Romans 4:15

For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.  Romans 4:15 ESV

In verse 14, Paul had explained that if salvation were based on us upholding, or adhering to a law or command from God, then faith is null and void. What then, is the purpose of the law, if we are unable to gain salvation by obeying it? In order to understand clearly the purpose of the law, we will take a look at some of Paul's previous comments, and how they give us insight into verse 15 of Chapter 4.


For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. Romans 3:31

For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. Romans 4:15

Paul spends a lot more time explaining the law, it's purpose, it's importance, and many more aspects in his writings. I think, though, that these three verses, two of which we have already covered in this study, will allow us to understand what God was revealing to us about His laws and commands.

First, I think it is important that we realize what the law does. Verse 20 of Chapter 3 tells us that through the law comes knowledge of sin. Verse 15 in Chapter 4 echoes that by saying that if there were no law, there would be no transgression, or violation of the law.

Through His laws and commands - both Old Testament and New, God has revealed to us His character, even writing it on our hearts:

They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them  Romans 2:15

By revealing who He is, God has revealed to us our inability to be perfectly like Him - which is so important for us to grasp. In 1 John 5:17, we read that all unrighteousness or wrongdoing is sin. From the slightest thought to the biggest action, anything that is not perfect according to God's character, as revealed through His laws and commands, is sinful.

We can see, clearly, that we are in a desperate situation since God cannot and will not tolerate any sin in His presence - ever.

Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.   Isa 59:1,2

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.  Psalm 5:4-6

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9,10

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.  Rev. 21:27

We can see from these passages that the Bible is very clear that God will never tolerate sin in His presence. For Him to do so, He would have to cease being perfect, and, as a result, cease being God.

When we realize that, by revealing His perfect character through His laws and commands God has revealed our sinfulness, we can understand what Paul means when he says that the law brings knowledge of sin, and the law brings wrath. If God didn't reveal the requirement (perfection) to be in His presence, we would never know what we were guilty of.

This is why Paul says the law is not overthrown by the preaching of the gospel, which says salvation comes by faith alone - NOT by works of the law...because the law was never meant to provide a means for salvation.

The purpose of the law was ALWAYS meant to reveal our inability to perfectly live up to God's character, and in turn reveals our desperate need for a Savior. 

This initial, and true purpose of the law still stands, and is not affected by the truth that we are saved apart from the law.

In summary, the Bible tells us that the law reveals to us what is sin by revealing what is not sin - which is God's character. Through His laws and commands, God has allowed us to know what does and doesn't glorify Him. When we take a look at what these laws and commands are, in light of how they reveal God's character, we should immediately see that we could never keep these perfectly - especially the greatest commandment, love God with all of your being. By revealing our inabilities to us, the law has given us knowledge of our sinfulness, and at the same time condemned us for our sin.

This is the purpose of the law. 

Thankfully, our God steps in and displays His love through a gospel that says if you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, meaning reliance on Him alone for salvation, if you believe in Him - which is revealed through your following, submitting, and trusting Him, then you are saved from the condemnation that is your just penalty for your transgressions.

We are then covered in the perfect righteousness of Christ, which allows us to be in the presence of God through a restored relationship today, and in His actual presence when we are transferred from this life to the next someday! God no longer sees our sin, but His Son's perfect righteousness...Hallelujah! 

Father, thank You so much for Your Son taking our place, knowing that we would never be able to satisify perfectly your commands, that we would never be able to measure up to You, and would never be able to enjoy the amazing blessing of being in Your presence...yet you had compassion on us. You truly are the definition of perfect, selfless love! Help us to display this love to those around us, that we might be a light for You! 

Romans 4:14

For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. Romans 4:14  ESV

In order to interpret God's Word correctly, we must always make sure that we are reading any given verse as a part of those around it - context is so, so important. In verse 13, Paul said, "For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith."

And, previously, in verse 6, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works

It was important for the Jews then and for us today to recognize, and acknowledge that no amount of loyalty to or keeping of sacraments, rituals, rules, traditions, etc., whether Biblical or man-made,  will have any bearing on our salvation. Salvation cannot be obtained by any amount of effort, and now Paul tells us why:
  
For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.

