Romans 4:1-25 God’s Acceptable Transferred Righteousness Illustrated by Abraham

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.
•  Loving God so intensely that you put your life in danger defending God’s honor
•  They provoked the LORD with their deeds, and a plague broke out against them. But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped. It was credited to him as righteousness throughout all generations to come. (Psa 106:29-31 HCSB)
•  Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:6 HCSB)
•  Paul does not contradict Jam 2:21, Paul and James are using the terms “works, faith, and justification” very differently.

 

Romans 1:1-17: The book of Romans

 

Romans 1:1-17

I.                  Author of the book of Romans: The Apostle Paul (Saul of Tarsus)

II.                The original audience: the Church (people) in the city of Rome

A.     The church was founded by people who had been reached by Paul

B.     The church was made up of converted Gentiles, converted Jewish proselytes who were born Gentiles, and full Jews who were converted to Christianity

III.              The book of Romans was written to instruct the believers at Rome who had not been discipled by the Apostle Paul

A.     He is preparing them for a possible visit

B.     He is presenting the basic system of salvation to a church that had not yet been taught by an Apostle of Christ

C.     He is explaining the relationship between Jew and Gentile in God’s plan of redemption and especially in the new covenant administration

IV.              Romans was probably written from Corinth during Paul’s third missionary journey in AD 57-58

V.                The book’s theme: The righteousness of God revealed and applied to sinners

A.     The universal unrighteousness of humans

B.     The gracious righteousness of God and His plan of salvation

C.     The application of God’s just righteousness to believers

D.     How humans get a right standing with God

VI.              Theme of Romans chapter 1: The gospel of grace for unrighteous sinners

A.     Introduction to Romans and the gospel of grace Rom 1:1-17

B.     The gospel of grace saves humans and sets them apart for kingdom service vs. 1

                                                                             i.      Slave, Lordship, called to be an Apostle of Christ (only 13)

                                                                           ii.      Set apart to share the gospel

C.     The gospel of grace that saves was declared in the Old Testament vs. 2

                                                                             i.      Promised beforehand

                                                                           ii.      Revealed in the Prophets (All Old Testament writers)

                                                                          iii.      The Scriptures are holy, without spot, blemish, or error

D.     The gospel of grace is centered on God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah vs. 3-4

                                                                             i.      Seed of David, humanity, Jewish, Abraham, Messianic covenant

                                                                           ii.      God’s Son, fully divine, co-eternal, co-equal, 2 natures, the God-Man

                                                                          iii.      Sender of the Holy Spirit, resurrected from the dead

                                                                          iv.      Centered on Yeshu’a the Messiah, the LORD

E.      The gospel of grace will radically change your city vs. 5-7

                                                                             i.      The obedience it produces is the fruit of faith and repentance

                                                                           ii.      It includes the Gentiles in the new covenant for Jesus’ glory

                                                                          iii.      Called to salvation in Yeshu’a the Messiah through faith

F.      The gospel of grace must be nurtured in the true believer’s life vs. 8-13

                                                                             i.      Radical converts shake up the world with their lives

                                                                           ii.      Radical converts shake up the world with their words – the gospel

                                                                          iii.      Praying by believers for believers is necessary for all

                                                                          iv.      The need for fellowship and edification is included in the prayers

                                                                           v.      Apostolic sign gifts were given by the Apostles’ own will during the writing of the New Testament to authenticate the men and the message

                                                                          vi.      Mutual edification and encouragement are vital to the Christian life   (Jesus started with 3, 12, 120, 3,000, see The Man-code)

                                                                        vii.      Fellowship involves planning, traveling, effort, and results in fruit

G.     The gospel of grace must be brought to all the ethnic groups vs. 14-15

                                                                             i.      It is the believer’s duty to spread the gospel to all by giving, praying, sending, and going

                                                                           ii.      The message to be preached includes the gospel (Creation, Rule, Grace, Man, God, Christ, Repentance, Faith, Surrender)

                                                                          iii.      Local evangelism and foreign missions is the obligation of all believers and all churches

H.     The gospel of grace powerfully saves sinners who truly believe vs. 16

                                                                             i.      The world rejects the gospel, but we are not to be ashamed of this message that is foolish and without signs

                                                                           ii.      The Jews were to receive the message first in God’s plan of redemption

                                                                          iii.      The Gentiles also get to hear the message after the Jews hear it first

                                                                          iv.      Everyone who believes is delivered from sin’s bondage by God’s power

                                                                           v.      It is not a person’s own strength, but the power of God that saves a  sinner

                                                                          vi.      The gospel has power in itself and when applied by the Holy Spirit; it is power upon power

I.       The gospel of grace is the message of God’s righteousness by faith apart from works vs. 17

                                                                             i.      The righteousness, holiness, and justice of God are revealed in the gospel message

                                                                           ii.      Man receives righteousness by faith and faith alone, from start to finish

                                                                          iii.      Deliverance from sin and the Christian life begin and continue by faith

                                                                          iv.      No one is saved by self-righteousness or good works, but by an alien imputed righteousness apart from rituals, ceremonies, or deeds