Feb. 19, 2017 Faith Alone by Pastor Josh Sheldon

Romans 4:1-8 and the Doctrine of Faith Alone

Turn please to Romans chapter 4 and put our attention this morning on the text of verses 1 through 8. Romans chapter 4. What then shall we say? Was gained by Abraham our forefather according to the flesh.

For if Abraham was justified by works. He has something to boast about but not before God. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God and was counted to him as righteousness. Now to the one who works his wages are not counted as a gift.

But as his due. And the one who does not work, but trusts him who justifies the ungodly. His faith is counted as righteousness. Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works.

Blessed are those who lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. There's our text for the preaching this morning these eight verses.

The Apostle Paul he's been laboring for us to drive home this truth. That the righteousness of God that same which is revealed in the gospel is to be had only as a gift of God and That only by his grace.

Without any intrusion of any human effort whatsoever. All of God all by his grace all because of his mercy all through faith in his Son our Lord Jesus Christ. That and that alone now. There's several verses that support this and we've been through them as we've gone through this series in Romans.

In chapter 3 beginning of verse 20 just 20 21 and 22, let me read them to you quickly. To drive home this point that it is God's favor God's grace God's own unfettered choice of what he will do. That makes our justification apart from the law even possible.

For my works of the law no human being will be justified or made righteous in God's sight. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law. The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe His righteousness.

We've seen this is granted. It is foreign to our nature. It's unattainable by any human means by any human means at all and yet essential to your eternal fate. In this sense righteousness can almost be exactly paralleled to salvation.

Because this is the righteousness one must have to stand before God this righteousness the gospel reveals the righteousness has been manifested apart from the law. There's righteousness. That is a gift of God and his to bestow alone.

Foreign to us unattainable by us. Message last week we brought out the way God makes this grant that great theological word a $64 word if you will. Imputation this idea where he reckons to the account of a sinner something that the sinner doesn't on his own possess.

Indeed on his own will never possess which is God's righteousness this reckoning. To those who have faith in Jesus Christ the righteousness of Jesus Christ to your account. That's what Paul's been speaking of up to this point throughout this book of Romans and now in these first eight verses of chapter 4 He makes what has been somewhat conceptual Into something really concrete.

In the middle of it all in verses 4 and 5 he states the principle of his doctrine of imputation and. Then he has these two historical figures Abraham and David and they're examined to see how this works so this Principle this doctrine we have verses 4 and 5 a sort of sandwiched between the two.

But the heart of the matter. The core truth is in verses 4 and 5 and as I did last week We're gonna start at the middle and kind of work our way out. Because I think the main point is these two verses verses 4 and 5 in chapter 4 now though the one who works his wages are not counted or reckoned or imputed as A gift but as is due, but to the one who does not work But trusts him who justifies the ungodly his faith is counted or reckoned or imputed as righteousness.

Now Jesus said he did not come to call those who think they're righteous. But he came to call those who know that they are sinners by this gospel the righteous. That Jesus speaks of they're the ones in verse 4 that I just read to you.

It is those who work out their own salvation. But on their own terms you said I did not call to come. I did not come to call the righteous. And in that context he means those who think they are righteous those who trust in their own righteousness those who trust what is native to themselves as Adequate to bring them to God.

I did not call to I did not come to call them. Says Jesus, that's what he means. We said did not come to call the righteous these who trust in their own righteousness. Are the ones that Paul speaks of in verse 4 the one who works He has his due coming.

They work out their own salvation if you will but not with fear and trembling, but on their own terms presenting myself to God on my basis presenting my righteousness to God and Expecting to receive back.

What is due to me. It's sort of like having a bill of lading or an invoice Detailing the works and what is due for the works? You would have an accomplishment or service rendered on the left side and on the right side on a mountain now owing What is my due?

What am I owed for this? I prayed all day and therefore I am owed one success in marriage. I fasted this week and therefore I am owed one recognition from my peers. I made a sacrifice of praise so I am owed one long life or something like that.

Whereas a bill of lading it's an invoice presented to God with everything I did on one side and what you owe me on the other and on and on and on it goes and the whole thing Could be summarized like this one life lived in constant effort to do God's will and obey his law amount owed one declaration of my righteousness but we're talking about a Righteousness that is self-generated here those who are working those who want their due what's owed them.

As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount Truly I say to you they have received their reward and this is not at all the righteousness that Paul has in mind as We work through this book of Romans. What is the gospel of Christ reveal?

Romans chapter 1 verses 16 and 17 for I'm not ashamed of the gospel. For is the power of God unto salvation. For all who believe to the Jew first and also the Gentile for in it. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written.

The righteous shall live by faith a whole different righteousness than one that we can gin up on our own an entirely different righteousness than anything that we have by natural birth or natural order or any sort of Achievement on our own you think of what it means to follow God's will for a moment.

The parable Jesus told in Luke 17 is very instructive. Joseph. Just read it to you and it's meeting is really pretty plain but here's a quick recap and how it relates to what we're preaching about this morning a Man sends his servants out to work in the field.

It doesn't have to be a field. Jesus parables were often in this in agrarian context because The people he spoke to the people who's preaching to live that way in that culture their livelihoods were from agriculture.

So that was usually the context or often the context I should say. The people in the parable could have been soldiers or secretaries. They could have been software engineers or housewives. They could have been pastors or deacons.

They could have been believers in any church bound together in Christ. The parable would work with Anyone whose duty it is to perform a particular task and they've done it. You've done what you must do.

Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded. And the implied answer is of course not he wouldn't do that and Jesus goes on. So you also when you have done all that you were commanded to say we're unworthy servants.

We have only done what was our duty? Scratch the surface at the bare minimum. Now your boss might say to you Thanks for all your work. We appreciate your effort and you might even out of manners or out of conversational convention say in return well.

Well, thank you. I appreciate you saying that but. Does your boss owe you? Thanks. No, he owes you a paycheck. He owes you a paycheck not gratitude. Gratitude by way of compliments and bonuses are nice, especially the bonus part if I remember my days working in business.

But the paycheck is what is required. On the other side of the coin your gratitude for the environment the environment you work in for the perks that you get is nice. But only your effort at the task assigned to you is required of you not the gratitude.

No one is owed thanks or praise or anything like that here and Likewise and here's how it relates to this idea of righteousness and apart from the law and Abandoning self-effort and self-generated things.

What would God owe you? What would God owe to you if you obeyed his law completely? Think about it a moment. Think of all the laws that you can put in mind right now that come from the scripture and you obey them all.

Just the ones you can think of. What does God owe you for that put out of your mind the impossibility of the premise. If you did obey his will at every step, what could you demand of him? Well, the answer of course.

It's nothing. Absolutely, nothing. What have you done if you did that? Never minding that it's impossible to do that. We know that it's impossible. But if you did Theoretically if you did what does God owe you?

Nothing. All you've done is duty. If we obeyed every law every time we had opportunity to obey or disobey, but we chose correctly and did obey every jot and tittle every time. You've done your duty. That does not brand you righteous that does not allow you to go before God in your own name and present to him your own Deeds and say these are good enough.

What does Jesus say. You've done your duty. Now you're gonna stand there. Well, no before you stand there. You need to serve my table for me. I need to put some food before me now stand over there and be sure you're dressed, right?

I don't want to see your smelly clothes from the field. I want this to be a nice dinner for myself while you stand there and watch me. All you've done is your duty. The parable is very plain and So it is with God's imputation of Christ's righteousness.

He is under no compulsion. Whatsoever to do this there are those in verse 5 of Romans 4 the ones who do not work. Refusing to work now that sounds lazy. We like to work. We like to put in the effort. Don't we?

We like to know that we accomplished something. That I wax that car. I cut down that tree. I worked in this career made a success of it. I did it verse 5 commends those who do not work and This is the one who God regards he or she is the publican praying in the temple you remember that parable also in the book of Luke the one who can Only confess his sin and plead that God might show mercy and provide atonement to him.

