How to be Accepted by God

1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” 9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. 10 But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! 11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) 16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.

People do all sorts of things to try to get to heaven.

Earn it.

Work hard, follow the rules, do the rituals. Most of the world thinks that if I can just work a little bit harder… if my good out weighs my bad, then I can go to heaven.

Belong to the right group

Salvation by affiliation.

The way the Bible teaches… by faith in Jesus Christ.

This is the one Romans teaches.

In Romans 3:28 Paul states the principle that it is only by faith that we can have a right relationship to God. Now, in chapter 4, he uses the true-life example of Abraham to illustrate this important truth.

Romans 3:28 NLT

28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

The only way we can become acceptable to God is through faith.

Romans 4 is an example fo what Paul has been teaching.

Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation. Romans 4:1.

Romans 4:1 NLT

1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?

He is our forefather through Isaac. Abraham was also the father or Ishmael through whom the Arab nations came out of. The fighting that’s going on in the middle east is just a family feud. The Jews and Muslims are cousins.

Three religions look back to Abraham for their roots. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Bottom line, Abrham is the father of FAITH.

Abraham was born in the city of Ur in the Mesopotamian valley. Ur of the Chaldees. In Ur, he was a moon worshiper. That's what they worshiped in Ur -- the moon. It wasn't out of rebellion; it was out of ignorance. One day God, the one and true God, spoke to him and said, "Abram, take all your family and move." Abram said, "Where are we going?" God said, "I'll tell you when we get there." On faith he moved. God promised out of this one man He would make a great nation -- the nation of Israel.

Paul knew the Jews regarded Abraham as the perfect pattern. He was the perfect example to prove that you are not saved by works, but by faith.

I. Two Important words

Justified

means to be completely accepted by God. To have a right relationship with God. God becomes your friend and not your enemy.

James 2:23 NLT

23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

Wouldn't you like to be God's friend? How do I become acceptable to God? How do I become friends with God rather than an enemy? Justified… God makes us as if we had never broken any laws.

When you really feel accepted by God you're going to feel self acceptance. You're going to feel worthwhile. You don't find your acceptance in other things. You find your acceptance in God and when you find it there you will find self acceptance.

Credited

The Greek word is the word we get our word logic. It's a bookkeeping term, an accounting term. It literally means to compute, to calculate. The word is used 41 times in the New Testament. It's a very important word. 39 times by Paul, 19 times in Romans and 11 times in this very chapter. This can be called the computer chapter of the Bible.

God calculates our sin and God calculates what Jesus did on the cross and computes them together and says one cancels out the other. God looks at our sin and then looks at what Jesus did and calculates them together and says -- it's even. He looks in the debit column at our sins and the credit column at God's righteousness through Jesus and the books balance at the end

II. How can we be accepted by God?

We'll see the importance of these two words in Abraham's life. How can I be accepted by God? Abraham shows us how. Paul clears up any misunderstanding about how we're saved.

1. We don’t become acceptable to God by doing good works. (Romans 4:1-8)

Romans 4:1–8 NLT

Paul uses a "what if" argument. Just suppose you could be saved by doing good. If you could be saved by working for it then you could brag about it

vs. 2 - You can’t brag

You may brag to people, but you can’t fool God. You can’t get to heaven on your own. If we could be saved by works, we could brag, but we can’t.

God’s standards are so big, we can’t come close. Our best doesn’t impress God, as far as our salvation is concerned.

But there is another way… faith.

vs. 3 - God counts Abraham as righteous. (See Gen 15:1-6)

Romans 4:3 NLT

3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

It was Abraham's belief, his faith, that made him righteous.

Genesis 15:1–6 NLT

1 Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” 2 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” 4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” 6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

Abraham is over 85 and so you can imagine why he might have had a little trouble believing this.

Once Abraham believed, it was credited to him as righteousness.

Abraham din’t deserve it, but God gave it to him.

Why did God give Abraham a child? Because he believed.

vs. 4-5 - Righteousnees is a gift, not a wage.

Romans 4:4–5 NLT

4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

Wages are something we earn. Paul said the wages of sin is death...

Salvation cannot be a gift if we have to work for it.

Many Christians fall into this trap. They start out by accepting God as a free gift and then think, "Now that I'm a Christian I've got to earn God's favor through works. Listen to me… it’s a gift.

There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more than he already does. He loves you on your good days and on your bad days.

If God loves me no matter what, why not just live like the devil? Try it, he will still love you but he will also discipline you. ILL - raising children… love them but discipline them

vs. 6-8 - David agrees with Abraham

Romans 4:6–8 NLT

6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”

David says the same thing when he speaks about the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works.

Psalm 32:1 NIV84

1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

This was David’s Psalm of confession after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband.

David said, I got myself in such a mess because of my sin but God cleared my record just because I believed. Not because I deserve to be forgiven simply because I believed. Happy is the man whose sins are wiped out, whose slate is clean. Not because he worked for it, earned or deserved it. But simply because God honored his faith.

