermon Tone Analysis
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Faith Alone
Justification by Faith Alone
Unbelief — Think about the characteristics of Unbelief for a moment.
Powerful, Tenacious, Subtle, It’s the whole tragedy of man’s unbelief, when one argument is demolished, another is immediately raised.
Man in sin is always anxious to claim a little credit for himself.
Two Objections and the first is
Circumcision
What is the relationship of justification by faith to circumcision?
Notice his argument — He begins with a question:
Is this blessing only for the circumcised, then?
Or is it also for the uncircumcised?
And he answers it.
How does he answer his question?
He answers it with Old Testament history — He answers it from the Scripture.
And this reminds us of the place of the OT and the teaching of the OT and how we should think of the OT.
It’s impossible to really follow his argument and for that matter, the argument of the NT, without the knowledge of the OT.
Every good Jew would know the history of Abraham and so should every Christian.
And so, what is the answer?
It comes at the end of verse 9 and then with another question.
Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.
10 In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised?
Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised.
It’s first a straightforward answer: “Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.”
Then with another question he zeros in on the reason and the reason Abraham’s faith was credited for righteousness and that is — Was it when he was circumcised or uncircumcised?
This is where Abraham’s faith was credited for righteousness.
This is where
This is where Abraham was circumcised.
Like the age-old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
This is where
Which came first the faith or the circumcision?
Faith was first, demonstrating that circumcision has nothing to do with salvation — absolutely nothing!
And by the way, according to Genesis, the chicken came first.
And now, what is the obvious question?
What is the reason for Circumcision?
First — Circumcision was an outward sign, a seal of the righteousness (vs 11).
Seal means to authenticate.
— “Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His SEAL of approval on Him.”
This refers to the Lord’s baptism, and it means that at His baptism He was publicly sealed with the sign of the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove upon Him.
The same word is also used in — “you were also SEALED with the promised Holy Spirit.
He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.”
And this means that having the Holy Spirit is knowing that all God promises to me is already mine in a very real sense.
It is sealed.
And what the apostle is saying here in Romans is that in the same way circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign to authenticate the imputation of righteousness to him — and get this, 14 Years before.
In other words the teaching here is, that circumcision of itself did not do anything to Abraham.
The reason for it was that Abraham should have the promise made sure to him; it was to seal it to him.
In other words, circumcision played no part in Abraham’s justification.
It’s the other way around.
Justification is the basis upon which circumcision is given.
The second is “This was to make him the father of all who believe but are NOT CIRCUMCISED, so that righteousness may be credited to them also.”
What does that mean?
Abraham is the father, or we might say the pattern, or the leading example or the archetype, the first in a great succession.
Or we can say it this way — it is in the case of Abraham that God defines righteousness and establishes and declares explicitly the principle on which anyone is made righteous before God.
Not that Abraham was the first, because there was Abel, Enoch, Noah — but in Abraham God makes it plain and clear and explicit that this is the only way God justifies men.
But Paul doesn’t leave it there.
The question can then be asked:
Who exactly are the children of Abraham?
First — Verse 11 — Abraham is father of all who believe though they are not circumcised.
Look at it with me.
Verse 11 — “This was to make him (Abraham) the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also.”
It was necessary to emphasize this because the Jews believed those who were uncircumcised could not possibly justified.
The proof he gives is that Abraham himself was justified by faith while yet uncircumcised.
Second — verse 12 — Abraham is the father of all who are circumcised, IF they believe.
To Sum It All Up
The children of Abraham are those, and those alone, who have the faith of Abraham.
What absolutely matters is not circumcision, but faith.
That was circumcision as an objection.
Now there is another objection and that is in verses 13-16 dealing with the Law.
The Law
What then is the relationship of justification by faith to the Law?
First, Paul makes a categorical statement and assertion:
Romans
Not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
What’s the point here?
What does Paul mean by “the promise?”
But even more clearly in
Paul shows he is referring to this promise by what he says in
The point to grasp here is that this promise was given to Abraham — WHEN?
And look closely at verse 13 again!
What was the promise to Abraham?
Was it the “Promised Land?”
No! It was the whole world.
Matthew 5:
The promise to Abraham must not be limited to the Promised Land — It extends to the whole earth.
It is true that the promise to the children of Abraham after the flesh was the Promised Land, but for the children of Abraham “by faith” (the last words of verse 13).
Those who are his spiritual seed.
What is the connection for these children to be Abraham’s children?
The Seed
This is of crucial importance.
Galatians
This is the true interpretation and understanding of the promise in
The connection to being children of Abraham is that we are only his seed by being in Christ.
Being in Christ makes us Abraham’s seed and therefore heirs according to the promise.
Ephesians 2:
This is what we rejoice in.
In other words, we must no longer or never think of these things in terms of Jews and Gentiles, circumcision or uncircumcision, under the Law or outside of the Law.
11
Justification is by faith alone and not determined by any other considerations.
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