Romans 4

Romans 4:1

In Romans 3, Paul shared something that must have appeared radical, almost heretical to his readers when he said salvation does not come from keeping rules and regulations, from trying to be “good little boys and girls,” from trying to be mystical or spiritualbut by faith, apart from the deeds of the law. “For what purpose was the law given?” his readers must have wondered. A Hindu philosopher came forth after a ten-year silence and declared to his followers at an ashram in India that the whole world runs by the Ten Commandments. Now, if even a Hindu made such an observation, how could Paul say salvation comes not through the law or as a result of the law? He could do so because he contended that the sole reason the law was given was to show people that they are depraved and despicable sinners in desperate need of a Savior (Rom_3:31). “We’re not voiding the law,” Paul insisted. “We’re fulfilling the very reason for which it was givento make you see your need of a Savior and to drive you to grace.” So, after arguing theologically in chapter 3 that justification and salvation come simply by believing, Paul makes his point historically here in chapter 4. First, Paul appeals to Abraham, father of the Hebrew family racially. Was it when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldeesa place of real sophistication and wealththat God declared Abraham righteous? No. Was it when Abraham took his son Isaac to Mount Moriah in order to offer him as a sacrifice that God declared him justified? No. God declared Abraham righteous when Abraham simply believed Him (Gen_15:6). When is a man saved? Not when he follows God’s call obediently or even offers himself sacrificially, but when, like Abraham, he simply says, “Lord, I believe You. I believe what You say is truethat I’m righteous in Christ Jesus, that my sins past, present, and future are all forgiven.” To these Jews who knew Scripture well, Paul said, “Think about it. Abraham was not pronounced righteous when he was doing something spiritual or sacrificial. He was pronounced righteous when he simply believed God.”

Romans 4:4

If Abraham had been pronounced righteous because he left Ur, or because he was willing to sacrifice his son, then he would have been given salvation as a reward. God would have been paying off a debt. But Paul’s argument is that it was nothing Abraham did or didn’t doother than believe what God said was truewhich justified him. So, too, if you are attempting to work your way into God’s favoreither prior or subsequent to your salvationthen He owes justification to you. Whenever we subconsciously think, Now, Lord, I prayed a whole bunch today, so I know it’s going to be a great day, the implication is, Lord, You owe me. And that nullifies grace. God will not be a debtor to any man. He won’t owe us anything. That is why there will be no boasting in heavennot only with regard to our salvation, but with regard to any of God’s blessings. A lot of times we forget that and think it’s because of our great faith or our prevailing prayer, our diligent works or our dedicated devotion that God has blessed our life. It’s a hard thing to say, but it’s true: Some of the greatest blessings both in my life and flowing through my life have come when I have not been in prayer, when I have not had strong faith, when I’ve not been what I should or want to be. God’s blessings during those times remind me that everything that comes my way is because of graceunmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. This creates in me a heart that wants to love the Lord and worship Him rather than a tendency to say, “If I’ve accomplished this with three hours of prayer, I wonder what I could do with six!” Am I saying we should never pray? If you’re praying to earn reward, give it up. But if you’re praying because you enjoy the Lord, are amazed at His goodness to you, because you want to participate with Him in what He’s doing on the earth, because you love to spend time with Him, or because you’re thankful for Him and want to be close to Himthen pray! If you get up at three o’clock tomorrow morning to pray in order to fulfill an obligation, God won’t be impressed a whit. But if you get up at three o’clock just to enjoy Him, He’ll be blessed. The man, woman, or congregation that truly understands that salvation is all about grace will find themselves praying, worshiping, studying, witnessingnot because they’re trying to earn God’s blessing, but because they’re responding to the One who’s already been so good to them.

Romans 4:5

Who does the Lord justify? Who gets blessed? Not the Pharisee, but the one who realizes he’s worthy of nothing. It is not the one who has faith in his faith, but the one who has faith in the goodness, the provision, and the loving-kindness of the Lord who is righteous. Such is the one to whom the Father says, “Because you’re not trying to earn My favor or earn My blessing, because you’re just believing in who I am as the Justifier of the ungodly, I pronounce you righteous.”

