Romans 4.4-Justification Based on Human Merit is Not Compatible with God's Grace
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday January 9, 2008
Romans: Romans 4:4-Justification Based on Human Merit is Not Compatible with God’s Grace
Lesson # 115
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 4:1.
Romans 4 continues the third major section in the book of Romans, which appears in Romans 3:21-5:21, which is divided into four parts: (1) Divine righteousness is imputed through faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-26). (2) Divine righteousness is available to both Jew and Gentile (Romans 3:27-31). (3) Justification by Faith: The Example of Abraham (Romans 4:1-23). (4) The Results of Faith (Romans 5:1-21).
Romans chapter four is divided into seven sections: (1) Romans 4:1: The introduction of the subject of Abraham as an example from the Law that justification is by means of faith. (2) Romans 4:2-5: Genesis 15:6 confirms that Abraham was justified by means of faith in the Lord’s promise rather than by the works of the Law. (3) Romans 4:6-8: The example from the prophets where David was justified by faith and apart from observing the Law. (4) Romans 4:9-12: Abraham was justified by faith before he received the rite of circumcision. (5) Romans 4:13-17: The Lord’s promises to Abraham that he would be heir of the world preceded the giving of the Law. (6) Romans 4:18-22: Abraham became the father of many nations as a result of his faith in the Lord. (7) Romans 4:23-25: The fact that Abraham was justified by faith rather than circumcision or keeping the Law has relevance for Paul’s Christian readers and serves as a pattern of their own faith.
In Romans 4:1, Paul introduces the subject of Abraham to support his teaching that justification is by means of faith and never by means of obedience to the Law.
Romans 4:1, “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?”
Corrected translation of Romans 4:1:
Romans 4:1, “Therefore, what is the conclusion that we are forced to with respect to Abraham’s experience, our forefather with respect to genealogical descent?”
In Romans 4:2, Paul presents a hypothetical situation that if Abraham was justified by means of meritorious actions, then he would have reason for boasting but never in the judgment of God.
Romans 4:2, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.”
Corrected translation of Romans 4:2:
Romans 4:2, “For instance, if-and let us assume for the sake of argument that Abraham was justified by means of meritorious actions, then, he does possess a reason for boasting but never in the judgment of God.”
Last evening we studied Romans 4:3, in which Paul explains the reason why Abraham was never justified by means of meritorious actions and had no basis for boasting in the judgment of God.
This passage teaches that Abraham was justified by means of his faith in the Lord to fulfill His promise of numerous descendants even though at the time, Abraham was childless.
Romans 4:3 teaches that God credited and regarded Abraham’s faith in Him as righteousness.
Romans 4:3, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’”
Corrected translation of Romans 4:3:
Romans 4:3, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham had absolute confidence in (the Son of) God. Consequently, for his benefit, it was credited and regarded as righteousness.’”
This evening we will study Romans 4:4 in which Paul employs an illustration from human affairs of a worker receiving his wages as what is due him rather than as a gift.
This illustration amplifies Paul’s point that justification is by means of faith rather than attempting to earn one’s own salvation by means of one’s own merits.
Romans 4:4, “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.”
Corrected translation of Romans 4:4
Romans 4:4, “But for the benefit of the one who does work hard, his compensation is never considered at any time as a gift but rather, what is due.”
“Now” is the “adversative” use of the conjunction de (deV) (deh), which introduces an illustration that accurately describes the sinner who seeks to be justified on his own merits and stands in direct contrast to Paul’s statement in Romans 4:3 that Abraham was justified by his faith in the Lord.
The conjunction de introduces a clause that introduces a concept that is totally antithetical to being justified by means of faith in the Son of God, namely, seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law.
It contrasts the sinner seeking to be justified based upon the merits of Jesus Christ with seeking to be justified on his own merits.
The word contrasts the sinner who is oriented to the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ with the sinner who is grace “disoriented” through rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior.
This illustration emphasizes that if salvation were on the basis of one’s own effort, God would “owe salvation” as a debt instead of righteousness being a gift of God’s grace to those who place their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
In Romans 4:1-3, Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 to testify to the fact that Abraham was justified by means of his faith in the Son of God.
In Romans 4:4, he contrasts faith with working or earning one’s salvation, thus by implication Paul teaches that faith is “non-meritorious.”
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is an acknowledgement on the part of the sinner that he has no merit with God and that he is trusting in the merits of Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross to establish a relationship with a holy God.
Romans 4:4, “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.”
“To the one who works” is the verb ergazomai (e)rgavzomai) (er-gad-zo-my), which means, “to engage in an activity involving considerable expenditure of effort, energy and diligence,” thus “to labor, to work hard to accomplish something.”
