{"id":131,"date":"2012-02-12T18:55:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-12T17:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=131"},"modified":"2012-02-12T18:55:00","modified_gmt":"2012-02-12T17:55:00","slug":"saved-by-faith-alone-romans-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=131","title":{"rendered":"Saved by faith alone – Romans 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

God\u2019s plan of salvation
\n21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. (Romans 3:21-25 NIV)
\nFor us to understand these verses properly I want to spell out the meaning of a few vitally important words. Righteousness. Sin. Justification. Redemption. Sacrifice of atonement.
\nRighteousness \u2013 how can we be right with God?
\n21 But now God\u2019s way of putting people right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it. 22God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. (Good News Bible)
\nBy nature we are not right with God \u2013 we are separated from God. By themselves human beings can never become righteous. But Paul talks here about a righteousness from God. It is not a righteousness which anybody can earn or deserve. It does not come by obeying the Jewish Law or any other set of rules. It is not something anybody can achieve by human effort. This righteousness before God, a right relationship with God, is God\u2019s gift to all who put their trust in Jesus Christ.
\nThe reason we are not righteous, and could never become righteous, is what we have looked at in previous weeks. The problem of sin.
\nHumanity\u2019s problem \u2013 sin
\nRomans 3:10 As it is written: \u201cThere is no-one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.\u201d
\n23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (NIV)
\nSin brings on God\u2019s anger and leads to God\u2019s judgment. Sin deserves to be punished! Sin separates us from God \u2013 spiritual death and sin also leads to physical death. How much can I get away with and still get into heaven? Absolutely nothing!
\nGod\u2019s solution – justification
\n24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (NIV)
\n24But by the free gift of God\u2019s grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. (Good News Bible)
\nThe English word the New International Version uses for this process of being made righteous is Justification. It simply means \u201cbeing made just\u201d or being made righteous. When we are justified God makes it \u201cjust as if I’d\u201d never sinned. All are sinners. Everybody faces God’s judgment. But those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are declared righteous by God. Their sins are wiped away.
\nSo here is the good news! God brings us into a right relationship with Himself. And He does so by his grace. It is a free gift we can never earn or deserve. GRACE – God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. That is the \u201credemption which came by Christ Jesus,\u201d the freedom which Jesus has provided for us.
\nAnd God sets us free Through Christ\u2019s death on the cross
\n25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. (NIV)
\n25 God sent him to die in our place to take away our sins. We receive forgiveness through faith in the blood of Jesus\u2019 death. (New Century Version)
\n25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. (New Living Translation.)
\nJesus\u2019s death was a sacrifice of atonement. Atonement could be rewritten \u201cat one ment\u201d. Jesus\u2019s death brings us back to God and makes us one with God again. All we need to do, indeed all we CAN do, is receive by faith what Christ\u2019s death in our place has bought for us.
\n25 We receive forgiveness through faith in the blood of Jesus\u2019 death. (New Century Version)
\n25 People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. (New Living Translation.)
\nIt\u2019s all about faith, as Paul said from the beginning of this letter to the Romans.
\n16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: \u201cThe righteous will live by faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salvation is for those who believe. It is the gift of righteousness received by faith, because \u201cthe righteous will live by faith.
\nWe are saved by faith \u2013 but what does this saving faith mean? If we want to understand how being saved by faith works out, Paul says in Romans 4, we need to look at the life of Abraham.<\/p>\n

Saved by faith, not by works
\n4\tWhat then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about\u2014but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? \u201cAbraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.\u201d<\/p>\n

NOT saved by a life of good deeds, earning heavenly brownie points. We can NEVER be good enough for God.
\n4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
\nSalvation is NEVER by good works. It can never be earned or deserved, only gratefully received. It is all the gift of God\u2019s grace, God\u2019s Riches At Christ\u2019s Expense.
\n 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
\n7\t\u201cBlessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
\n8\tBlessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saved by faith, not by rituals
\n9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham\u2019s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. <\/p>\n

The Jews of Jesus\u2019s time were making a big mistake. They were thinking that God would love them and forgive their sins just because they were Abraham\u2019s descendants and had gone through the ritual of circumcision. But Paul is saying that circumcision was a sign of the gift of righteousness which FOLLOWED AFTER Abraham\u2019s faith, and did not COME BEFORE his faith.
\nIn the same way Christian rituals are only outward signs of an inward reality, which FOLLOW faith and certainly do not replace it. We are saved by FAITH, not by an act of thanksgiving and dedication of a child, not by believer\u2019s baptism, not by confirmation or church membership. We are saved by FAITH alone.<\/p>\n

