Recap

I would like to take a brief look back at what we have seen in Romans so far, and allow the opportunity for questions or comments on anything that has been discussed. If there are no questions or comments, then we will move on to the next great chapter, chapter 5 in this amazing book of Romans!

I think it's so interesting how Paul set up this letter, and I believe we can learn a lot from the structure.

Chapter 1:
Paul started off by explaining his purpose in writing the letter, and sharing the gospel message - along with the power the gospel message carries. Then, he went right into God's wrath against sin, and those who choose to live in unrighteousness and in opposition to Him. Paul explains that, while this condemns men, it is mans choice (in accordance with his corrupt heart and debased mind) to pursue the lusts of the flesh - and condemn themselves by purposefully ignoring God. There are no excuses.

I think that, at the end of chapter 1, Paul does what could be called "getting them lost" - revealing to His readers their sinfulness and their need for a Savior. This is how the gospel should be shared to this day. If we don't reveal someones sinfulness to them, and help them realize how it separates them from God and condemns them, they will never truly grasp the gift of the gospel.

Ray Comfort has a sermon called "Hell's Best Kept Secret" - He discusses the importance of "getting someone lost" as a part of sharing the gospel. A link to the sermon is below.

http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=434&commentView=itemComments

Chapter 2: 
Then Paul has to deal with his people, the Jews. Paul apparently knew that their rebuttal to his explanation of God's wrath on sinfulness was going to be that they had the law, they knew what righteousness was, and they were very good at living it out. Paul had a different take on this. Chapter 2 consists of Paul coming down hard on the Jews for judging the Gentiles, explaining that by judging others they bring greater condemnation on themselves.

The Jews were caught up in the belief that they were better off because they were handed down the law from God by their descendants. They took this to mean that God was there God only, and that the rituals, laws, and commands that had been passed down had everything to do with their acceptance by God. Paul spends some time revealing that we are all equal, we are all sinners, and we all need Jesus Christ - God shows no partiality - and no amount of ritual, law, or command keeping has anything to do with our acceptance by God.

Chapter 3:
Paul undoubtedly knew that the Jews weren't going to be happy to hear that they were equal to the Gentiles, and he deals with this right away. He explains that there are advantages to being a Jew in the sense that they have more information (the oracles) about God, but that overall we are all equally under sin, and none of us loves God in our sinful, lost state - no matter what rituals, laws, or commands we are keeping.

Then, Paul spends some time discussing the law, what the purpose of the law really is, what the law does, and why we uphold the law - yet are not justified by it. This idea that justification is by faith apart from the law had to be foreign to most of the Jews, and quite an eye opener considering they had been raised with the idea that doing these things they were taught meant acceptance by God and ultimately salvation. Paul destroys that way of thinking by explaining that a restored relationship with God is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. The purpose of the law is to reveal to us who God is, our sinfulness in light of who God is, and our desperate need for Jesus as our Savior.

Chapter 4: 
Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, was aware that the Jews would not be finished arguing the value of their heritage, and why being physical descendents of Abraham - and keeping the laws handed down from generation to generation, had everything to do with being above the Gentiles and accepted by God. So Paul dives in and explains that Abraham was justified by faith, not works that he performed. We learn that Abraham was declared righteous before circumcision, and that he is the father of faith all.

Paul then gives an example of Abraham's great faith; when God promised Abraham and Sarah a child when they were way beyond child bearing years. This is an example of the true, saving faith in God that is required in order to have a restored relationship with Him.



Looking back, I think it's important that we understand that, while Paul has been focused for the most part on a Jewish audience, all that has been written could probably apply to us today. As Christians, it's easy to look down on lost sinners, it's easy to misunderstand the law - to get caught up in legalism and it's rules and requirements in order to be a Christian, it's easy to fail to grasp how sinful we really are, it's easy to forget exactly who God is - and allow our faith to waiver. These things all apply to us today - and so does the promise that God gave through Paul so many years ago.

Salvation, a restored relationship with Him, is a gift that does not need to be, nor can it be, earned. It is completely free through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. 

Looking ahead, as we get ready to dig in to Chapter 5, I am very excited. After preaching to us how we are lost and we cannot earn salvation, Paul is going to get into the details of grace, and how powerful this gift of a restored relationship is. 

Please share any questions, comments, or thoughts that you may have on these first four chapters in Romans. I have grown so much so far - I pray that you have as well! The shared questions, comments, and thoughts only help this growth in each one of us! Also, if there are any ways that this study could be improved to help you grow more, let me know. 

To Him be the glory, honor, and praise forever, Amen!

 

Romans 4:25

who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25 ESV

To clarify, in this verse Paul is speaking of Jesus our Lord, as he continues from the previous verse.

who was delivered up

I think it's important that we notice the words Paul used here: delivered up. The Greek word for this means to surrender, yield, deliver, commit.

We must never think that Jesus was crucified against His or the Father's will.

Acts 2:23 states: this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. It was God's plan that His Son be crucified, and Jesus willingly submitted and obeyed the Fathers command -
Luke 22:42: saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."

John 10:17,18: For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

Isaiah 53:10 is blunt and to the point: Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him - crush meaning - to crumble; transitively to bruise (literally or figuratively): - beat to pieces, break (in pieces), bruise, contrite, crush, destroy, humble, oppress, smite.

