Romans 3:21-4:25 An Explanation of Justification

My commentary described possible questions that Jewish Christians might have raised after Paul's statements about all people needing to be saved by faith.  One was "What about Abraham?"

"Paul stated three important facts about Abraham's salvation that prove that the patriarch's spiritual experience was like that of believers today.  He was justified by faith, not works ... God told him to look at the stars...'So shall your descendants be!'  God promised and Abraham believed God's promise ... It was this faith that counted for righteousness."

"He was justified by grace, not law ...The Jews gloried in circumcision and the law.  If a Jew was to become righteous before God, he would have to be circumcised and obey the law... But Abraham was declared righteous when he was still in the state of uncircumcision.  From the Jewish point of view, Abraham was a Gentile ... Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised.  This was more than 14 years after the events in Genesis 15.  The conclusion is obvious:  circumcision had nothing to do with his justification."

"He was justified by resurrection power, not human efforts...Verse 14 mentioned, '...who quickens the dead.'  Paul saw the rejuvenation of Abraham's body as a picture of resurrection from the dead, and then he related it to the resurrection of Christ ... God had permitted Abraham and Sarah's natural strength to decline and then disappear... From a reproductive point of view, both of them were dead ... But what God promises, He performs ... It was Abraham's faith that gave him strength to beget a son in his old age."

I noticed in verse 5 it said, "God justifies the ungodly."  My commentary explained, "But God justifies the ungodly -- because there are no godly for Him to justify! ... Once we are justified, our record contains Christ's perfect righteousness and can never again contain our sins.  Christians do sin, and these sins need to be forgiven if we are to have fellowship with God, but these sins are not held against us.  God does keep a record of our works, so that He might reward us when Jesus comes, but He is not keeping a record of our sins!"

Father, thank You for giving Paul the insight we need today to understand this.  Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your grace!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford