Book of Romans - Ch. 3, Vs. 26-Ch. 4, Vs. 22 (05/19/2002)

We're in Romans 3 26. You can wait if you want to, but I'm going to start.

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believe in Jesus.

Greg, how can God be just and yet justify the sinner? All right.

Well, yes, well, let's get on with this.

God is just and the justifier of the sinner. The reason he can do this is because justice was fully satisfied when the sinless

Christ died. He didn't die for himself, but to please

God, and that brought his people to righteousness. The believer is in Christ, and Christ has paid the penalty for all who are found in him.

Romans 3 27. Where is boasting then?

It is excluded. By what law is it excluded? Of works?

No, but of the law of faith. Now I want you to think about if salvation were by works.

If salvation is by works, name some things that would have to occur.

Greg, we'll start with you. All right, you could lose it.

He would, God would have to love everybody the same if it were by works.

He can't do that. God would be waiting on you to decide, but he will not do that.

You would need to make a spiritual decision even though you were dead spiritually, which you cannot do.

28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Now they've tried forever to get the law back into this, but it is not in this.

That brings me to a conclusion. Man, and check this out, man will not accept anything unless he can add a little bit of himself to it.

Man has always been trying to add to it.

Years ago, there was a cake mix on the market that all you had to do was add water.

It didn't sell. Then they, they got wise, they come out with it, and all you had to do was add flour and water and it sold like hot cakes.

So it's true, man will not accept anything unless he can add something to it.

This keeps all men except those that Christ revealed himself to, keeps all of them out of God.

29. Yes. All right, if it were by works, then it follows that God would have to love everybody equally.

And he doesn't do that. 29.

Is he the God of the Jew only? Is he not also of the

Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. So he's a, he's God of both.

Seeing it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith.

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the law of faith.

Now I have put together a test for you. How is

God glorified in us? By what means is he glorified in us?

Well, I'll give you the answer on the first one. It is by his grace. What does his grace work in us,

David? Well, it works true holiness in us.

Now, what is it, what is his motive in doing all of this?

That's right. That's the only motive that we can come to. It pleases him. 4.

By whom does he give us this salvation? Jesus Christ.

How has Christ obtained this for us? By redeeming us.

What price did he give for us? What?

His blood. What does his blood affect? What does his blood affect in us?

I can't understand. Sin. It affects sin? No, it reconciles us.

What does his blood affect? And that's to reconcile us.

God's not reconciled. We are reconciled. How is his blood applied?

By faith. Who has given this victim?

God the Father. What does his grace perform? Pardons sin, purifies the heart.

For whom is this designed? The whole thing is designed for who?

His, his children. It's all designed for his children in Jesus Christ.

Now, I would ask you this question. Is all evil sin?

Or is all sin evil? Yes. Now, No, all evil is not sin.

Evil is a relative term. That's looking at it from our side. That's right, there's no in -between.

But how can God send evil? What? What?

Well, all right, let's move on.

To Romans 4. Does God react to man,

Greg? No. Now, are you saying that just because that's what

I've always said, or do you believe it? All right. God does not react to man, period.

Justification is the very hinge and pillar of Christianity.

Would you not agree? If we were not justified, it'd be for nothing?

So, it goes that an error about justification is more dangerous to you than a crack in the foundation.

Question. How is God glorified in us?

By his grace. What does his grace work in us?

His holiness. What is his motive? Because it pleased him.

I know of no other motive. By whom does he give us the salvation?

Jesus Christ. How has Christ obtained it for us? Through his blood.

Now, we come to Romans 4 .1. What shall we say, then, that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

Now, go all the way back to Abraham. The doctrine of justification by faith is shown by the case of Abraham.

We're going to look at Abraham for a little bit. He received the promise through the righteousness of faith.

And we are justified in the same way of believing. It is said that Abraham believed

God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. The it is not believing, it's faith.

For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God.

If you want to brag about your works, you do that among yourself. Don't try to switch it over to God.

