Be Reconciled to God

Romans 4:1–8 NKJV

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found 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 accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

Paul made some very strong conclusion at the end of Chapter 3.

Romans 3:27–31 NKJV

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Rom 3:

1. The Principle of Justification by faith excludes boasting.

2. Justification is by faith is apart from the deed of the Law

3. Justification by faith is for the Gentiles as well as the Jews

Justification by faith does not make the Law void rather it established the Law.

In Chapter 4 Paul now confirms these statements in the Scriptures.

Abraham was a key person in the Jewish faith. In particular his righteousness was revered and set as an example. Abraham was know as the friend of God. The Jew would reference the same scripture that Paul references in Vs 3

“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness”

But they would emphasis that it was Abraham’s faithfulness rather than his faith for which it was counted to him as righteousness.

However, that Abraham was righteous was uncontested.

So then if we want to be righteous like righteous Abraham then we must find out....

What Made Abraham Righteousness?

This is the very question that Paul puts forward in our text this morning.

Romans 4:1–3 NKJV

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found 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 accounted to him for righteousness.”

Rom 4:1-

If Abraham was justified by works, then he has something to boast about.

Paul’s comment in Ch 3 was that boasting is excluded by the principle of faith not of works. A works based righteousness not only gives the ground to boast in ones own efforts it encourages it. Consider the pride of the pharisees, or the rich young ruler who boasted that he had kept the law from his youth.

Paul quickly adds “but not before God” Before God no one will be able to boast of anything. Someone who thinks that they are righteous through works must in their own mind reduce God’s holiness to something that they are able to achieve. They must define holiness in their own terms to suit themselves. But when we stand before a truly holy God we will see the contrast. We will see that the very best that we could ever do falls so very far short of God’s holiness. There will be no boasting before God.

Paul then ask the question. “for what does the scriptures say?

in any dilemma this should be our first question. notice the way this question is put. What does the scripture say? not what was written. Not that that is not a valid question as well but Paul puts it “what does it say”. It’s a living Word. Paul does not view the scripture as a collection of books but as one word from God. The scripture singular. Not as something written in the past but a word that is alive and speaks to us today. Paul had the same view of the scripture as Peter.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

So in the question of Abrahams source of righteousness what does the scripture say?

The answer that Paul supplies is

“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Taken

This was right after the promise was given to Abraham that even though he had no child of his own and Sarah his wife was barren, his descendants would be as many as the stars.

He believed that God would make of him a great nation and that in him all families of the earth would be blessed.

And it says that this faith was accounted to him for righteousness. That is righteousness was credited to Abraham. Abraham was like every other human that has lived since Adam. He was just as incapable of righteousness as you and I and yet in a moment God put righteousness to Abraham’s account. And the scripture says that its was because Abraham believed God.

It’s an accounting term. Literally God put righteousness in Abraham’s Assets column.

Is Righteousness of Wages or of Grace?

Romans 4:4 NKJV

4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

Paul makes what should be a very obvious point here. If you are hired to do a job and you do the work that you were hired to do then you are credited your pay as agreed. But that payment was not an undeserved gift, it was a debt owed to you by the one who hired you to do the work. It is your wages. Paul continues thi sline of thought in where he tells us what our wages are.

Romans 6:23 NKJV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But Abrahams righteousness was not credited to him as wages but by grace. Paul sees these two things as incompatible with one another. as he points out in...

Romans 11:6 NKJV

6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

The scripture say that Abraham believed God and righteousness was credited to him. So it is of grace by faith. As he says in vs 5

Romans 4:5 NKJV

5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Notice how Paul refers to God in this vs. as Him who justifies the ungodly.

Our God makes the ungodly, godly he make the unrighteous, righteous the unholy, holy he makes the sinners into saints. This good news of Christ is for the hopeless, it’s for the ungodly, unholy, unrighteous, sinners who have no hope because by believing on Him they can have righteousness credited to their account.

Now, what

But to him who believes

David Confirms Righteous Imputed Apart From Works

Abraham was regarded as the greatest patriarch by the Jews and David and the greatest king. These were two of the most important people in Jewish history. Matthew introduced Jesus in his Gospel as the son of David, the son of Abraham.

So it’s no mystery why Paul uses these two as examples of his thesis of Justification by faith.

The quote here is from

Romans 4:6–8 NKJV

6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

Romans 4:6–7 NKJV

6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;

Truely how happy is the one who has had their sins forgive who the Lord will not impute their sins.

that means that the Lord has put their sins to their account. So back to the accounting analogy, when we by faith believe on Jesus Christ, God takes sin off our balance sheet or statement of position out of our liability column and at the same time credits our asset column with righteousness. So we don’t receive the wages of our sins which is death but we do receive the rewards of righteousness which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 NKJV

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.