"Adherents of the law" is also translated "they which are of the law," and "those who live by the law." What Paul is saying here that our obedience to God's law, or any law,  cannot have anything to do with us being "heirs of the world," children of the promise of Abraham.

If we believe that our keeping of any of God's commandments has something to do with our salvation, we completely discredit everything that Christ accomplished.

Paul makes that very clear when he says that, if we attempt to obtain salvation through keeping of the law, faith is null and the promise is void. This is so serious, and we need to understand why this is true.

Faith, which is how we are justified, cannot be tied to or in addition to any sort of effort on our behalf as the means of justification. Saving faith means reliance upon Christ for salvation; assurance, belief. 

If we believe that we need to put forth effort, good works, obedience to God's commands in addition to having faith in order to obtain a relationship with God, then we reveal the fact that we do not rely on Christ for salvation and assurance, but on Christ and ourselves - which makes faith of no effect. 

It's impossible, by definition, to have faith in the blood of Christ as sufficient, and then attempt to add any sort of effort/works to faith as a requirement or basis for salvation. 

This reveals a total lack of faith, and any attempt to do so is very dangerous territory. We must make sure we do not hold to a belief that will result in faith being made null, and the promises God has made to His children void. This means having complete faith in Christ as our Savior, truly believing that His blood was sufficient, and that when He said "it is finished," it really was.

It's normal for us to want to be busy doing something, especially when it comes to something as important as this. We want to make sure that we are doing all we can to uphold our end of the deal - we feel it's our responsibility to do this. It doesn't make sense to stop trying to do our best to be accepted by God.

Yet, the Bible says we are accepted according to what Christ has done, regardless of anything we have done!

The Bible says relax child, you are His because of Jesus. Rest in His arms, child, He loves you! Put aside your tiresome efforts to obtain a relationship that is free, and come know Him personally! Spend your life growing to know and love Him more, and the peace will be unparalled!

Clarification...

It's important to note that, while our relationship with God itself is by faith through grace - our works having nothing to do with initiating that relationship - the effort we put forth once that relationship has been established has everything to do with the strength of that relationship. 

Our desire to pursue God with all of our heart indicates that our heart has been converted from darkness to light. The more we follow our heart's desire to pursue a close relationship with God, the more we are able to rise above the trivial, temporary things of this world and set our sights on good, pure, eternal things. This will result in life characterized by works that point to and exalt our God! 

Complacency runs rampant within the Church, and we need to recognize it to begin to battle it. 

I am as guilty as anyone, it's so easy to get caught up in earthly pursuits and allow our relationship with God to be moved to the back burner...but there are no worthy excuses. We need to rise up, take Satan's strategies and tools, and destroy them - we are already conquerors with Christ over all of that! 

The key to battling complacency is not attempting to live a more "Christian" life, but pursuing a deeper relationship with God - which will  result in a life that is truly pointing back to Him.

I implore each one of God's children to examine our lives, asking God where we are nullifying faith by relying on something else completely or in addition to the work of Christ. He will provide us with the saving faith that stands on it's own, apart from any works. Then, we need to pray that He will overwhelm us with a passion that compels us to move forward according to His purpose, for His glory - that He will give us the strength and desire to put forth an effort that can and will change the lives of those around us!

Romans 4:13

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. Romans 4:13 ESV


It amazes me how much time Paul spends repeating the idea that righteousness and salvation come by faith, with no dependence on our keeping of God's laws. He has been driving home this point over and over, applying it to different ideas and beliefs - so that there is no argument against it. How important this doctrine must have been for Paul's audience to understand! How important it must be for us to understand!


For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith


In chapter 4, Paul has touched on the idea that Abraham's circumcision had nothing to do with his salvation, he has asked if the Jews really thought salvation was only reserved for the Jews - based on circumcision or their heritage, and he has explained that Abraham was the father of those with true faith - not simply those who kept the law.


Now, Paul rewords the idea that salvation is not by keeping the law, but by faith - this time concerning the promise given from God to Abraham and his offspring. This promise was not based on Abraham's ability to or track record of keeping the law - it was based on his faith in God alone.


What does it mean that Abraham and his offspring are "heirs of the world?" I believe this is a promise directly from God that we can not skim over - promises such as this are so encouraging when we spend time just meditating on the depth, power, and absolute truth of them.


