Morning Message: Faith Wins for Jew and Gentile

Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Faith Wins for Jew and Gentile"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz

Though Thanksgiving Day is behind us, this is still Thanksgiving weekend. Travelers are still traveling, and the Holiday Season has just begun. The hype of retailers getting the newest, most fashionable, and most fun items to the marketplace is at the forefront of their minds. How to sell it, how to present it, and where to advertise it, all comes into play. Simply put, they want your money.

But that’s not what Christmas is all about. It’s about Jesus; it’s about celebrating Him, and His birth. The date was chosen at random, but it’s the date chosen, for we do not know the precise date of Jesus’ birth. And interestingly, we are assured that it is not December 25th. Nonetheless, it is the traditional date chosen to celebrate the Birth of our Lord and Savior.

The Roman festival of Saturnalia and the “rebirth” of the Roman sun god, Sol Invictus coincide with December 25th, but in 336 A.D., it was The Roman Emperor Constantine who chose the date deliberately to weaken Pagan beliefs, and holidays of his Empire. The citizens of Rome were still hooked on the gods of ancient Rome. During Constantine’s reign, Christianity was growing but unfortunately had to compete with Pagan beliefs. It was a time of growth for Christianity, and Constantine was keen to squelch the pagan beliefs that were so deeply ingrained in the citizens of the Empire.

Pagan beliefs remain popular, but to a much lesser degree. Still though, this can be a season of evangelism, teaching, and sharing the love of Christ Jesus with the spirit of joy and giving. After all, the Lost are still lost.

It was the work of the Apostles, “When they were filled, He said unto His disciples to gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” John 6:12

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version

Sunday Morning Message:

Romans 4:13-25 - "Faith Wins for Jew and Gentile"

Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:

"The flesh is a built-in law of failure, making it impossible for the natural man to please or serve God. It is a compulsive inner force inherited from man’s fall, which expresses itself in general and specific rebellion against God and His righteousness. The flesh can never be reformed or improved. The only hope for escape from the law of the flesh is its total execution and replacement by a new life in the Lord Jesus Christ." (Mark Bubeck, The Adversary, Moody Press, p. 28.)

Those who are trying for salvation often lean on either their own imagined goodness or some kind of religious observance or a combination of both. In the previous passages we have seen how the Jews boasted in circumcision and the law. Paul has already made it clear that there must be an inward change of heart, and that mere external observances can never save a lost sinner.

Paul proceeds to show how Abraham was pronounced righteous before he was circumcised, based on his faith alone (vv. 9-12). He does this by asking the Jews whether Abraham’s justification occurred before or after he was circumcised. Abraham’s age when he was declared righteous (Genesis 15:6) is not stated. However, when Hagar bore Ishmael Abraham was 86 (Genesis 16:16). It was not until he was 99 years old that he was circumcised (Genesis 17:23-27). This means that the circumcision of Abraham followed his justification by faith by more than 13 years.

Circumcision was an outward sign of the justification that Abraham had already received. Therefore, both Jews and Gentiles must do more than be circumcised to be right with God. They must also walk in the footsteps of faith like Abraham did. Abraham was justified by believing God’s promise, and not by obeying God’s law; for God’s law had not been given yet through Moses. The same is true today. God justifies the ungodly because they believe in His precious promise, and not because they keep the law.

We cannot through our own perceived good works earn salvation.  The Bible says, “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). It was through Adam that sin entered the world. When Adam sinned, he immediately died spiritually—his relationship with God was broken—and he also began dying physically—his body began the process of growing old and dying. From that point on, every person born has inherited Adam’s sin nature and suffered the same consequences of spiritual and physical death.

Paul has already written that there are none righteous.  Our self-imagined goodness is already sin stained; therefore, we cannot earn our salvation through our works or religious observance. 

It wasn’t the law that gave Abraham the promise but the righteousness of faith. It is faith in the promise of God that has value not the law itself.

Abraham is our father in the faith in the sight of God. Abraham believed in hope and it was that unwavering faith that brought the promise to fruition.

Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness, but those words are for us also, for when we believe in Christ’s death and resurrection God makes us righteous.

Faith is not just about abstract belief in God. Abraham trusted God’s promise about his heritage, the destiny of descendants yet to come. He didn’t just believe a promise, he bet his whole family’s future on God’s faithfulness.

True faith is an all or nothing venture. No safety nets or Plan B.

Salvation is about trusting that God is who He says He is. We come to Him with no goodness of our own and we trust Him to show us mercy because of Christ.

We need also to live by that kind of faith in our daily life. 

God is faithful and when we trust Him, He credits it to us as righteousness.