Romans 4:6

In addition to Abraham, Paul brings out Big Gun Number Two, saying, “The idea that what matters is not the rules and regulations of the law but rather simply believing in God and having confidence in Him is not new. Look at David, founder of the Hebrew royal family…” The word “blessed” literally means “O how happy.” Here in Psalms 32, from which Paul is quoting, David says, “O how happy is the man whom the Lord accounts righteousapart from works.” Happy is the man who sees this. For him, Christianity will not be a burden to carry or a battle to fight in a way that makes him sour, dour, and miserable. No, David says happy is the man who understands that God accounts, imputes, pronounces righteousness apart from worksapart from anything he does or doesn’t do. Blessed are those whose iniquities are sent awaylike the scapegoat on Yom Kippur, which was sprinkled with blood and then sent out of sight (Lev_16:22). Forgiven! A Topical Study of Rom_4:6-7 I was a California boy when we moved to Oregon in 1977, so some things relating to rural culture caught me off guard initially. The first weekend we were there, we spent some time out at a ranch in the Little Applegate Valley. As we walked the grounds, I saw something that puzzled me, for tied around the neck of the family pet, a big German Shepherd, was a dead chicken. Never having seen anything like that, I asked the reason and was given this explanation: “If any of our ranch dogs attack the chickens, we teach it a lesson by tying the dead chicken around its neck and leaving it there for several days. As the chicken decays, the dog learns to stay away from chickens.” Oregon is bizarre! I thought. In reality, however, such a practice is not unique to Oregon. As you study history, you see certain ancient cultures tying the corpse of a victim to its murderer. And should the accused ever sever the rope, he would be executed immediately. That’s what happened in antiquityand Paul made application spiritually when he wrote, “Oh, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom_7:24), or more literally, “Who shall deliver me from this dead body?” “Who will free me from the stench of my pastmy failings, my sins, my shortcomingswhich follow me wherever I go?” asked Paul. You see, although others would look at Paul and see a Pharisee, a rabbi, a “good person,” Paul knew he was a sinner. So, too, maybe to others you appear together and wonderful, but like Paul, you know there’s a dead body of past failings or present shortcomings tied to you. Even David, whom Paul quotes in the passage before us, a man after God’s own heart, was a man who had a dark side and was tied to a dead body. In David’s day, instead of football, basketball, and baseball season, there were only two seasons: peace season during the fall and winter, and war season in the spring and summer. During one such season of war, after ruling for twenty years, David opted to remain at home rather than join his men in battle. But unbeknownst to him, in so doing he was headed for trouble. That’s always the way it is. Whenever we decide to kick back, sit out, or pull away from ministry, from service, from walking with the Lord; whenever we say, “I deserve a break today"we’re headed for disaster. While his boys waged war, David strolled about his palace. Looking down upon the roofs below, he saw a woman taking a bath. Lusting after her, he sent for her and had relations with her. When she discovered she was pregnant, David knew he was in trouble. After all, what would the people who extolled him so highly and exalted him so readily think of their king if they knew he had taken another man’s wife? So David hatched a plan in which he sent Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, into a battle, wherein on a certain signal, all of the soldiers except Uriah were instructed to turn and run. Thus, David committed first-degree murder when his plan was executed perfectly. Free to marry Bathsheba, David thought none would be the wiser when the baby was born. From outward appearances, it looked like David would literally get away with murder. But on the inside, something entirely different was taking place within him, as seen by what he wrote in Psalms 32, quoted here by Paul in Romans 4… Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.Psa_32:1-3 “When I covered up my adultery and murder, it affected me physically,” said David. Do your bones ever ache? Do you feel weary? It could be because of unconfessed sin. We do know in this day that there is a definite connection between one’s emotional state and his physical health. Therefore, the physical affliction David experienced was no doubt linked to the emotional turmoil with which he struggled. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me…Psa_32:4 (a) It wasn’t for punishment that God’s hand pressed upon David. It was for protection. Think about itif your three-year-old child or grandchild was chasing a ball that rolled into the street, and you saw a car coming, what would you do? You would run after that child, lay your hand on him, and do whatever it took to keep him out of the way of danger. So, too, the Lord sees you and me playing in the street of sin, and His hand comes down on us heavilynot for punishment, but for protection, saying to us as He did to David, “You’re going to feel the pressure of My hand until you get out of the path of destruction.” …my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.Psa_32:4 (b) Ever feel like there’s a drought inside you? Once there was moisture. Once there was a flow of the Spirit; there was living water. But now? There’s a drought like the middle of summer. As with David, it may very well be the result of unconfessed sin. Perhaps eight months passed before Nathan the prophet came to David and said, “Your sin is known” (see 2Sa_12:7-9). Hearing this, David cried to the Lord, “Against thee and thee only have I sinned” (see Psa_51:4). “Wait a minute,” we say. “What about Uriah? Didn’t David sin against him?” Certainly David sinned in killing Uriah, but his sin against Uriah was infinitesimal in comparison to his sin against God. You see, contrary to modern psychology, the Bible doesn’t give any man or woman a reason to say, “I’m a victim because my mom, dad, or my ex sinned against me.” Why not? Because, no matter how bad we have it, every one of us deserves a whole lot more trouble than we get. You’re a wretched, rotten, smelly, defiled, iniquitous sinner. So am I. Therefore, we can never say, “We’re victims.” Turn away from this pop theology, folks, and listen to what David said under the inspiration of the Spirit: “Father,” he said, “the only issue is my rebellion against You. As for Uriah and Bathsheba, You will minister to them directly. But as for me, my sin is against You only.” I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD…Psa_32:5 (a) After aching in his bones, and feeling dry in his