How Faith Works

Parents - what makes you feel blessed in that role? As a parent. To bless is an action, right? So what does a child of yours do that blesses you? Do you think that loosely translates to us blessing God?

Justified - from last week. Righteousness from the week before. Faith in today’s time together. All swirled around, combined together. If there is a welcome plaque with my name on it in heaven, do you know what it will say under my name? Innocent. According to my actions I am not! If you have put your faith in God, yours will say the same!

Romans 4 ESV

1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 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, 17 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. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

There is a clear point that Abraham was NOT justified by works, the flesh, circumcision. Then carrying the argument forward, neither are we.

Let’s go ahead and be honest, this is really good news for us! Jews could trace their lineage back to Abraham. They had standing with God because of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

This was an unconditional covenant. There was no ‘if’ clause. (the Mosaic covenant had one.) When you study through you see a ceremony where only one participant of the covenant has a role. In old westerns maybe you’ve seen characters promise to stick together and each run a knife across their palms before they shake on it. The covenant we are most familiar with today is likely the marriage covenant. Both parties have a role.

So the covenant with Abraham did not depend on Abraham. It depended on the never-ending faithfulness of God. So when proclaims we who are ‘of faith’ are the children of Abraham, we are recipients of the promise given to him! We are justified by FAITH! If Abraham didn’t, couldn’t, work for it you don’t get to either! We don’t work FOR salvation, we work FROM a position of salvation. That is a ‘this changes everything’ kind of statement for a lot of people! The difference between legalism and grace is most clearly seen in the way God grants right standing to people of faith. Not people of perfection. He doesnt say ‘clean yourself up then come to me’. That is a devil’s trap! The work of justifying toward salvation has been done!

In bringing a son from Abraham and Sara, God made that which was dead, alive! He still does that. The analogy isnt perfect, but when we are spiritually dead in our trespasses and sin, He breathes life into us at salvation. He brings the dead to life!

If faith were from works, God would owe man. Just like an employer owes an employee their wages. We never find ourselves in a position where God is indebted to us. When we enjoy the favor of God, He is not giving us what we deserve. He is giving us undeserved grace! And God always chooses to offer grace to those who believe Him.

I want to be clear about that statement. He chooses to offer grace. When we choose sin we choose to reject grace. He is still offering it, and repentance (believing God is right and I am wrong) allows us to again receive it. But when believers choose sin, we are trying to hold God’s grace at arms length.

Instead of striving/working/toiling to gain favor with God

Believing God against all odds in v.18(RSV) comes through the statement: hoping against hope. Abraham was 100 years old! Sara was way past child bearing age. Good common sense was shouting “there’s no way you’re having a baby!” BUT GOD.

How desperately we need but God moments in our lives! Hopeless. Helpless. Against all odds. The perfect time for God to show up and show out!

You may say: but preacher, I’m a cheater. I’ve cheated in marriage. I’ve cheated in business. You come to the end of yourself and you’ll find a but God moment in your life!

But pastor, I’m a failure. I’ve tried and tried, but never succeeded. You start trusting in His strength instead of your own and you’ll find a but God moment in your life!

But Jason, I’m stuck. I’ve wasted all my chances. I’ve burned bridges and torched my closest relationships. If you’re still drawing breath, you still have at least one more chance in you. God has not given up on you. And if you can believe that, you’ll find a but God moment in your life!

Now here’s the cool part: You’re probably sitting across the room from someone who has the same testimony. They were… BUT GOD. A but God moment requires surrender on man’s part. It does not require working our way to be good enough that God will bless us.

Our work doesn’t confer(grant) righteousness. It confirms it. Faith without works is dead. We display the redeemed life in us by the works we do.

Faith - defined by many catchy words and phrases:

Assurance of things hoped for, certainty of things not seen.

Confidence in the certainty of divine promise.

Helplessness reaching out in total dependence upon God.

More practically, the acronym -Forsaking All I Trust Him

It Counts! v.23-24 not for his sake alone, but for ours also

Was counted. Is counted. Refused to count. Whether Abraham, David or you and me, it applies the same:

Believe on Jesus

God gives right-standing

Our sin condition is not counted against us.

We are innocent!