If you are a believer in Jesus, your guilt is cancelled… forgiven… forgotten. Your sins, past present and future are covered by the blood of Jesus.

2. We don’t become acceptable to God by religious rituals. (Romans 4:9-12)

Paul talks about circumcision. Circumcision was the most important symbol of the Jewish nation. The Jew said, it doesn't matter who your parents are, if you're not circumcised you're not a Jew. Even if you're born to Jewish parents. They thought circumcision -- this ritual -- was a passport to heaven automatically. Many see Baptism like this.

Paul says that's an error for two reasons.

Romans 4:9–12 NLT

9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. 10 But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! 11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Was is before or after he believed that he was made righteous?

Compare Gen 15:6 & 17:23

Genesis 15:6 NLT

6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

Genesis 17:23 NLT

23 On that very day Abraham took his son, Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, just as God had told him.

Which came first?

He believed!

Whats the purpose of this rite?

To show they belonged to God.

When God first said to Abraham, you are ok… righteous, it was 14 years before the ritual of circumcision was invented.

vs. 11 shows that circumcision was a sign of the faith he already had. Circumcision was a symbol, not the cause of his righteousness.

The modern counterpart of circumcision is baptism. Baptism doesn't make you a believer, it shows you are a believer. Wedding ring ill - it doesn’t marry you, it just shows you are married. same with the Lord’s supper.

3. We don’t become acceptable to God by keeping the law. (Romans 4:13-15)

Why does he use Abraham as an example of somebody who was saved without keeping the law? Because Abraham lived 430 years before the Ten Commandments were given

Romans 4:13–15 NIV84

13 It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15 because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

If there is no law to break then you don't have any lawbreakers. There is something about human nature that the moment a law is established they have a desire to break it. It's like when God told Adam and Even, "You can eat anything in the entire garden except one little tree." Which one did they want to go taste? They immediately headed for that one. Wet Paint example

Abraham lived 430 years before the 10 Commandments were given.

Listen, you can’t make it to heaven by keeping the rules. The purpose of the Law was never to save anybody; it was to show that we needed to be saved.

Look at Gal 3:17-25 for a full explanation of the Law’s purpose.

Galatians 3:17–25 NLT

17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise. 19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. 20 Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham. 21 Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. 22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. 23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. 24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

v 17 - What is the promise?

That he'll become a great nation. One of that seed will bless the entire world. That promise was not based on Abraham keeping the Law. The Law hadn't been given. It was an unconditional promise.

v 19 - we fall short.

We can never be acceptable by doing anything. good works or rituals

4. The only way we are acceptable to God is through faith.

Many people think James contradicts Paul but he doesn’t.

James 2:21–24 NLT

21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

It's not a contradiction at all once you understand it. In the first place, James and Paul are talking about two different things. ‘

Paul is talking about saving faith, James is talking about growing in faith.

Paul is talking about the root of salvation, James is talking about the fruit of salvation.

How do we know? Because they're talking about different instances. In Romans, Paul says, Abraham believed God and he was accepted as righteous. He uses as an illustration the promise that God gave him about the sons and the generations to be born. What could Abraham do about that? Absolutely nothing. What do you do with a promise? Just accept it.

James talks about an event that happened 35 years later -- Isaac being offered on the altar. Ishmael had been born at age 99, Isaac had been born at age 100. Isaac was not a little boy when he was to be offered as a sacrifice. Most likely he was a young man. Abraham had walked with the Lord for a long time then. James says there is an example of faith.

It's not that faith is the opposite of works. It's not that you have to do faith and works. It's that faith is faith and we demonstrate it by works. It's your faith that saves you but how do you know that you've got any faith if you don't see any actions? Faith is obedience.

ILL - Tight rope ill Blondin

James is saying, put your money where your mouth is. It's not faith plus works. It's that works show your faith. There's no contradiction between James and Romans.

III. Why did God make our acceptance based only by our faith?

Romans 4:14 NIV84

14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless,

You live either by faith or legalism.

Why did God make our acceptance based only on faith?

vs. 16: To demonstrate God’s grace.

Romans 4:16 NLT

16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.

Promise - two words for promise in Bible.

One - If you do this, I’ll do that...

Two - means an unconditional promise. Used here.

Your salvation is not dependent on a conditional promise that says, “If you will keep working, I’ll keep saving. Your acceptance is based on what Jesus did on the cross. If your acceptance were based on your effort, you would never have any assurance. What if you quit trying for 10 seconds … and then die in that 10 seconds? What if you are committing a sin, and die? You would have no guarantees. How little of a sin could you commit and still be saved?

Your acceptance… salvation is based on God, not on your efforts.

Vs 17: To Demonstrate God’s Power.

Romans 4:17 NLT

17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.