Part and parcel with the righteousness of Romans chapter 4 so you see in this context. But the idea of attaining unto this righteousness of God revealed in the gospel. Not working is not laziness at all.

Rather. It's the only sane choice you can make. The Apostles made it clear that the righteousness is revealed in the gospel and credited to us or imputed to us is by faith and it cannot be earned and Everything you do that you think might earn it you're right back to Luke 17 10.

All you've done is duty. Scratching the service at the bare minimum before Almighty God we have in these verses a Very simple a very straightforward a short a pithy definition of faith. And what is it?

But trusts him who justifies the ungodly rather than working to develop your own righteousness. Rather than building up a resume that you can present to God and say God here. It is and I know you owe me you owe me heaven for all this which of course is ludicrous.

But rather than that trusting God Who by his mercy which endures forever does what? Justifies the ungodly makes righteous. You remember from last week that word for justify and the word for righteousness.

They're from the same word group so we could say trusts in God. Who makes righteous? Those who have no deserving of righteousness those who are quite the opposite of righteous. He justifies the ungodly the wicked the sinner.

This is faith. It's an abandonment of all self-reliant effort and instead a casting of all hope upon what? Upon the promise of God. On what he says is in his work says in his word the promises that have come and become yes.

And amen in Jesus Christ and the gospel that he brought fully on that solely on that on the promise of God and nothing else it is to agree with God and his word that he he only can make or declare anyone to be righteous and That faith in him is that entrance into his salvation that the gospel brings to us.

It's fairly simple, isn't it? What is faith? Faith by grace you've been saved through faith cannot be saved without faith without faith. It is impossible to please God what is faith trusting God who justifies or makes righteous the ungodly and dear ones.

That's you. That's me. Every human being who ever lived save Jesus Christ the man who is all man and all God trusting in him who justifies makes righteous us. There's a promise attached to this definition.

Also His faith is counted as righteousness. Now this idea counted reckoned imputed it comes up a lot and that's because of how important it is an Imputation now something earned something. God did of his own sovereign will and design.

Imputed to you took because of his grace the righteousness of Christ and said I credit it to this account because of the faith that they have. That's what imputation is and that's what Paul's been Hammering home for us and this is the main point of Romans chapter 4 1 through 8 that it's an abandonment a relinquishment of all your self-effort.

You're building up of accomplishments. You're polishing up of your resume. Any idea that you're gonna present anything that you have done to God? When you see God. Which all of us at some point will. It's given men to die but once and then the judgment.

And what is the judgment in the most simple terms? We're not gonna go into an excursion excursus on that this morning it's. You could see God saying on what basis do you come before me on? The basis of my righteousness.

You with this you're with the goats you go to Christ's left hand on the basis of Christ's righteousness. Apprehended by faith credited to God by God to me because of his grace. And that's the only answer that secures your eternal fate.

Before God rejoicing and worshiping before him forever. That's how important this is. And that's the main point that's verses 4 5 here in Romans chapter 4. On either side of this monumental truth are the two historical examples that we have Abraham and then David.

Abraham’s Faith Was Counted as Righteousness

The first example is Abraham. What shall we say was gained by Abraham our forefather according to the flesh? According to the flesh could be taken a couple of ways. According to the flesh could be our physical descent from he's our father by physical descent.

And if that is the case then Paul's more specifically speaking to Jews here Abraham our father in that way. Physically our father through all the generations. What I think is meant here though. According to the flesh is the effort that man might exert in order to gain this status before God.

According to fleshly effort according to what he did of his own. According to his as we've been saying building up of his own resume his own accomplishments. What did he learn about that sort of fleshly effort according to the flesh?

What did he learn? If Abraham was justified by works He has something to boast about but not before God. In chapter 3 verse 27 Paul wrote that boasting is excluded. In the case anyone might think that's only ordinary folk like you and me who shouldn't boast.

He sets in view no less a figure than Abraham. If it can be shown that Abraham was justified by what he did then boasting is not excluded. And. If boasting is not excluded then what is excluded. Grace if I'm allowed to boast if I'm allowed to go before God and Show my bill of lading my invoice my accomplishments across from which he owes me something.