spirit, after being pressed by the heavy hand of God’s conviction, and being confronted by Nathan, David decided to confess. …and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.Psa_32:5 (b) After a season of conviction, David was forgiven at the moment of confession. The implication of this is incredible, for the minute we get to the place of even preparing for confession, the Father says, “It’s done.” The Hebrew word for “forgavest” implies immediacy. In other words, God doesn’t say to you or me, “Once you make your confession you’re on an eight-month probation, and I’ll see how sincere you are.” Man says, “Was she, was he, were they sincere? Are they really repentant?” But the Bible knows nothing of that kind of analysis. The Bible says that the moment you make confession, you are completely and totally forgiven. So it is that we join with David saying, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!” The word “blessed” literally means “oh, how happy.” David never said, “Oh, how happy is the one who has power.” As king of Israel, David had power not only in his own nation but also in the surrounding nations that were in submission to Israel. But he didn’t extol power. David didn’t say, “Oh, how happy is the one who has popularity.” When David walked through town, women sang songs about him (1Sa_18:6-7). If Gallup, Harris, or CNN had taken polls in David’s day, his popularity rating would have been off the charts. But he didn’t extol popularity. David didn’t say, “Oh how happy is the one who has prowess.” Not only could David jump over walls (Psa_18:29) and wrestle lions and bears (1Sa_17:34-36)he also wrote the hit songs of his day. Yet he didn’t extol musical ability or athletic prowess. David didn’t say, “Oh, how happy is the one who has prosperity.” David had more gold and silver than he could use in his lifetime. Yet those things meant nothing to him because he was haunted by the sin, which, like a dead corpse, was tied about him. “Oh, how happy,” David said, “is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” I used to think David was being a little redundant when he said, “whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered,” but upon further study, I found something that intrigues me. The word “forgiven” literally means “to send away.” The word “covered” means “to be sprinkled.” There was only one day in which these two acts were practiced together. That was the day we call Yom Kippurthe Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). On one day each year, around October 10, two goats would be brought before the high priest. Upon one, the scapegoat, the high priest would symbolically lay the sins of the entire nation, then release it into the wilderness. As for the second goat, its throat was slit, and the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat. Gang, this has wonderful and practical implications for us even today, for as the scapegoat was sent out of sight into the wilderness, Psalms 103 says our sin is sent away as far as the east is from the west. How far is that? If you took off from Applegate Christian Fellowship in Oregon, you could only go north for thirty-five hundred miles, because once you reached the North Pole, the next step you took, you would be going south. But if you left Applegate and traveled east, you could go east over the Rockies, to the Eastern Seaboard, across the Atlantic Ocean to Britain, into Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Japan, and back to Oregonand the compass would still read east. The distance from east to west is infinite. And that’s how far your sinthe dead corpse you’ve been carrying around and dragging behindis from God. Not only is our sin out of God’s sight, but it’s out of His memory (Jer_31:34). Rememberthere was a second goat, whose blood, sprinkled on the mercy seat on the Day of Atonement, covered the law that was inside the ark of the covenant. So, too, the blood of Jesus Christ blots out even the memory in God’s mind of the law that you’ve broken. Whether you’ve been into pornography, adultery, gossiping, lying, or cheating on your taxes, God says once confession is made, your sin is blotted out. He cannot remember it. “Happy is the man,” said David, “who, upon confession of his sin, finds immediate forgiveness and release.” But even though there is release from the penalty of sin, there is repercussion from the consequences of sin. As Nathan said to David, “When this gets around, people will make fun of your God” (see 2Sa_12:14). Not only that, there would be repercussion within his own family in the form of incest and rebellion (2 Samuel 13-18). With this in mind, check out Psalms 84. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.Psa_84:1-2 “The only place I really have peace,” said David, “is not in my family, not in my country, not in some other nation geographicallybut in the sanctuary.” Yea, the sparrow hath found an house…Psa_84:3 (a) Sparrows were the most worthless creatures in the land of Israel. The Jews would fry them and eat them as appetizers. Jesus said two sold for a farthing (Mat_10:29); and, according to Luke, you could get five for two farthings (Luk_12:6). In other words, if you bought four, they’d throw in an extra one for free. “How blessed,” David said, “is even the most worthless animal in the whole nation, because even he finds peace in the tabernacle, in the place where the blood covered the mercy seat.” …and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.Psa_84:3 (b) Swallows are known for their restlessness. Because their feet are weak, they can’t perch. That’s why they’re always in the air. Yet even the most restless animal in all of Israel could find a home in the sanctuary. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.Psa_84:4 Listen to the heart of David: You can be happy. I can be happy when we simply make confession and realize God’s provision in Jesus Christ. Practically, however, that happiness may not be realized or enjoyed in any other place than the sanctuary. One night, as I was on the church grounds, I noticed a fellow sitting on the grass, who later shared with me some difficult struggles he was walking through. Now, while he could have been taking in a movie, playing golf, or hoisting some cold ones at the local bar, he still would have been forgivenbut he wouldn’t have found what he was really longing for. That could only be found in the sanctuary, in the place of separation. There’s something that happens uniquely in the sanctuary. If you feel worthless as a sparrow or restless as a swallow, go into the sanctuary, for in God’s presence, no one throws your sin before you, no one makes fun of you, and no one condemns you. It’s in God’s presence alone that you will experience a serenity that will make you, like David, want to “shout for joy” (Psa_32:11) as you are reminded of the forgiveness of your sin and the goodness of your God.

