Thank God for the Gift!
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Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
We are made righteous by what Jesus Christ did.
It is important that we come to a clear understanding that what you do does not make you righteous. Yes, we must live holy and sanctified lives, we must honor and obey God’s word. But understand those things are not what makes you right.
We are made right by what Jesus Christ has done for us. What did Jesus do for us? He came, He died, He rose again, He ascended back to Heaven, He is making intercession for us, and He will come back for us again. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is what makes us right.
If we place our faith in the atoning work of Christ (you cannot place your trust in yourself and what you are doing and not doing) then through faith we are declared to be justified (made right) in the sight of God.
I want to come back to verse 4 later. Let’s look at Proverbs 17:15:
Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
both are detestable to the Lord.
It was an abomination for a judge to justify the wicked and it still is an abomination. But notice here what Romans 4:5 says:
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.
Paul uses “justifieth” in a different sense. Here, what Paul is proposing to the saints is that God imputes or credits righteousness to guilty persons on the basis of Christ’s righteousness. In other-words, a person (you/me) could not and cannot make ourselves right. Christ had to step out of glory, put on a human flesh, die and then be resurrected in order for us to be made right. Now, because of Christ’s work, we are credited with, we are given a status of righteousness that we did not deserve neither could we earn.
So Paul says you are counted righteous, you are justified in the sight of God not because of something you did, not because you aren’t doing certain things, but because you place your faith in God who forgives sinners. I place my faith in God who forgives sinners because Jesus died for my sins. Jesus paid the price for my sins, Jesus paid for my salvation!
This is why Paul says in the previous verse that when a person works for something they earn it is not a gift but wages. When you go to work and they give you a pay-check you earn that money. But when someone gives you something you didn’t work for, when they give you something you don’t deserve it is considered to be a gift.
When someone gives you a gift, it is appropriate to show some type of appreciation to the one that gives you a gift. If someone was to give you 500 dollars.....you wouldn’t sit there with your mouth closed, you wouldn’t sit there unbothered, you would be grateful, you would tell that person thank you, you would do things for them and to them to show them your appreciation!
Christ has done something far more than giving us money. For every believer that has truly believed the gospel, to everyone who knows that their sins has been forgiven and has accepted the free gift, we know that God has given us the gift of salvation! God saved us, when we couldn’t save ourselves, God forgave us, even when we were not looking for forgiveness. God called us, when we were not even thinking of God.....He called us, He forgave us, He saved us, washed us up in the blood of Jesus, changed our life, and gave us eternal life and we ought to show some type of appreciation for what the LORD has done for us!
You ought to show some appreciation, you ought to tell the Lord thank you for forgiving me, thank you for washing me in the blood of Jesus, thank you for saving me, thank you for giving me eternal life! We ought to praise the LORD......but there is something greater than just praise.....you ought to live for Him now. You ought to surrender your life because that is how you show your appreciation to the LORD!
When you are going through life’s ups and downs and hit a low spot, let me tell you how to get out of it. Get your mind off your troubles and focus on the Lord Jesus Christ! Paul quotes a Psalm of King David, Paul says in verses 5-8 “even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered, blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”
“Blessed....what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven!
Whose sins are put out of sight!” I don’t know about anyone else, but I thank God that He forgave my disobedience! Yes God keeps a running sheet of sins, but thank God that when I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of my life....he took that list and tore up: “For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” Jeremiah 31:34.
It’s good to know that when trouble hits.....we have a place that we can go.....we have an altar that we can go and grab ahold of the horns, we have a refuge that we can go to in the midst of the storm, and it is all possible because if we believe and accept the free gift our sins are forgiven us! Thank God I’ve been forgiven!
Yes what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin! The Lord didn’t use an eraser to remove your record, he didn’t use white out to get rid of your record.....He used his blood! When your sins have been forgiven you and you been reconciled back to God it brings Joy in your life!
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.
This is why many people struggle in the area of prayer. Because they waver in their faith to God and they feel that they aren’t good enough to receive the blessings of God. There is some partial truth to that....you aren’t good enough but Jesus Christ was good enough.
When you understand the fact that you aren’t good enough but yet approach God from the standpoint that Jesus died for me and that I’m covered by the blood of Jesus, and that because of the atonement of Jesus I am made right with God, it will boast your confidence. You need to understand that as a saint God doesn’t just see you.....remember that you are covered under the blood! You just need to keep turning from sin. There is an old song we sing....every time I turn around.....He keeps blessing me. Tell someone.....Just keep turning.....just keep turning. Turn away from it and let God bless you.....turn away from it and keep running for Jesus.....turn away from it and walk in your salvation! God sees the blood when you approach....he sees your sins atoned for because of what Jesus Christ has done! This ought to boost your confidence in prayer!
This is why Hebrews says: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” We don’t approach the throne because we feel confidence in our own ability....we approach the “throne of grace” a throne of unmerited favor....a throne that you don’t deserve to approach but because Jesus died for you....you can have access to this throne.