Then where's grace then there is no grace, how is this righteousness gained? Paul goes right where we must go ad fontes to the sources the great reformation call. What does the scripture say. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.

Abraham believed God. Is exactly what he said earlier. Trusts him who justifies the ungodly. Trusts has faith believes him who justifies the ungodly. Abraham believed God and that was counted to him as righteousness.

Abraham is the paradigmatic man of faith. He was called God's friend when the Lord visited Israel to deliver them from bondage to the Egyptians. Do you remember how he declared himself? He said I'm the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the God of Jacob.

Pride of place going to Abraham. Exodus chapter 2 verse 24 says two things to us. He heard Israel's groaning and He remembered his covenant with Abraham. Isaac and Jacob, of course again most prominent is Abraham.

Abraham has nothing to boast about. But think when Moses prayed for God not to destroy the backslidden calf worshippers. Do you remember how he prayed to him? He said remember Abraham Isaac and Israel your servants to whom you swore by your own self and said to them I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the heaven.

What does that sound like? Is that not a repetition of Genesis 15 and the promise to Abraham and all this land that I've promised I will give to your offspring. Is that not the promise to Abraham and they shall inherit forever again.

Genesis chapter 15. Leviticus. Leviticus 26 42 speaking of God's forgiveness. God says then I will remember my covenant with Jacob and I remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham and though He's third this time is still pride of place to Abraham and I will remember the land.

Just one more. Genesis chapter 26 and verse 5 when God speaks to Isaac Abraham's son. He says this I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.

Of course, that's the Abrahamic Covenant again. Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge my commandments my statutes and my laws. Think about this for a moment this Abraham. This man that God called his friend this man who Obeyed and kept the charge and the commandments and the statutes and the laws of God this man whose faith was counted to him as righteousness.

He has nothing to boast about. Nothing at all. Scripture says he believed God he had faith in God. It's different than obeying God though believing in him must lead to obedience, but that's another subject.

The issue at hand here is faith. Faith that what God speaks God does faith reckons that is righteousness. Faith that God reckons is righteousness. Abraham if I can borrow from Elijah's or James's description of Elijah.

He was a man with a spirit like ours. For him to be saved. He must be able to plead God's own righteousness. Just like you and me. Speaking with Abraham this great man of faith and what does he need to go to before God with his own?

No faith. Faith was counted to him as righteousness. You see if Abraham with all his accomplishments with all his godliness with all the example that he is to us today in the church. If he needs anything other than faith.

Faith and trust in the promises of God that he justifies the ungodly if he needs anything other than that faith. Think of how important that is. Because if that was the case and the scriptures were untrue.

Then God has lied and salvation is not of grace if salvation there be at all. That's how crucial this is. But when God repeated the promise of blessing and nationhood when Abraham looked up at the stars.

There were as countless as his children would be. What did he do? He believed he believed God took him at his word. He believed not only that God could do it, but that God would do it. And Indeed in the church today and all we who are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

This is absolutely true and has been completely fulfilled. But this is what faith is. Is to take God at his word and put our full reliance and trust and hope in his promises. The burden Paul has here is of course God's righteousness.

This idea runs through this whole book of Romans. His burden is that we would by faith believe that God justifies the ungodly. It becomes a sort of spiral sometimes as we grow in the Lord. And we learn more about him by prayer by studying his word by faithfully living according to that word.

And by seeing Christ by his spirit form more and more in us. Where we come we come become more aware of what? Our sin. Our lack of that which God by faith imputes to us with his righteousness. And we see how little of it we actually have in ourselves the more we know God and Christ through his word.

And what happens when we see this in ourselves? As we grow In the image of our Lord Jesus Christ as we become more aware of our sin. We become more aghast at it and we mourn with great anguish the sin that remains no matter how much we hate it.