Romans 4:8

Once we receive the work God did redemptively in order that we might be pronounced righteous, He no longer sees us as sinners. For me to utter this would be presumption. But because David said it, it’s inspiration. It’s interesting to me that in David’s early psalms, he talked about how righteous he was, how there was no vanity in his life, and how there was no iniquity on his hands. But then what happened? David stumbled when he walked into sin with Bathsheba. As a result, he discovered he was not as righteous as he thought he was previouslyand his later psalms reflect this discovery. A young couple moved into an upstairs apartment and bought a waterbed. Forgetting to bring a hose, they bought one at the nearest hardware store and hooked it from their sink to their waterbed before going out for about an hour. The surprised couple returned to find their floor had collapsed and fallen onto the apartment belownot because of the weight of the waterbed, but because they had accidentally purchased a sprinkler hose with holes in it. That’s so much like me! I think I’ve got my act so togetheruntil I find a few holes I wasn’t counting on. Maybe you think you’ve got it all wired, but you watch. Sooner or later, you’ll discover that your floor has collapsed, that you’re a sinner. That is why David says, “Happy is the man who’s not trying to prove his worth or merit God’s blessing. Happy is the one whose sins are forgiven.” It doesn’t matter how long you’ve walked with the Lord, or how much you know about the Lord. The fact is, the man or woman who is happy is the one who is not working, but simply believing in the goodness and loving-kindness of the Father revealed through the Son on Calvary’s Cross.

Romans 4:9

Paul held up Abraham and David as examples of men who had been justified apart from works. “But they were Jews. What about Gentiles?” you might ask. Read on… To the Jew, circumcision was everything. It proved his Jewishness, his worthiness. “Wait a minute,” said Paul. “Abraham was pronounced righteous in Genesis 15 before he was circumcised.”