This is why you ought to thank God for the gift!
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.
You can’t thank someone for something you haven’t received yet. It is evident that some people haven’t really received this gift yet because they think they are saved by their own works. But your not saved by your own works.
You receive the promise of the Holy Ghost through faith! I know being a Pentecostal Apostolic we have a list of stuff that you have to do to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. However, the only prerequisite according to the scriptures is that one must have faith! You can say “hallelujah” until the cows come home…but if you do not have faith you won’t receive anything. We are saved through faith. Abraham received the promise by faith and this gift that is given to us is a free gift (verse 16). It is given as a free gift because Jesus Christ paid the price....not with silver or gold....but with His blood.
Saving Faith:
Saving Faith:
When we study the life of Abraham we see that Abraham was a man of faith and action. Three notable examples:
God called Abraham out of the land of Ur to a land I will show you (Genesis 12:1). Abraham had faith, believed God and acted on his faith.
God told Abram told Abram/Abraham to count the stars and that he would give him that many descendants. Abraham believed God and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith (Genesis 15:1-6).
God tests Abraham but instructing him to sacrifice his only son Issac. Abraham was willing to obey and had faith to believe that if his son died that God would raise him again. Abraham held on to the promise that God made that his descendants would be as many as the stars in heaven.
Abraham in all accounts not only had faith, his faith led righteous action. The same principles apply with us, it is not enough to just have faith. Our faith will propel us to righteous action.
Let’s take this home: It is not enough to say you believe that Jesus died and rose again on the third day. Your faith, should propel you to righteous action. Your faith should propel you to repentance, your faith, should propel you to water baptism in Jesus’ name, your faith should result in you receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, your faith should propel you to a relationship with Christ, your faith should propel you to holy living because “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.”
Scripture:
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
You can have the righteous action, but if you don’t have the faith then the action is invalid. You can be baptized, but if you truly don’t believe you can’t be saved.
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
If we were saved by works only then Jesus wouldn’t came to die for our sins and then be resurrected. He would’ve just given another commandment such as.....repent and be baptized. The prerequisite to those things are faith.....we are saved by faith!
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
It is possible to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost before repentance and water baptism. Why? Because it is received in faith! Don’t believe me?
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
God saved and filled them with the Holy Ghost before....they were baptized in Jesus’ name. Repentance is an action word....you have to turn from your sins. Repentance is not lip service it is action that is produced by faith! Acts 10:44-48 never said that while Peter preached they repented, it never said that while Peter preached that they said God I’m sorry. They listened to what Peter preached and believed that Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness of their sins and accepted that because Jesus’ sacrifice their sins were forgiven them.....they believed and accepted this free gift! Because they believed and accepted.....God filled them with the gift of the Holy Ghost. They simply listened and believed and God saved them.
Somebody today needs to believe and accept the salvation that Jesus provided for you when he died on the cross and was resurrected 3 days later!
You need to know that you can’t live good enough and that you need a savior and that savior is Jesus! Just living a good life is not enough, just going to church is not enough, you need to believe and accept the gift that Jesus provided for you....the gift of salvation, the gift of forgiveness of sins, the gift of eternal life.
Faith in Adversity
Faith in Adversity
The same faith that saves you, is the same faith that you need to deal with the issues of life. When things in your life get rough you need to tap-in to the type of faith Abraham had:
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping and believing that what God promised he was going to do....and that was that he (Abraham, because of his faith in God’s promise) would become the father of many nations.
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
Abrahams faith did not weaken, even though he realized that at 100 years old his body was dead. Logically it didn’t make a lot of sense....but God is able to defy human logic because ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO THEM WHICH BELIEVE!
Abrahams faith did not weaken....matter of fact his faith grew stronger and because his faith grew stronger he brought glory to God.
Understand that over time....his faith grew stronger. Sometimes you might not have a lot of faith. But as time continues and as you walk with God your faith increases or it should increase.
Abrahams faith grew so much that he became fully convinced that God was able to do whatever he promised. This is the type of faith that we need to tap into.
Faith brings Joy!
Faith brings Joy!
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Paul summarizes and says that because we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace.....not strife, not contention, not odds, but peace with God because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.
Paul says that because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this undeserved privilege where we now stand. Now we stand in confidence and joy, looking forward to sharing God’s glory.
Christ suffered....but He got glory out of it. Christ was talked about, but He got glory out of it. Christ was plotted against, but He got glory out of it. Christ was abused, but he got glory out of it. Christ experienced pain, but He got glory out of it. His friends forsook Him, but He got glory out of it. He died....but when He got up again.....God got glory out of it. Just as Christ got glory out of his suffering....we share in faith that as we suffer.....GOD WILL GET GLORY OUT OF IT!
This is why Paul says “We can rejoice too”.....when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance, and endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation, and this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love!