Heir:
(English Dictionary) - a person who inherits or has a right of inheritance in the property of another following the latter's death.
(Greek) - sharer by lot, inheritor, possessor

Both of these definition indicate that as "heirs" of the world, Abraham and his offspring are going to be given "the world" as an inheritance.

The other questions that begs to be answered - what is "the world?" I think, in Abraham's time, it literally may have meant the Promised Land that God would eventually lead the children of Israel to. Spiritually, and more fitting when speaking of Abraham and his true offspring - children of faith, God's children - I believe Paul is saying that we will be heirs of the new world.

It's so ironic, we see people everywhere, saved and lost, working day and night attempting to fill a void, to make their life mean something, to accomplish something. We know that we can't take it with us, it will all be gone someday, yet we spend so much time pursuing the things of the world. Then God promises us that we are "heirs of the world"...we will be given the world anyway?

A couple of verses that comes to mind:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Rev 21:1

and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:17


While we, as the human race, are consumed with chasing down as much as we can obtain on this earth, God has promised us something so much better than what we are experiencing now. We are going to inherit this earth anyway - and it is going to be brand new! That's not all, either - guess who we are co-heirs with...Jesus Christ, our Awesome Lord and Savior!

God has PROMISED - we are going to be given, as fellow heirs with Jesus Christ, an inheritance that includes the new earth!

How? Not based on our works, but...

Because we have been ADOPTED into the family of God, we are now a part of His family, we are His children, He is our Dad!

Who? Not those who claim the name of Christ as an "add-on" to their righteous works, but...

Those who are justified by faith ALONE, through grace ALONE!

When? In the future, we will see it literally come to pass, but...

It starts now, through a RELATIONSHIP that has been restored with our LORD, the God of Abraham!

If this doesn't get your blood pumping, I don't know what will! What an amazing God to promise us something so much more than we could ever even dream of!

Lord, I pray that you will open our eyes to your promises. We know you have given them to us to encourage us, strengthen us, and cause us to fall more in love with you. Please don't allow us to skim over them, help us to see the depth of them, the power they contain, and we plead with You to cause us to understand that they are absolute Truth, promised to us by a faithful God who does not go back on His Word! We praise you Lord, and ask that you forgive us when we take our eyes off of your eternal promises and instead look to temporary earthly distractions. In Your Son's Name we pray - Amen!

Romans 4:11,12

He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.  Romans 4:11,12 ESV

Paul, having disproved that circumcision had anything to do with Abraham being justified, now explains the purpose of circumcision.

He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. 

While an entire study could be done on this topic, I would like to briefly break this down to give us a better understanding of what was going on here.
We see here that there were two purposes of circumcision:

1. It was a sign.
2. It was a seal.

Circumcision was a sign for Abraham, and his Jewish descendants, that they were God's chosen people. This was a result of Abraham's faith, but we must not for a moment think that as God's chosen nation, the Jews automatically entered eternal life. They enjoyed God's blessings, but eternal life was and always will be through faith alone - no other way. Paul deals with this a little more later.

The Jews were, as Paul said earlier in Romans 3:2, entrusted with the oracles of God. Through God's covenant with Abraham, He used His chosen people to introduce all of the laws and ceremonies that revealed who He was, what He was going to do, as well as many types and shadows of Jesus Christ.

Circumcision was also a seal of Abraham's righteousness, that he had by faith - before circumcision took place. This seal, instructed by God, confirmed Abraham's righteousness. It was by faith, not tied to any act of his, and was indeed true, saving faith in God that results in salvation.

Paul has described the two things that circumcision was for - a sign of Abraham's faith and a seal of Abraham's righteousness as genuine - neither purpose had anything to do with providing salvation for Abraham's descendents.



The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,

It was so important for Paul's Jewish audience to understand that Abraham, being justified before circumcision, was not just a "father" of faith to the Jews, but to ALL of God's children. This needed to be grasped by the Jews in order for them to release their grip on their heritage as the basis for salvation. They could not love as Jesus commanded with the idea that they had one up on those that were not of the same background. 

We cannot cling so tightly to our heritage, whatever it may be, that we are blinded to Truth.