It's still with us. And we look to heaven. We just can't believe that God would save such a warm as I. That's not a bad case to be in. That's not a bad place to be not bad. So long as we come out of the vortex remembering our faith.

That God does save the ungodly that he does count the one whose faith is in his son Jesus to be righteous. That he has forgiven us and he still does forgive us. And all this is by his grace poured out by and through his son Jesus Christ and our faith in him.

This is the righteousness That paul pleads with us to apprehend. And do by faith have us our own that's abraham nothing to boast about as if a Sports figure like tom brady could walk into a room full of quarterbacks and look around and look down and say I have nothing to say.

I have nothing to brag about in this room of quarterbacks. This is abraham the model of obedience the model of faith. And when he's before God His mouth is as it were stopped. And the only thing he presents is Jesus Christ and his righteousness.

In his account because God by his grace because of his mercy which endures forever. Credited to him because of faith. Because of faith because of faith. That's abraham. Imputed righteousness because he believed God.

David’s Blessing and Forgiveness Apart from Works

The second example is king David. As David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts imputes reckons righteousness apart from works. Abraham was a historical figure one whose life is very well documented in our bible.

And only a few people in our bibles are as well known to us or have as much scripture devoted to them and one of these is David. King David of israel the author of the psalm that paul quotes. What does the scripture say?

That's what paul asks us. What says the scripture? And david here parallels genesis 15 6 in psalm 32, which is the one paul quotes David very close to what genesis 15 6 said about abraham believing god and that counted him.

He counted him as righteousness. David said blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whom the lord will not count his sin. Of course by now, you know when it says count what that means.

What's behind that word? What's he saying here blessed are the forgiven? Blessed when sins are covered. Blessing when the lord does not count your sin against you. This verse is like. First john 1 9 if we confess our sins.

He is faithful and just to forgive us forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And it's like it because it assumes that there is sin to be forgiven. You see sin needs to be confessed and forgiven as the entrance into this gospel.

Jesus began his public ministry with repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent of who and what you are. Repent of just being a sinner repent of being less than what god. Intended us to be just repent and believe this gospel the revelation of god's righteousness.

And then first john 1 9 with psalm 32. Repent throughout our christian life as sins are brought before us as we look at this righteousness of christ christ himself. Credited to us as though it was ours.

And we compare that to our daily conduct our thoughts our motives our agendas. And first john 1 9 offers forgiveness for this too. Where david puts it in the negative to bring forward a positive? He says will not count sin.

Paul does it the other way to whom the lord does count righteousness. And this righteousness, how is it to be had? Paul says it again and again the last three words in verse 6. Apart from works. Apart from the law and all the effort that the law requires apart from any self-generated ideas and how we can do this apart from all of that exclusive of all of that walking away from all of that.

Think of psalm 32. That was david's reflections following his sin of adultery and murder and conspiracy. He confessed his sin when nathan confronted him. There remained awful consequences even after he knew god's forgiveness.

I mean the child died his kingdom suffered a terrible war. His favored son absalom died in battle against him. But he knew something. And he knew this by faith. He knew that god had covered his sin. That he had put it away that he was not counting his sin against him.

But instead because of faith counting righteousness to his account. What had he done to deserve such mercy? King david the greatest king in israel's history. What had he done to deserve this mercy? And everyone should say nothing.

He did nothing. He had done everything he could in a way to deserve only wrath to deserve the opposite of the mercy he got. He actually deserved what he had pronounced against the fictional miscreant in nathan's parable.

Remember when nathan comes in with this parable of the man? The rich man who took the other man's single sheep. When he could have gone to his own flock because he had so many. And david in a fit of rage says as the lord lives that man that has done.

This deserves to die and that's what david deserved. That was nathan's point. And yet. Not just because david. Repented because repentance could be seen as a work. And paul says for a grace you've been saved through faith.

Not of yourselves not by works not by anything you do. No, what was counted to him was faith. That god forgives the ungodly that god justifies the wicked. That faith is counted as righteousness. David and abraham there's so different yet.

