1. Grace and the steps of faith romans 4

2. 2 “In truth I know that this is so; But how can a man be in the right before God? 3 “If one wished to dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.” Job 9:2–3 A Desperate Question

3. 30 “If I should wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye, 31 Yet You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would abhor me. 32 “For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go to court together.” 33 “There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both.” Job 9:30–33 A Desperate Question

4. Debt or Grace? Works in romans 4 Any activity? ✦ “Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness” ✦ Deals with God’s promise to provide an heir ✦ Spoken after 10 years of obedient activity

5. Debt or Grace? Works in romans 4 “works of the Law” ✦ Those who “transgressed the law” stood condemned (2:17- 29) ✦ “by the works of the law no flesh will be justified” (3:20) ✦ This does not exclude the need for obedience (2:5-11)

6. Debt or Grace? demonstrating faith and appealing to grace ✦ Abraham trusted in God’s promise concerning Isaac ✦ Abraham trusted in God’s promise to bless his descendants ✦ Abraham “looked for a city”

7. The Gentile and Justification The Father of the Faithful ✦ The Jews felt they alone were children of Abraham ✦ They saw circumcision as their connection to Abraham ✦ Paul says this cannot be as Abraham was righteous prior to circumcision 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; Romans 4:9–10

8. The Gentile and Justification The Father of the Faithful ✦ Why then was he circumcised ✦ Circumcision was Abraham’s response of obedient faith ✦ Abraham is the father of all those who follow his example of obedient faith 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. Romans 4:11–12

9. The Gentile and Justification Does this invalidate God’s promise? ✦ The promise was made to an uncircumcised Abraham ✦ The promise was not through the law, but through faith ✦ Had the promise been through the Law it would not have been grace 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. Romans 4:13

10. The Gentile and Justification Steps of Faith of our Father Abraham ✦ Believed in the One who “gives life to the dead...” ✦ Recognized the futility in self- reliance ✦ His obedient faith was credited to him as righteousness 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, Romans 4:23–24