Paul is clear when he says "so that righteousness would be counted to them as well."  Just as faith needed to be, and was counted to Abraham as righteousness, the same is true for all who come know Christ as their Lord and Savior - regardless of circumcision or any other act.



And to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Here, the Jews are bluntly confronted with the error of their belief - Paul calls them "merely circumcised." The ritual they clung to as a way to lift themselves up in relation to the Gentiles around them was considered empty in the eyes of Paul. It had been so abused that it had become a hindrance instead of the reminder it was intended for. 

We, as humans, are capable of taking any part of the Bible and using it out of context to fit what we want to believe about God - just as the Jews did.

It's so important that we ask God to guide us clearly, free from any biased human opinions that would give us a skewed view of God's direction, convictions, or commands in our lives. This is the only way to truly seek out Truth, which results in God being most glorified through us. 

The Jews that Paul was addressing were very passionate about what they believed - they spent their lives making sure they got the "rules" right. The one thing lacking was what Paul included at the end of of verse 12 - "who also walk in the footsteps of faith that our father Abraham had." No amount of passion for what a person believes, no amount of self sacrifice, no amount of rule keeping, no amount of giving, no amount of "confession" is worth anything if it is not accompanied by true faith that the God of Abraham was, is, and always will be who He says He is in His Word. 

We need to make sure we are not constructing a god that fits our beliefs in place of the God of the Bible. The Bible is so clear in describing who our God is, we just need to turn there so often to learn and be reminded about Him. We will never know all there is to know about our God, but that DOES NOT mean that we stop trying to learn about Him, to know Him more, to fall more in love with Him everyday!

Romans 4:9,10

Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. Romans 4:9,10 ESV

In verses 7 and 8, Paul had just referred to the blessing of forgiveness that we as believers enjoy, as described by David. Now Paul confronts, and challenges the Jews on their belief that they are better off than the Gentiles because of the heritage. 

Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised?

Paul asks the Jews if they really think that God's forgiveness is only available to them, or to all people of all nations. Paul, himself a former Jewish persecutor of Christians, knew exactly what they believed. They believed that those who were circumcised, in obedience to Jewish law, (along with the many other Old Testament laws, and the hundreds of extra ones they had added along the way to make sure they didn't trespass the Old Testament ones...), were the ones who had a right standing with God.  

How could the Gentiles be accepted by God if they didn't even know all of the laws, let alone try to keep them. This had to be so hard for the Jews to accept - they were passionate about keeping the laws they had been taught from childhood - circumcision was a huge part of their identity - and Paul was not only dismissing this, but preaching something completely opposite as Truth. 

There is a reason that Paul was so serious about explaining to the Jews that their obedience to their laws and Jewish traditions, their works, had nothing to do with salvation. It wasn't that they were "evil" people in comparison to the pagans around them. It wasn't that they weren't passionate about what they believed - Paul described himself as "zealous" in Acts when describing his passion for what he believed to be truth. 

The problem was that the Jews were serving a false god, not the God of Abraham. 

This is a very serious situation - a people who think they are saved but are serving a god of their own creation, based on what they have been taught from childhood. We see the same thing in other countries, with people so passionate about what they believe that they are willing to blow themselves up in service to their god. We see cults where people are willing to do crazy things out of passionate service to what they believe is truth. 

This is why it is crucial that each of us know exactly why we believe what we believe, based on God's Word ALONE! 

I pray that none of us would fall into the grave situation of the Jews Paul was addressing here - so passionate about serving their god, the god they had been taught to serve, that they are blinded to the God of the Bible, the God who sent His Son to fulfill the law they were trying valiantly to keep.  



We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.

Here, we again come across the promise of God that our works have nothing to do with our salvation. Abraham, the father figure of God's children, was himself counted as righteous because of his faith, not anything he did - and especially not due to his circumcision (which the Jews held so strongly to).

Abraham's faith, itself a gift of God, was counted to him as righteousness. Faith in what? Faith that God was who He said He was. This same faith - faith that God is who He says He is, faith that Jesus Christ is who He said He is, faith that He accomplished what He said He accomplished - this faith reveals a heart that has been converted by the power and grace of God!
 