That's right. So, that proves it can be only by faith, not by works.

Justification. This is something done for you.

We had nothing to do with our justification. Sanctification, something done in me, in you.

The one changes our state, the other changes our nature.

One is perfect, the other is gradual. The one from the obedience of Jesus the

Christ, the other from his Holy Spirit. One gives us title to heaven, the other makes us fit for heaven.

Self -justification. I tried to think of an illustration, and all

I could come up with is like a person overtaken in a rainstorm and running inside of a barn that has no roof.

Self -justification. Now, I want you to think real hard.

Can faith conceive great things? Well, it can't.

All faith can do is cause us to be placed as an instrument in God's hand and to guide us as we do his will.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

It was put to his account, even though it had not been paid yet. It was the same as paid.

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

So, Greg, if you could work for your salvation and finally attain it, it would be by work and not by grace.

Grace. That's right. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Were you wanting to say something? I thought there was a hand up.

Work is simply energy that you expend to get a result, whether it's mental or physical.

God can never be put into a position of debtor or subservient. We've settled that.

He will never owe anybody anything any time. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom

God imputeth righteousness without works, saying,

Blessed are they whose inequities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

That's you and I. Profession does not consist of a feeling or knowledge of a bare agreement, much less in perverted thinking, but in obedience.

And all those and those only are brought to obedience of the faith who are effectually called of Jesus Christ.

Don't be afraid to make a decision. You belong to God. When you're faced with a decision this way or this way, you make the very best decision you know, because that's right.

Yes. It was counted what?

Yes. It was.

Well, where after? Where after? Credited.

Well, you could say his was credited because later he, it was.

See, there is no time with God. We keep forgetting that. There is no time whatsoever with God.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. The spirit of Christian has been in us, the elect, forever.

In Revelation 17, 8, you don't need to turn to it, let me read it.

The beast that thou sawest was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world and what group is that?

The unbelievers when they behold the beast that was and is not and yet is.

The thing I wanted to get out of that was that their names never been in the book. Not that he keeps books, but that's the way we think.

Nine, cometh this blessedness upon them upon the circumcision only or upon the uncircumcision also for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

Now, was Abraham a Jew, Russell? No. Isaac was the first.

Can you sin by breaking the Mosaic law? David, say no.

And another reason you were born in sin you come into the world in sin you'd already broke the law.

Ten, how was it then reckoned when he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision?

Was Abraham called by God because God knew what he would do? Or was he called or did

Abraham do what he did because he was called? That's right, everything is already finished.

I have to keep telling myself that. That's hard for me to conceive that today is already finished.

This year is already finished. Well, Abraham Yes, time is already finished.

Well, Abraham did what he did because he was called of God Eleven, and he received the sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised that he might be the father of all of them that believe you're a child of Abraham though they be not circumcised that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.

Now you can seal only that which is in existence. You can't seal something that might not be here.

Does faith exercise you or do you exercise faith? Greg? If it were the other way it means you could call on faith any time you wanted to.

We see our faith only in retrospect and the father of circumcision to them who are not the circumcision only but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father

Abraham which he had being yet uncircumcised for the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law but through righteousness of faith.

The promise was not the reward for obedience in other words but a free gift.

The faith of Abraham was not a simple childlike dependence on the naked word of God.

He believed God for if they which are of the law be heirs faith is made void and the promise made of none effect what's the difference between eternal and everlasting?