Romans 4:11

Paul here is saying Abraham is the father not only of the circumcised Jew, but of the uncircumcised Gentile because Abraham was pronounced righteous before he was circumcised. Circumcision did not confer righteousness. It confirmed righteousness. So, too, you can be baptized a dozen times next summer, but it won’t save you if you don’t believe in your heart that the work is done, that the price is already paid for your sin. The basis of everything we enjoy is that which God has done for us and on that fact that He views us through the lens of His Son. So I get baptized because I want to go on record externally, declaring what I know is already true internally. I come to Communion because I want to do outwardly what I’m excited about inwardly. I have devotions not to earn His favor, but because He has already shown me such favor. It’s not responsibility, folks. It’s response. Why is it so hard for us to understand this? Could it be because our culture says, “There’s no free lunch,” and “God helps those who help themselves”? Could it be because our flesh says, “Set the alarm earlier. Stay up later. Memorize more. Study harder. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll be blessed”? If I could communicate one thing to you precious people it would be this: Quit trying to give God a reason to bless you. It’ll never work because God will be a debtor to no man. Just marvel at His goodness. Enjoy an intimate relationship with Him. And watch what He can pour out on you because you won’t be taking the credit.

Romans 4:12

Whether you’re Jew or Gentile, if, like Abraham, you just say, “Thank You, Lord,” you are part of the family of faith.

Romans 4:13

The promise given to Abraham wasn’t given because of the law. It was given before the law. Years ago, when the Susan B. Anthony dollar was issued, no one could get rid of them. One bank in Georgia, however, moved record numbers of the coins. When a Washington bureaucrat traveled to Georgia to determine the reason, he discovered their simple secret was a sign on the window that read: Susan B. Anthony Dollars Available. Limit Two Per Customer. “People kept sneaking back,” said bank officials, “hoping to get more than their limit.” That’s what the law does. It not only undermines faith, but it underlines failure because, unable to keep its standard, we have no recourse but to break it.

Romans 4:16

Salvation must be by faith. If it were by works, we would always wonder if we were really saved. We would feel like we had to come forward every service and get baptized every Sunday. We would walk around feeling beat up, cast down, and done in continually. But when we understand that our relationship with the Lord is not based upon anything we do or don’t do other than simply believing, salvation becomes something we are not afraid of losing every week. Salvation: The Father thought it. The Son bought it. The Spirit taught it. The Bible brought it. Satan fought it. But, praise the Lord, by His grace, we got it! Remember the game Chutes and Ladders, and the frustration you felt when, in the first place, you came to the last chute and down you went? If salvation came by trying, striving, religion, or works, our walk would be a perpetual game of Chutes and Ladders. On Monday, we would have devotions and move two rungs up the ladder. On Tuesday, we would go to morning worship and advance five more steps. On Wednesday, we would come to Bible study and climb three rungs higher. On Thursday, we would seek the Lord in the evening and find ourselves only 3 rungs from the top. On Friday, we would talk with our neighbor about the Lord. But on Saturday, we would get angry and down the chute we would tumble. Tragically, a lot of people live their spiritual life that waytrying to work their way up the ladder by keeping rules and trying harder, failing to realize that, because it’s the result of grace, the promise is sure. The promise is sure to the one who simply believes that God did what He said He did when on the Cross He declared, “It is finished” (Joh_19:30). “The word “all” in Greek means “all.” It means you. It means me. In other words, the Father said, “The only way the promise can be sure for Jon Courson is if it’s totally by grace, if all he must do is believe in what I did and that I love him. Otherwise, he’s not going to make it. He’ll climb the ladder for a day or two, but eventually down the chute he’ll go.” Paul returns to Abraham as an illustration of faith. Romans 4 is such a key chapter in this day in which cults abound and receive so much media attention. Like Paul, we must say, “What we embrace and believe is not some new theological fad, but has its roots clear back in the Book of Genesis as seen in the life of Abraham.” I am reminded of what happened on Mount Carmel, when, in order to get Baal’s attention, his prophets hooted, hollered, and slashed their bodies (1Ki_18:28). But nothing happened. Then it was Elijah’s turn. After spending all day in a radical frenzy, the prophets of Baal watched as Elijah, the man of faith, simply said, “Father, show us who You are.” Fire came down and consumed not only his sacrifice but also the altar and the water that surrounded it. Incredible! Elijah’s faith prevailed because it was based upon something much deeper, richer, and fuller than man’s efforts, energy, or emotion. “Go to the Old Testament,” said Paul. “Study Elijah. Take a look at Abraham. And learn a lesson about the beauty, the simplicity, the power of faith.”