The word is used in an illustration of a person earning wages on a job by performing different tasks or responsibilities.
This illustration amplifies the evidence presented by Paul in Romans 4:3 from the Old Testament, which testifies to the fact that Abraham was justified by means of his faith in the Son of God rather than attempting to earn his salvation through a meritorious system of works.
“His wage” is the noun misthos (misqov$) (mis-thos), which denotes “payment or compensation for work or services performed” whether that service be negative (retribution) or positive (reward).
The noun misthos is used in an illustration and denotes the “wages” “the monetary compensation” that the workman receives for performing a task for an employer or service for a customer.
“Is not credited” is composed of the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), “not” and the 3rd person singular present passive indicative form of the verb logizomai (logivzomai) (lo-gidz-o-my), “is credited.”
In Romans 4:4, the verb logizomai means, “to consider, to a hold viewpoint concerning someone or something.”
Therefore, in this illustration, the verb means that the wage that the laborer receives as a result of working hard for his employer or customer is never “considered” as a favor but rather what is due to the worker.
“Not” is the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), which emphatically negates the meaning of the verb logizomai, “to consider.”
Therefore, it says in this illustration that the wage that the laborer receives as a result of working hard for his employer or customer is “never” considered as a favor or a gift but rather what is due to the worker.
Romans 4:4, “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.”
“As a favor” is composed of the preposition kata (katav), “as” and the accusative feminine singular form of the noun charis (xavri$) (khar-ece), “a favor.”
In context, the noun charis is used in an illustration from human affairs and refers to an underserved or gratuitous gift.
The preposition kata with the accusative form of the noun charis specifies that the regulative “standard” by which a worker is rewarded for services rendered is never a gift but what is due.
“But” is the adversative use of the conjunction alla (a)llav) (al-lah), which introduces a prepositional phrase that presents the regulative standard that is in total contrast or is totally antithetical to the idea of a worker being rewarded for services rendered as a gift.
“As what is due” is composed of the preposition kata (katav), “as” and the accusative neuter singular form of the noun opheilema (o)jfeivlhma) (of-i-lay-mah), “a favor.”
In context, the noun opheilema is used in an illustration from human affairs and refers to something that is legally and justly due to a worker as a result of services rendered to an employer or customer.
Therefore, it says in this illustration that the wage that the laborer receives as a result of working hard for his employer or customer is “never” considered as a favor or a gift but rather “what is due” to the worker.
The preposition kata with the accusative form of the noun opheilema specifies that the regulative “standard” by which a worker is rewarded for services rendered is never a gift but what is due.
Paul reminds his audience and in particular his Jewish audience that when an employer gives the workman his pay, it is not regarded as a gift, but rather as a legal obligation which the employer is bound to discharge.
It is a debt which he owes his employee.
The employee might, out of courtesy, thank his employer for his wages but he is not legally obligated to do so since he earned the wages and is deserving of them.
In the same way, in the spiritual realm, if the sinner could earn salvation by actions produce by obedience to the Law or meritorious actions then God would be indebted to man and obligated to give him salvation.
Salvation then would not be a gift but rather what God owes the sinner.
Thus, the sinner wouldn’t need to thank God for his salvation.
Therefore, the Jew who thinks he can earn his salvation by observing the Law or by some meritorious system of works would not need to thank God for salvation since he would have earned it.
Thus, if the Jew could be declared justified because he was circumcised or by observing the Law, then salvation would not be based upon God’s grace policy but rather what is due the Jew.
In other words, “working” calls attention to the worker and the work and expects what is due.
Therefore, working does not exclude boasting, it supports boasting.
On the other hand, faith does not call attention to itself but to the object of one’s faith and to the grace of the one trusted.
Faith is compatible with God’s grace whereas work corresponds to debt.
Grace is all that God is free to do in imparting unmerited blessings to those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior based upon the merits of Christ and His death on the Cross.
It is God treating us in a manner that we don’t deserve and excludes any human works in order to acquire eternal salvation or blessing from God.
Grace means that God saved us and blessed us despite ourselves and not according to anything that we do but rather saved us and blessed us because of the merits of Christ and His work on the Cross.
It excludes any human merit in salvation and blessing (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) and gives the Creator all the credit and the creature none.
By means of faith, we accept the grace of God, which is a non-meritorious system of perception, which is in total accord with the grace of God.
Grace and faith are totally compatible with each other and inseparable (1 Tim. 1:14) and complement one another (Rom. 4:16; Eph. 2:8).
Grace, faith and salvation are all the gift of God and totally exclude all human works and ability (Eph. 2:8-9).
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
So when salvation is received as a gift and not what is earned, then boasting is excluded.