Romans 4:1-15

/vHi, I'm Matt Morecraft one of the Pastor's here at Bayside Church of Placerville. I want to let you know about some of the exciting things we have coming up. All of these things are born out of the mission here at Bayside, Loving God and Loving people together....Announcement here. Before we get started with the message today I want you to greet the people around you.

Ok so we have been in the book of Romans for a couple of months now. So I want to take a quick look back to refresh our memory as to what is going on. This letter was written by the apostle Paul to the church in Rome. This letter found a church that was predominantly Gentile due to the Jews being forced out of Rome. The Jews were then let back in and now you have a church being led by Gentiles being met by Jewish tradition. To further paint a picture this is the center of the world at this time. All roads lead in and out of Rome, there were roughly 450,000 people(about the same population as Sacramento) living in a city roughly the same size as The city of Placerville. “YOU THINK APPLE HILL TRAFFIC IS BAD?” Paul is writting this letter to a church he has not visited before so we are getting Paul’s most full written theology. He sets up in chapter one that he has been set apart for this Gospel, he is not ashamed of this gospel, and the power of salvation lies within this gospel. So Paul in this letter is doing all of this being set apart for this gospel, How does one become set apart? Last week Pastor Betsy and Pastor Al walked us through the last part of chapter 3 where Paul begins to really lay this out. A person is justified by faith, not by works.

A person is justified by their faith, not by works of the law.

Romans 3:28 "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law."

Then Paul begins to elaborate and asks the question is God only the God of the Jews and their faith or does He not justify Gentiles through their faith as well? What does this have to do with us? Well for many of us sitting here this morning, we are not Jewish, therefore we are Gentile’s. What Paul is claiming about faith invites us to the table. Let’s read about it from our passage this morning.

Romans 4:1-15

Vs:1-3

Abraham was the forefather of the Jewish people by flesh. They were his descendants. Paul brings up Abraham because he was viewed by Jews and non-Jews alike as a righteous man. Paul then brings up the if statement, if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. This but is more exclamatory than the other, “ἀλλάa: a marker of more emphatic contrast (as compared with δέc, 89.124)

Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 793. Paul made sure to not let this hypothetical linger. There is no man, even Abraham, that would have anything to boast about before God.

Abraham had an amazing resume of righteous actions and behavior. YET HE HAD NOTHING TO STAND UPON IN FRONT OF GOD.

Abraham was the father of the Jews by flesh. He was an example of a righteous man. Even if he had been justified by his works, He would have nothing to boast about in front of God! Paul is using this exclamatory statement to make sure the, predominantly gentile, church in Rome knew to catch the next statement. Paul pulls it straight from scripture.

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 4:3.

Since Abraham believed what God said, he was counted as righteous.

Paul is reminding the church in Rome that it is your belief in God that saves you. The term used here:λογίζομαιd: to keep records of commercial accounts, involving both debits and credits.” is an accounting term. Paul is saying that when God went to Abraham and told him that he was going to have a son, then he brought him outside the tent and told him to look at the stars. See the stars, your descendants will outnumber the stars. Abraham believed, his response was I believe. This belief is not a work that is being honored. It is a trust in God at His word. God saw the belief(faith) and accounted to Abraham righteousness.

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,

This was hard for the Jews in the day this letter was written and it is hard for us today in the culture we live in. We live in a culture that tells you to work for what you want! I am not saying anything ill against hard work, I am simply agreeing with Paul in this. Our Faith; belief, trust, in God through Christ and what Jesus did is the only way to be made right with God. It has nothing to do with us and what we do!

Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 582.If we could earn salvation it would not be a gift.

Paul transitions from Abraham to righteousness by faith, to David who understood this blessing.

David had commited some appalling sins, yet because of his belief in God, they were not held against him.

Murder, adultery, abuse of God given power? This is quite the list of no-no’s. David was counted righteous even with this wrap-sheet.

If David can be saved by faith, can’t we all?

Yes I can, and yes you can. It has nothing to do with your past works and everything to do with your faith; belief, trust in God.

This blessing is for everyone!

Was Abraham accounted this blessing before or after he was circumcised? It was before so that Abraham would be the father of all who believe.

The promise God gave to Abraham rested on Faith not works.

God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and this promise rested and came through the righteousness of faith. If this promise came through the law it would be null. We can look back to verse two and remember that no one, no matter their works can stand before God.

So what does that mean for us today Bayside?