Romans 4:17

Notice the tense of this verse. God spoke to Abraham in Gen_17:5, saying, “I have made thee"although in reality it hadn’t yet happened. God speaks His promise in the past tense, even though from our perspective it hasn’t taken place because so certain is His promise, it’s as though it has already happened. I like that! God “quickens” or “raises” the dead. Was Paul speaking of Abraham’s body reproductively, or was he referring to Abraham’s belief that God would raise his son Isaac, whom he was willing to sacrifice at Mount Moriah? I don’t know. I only know Abraham was a man of faithwhether concerning Isaac’s birth, Isaac’s resurrection, or both. God called Abraham a father even before the birth of Isaac because, from His perspective, Abraham was already a father. Read Ecc_3:15 for a glimpse into the great mystery of God calling things that are not yet as though they already were. The implications are fabulous. Rom_8:29-30 tells us that, on the basis of His foreknowledge, God predestined those who would want to know Him. And because they’re predestined, they’re called by Him. And when they respond to His call, they’re justifieddeclared righteousand they’re glorified. The implication is staggering. God views us as already glorified. What does this do? It frees me incredibly, knowing the Father sees me not in my cruddy humanity, but in my glorified state. I see myself flailing, faltering, and failing. But the Father sees me as already glorified. Think of it this way… Picture yourself in New York City, watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade. A band marches by, followed by some floats and big balloons. Your buddy, standing a mile down the road has not yet seen the band, the floats, or balloons that pass before you. You’re enjoying them presently, and you know he’s going to enjoy them eventually when the parade works its way to him. That’s the way the time/space continuum works. But suppose on this St. Patrick’s Day, you were invited to sit in the Goodyear blimp. Suddenly you would see the whole parade simultaneously. The people down below would be watching the parade go by. But not you. You would see the whole thing in its entirety. That which is yet to be for your buddy, you’d already see. And that which already was for him, would still be in your sight. From your vantage point, it would all be happening in the present. That’s how it is for the Father. We’re marching through the parade of life, trying hard, doing good sometimes, stumbling other times. But He sees our whole lifepast, present, future. He sees the whole thing in totality. Thus, He views us as already glorified, as already in the kingdom of heaven. Consequently, we have beautiful freedom today. We can just enjoy the Lord because He has said we are already glorified. We’re not a disappointment or an embarrassment to Him. We’re already perfect in Him.