This faith is amazing, producing many good works as proof of its existence within the hearts of the children of God. It produces obedience - obedience like that of Abraham as he prepared to sacrifice his son as commanded by God. This faith is accompanied by following, trusting, and submitting to God as Lord, the ultimate authority over our lives - thankfully so!

This is saving faith, that is counted to each one of us as righteousness.

How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.

Paul repeats his question, again asking the Jews if they believed that circumcision had something to do with Abraham's salvation - or theirs. Then Paul answers his own question - very simply and clearly - Abraham was counted as righteous, by faith as explained previously, before he was circumcised. Thus, circumcision had absolutely nothing to do with salvation.

What a disastrous thing to be confronted with for the Jews who did not accept Christ as their Saviour. This must have created quite the identity crisis in their mind - to the point that many of them refused to accept this teaching. How do you turn your back on something so engrained into your thoughts and actions?

We must learn from this example that it is possible to be led astray as teachings and ideas are handed down from generation to generation - to the point that what is thought to be truth is not what it seems. This is just as dangerous to the Body of Christ as the corrosion that comes from churches watering down the gospel in order to remain "relevant" in a world that is trading morals for fleshly lust more and more.

 

These are Satanic attacks that can be battled through prayer and meditation with God, accompanied by much time in His Word. 

If we do as we are commanded -

"do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1

- by taking everything we believe back to the Word of God, so that we may be sure that what we believe is Truth, as breathed out by the God of Abraham, the God of the Bible, we destroy Satan's opportunity to cause confusion about what is Truth.

Then we, as John put it in 1 John 5:13,  may know that we have eternal life. Amen and Amen!

Next Post:  4.14.13

Romans 4:6-8

just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."  Romans 4:6-8 ESV

Paul continues referencing the Old Testament as he teaches against the idea that our works have anything to do with our salvation. In these three verses, he explains what David was talking about in Psalm 32, specifically verses 1 and 2. I encourage you to go to Psalm 32 and read the entire Psalm, it is clear in its guidance and encouragement for the child of God.



just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

In verse 6, Paul explains who is the subject of what David wrote is - the one to whom God counts as righteous, apart from works.

There is so much to be encouraged by here. Paul gives us a characteristic of salvation: righteousness. God counts us as righteous - also translated "God imputeth righteousness" - meaning God assigns righteousness to us! As His children, we can cling to this promise no matter where we are in life:

 God - the only One who is truly righteous, gives to us the perfect righteousness that is required to be in His presence...wow! 

Paul also ties in to what he has been talking about in the previous verses - God gives His children this righteousness apart from works, also translated "without" works. This righteousness God gives to us does not depend on what we do...good or bad - another promise from God that we can hold to!

"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." 

Another encouraging truth: the one who is counted as righteous is blessed - in the Greek meaning fortunate, well off. We can be sure that while blessed does mean that we are fortunate, and we are well off, it is a very deep, spiritual fortunate and well off - not a superficial, earthly well off, not measured by earthly perspective. 

There are three promises of God to His children that David reveals in these two verses:

1. their lawless deeds are forgiven.

          -lawless deeds meaning transgressions of the law, which every single one of us is guilty of. 

          -forgiven meaning to omit, lay aside, put away - they are gone!

2. their sins are covered

          -sin meaning offensive to God, any unrighteousness - from smallest thought to biggest action.

          -covered meaning concealed, not visible any longer!

3. the Lord will not count their sins against them. 

          -our sins are gone, to be remembered no more! That is true forgiveness!

I believe it would do us good to sit and meditate frequently on what has just been explained here in Romans.  

As children of an Almighty, Loving, Righteous God - we are given all that is required to be in His presence, He forgives and covers our sins - and will not count them against us no matter how serious or evil they are, and all of this is completely free - not based on anything we do.

With this truth as a foundation, we can go forward and serve God with the proper perspective - complete and utter gratitude. We don't have to earn anything, we couldn't afford it anyway. We don't have to be defeated by our sin, it is forgiven. We are blessed beyond measure by the God that can pour out endless blessings - the biggest one being a relationship with Him!

I would like to encourage all of us to pray that God would help us understand, and appreciate even more the blessings that we enjoy because of what He has done. Meditate on these promises today, and often going forward, I will do the same. Having the correct perspective is so crucial to our daily walk with our Lord! 

Next Post: 4.14.13