We can see from these verses that it was God's determinant plan, that Jesus was delivered up and crucified for a purpose far above those that crucified Him could even comprehend.  In Genesis 50:20, we see how God's purpose is far above evil man:  
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 
This is Joseph, speaking to his brothers, explaining to them that God's plan is far greater, and always accomplishes good, even when men mean to accomplish evil.

Jesus willfully surrendered His life, obeying the command of His Father, according to the determinant plan, as prophesied many years before - nothing happens outside of God's control!

 
for our trespasses 

Now we see why Jesus was delivered up and crucified. We see why it was the Father's will that His Son be crushed, and why Jesus willingly laid down His life when He knew the extreme pain that lay ahead - even being forsaken and left alone by His Father whom He had known for eternity past

- for our trespasses - 

I don't think we could stop and mediate on these words long enough. This is the why, this was the purpose behind the people screaming out "crucify him," our sinfulness is the reason the innocent Son of God was crushed - so that we could know the Father through a restored relationship. 

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 1 John 3:16

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Oh what love the Father has for us, that He would offer up His Son as payment for a debt that we could never pay! Our sins have been forgiven, the trespasses erased, the debt settled! When Christ died on the cross, when He said "it is finished," the perfect and final sacrifice had been made.

But it doesn't end there...

and raised for our justification.

I know I tend to gloss over the fact that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Maybe around Easter a little more time is spent focusing on the fact that the grave is empty, yet this should be thought about and mediated on year round. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is so important, more than we may ever understand.

I read a sermon that laid out six gifts of the resurrection as stated in 1 Cor 15:12-20:

Our preaching is not in vain 
Our faith is not in vain
We are not false witnesses
We are not still in our sins
The dead in Christ have not perished
We are not to be pitied

These are all wonderful truths that we can hold to in faith, knowing that Christ did rise from the dead, because the grave could not hold Him!

One commentary summed up the importance of Christ's resurrection this way:

 "When he was buried he lay a prisoner in execution for our debt, which as a surety he had undertaken to pay; on the third day an angel was sent to roll away the stone, and so to discharge the prisoner, which was the greatest assurance possible that divine justice was satisfied, the debt paid, or else he would never have released the prisoner: and therefore the apostle puts a special emphasis on Christ's resurrection"

The resurrection confirmed God's acceptance of Christ's sacrifice for our sins, that it really was finished and sin really was defeated. 

Romans 4:22-24

That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." But the words "it was counted to him"  were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord Romans 4:22-24 ESV

We looked, in the last few verses, at how strong Abraham's faith was. His trust in God did not waiver based on his earthly situation, he was fully convinced of God's faithfulness to His promise.

That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." 

We can see from this verse that Abraham was counted righteous because of His faith in God. Was Abraham the only one that this applied to? NO, as we see in the next line:

But the words "it was counted to him"  were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also.

We can all enjoy the same gift of God, righteousness counted to us, as it was to Abraham.


I think it would be beneficial to spend some time answering the following question:

What is righteousness?

In the Greek, it comes from the root word for justified, meaning equitable (in character or act); by implication innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively): - just, meet, right

The English dictionary defines 'righteousness' as:

1. characterized by uprightness or morality: a righteous observance of the law.

2. morally right or justifiable: righteous indignation.

3. acting in an upright, moral way; virtuous: a righteous and godly person.

4. Slang. absolutely genuine or wonderful: some righteous playing by a jazz great.

The Greek word lays down a very high standard...innocent and holy. We can see from the English definitions that we have many applications of the word that indicate a higher standard as well. Yet, I think it is easy to gloss over the true definition of the word righteous - from God's perspective.  

One commentary explained it like this: righteousness is the state or condition of perfectly conforming to God's perfect law and holy character. 

We can see, from God's perspective (unblemished by sin), that true righteousness is perfection. True righteousness is the absence of sin. True righteousness is 100% pure goodness, as God sees goodness! 

The problem...

Since true righteousness is perfection in every way, we know we can never obtain it as fallen creatures in the flesh. Yet, in order to be in a relationship with a perfect God, one has to be truly righteous - since God cannot have anything less in His presence. This creates a problem...and God gives us the solution! 

We cannot earn or obtain righteousness, so God "counts us" as righteous, in order that we may enter into a relationship with Him! 

Being counted as righteous means that God does hold our sin against us...in other words we are 100% forgiven. We are sinful creatures, but positionally God sees us as perfect - we are white as snow, unblemished before Him. 

This is a free gift, that we cannot earn - that we could never earn if we tried (we should not try). This gift is free to us, but the cost was extremely high. It required the life of a perfect Lamb, that could impute, or give His righteousness and forgiveness to us. Our Father, being perfectly loving and merciful, provided that Lamb, and Jesus perfectly, lovingly, and mercifully laid down His life - paying the high price - for our sins! So that this last verse may be true:

  

It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord

Those who believe, who have faith in the God who raised Christ our Lord from the dead, will be "counted as righteous" before Him - able to enter into a relationship with Him - with a regenerated heart, restored and truly, eternally alive!

What are your thoughts on being counted as righteous?

Father, thank You so much for this expensive gift that You offer freely to us! We cannot completely grasp the true cost, nor can we grasp just how completely dead we were without it - so we ask that You continually help us appreciate it more every day, so that our walk with You would continually glorify You. In Your Son's Name, Amen!