Romans 4:18

Even though it looked hopeless physically and logically, Abraham had hope. Biblically, hope is the absolute expectation of coming good. Abraham said, “From God’s perspective, His promise has already been fulfilled. So I know with absolute certainty it will happen in me and for me.” Abraham was declared righteous not because of something he did for the Lord, or by virtue of the fact he proved himself to the Lord, but because he simply believed in the Lord. On the basis of Romans 4, if you believe Jesus was raised from the dead, you are exercising the same quality of faith as did Abrahama hero of faith. So, whatever problem or pressure is upon you at this time, it’s nothing in comparison to the incredible faith you have already demonstrated. Once a believer grasps the fact that he’s already done the hard stuffthat his belief in the Resurrection sets him apart as a hero of faiththen any other pressure or problem is a piece of cake, minute in comparison to the fact that he has already embraced a concept that the world mocks (Act_17:32). Jumbo-Sized Faith A Topical Study of Rom_4:19-24 We seem to have a terrible tendency to overcomplicate spirituality. Knowing this, Jesus shared with us that we must become as little children if we want to enter into the kingdom (Mat_18:3). This doesn’t mean we’re to be childish in immaturity, but, instead, childlike in simplicity. In the Book of Romans, Paul was shockingly simple when he wrote that our salvation is based not upon some esoteric understanding or something we should be doingbut that it is a free gift founded not upon behaving, but upon believing; not upon trying, but upon trusting; not upon doing, but upon what Jesus has already done. Was this some bizarre, new doctrine Paul was preaching, some New Age revelation, some secret understanding? No. In Romans 4, Paul said, “This is not something newit’s the way it was meant to be from the beginning,” as he reached all the way back to Abraham for an example of one who was justified by faith. Look at Rom_4:19-21, and note four elements of Abraham’s faith that are vital for you and me. Abraham Did Not Look at His Limitations And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb.Rom_4:19 At the age of eighty-six, Abraham received the promise that he and his wife, Sarah, would have a child. Fourteen years later, at the age of one hundred, Abraham still believed God would honor His Word. Reproductively, his body was dead. Physiologically, Sarah had been barren all the days of her life. But Abraham didn’t consider the frailties of his flesh. Instead, he counted on the faithfulness of his God. You who are wondering why God’s promise has not been fulfilled in your own life, take hope and know this: There is almost invariably a time gap between the promise of God and the performance of God. Why? So that the Lord can prepare you for what’s coming. Therefore, don’t look at your limitations because you will be sure to find all kinds of them. When the spies went in to check out the Promised Land, they discovered a land that flowed with milk and honey, and brought back grapes as big as basketballs. “What a fabulous land it must be!” the people said. “Yes, it is. But there’s a problem,” said all but two of the spies. “There are giants in the land. And in comparison to them, we are but grasshoppers” (see Num_13:33). Do you feel as if there’s a giant facing youa financial, vocational, relational problem looming large before you? Take your eyes off your limitations and put them on the One who is limitless, for your problems are but grasshoppers compared to the One who spans the universe between His little finger and His thumb (Isa_48:13). Abraham Did Not Lower His Expectations He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith.Rom_4:20 (a) “Abram,” the original name given to Abraham, means “Exalted Father.” Thus, for the first one hundred years of his life, Abraham must have had his fill of taunts like, “Hey, Exalted Father, how many kids do you have?” But it got worse when, at one hundred years of age, the Lord told Abram he was to change his name to Abraham, or, “Father of Many Nations.” Yet he didn’t stagger. He didn’t say, “I refuse to go by that name. Call me Father Wannabe.” No, he said, “Call me Father of Many Nations. It’s going to happen.” Abraham Gave God Adulation …giving glory to God…Rom_4:20 (b) Here’s a real key to faith: I find that faith comes and fear flees when I give God glory. I can be struggling when I go into the sanctuary, or when I head up to the mountaintop. But when I start worshiping, my faith begins to grow. That is why worship is so important. Not only does it bless the Fatherit feeds our faith. When Jesus arrived at Jairus’ house, mourners met him outside, saying, “Don’t bother going in. The girl is dead.” “She’s not dead,” Jesus said. “She’s sleeping"a reply that caused the mourners to “laugh Him to scorn” (see Luk_8:53). What did Jesus do? Luk_8:54 records that before He healed Jairus’ daughter, He dismissed the mockers. I love this story because it helps me understand a very real principle with regard to faith. You see, whenever the Lord gives you a promise in the Word, there will be those who laugh, saying, “You can’t claim that promise. You don’t understand it contextually. You don’t have the proper background linguistically. You just don’t get it theologically.” And what are you to do at that point? Do what Jesus did. Get rid of the mockers. How? Do what Abraham did. Start exalting, extolling, and praising the Lordand the mockers will leave. Abraham Handed God the Situation And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.Rom_4:21 Abraham knew that if God promised, it was