They're in so many ways much the same. They both knew god's righteousness by faith and by faith alone. Abraham had abraham had faith in the promise of nationhood nationhood and blessing david in forgiveness.

Both were reckoned by god as their righteousness. What abraham gained? As paul asked what did abraham gain? What did he learn? It's what david says that this imputation of righteousness is the gift of god bestowed by his grace.

David didn't earn it when he repented. Abraham didn't earn it when he obeyed and left the land of the chaldeans. You didn't earn it when you obeyed the gospel and repented. I didn't earn it when I obeyed the lord's call to ministry.

What was gained by abraham according to the flesh. What do we learn from him regarding this wonderful truth? Just the same as what david did. As paul says just as david also speaks. That this imputation of god this righteousness that god grants that god imputes is all of grace.

It's all apart from your works. It's all apart from the law. It's a part and exclusive of all our effort. Paul writes elsewhere in titus chapter 3 verses 4 through 7. He says. But when the goodness and loving kindness of god our savior appeared he saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness.

We could impose just a little bit there say in our righteousness. But according to his own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the holy spirit. Whom he poured out on us richly through jesus christ our savior so that being justified by his grace.

We might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Now at the risk of oversimplifying it what did abraham gain. What did abraham learn. What do we learn? It's all of god. It's all of god the term we often use today.

It's called monergism. Mono from solely and ergo from energy or working monergism means that god alone brings transformation. That he is the sole agent in our salvation. That his declaration of righteousness is bestowed by him in all wisdom upon whom he will.

Now sounds like boasting is being denigrated here. And it is. But it is not saying that all boasting is bad. In our culture we get mixed signals on this. We're we're taught that all boasting is bad, but then boastful sports figures are idolized.

God tells us what to boast about. And it's not our righteousness. It's not our effort. It's not our obedience to the law. All that is just duty. What do we get to boast about. Do we ever get to brag? Yeah.

We do. Second corinthians chapter 11 verse 30. Tells us one thing we get to boast about our weakness. We could almost say that we get to brag about the fact that we have nothing to brag about. Brag about your weakness boast about that.

We can boast second corinthians chapter 10 verse 13. We can boast about the work that god gave us that god gets all the glory for it. Boast in the lord. First corinthians 1 31. Second corinthians 10 17.

There's much we can boast about. But you'll notice something. None of these verses allow us to boast about moi about wonderful capable competent me. It's all boasting in god and what god does and what god has done and what god is doing.

So they can the great hymn of the faith to god be the glory all the glory. All the credit because our righteousness is imputed to us the unchanging god by the unchanging god. Is something we can rest in with total security all confidence.

Let's have one more point to make. I'd be remiss to leave this subject without reminding us. That it is jesus christ. It is he alone who earned all this blessing on our behalf. This righteousness of god revealed in the gospel.

This gospel brought by the lord. Jesus christ and accomplished by him on the cross. It was he who obeyed god's law and satisfied god's righteous demands. The faith we must have is faith in him and what he did for us with god.

And what was that? He died on the cross for your sins. He satisfied the father's just wrath against us. There's a hymn starts just right it says jesus thy blood and righteousness thy beauty are my glorious dress his beauty.

His righteousness god's forgiveness of you. By faith in him we close just with a quote from the scripture isaiah chapter 61 verse 10. He says I will greatly rejoice in the lord. My my soul shall exalt in my god for he has clothed me With the garments of salvation.

He has covered me with the robes of righteousness as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest. With a beautiful headdress and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Amen. Heavenly father We're grateful to again come before you To be in your presence.

To be able to know you by your word And to know you as you are as you've revealed yourself to us. We thank you lord for this great gift of righteousness. Lord, would you grant even by the faith which father you grant.

I pray lord that you will give faith to believe. To all in this place this day we who know you by the lord. Jesus christ increase our faith. And any in this place father who know you not. I pray lord that you would open their hearts even now.

Grant them faith to believe this gospel to repent. And to leave this place changed and transformed by your spirit and knowing that the righteousness of christ Himself has been credited to them. For all these things we will give you thanks in christ's name.

Amen.