Roger that's right eternal had no beginning that's something else hard for me to conceive something without a beginning

I go back in my mind and try to think of God before I can't what is the most important thought a person can ever have now you might need to think about that I'll give you a clue it's your personal relationship to the father it's the most important thought you can ever have 15 because the law worketh wrath for where is no law where no law is there is no transgression in verses 8 to 15 we must show love for our friends not only by prayer for them but by praise of God for them as in our purpose so in our desires we must remember to say if it is the

Lord's will and submit to that in James 4 .15

for that you ought to say if the Lord will we shall live and do this or that if the

Lord wills we don't know tomorrow he does our journeys are made prosperous or otherwise according to the will of God we should readily impart to others what

God has trusted to us rejoicing to make others joyful especially taking pleasure in communion with those who are with us if redeemed by the blood and converted by the grace of the

Lord Jesus we are altogether his and for his sake we are debtors to all men to do all the good we can such services it's our duty 16 therefore it is of faith to the end and the promise might be sure to all the seed not to that only which is of the law but to that which is of faith of Abraham who is the father of us all therefore the inheriting the promise is the outcome of faith and depends entirely on faith in order that it might be by grace if it were not by faith it couldn't be a grace if it were not by faith it could not be the same for everybody anytime you're discussing your salvation

I don't mean you're an argument about salvation but you're discussing the fact and you have someone that does not agree with you there's one question you can ask what is the controlling agent in your salvation now if they're genuinely concerned they would have to admit that he is the person you're talking to and that can't be what is the controlling interest

Bill the controlling agent that's right he has an exclusive right to it the promise was made to Abraham long before the law it points to Christ and it refers to the promise in Genesis 12 1 turn over to that Genesis 12 1

Bill will you read it please read 1 2 and 3 that's pretty plain isn't it the law worketh wrath by showing that every transgressor is exposed to the divine his divine displeasure as God intended to give his people a title to the promised blessings so he appointed it to be by faith that it might be holy by grace to make it sure to all who were of the like precious faith with Abraham so he made us like Abraham 17 as it is written

I have made thee a father of many nations now the

Jew the unsaved Jew looks at that as Abraham the father of all of us the

Jews is that what it means Joy alright yes as it is written

I have made thee a father of many nations before whom he believed even God who quickened the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were

God speaks of things future and the past and present tense yes that's right he was the first called out man the first man to be called out he was called out to be for Christ God speaks of things past or present tense because whatever

God has purposed before time will have its actual accomplishment in time

God declares the end from the beginning now go to Isaiah 46 somebody and read verses 9 10 and 11

Greg you have that alright alright

God says I'll do whatever I say my words shall not return to me void 18 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 we're talking about here the seed of God through Abraham the elect you and I the confession of evil works is the beginning of good works and being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead when he was about a hundred years old neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb he's staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God what does the word staggered mean

Roger waver he didn't vacillate in and out he believed we give praise to the glory of God when we believe his promises we see the perfections of God's redemptive character actively engaged to fulfill his promise we know that it is utterly impossible for the true and living

God to fail in any way it is absolutely vital that we see that it is impossible to give

God this praise as long as we think that God promised to save all without exception now let me back up here it is impossible for anyone if they think that God promised to save all without exception each and every one of Abraham's fallen descendants we know that the multitudes perished and if they perish whom

God purposed to save God is either unfaithful or unable to provide all means and remove all obstacles we cannot say that Abraham was justified simply believing that God would give him a son by miraculous birth

Abraham knew he would and he did because God said so that what he had promised he was able also to perform

Abraham believed God's promise of salvation conditioned on Christ alone and we had another word in that sentence being fully persuaded

Dennis what's that mean being fully persuaded alright and an example would be if there was a sign on his front pew wet paint how many of you would come by and touch it to see if it was wet this means you don't touch it you're fully persuaded there's no doubt in your mind remember it was through Isaac the son of promise through whom

Christ came according to the flesh that which was spoken by God this shows that Abraham's exception rested solely upon God's purpose even though by all natural principles it seemed impossible he believed him anyhow 22 and therefore was imputed to him for righteousness another question we'll stop on this question and you can have this week to think about it is faith a condition for salvation don't answer think about it is faith a condition for salvation alright anybody have any questions concerning today's lesson yes that's right yes remember the old testament is as though the spiritual is acted out yes because it's a spiritual separation the old testament is a physical religion it acts out everything that we do spiritually remember that it may help anything else that's right that's absolutely right because we can't