up to Him to fulfill His promise. So often I try to figure out how He’s going to do it. “Okay, God, how is it going to happen?” I ask. Not Abraham. He was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He would perform. “Good for Abraham,” you say. “I’m glad Paul used him as an illustration of faith, and that we sing songs in Sunday school about his faith. But I’m not Abraham. I falter frequently, stagger easily, and fail constantly.” Wait a minute. Abraham failed, too. When God gave him the promise initially that he would have a son, Sarah’s response was “You’ve got to be kidding, Abe. I’m seventy-sixand barren on top of that! God must have meant for you to have relations with my handmaiden, Hagar, and call the child from that union ours.” Abraham agreedand the Jews in the Middle East are paying the price of his faltering faith to this day. Why, then, did Paul commend Abraham’s faith? Check this out, Bible students: Although the Old Testament tells it like it is, including flaws and failures, the New Testament never once mentions any shortcoming of any Old Testament saint. Why? Because the blood of the Son causes the heart of the Father to forget the sins of the saints. Therefore, instead of concentrating on Abraham’s failures, Paul commends Abraham’s faith. “But Abraham’s faith, flawed as it may have been, is monumental compared to mine,” you say. Wait a minute. On the basis of Rom_4:23-25, if you even believe God raised Jesus from the dead, your faith is every bit as incredible as was Abraham’s. You see, the world doesn’t believe in the Resurrection. When Paul addressed the thinkers and scholars on Mars Hill, they listened to himuntil he brought up the Resurrection, at which point they laughed at him (Act_17:32). Now, if you’re a believer, your faith and salvation are based upon the Resurrection. You didn’t see it visually. You haven’t touched Jesus physically. You haven’t heard His voice audiblybut somehow you believe. And, even though our culture mocks it, science disputes it, people doubt itbecause God has graced you with faith to believe what the world doesn’t understandanything else you’re struggling with is a piece of cake. It is nothing to believe in victory over whatever giant is before you, whatever pressure is upon you compared to believing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Jumbo was the biggest elephant in captivity. So powerful was he that he could uproot a full-grown tree. Yet when Jumbo traveled with P. T. Barnum’s circus, he was secured with nothing more than a twelve-inch stake. Why? Because when he was first captured as a baby, he was unable to pull free from the twelve-inch stake that held him captive. Thus, he grew up accepting the fact that he would never be able to remove the stake. He bought into the lie that he didn’t have the strength to pull out the stake. The same is true of you and me. Nothing remaining will demand more faith than believing that Jesus is God, that He died for our sins, and that He rose again. We’re Jumbo. We’ve already accomplished the incredible. Yet we remain tied to twelve-inch stakes when we’ve already shown we are capable of uprooting trees. “How will I make this payment?” “When will I get my house?” “What will I do if I lose my job?” are all twelve-inch stakes compared to the redwood of unbelief we’ve already uprooted. Suppose you ran the Boston Marathon, and a week later, I asked you to jog out to the mailbox a couple hundred yards away to get the mail, and you said, “I can’t. I’d like tobut I can’t. I’m so out of shape. I just can’t run that far.” I would say, “You ran the Boston Marathonbut you can’t jog to the mailbox? What’s wrong with you?” And I think that’s what the Lord lovingly says to us. “What’s wrong with you? You have exercised faith like Abraham, the father of all faith. You’ve already exercised faith of astounding proportion because you have believed that I died for your sin and rose again. So how can you be worried about the phone bill?” Gang, you are men and women of magnificent faith, following in the footsteps of Abraham. Now use the faith that caused you to embrace the Resurrection to also believe God is going to take care of your present situation. Give Him the glory. Leave it in His hands. Be free. You’re Jumbo. Go get ’em!

Romans 4:25

Not only did Jesus die for our sins to redeem us, but He was raised from the dead to justify us and to be an Advocate for us. As our Advocate, our defense attorney, Jesus lives to make intercession for us continually (Heb_7:25). Satan, on the other hand, condemns us not only in our hearts day and night, but before the very throne of God (Revelations Rev_12:10), saying, “Look at those people down there. They’re hypocritical, weak, and faltering.” But the moment he hisses these accusations, Jesus is literally there, saying, “Depart, Satan. They’re washed in My blood and robed in My righteousness.” And the Father says, “Case dismissed for lack of evidence,” as He casts our sins into the depths of the sea (see Mic_7:19). Why did Micah say God cast our sins into the depths of the sea? Because, as a people, the Jews were terrified of the ocean. Therefore, the Lord put their sins in the last place a Jew would have gone looking for them. To our culture, He would say, “I have cast your sin into the bottom of a toxic waste dump. Your sins are not only forgotten by Me, but I’m putting them in a place where there’s no danger of anybody looking at, digging up, or talking about them. On the basis of the finished work of Calvary, every sin you’ve ever committed, are committing, or will commit is forgiven, forgotten, and out of sight.” That’s forgiveness. That’s justification. That’s Good News!