Romans 4: 1 - 12

1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? ² If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. ³ What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶ David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁷ ‘Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
⁸ Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.’

⁹ Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s 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 circumcision as a sign, 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 then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Credited to Him as Righteousness.

In Genesis 15 God made a covenant with Abram (as he was then called). God promised Abram that he would be the father of a great nation. God told him to try and count the stars – and that his offspring would uncountable, like the stars in the sky. And in verse 6 of that chapter it says, ‘Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.’ (Not an easy verse to read out loud!).

It is this verse in Genesis 15 that Paul is referring to here in our reading in Romans 4: 3. He is using it to illustrate the point that we saw in yesterday’s reading, namely that the righteousness of God is a gift to us through faith rather than through works. Why did the Lord credit Abram with righteousness? Because he believed God. It wasn’t because he had been circumcised (he hadn’t yet – that Jewish regulation had not yet been given), nor that he obeyed the Law of Moses (which was given to the people 430 years later!)

To further reinforce his point, Paul quotes the words of David from Psalm 32:  ‘Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.’

When Jesus died on the cross he carried all the sin and selfishness of all people. He bridged the gap between God and mankind. God is perfect and holy and completely without sin; whereas human beings are flawed, imperfect, and sinners. Jesus was the bridge because he was the Son of God – and more than that he was God the Son. That means he is God. We believe in the Trinity, which means that God is One, existing in three co-equal persons in perfect community: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So when Jesus came to earth he was God and Man – but he wasn’t ‘half and half’, like a ‘demi-god’ in Greek mythology. No, Jesus was fully God and fully man – difficult though it is for us to fully grasp how that worked. But because Jesus was the perfect, sinless, God / man, only he could die to take away the sins of mankind. Only Jesus could make that bridge between the perfection of God and the imperfection of humankind. If you and I are followers of Jesus – we have accepted his gift of forgiveness on the cross and invited him to be our Saviour, then our transgressions are forgiven, and our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. Thus, according to David in Psalm 32, and quoted here in Romans 4: 7, we are truly blessed! And further, in verse 8, ‘Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.’ Yes, the Lord will never count my sin against me because Jesus has taken my sin upon himself. When God looks at me, he does not see my imperfection and sin – rather he sees the perfection and glory of Jesus! And the same is true for you. No wonder we are called ‘blessed’!

 

Prayer

Lord, we thank you that we don’t have to earn your forgiveness or your righteousness. It would be impossible anyway, even if we tried! We praise you that we are blessed with forgivness and salvation in Christ by your grace alone, through faith. Amen.