The Story of God’s Explosive Grace

The Book of Romans is the core of the New Testament, and Romans is the core of the core of Romans. This passage challenges conventional religion and declares that salvation is through faith in Christ and not through works.

Paul offers Abraham as proof that salvation has always been based on faith and never works in Romans

When someone reads the Old Testament, they may walk away believing that God loved and cared for the Jew and the heck with everyone else. This study dismisses that falsehood completely. Romans 4 unequivocally shows that we who are non-Jews also are children of Abraham and heirs to the promises made to him.

The error of every major religion including Judaism (Romans 3.28), is the belief that the pathway to heaven is always by keeping the law for Jews or doing good works for Gentiles (Ephesians 2.8). How does one prove from the Old Testament that this is erroneous teaching?

Paul appeals to father Abraham as his proof of justification by faith. In fact, this topic is of such importance that Paul takes the entire chapter 4 of Romans to prove it. What is Paul’s point? That Abraham was declared righteous by faith and not by works, and as a result, that we are spiritual children to Abraham.

Some review of God’s call of Abram to be the father of many nations

 After the Noah’s flood, his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth become the lineage of all mankind.  In Shem’s lineage was born Terah, the father of Abram (renamed Abraham in Genesis 17.5), born 2165 B.C. in Ur of the Chaldeans in modern day Iraq – Genesis  Abram brings other family members and relocates to Haran (modern day Turkey) where Terah later dies.  God then has Abram and his family move into Canaan (Acts 7.4).

12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

1. Become a great nation Fulfilled: Becomes the father of the Jews 2. Personal blessings Fulfilled: Spiritual and material wealth 3. Great name : No other man has a greater name than Abraham in all of history Fulfilled: Over 50% of the world’s population recognize Abraham as the father to their religion

Father to Jews through Isaac (.023% of world’s population) Father to Arabs / Muslims through Ishmael (20.28% of world’s population) Father to Christians spiritually through faith (33.06% of world’s population)

4. Abraham would be a blessing Fulfilled: The Messiah and Bible through his descendants 5. Blessings to those who bless you Fulfilled: Example America 6. Curses to those who curse you Fulfilled: Example Nazi Germany 7. All families of the world through Abraham would be blessed Fulfilled: Salvation through Christ

 Abram means noble father  Abraham means father of a multitude  Sarai means princess  Sarah means mother of nations

Paul’s case that faith and not works has always been the means by which God accepts sinners

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Two conclusions can then be drawn from Genesis 15.6: 4. There is no evidence then that doing good works earned Abraham this declared righteousness. Rather it was through faith. 5. Therefore, since the righteous declaration was not by works, then it must be concluded that it was given as a non-deserved gift.

6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. 8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”

Paul selects another Old Testament example that is so repugnant to one’s sensibilities, that only a God full of compassion and mercy could forgive.

Paul now introduces a second case from Scripture to prove that being made right before God is independent of one’s works. 6. After David had taken Bathsheba in an adulterous encounter and then had Uriah murdered to cover up her pregnancy, David’s repentance is shown Psalm The forgiveness that he receives is independent of working his sin off. 8. Forgiveness is a key component of justification.

9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.

Paul is now ready to discuss justification by faith for the Gentiles. 9. Paul leads with a question as to the timing of Abraham’s “credited righteousness.” 10. The short answer is that Abraham was uncircumcised at the time of Genesis The sign of circumcision is some twenty-nine years later in Genesis 17. Paul declares then that the sign of circumcision was not the sign of the Mosaic covenant, but the sign of justification through faith for Gentiles. 12. And for Jews also who follow in the steps of faith in God as Abraham did before he was ever circumcised.

13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.

When God chose Abraham to be the father the Jews, He gave Abraham promises pertaining to this new religious people group that would be called Israel. A summary of the major aspects of the promises made were: 1. Jews would become a great nation – Genesis The physical land of Israel would belong to the Jews – Genesis The Jewish race would be the conduit of salvation through Christ for the world – Galatians 3.8, Genesis 12.3, 18.18, 26.4, The question at hand is whether these promises stated were based on Israel following the Law or by faith.

13. The promises made to Abraham were not based on keeping the Mosaic Law. That Law did not even come for another 430 years. The promise was based on the faith based righteousness of Genesis A cannot be non-A. If salvation is through keeping the Law, it then follows that Genesis 15.6 is false. You can’t have it both ways. 15. The more one attempts to follow the Law, the more of a failure he becomes and consequentially more judgment he incurs. If God had never given the Jews the ceremonial law, they would have had less sin to commit. (I don’t believe this refers to moral laws).

Having said all this, it begs the question, “Then why would God have ever given His people 613 impossible Laws to live perfectly? The Law sounds more like a curse than a blessing. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. Galatians 3

16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. 18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

16. If rightness with God is by the Law, then the Jews are covered (at least theoretically), but the Gentiles are left under God’s judgment with no way out. But faith and grace covers all of Abraham’s children, both Jew and Gentile. 17. The Jews must be reminded that Abraham’s children extends to the Gentiles also. 18. When the thought of old Sarah and Abraham having a son seemed so bleak, Abraham never stopped believing God that it would happen.

19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; 20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 22 Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.

There could have been many life circumstances whereby Abraham trusted God and had been declared righteous. But the one thing that Abraham trusts God for comes full circle and touches your own salvation. The son which Abraham trusts God for is Isaac. He becomes the starting lineage after Abraham of the Messiah who is the lamb of God and makes justification by faith possible.

19. When the physical evidence did not indicate that what God had promised could possibly transpired, Abraham kept on believing. 20. Rather than his faith growing weaker, the opposite occurred, it became stronger. God was glorified by Abraham’s faith as He is with all Gentiles or Jews who have true faith in His promises. 21. Abraham knew if God promised it, He could make it happen. 22. And that is why God credits Abraham righteous.

23 Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

Paul in the final three verses concludes with some powerful comments about why the Genesis account of Abraham was written. 23. It might seem natural that what was recorded in Genesis 15.6 was really just about Abraham. 24. But one would be dead wrong, it was for all people, both Jew and Gentile. To let us know that the means to right standing before God is identical to Abraham’s experience of faith. 25. We now not only have the means of salvation being faith, but also the basis, the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.