Romans 4:1-25

The issue of privilege

We all have a hard-wired sense of privilege - that we deserve the things we have.

This passage tells us that our privilege does not impress God. We have to trust Christ for what really matters.

Paul's audience also had great pivilege. They were primarily Jewish - God's "special" people, descended from Abraham. They thought this brought them some standing before God.

Jews thought that being right before God was following in Abraham's footsteps - the land, & the circumcision, and his obedience.

"That's not right!"

Paul has been saying throughout this whole book - noone is righteous and noone can be righteous through what they do or have. And so it is the same for Abraham. They all need Jesus.

"Why do we need saving?"

It might seem that all the things people do in the world to be "good" is enough. All the religions and beliefs and moral views should do the trick, right?

Paul explains that even Abraham's good deeds didn't make him right with God. It was the fact he believed God and accepted His way that credited Jim with righteousness. It was given to him as a gift.

The righteousness given to us is not a gift if we work for it. If it's given regardless of our actions, then it is truly a gift, as it is not something we are owed or something we earned.

Abraham and circumcision

Circumcision for the Jews was a great marker of their supposed privilege with God. Yet God has declared Abraham righteous way before his circumcision. Religious ceremony means nothing in the way of our salvation. This is why both Jews and Gentiles can receive the gift, because it requires nothing but faith.

Abraham and the law

Paul is saying that the law of God was given hundreds of years after Abraham, so how could it have saved him? Also the law doesn't make us right, it just tells us that we're wrong. Knowing the law won't make you right before God, faith will.

Abraham and faith

So, how does faith make us saved?

Faith trusts the promise

Abraham believed that God would give him a son - against all hope. There was so much that said he would not have a son but he believed regardless that God would deliver. Faith is knowing that God will never back down from His promises.

Faith trusts the grace of the promise

Grace is receiving what we don't deserve. It does for us what we cannot do ourselves. God's promise is the grace of the cross.

Faith trusts the God of the promise

Abraham did not worship faith, nor did he worship the promise. He worshipped the God of that promise. You know when someone makes a promise, how they will keep it by who they are. We have a promise made by God, the one who created the world and gives life to the dead. That is who we worship, and that is how we know His promise will be kept.

Our credit of righteousness

Faith trusts in the Jesus of the promise.

We believe in a God who raised Jesus from the dead, and those who believe in Jesus can be credited righteousness that allows us to have a relationship with God.