Scripture makes it clear that there is indeed a way to God, but that it is not based on anything men can do to achieve or merit it.  Man can be made right with God, but not on his own terms or in his own power.  In that basic regard Christianity is distinct from every other religion in the world.  As far as the way of salvation is concerned, there are therefore only two religions the world has ever known or will ever know - the religion of divine accomplishment, which is biblical Christianity, and the religion of human achievement, which includes all other kinds of religion, by whatever names they may claim.

Salvation comes by faith through God's grace alone.  It is only in the finished work of Christ, put your faith in Him.

Sunday Morning Audio Message:  

Key Words and Definitions with Reference:

Promise . . . Heir of the World (4:13) - This refers to Christ and is the essence of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:3; 15:5; 18:18; 22:18).  The final provision of that covenant was that through Abraham's seed all the world would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).  Paul argues that "the seed" refers specifically to Christ and that this promise really constituted the gospel (Galatians 3:8, 16; cf. John 8:56).  All believers, by being in Christ, become heirs of the promise (Galatians 3:29; cf. 1 Corinthians 3:21-23).

Not . . . Through the Law (4:13) - That is, not as a result of Abraham's keeping the law.

Those Who are of the Law (4:14) - If only those who perfectly keep the law - an impossibility - receive the promise, faith has no value.

Promise . . . of No Effect (4:14) - Making a promise, contingent on an impossible condition nullifies the promise.

Law Brings About Wrath (4:15) - By exposing man's sinfulness ( cf. 7:7-11; Galatians 3:19, 24).

Of Faith (4:16) - Justification is through faith alone, and...

According to Grace (4:16) - The power of justification is God's great grace, not man's faith.

Promise (4:16) - refers to verse 13.

Those Who Are of the Law (4:16) - Believing Jews.

Those Who Are of the Faith of Abraham (4:16) - Believing Gentiles.

Father of Us All (4:16) - Abraham is the father of the Jews, physically speaking, and also of all who are justified by faith, spiritually speaking. "They which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham" (Galatians 3:7).

Father of Many Nations (4:17) - This promise (Genesis 17:5) has been literally fulfilled, as wells as spiritually.  Abraham is the ancestor of the Israelites and also of all the Arabic nations, as others.  Probably most of the Middle Eastern Islamic nations have at least some degree of genetic descent from Abraham.

As It is Written (4:17) - Quoted from Genesis 17:5.

Gives Life to the Dead (4:17) - Abraham had experienced this firsthand (Hebrews 11:11, 12; cf. Romans 4:19).

Calls Those Things Which Do Not Exist as Though They Did (4:17) - This is another reference to the forensic nature of justification.  God can declare believing sinners to be righteous, even though they are not, by imputing His righteousness to them, just as God made or declared Jesus "to be sin for us" and punished Him, though He was not a sinner.  Those whom He justifies, He will conform to the image of His Son (8:29, 30).

Contrary to Hope (4:18) - From the human perspective, it seemed impossible (cf. v. 19).  

That Which Was Spoken (4:18) - This promise was "spoken" by God (Genesis 15:5).

Weak In Faith (4:19) - This occurs when doubt erodes one's confidence in God's Word.

The Deadness of Sarah's Womb (4:19) - She was only ten years younger than Abraham (Genesis 17:17), ninety years old (well past Childbearing age) when they received the promise of Isaac.

Able Also to Perform (4:21) - The essence of saving faith is taking God at His Word, no matter how difficult it may seem.  God's promise to Abraham was beyond all reason and human experience, but Abraham believed it, and we see the result. This should be our example with regard to the promises that are yet to be fulfilled.

The Promise (4:20) - Of the birth of a son (Genesis 15:4; 17:16; 18:10).  

Giving Glory to God (4:20) - Believing God affirms His existence and character and thus gives Him glory (cf. Hebrews 11:16; 1 John 5:10). God's glory is reflected back to Him through acts of personal devotion that are God directed, the activities of personal worship that glorify God:  confessing sins (1 Corinthians 10:31); submitting to Christ (Philippians2:9-11); Obeying God (2 Corinthians9:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:12) . . . etc.

Therefore (4:22) - Because of his genuine faith (see Genesis 15:6)

Not . . . For His Sake Alone (4:23) - Scripture has universal application (cf. 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17), and Abraham's experience is no exception.  If Abraham was justified by faith, then all other people are justified on the same basis.

Romans 4:25 - A paraphrase of the LXX (Septuagint) (Greek translation of the Old Testament) rendering of Isaiah 53:12.  

Delivered Up (4:25) - Meaning crucified.

Because of Our Justification (4:25) - The Resurrection provided proof that God had accepted the sacrifice of His Son and would be able to be just and yet justify the ungodly.