Saved by faith, not by obeying the law
\nRomans 3: 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
\nRomans 4: 13 It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15 because law brings wrath. <\/p>\n

We are saved by faith, not by obeying rules, not by obeying the Jewish Law, not by obeying the 10 commandments. We live according to God\u2019s rules, not to earn our salvation but to express our gratitude for all God has done for us! Nobody can be saved by keeping the rules because nobody lives up to God\u2019s perfect standards. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is none who is righteous, no not one!
\n\u201cGod our Father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.\u201d Martin Luther
\nSo what does it mean to have saving faith?
\nSaving faith is believing God for the impossible!
\n16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham\u2019s offspring\u2014not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: \u201cI have made you a father of many nations.\u201d He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed\u2014the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
\n18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, \u201cSo shall your offspring be.\u201d 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead\u2014since he was about a hundred years old\u2014and that Sarah\u2019s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why \u201cit was credited to him as righteousness.\u201d <\/p>\n

The example of faith which Paul points to is Abraham and Sarah trusting God for the conception and birth of their son and heir, Isaac. Despite both being so old and Sarah unable to have children, they believed God\u2019s promise and so Abraham did indeed become the father of many nations with the miraculous birth of Isaac. In the same way we Christians put our trust in God\u2019s promises, and rely on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to bring us forgiveness and eternal life.
\n22 This is why \u201cit was credited to him as righteousness.\u201d 23 The words \u201cit was credited to him\u201d were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness\u2014for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. <\/p>\n

So let us be clear what saving faith is like. The great reformation theologian John Calvin said,
\nWe are saved by faith alone \u2013 but saving faith is never alone
\nFaith is not just having the right intellectual answers to theological questions. As the life of Abraham shows us, faith is expressed in actions. Abraham\u2019s obedience at the age of 80 in leaving his home in Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land God promised him. Abraham\u2019s faith in trusting God for an heir. His obedience in being prepared even to sacrifice that heir Isaac on Mount Moriah if God had commanded it.
\nJames 2: 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, \u201cAbraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,\u201d and he was called God\u2019s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
\n\u201cThroughout Abraham\u2019s life God was continually giving new glimpses into His own glorious nature. With every temptation, call to obedience, or demand for sacrifice, a new and deeper revelation was entwined. This fed his faith, and gave it unstaggering strength.\u201d
\nFaith is much more than intellectual assent. It is practical obedience \u2013 stepping out into the unknown and trusting that God will keep His promises.
\nCorrie Ten Boom \u201cFORSAKING ALL I TAKE HIM\u201d
\nPBT: \u201cFACTS lead to ACTIONS when I TRUST in my HEART\u201d
\nWe don\u2019t just need ORTHODOXY \u2013 right thinking. We also need ORTHOPRAXIS \u2013 right living! When we look for somebody to respond to the gospel we are not just listening for what they say they believe, but also looking to see that they live out their faith in practice.
\nJames 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
\nJames 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, \u201cGo, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,\u201d but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
\n18 But someone will say, \u201cYou have faith; I have deeds.\u201d
\nShow me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. <\/p>\n

True faith will ALWAYS express itself in actions! <\/p>\n

“Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone. It is always accompanied by great sacrifices for Christ\u2019s sake.” –Richard Wurmbrand.
\nSo we are saved by our faith. NOT by good works. Not by observing rituals. NOT by obeying commandments, but by stepping out and trusting God for the impossible. One final story, suitable for these snowy days.
\nWhen a traveller in the early days of the wild west, came to the Mississippi river, he discovered there was no bridge. Fortunately it was winter and the great river was sheeted over with ice. But the traveller was afraid to trust himself to it, not knowing how thick it was. Finally with infinite caution, he crept on his hands and knees and managed to get halfway over. And then he heard a remarkable noise from behind him. Cautiously he turned, and there, out of the dusk, came another traveller, driving a coach and four horses with a great load of coal over the ice, singing as he went!
\nWe are saved by faith alone \u2013 but saving faith is never alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

God\u2019s plan of salvation 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}