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Transferred Righteousness
Book theme:
The righteousness of God revealed and applied to sinners
Chapter
theme: Acceptable righteousness before God does not come by human works but is
transferred to the account of the person who believes the powerful gospel of
the Messiah Jesus
Paul has
been saying that Jewish ceremonial rituals do not save sinners or remove their
unrighteous standing before God’s courtroom. The first question that Paul then
expects from the Jews is: If only faith counts before God and not human works,
especially circumcision, then how was Abraham saved? Was Abraham delivered from
the wrath of God to come by faith or by works? Remember, Paul, Abraham was the
first Jew circumcised in obedience to God.
I.
Abraham was justified by faith and not by works, so he
cannot boast vs. 1-3
A. If Abraham was
declared righteous in God’s court by works, then all the glory and praise would
go to Abraham for his salvation, not God vs. 1-2
1) He earned it; therefore,
give him the credit
2) Abraham could
brag that he did enough works to get into heaven
3) Those who were
not saved just were not good enough at working
B. Abraham believed
God’s promises, and righteousness was transferred to him
1) Righteousness
was transferred to Abraham’s account. vs. 3 (Gen 15:6)
2) Abraham received
this credit righteousness after he believed God
C. Abraham did not
receive credit for faith or for works. God did not owe Abraham payment for
either. He received salvation through grace after believing vs. 4
D. Abraham was
declared righteous through faith and not through works. vs. 5
1) Righteousness is
transferred to the believer’s account, and then God declares that sinner
righteous in His courtroom
2) The Old
Testament emphasizes faith, love for God, and loyalty above all ceremonial
practices. Paul is being true to the Hebrew Bible
E. David also
taught that to be blessed by God included receiving alien righteousness on one’s
account vs. 6-8 (Psa 32:1-2)
1) The sinner’s
sins are forgiven, wiped away as if they did not exist
2) The sinner’s
sins are pardoned (covered over, hidden)
3) God will never
consider these sins as chargeable by death again at any time or any place once
the dual crediting occurs—the believer’s sin to the Messiah, the Messiah’s
righteousness to the sinner
4) A true believer
will have their life evaluated, and their works considered at the bema seat of
Christ, but they cannot be disqualified for heaven once this transfer of credit
happens and they are given everlasting life
II.
Abraham was circumcised. Is not circumcision necessary
for salvation? vs.
9-12
A. The case of
Abraham is cited as an illustration and proof of the gospel method of
justification by faith apart from works, including worship rituals
B. No ritual or
duty is necessary for deliverance from sin’s power and penalty (salvation), nor
is it a ritual part of salvation in any way
1) Neither
circumcision nor baptism gets our sins forgiven or Jesus’ righteousness
transferred to our account
2) Neither does the
Lord’s Supper, sacraments or ordinances of the church, church membership, or
going forward result in our justification before God
3) {Q} Paul, does
salvation come to the circumcised or uncircumcised? Is it for the keepers of
the whole ceremonial and purity laws or those who do not keep them?
4) {A} Salvation,
which requires the free gift of a transfer of righteousness to a sinner, is by
faith only (vs. works) and by grace only (vs. merit). Sinners are justified
after they believe because of God’s free love and awesome mercy
5) {Q} Was Abraham
acquitted by God before his circumcision or after?
6) {A} Abraham’s
faith and justification came years before his circumcision. He practiced believers’
circumcision, and it was a testimony to the faith he already possessed
7) God as judge
declares believers not guilty of the crimes charged against them and has
recorded the righteous works of His Son under their name with the clerk of
heaven’s court
8) Abraham is the
father of the faith-line and the bloodline. You can have both, but only one is
needed to get to heaven---the faith-line
III.
What was the condition of the promise to Abraham that
his descendants would inherit the world? vs. 13-17
A. To enter into an
intimate covenant relationship with God by believing God’s words
B. Love for God and
covenant loyalty produce good works, but these works do not bring or maintain
salvation. Works are a testimony to all that salvation has occurred; they result
from salvation, not the cause of it in every era
C. Promise, faith,
inheritance, and grace would be useless if a man was saved by the ceremonial
law, works, earned his compensation and personal merit
D. The law does not
produce faith; it sets the standard for just punishment
IV.
The example of Abraham’s faith vs. 18-25
A. The difficulty
of believing this promise considering the circumstances vs. 17
1) He received the
promise when he was 100 years old
2) He saw he was
most likely sterile before he reached old age; now it was very likely
3) He saw Sarah was
barren and had now gone through menopause, where it was physically impossible
to conceive children
B. The
determination of Abraham’s faith despite the circumstances vs. 18-21
1) He believed in
the future certainty of something that was hopeless without supernatural
intervention
2) He did not give
up after he made the mistake of trying to help God out with Hagar, and God said
that Sarah would have the son of promise
3) Abraham was
fully convinced, as a conviction, a core belief that God could do right now
what He promised in the past, so he kept on trusting
4) Even after his
mistake and discouragement, he did not allow his heart to be filled with
unbelief
5) His faith led
him to consistently, but not perfectly, live for the glory of God, and as an
active worshiper, to ascribe worship to God. We are saved to worship the Triune
God of the Bible
V.
The results of Abraham’s faith vs. 22-25
A. Abraham’s belief
resulted in God’s gracious declaration of his righteous
B. Abraham’s belief
resulted in the transfer of the Messiah to comes righteousness to Abraham’s
final destiny account in God’s courtroom records
C. God kept His promise,
and Abraham became the father of many nations Gen. 12
D. Abraham became
an example for all who are saved by grace through faith (for our sake, the
results of faith are an example to us)
E. New covenant
faith is in the person and work of Jesus the Messiah vs. 24-25
Here is the powerful
gospel that includes the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. His death,
burial, resurrection, and his Lordship must be believed. Jesus was killed for
our rebellious deeds, and as our substitute, even His resurrection assured our
justification
The resurrection of Jesus the Messiah demonstrated the fact that God the Father accepted Jesus’ sacrificial death as the full payment for the believer’s sin and thus shows that those who trust in Jesus are declared righteous in God’s courtroom and court record
- The Hebrew Bible already taught transferred righteousness.
