THE KING’S BUSINESS
564
Thursday, June 21 . Rom. 4 -'d-S. 1
Wednesday, June 20 . I Rom. 4 : 3 - 5 .
Paul having brought forward the case of Abraham and shown to his readers that even according to their 01d; Testament Scriptures regarding Abraham that justi fication comes not by works but by simply believing God, he now brings in another illustration of justification by grace through faith from the Old Testament, the case of David. David was a sinner, no doubt of that. In one period of his life he was surely “ungodly.” He committed two of the blackest sins that a man can commit in defiance of God’s plainly revealed will, the sin of adultery and the sin of murder, and that a murder of a faithful friend. Yet God justified even David. David out of his own experience describes how God justified (i.e., reckoned righteousness to) the ungodly without works and sets forth the blessedness of being thus justified, the blessedness of not having our fins irpputed to us by God, the blessedness of having our sins covered by God. When God justi fies a man He does not put a mart’s sins to his account, but He puts His own right eousness to his account. Friday, June 22 . Rom: 4 : 9 - 12 . Someone might say, yes, justification is by faith and not by works, arid it is blessed to be thus justified by faith apart from works, but this blessedness is only for those who have been circumcised. Paul effectu ally disposes of this argument by showing that Abraham himself had not as yet been circumcised when he was justified. Abra ham had the righteousness which God imputes pr reckons to the’ one who believes, at least fourteen years before he was cir cumcised. Circumcision was not the ground or even the condition of his being counted righteous. Circumcision was simply God’s seal upon the righteousness that Abraham had obtained by simply believing God. So Abraham became father of both those who believed in spite of their uncircumcision, and also Of those who not only had the outward sign of circumcision but also the »
Paul now passes from argument based on the nature of the case to explicit Scrip ture statement. The Old Testament Scrip tures explicitly declare that Abraham was justified not through works hut through faith. They say that “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness!.” (Gen, 1S:6).( *Abraham believed what God had just said to him, and Abraham’s believing what God had said to him was put to Abraham’s account for righteousness. Abraham was not right eous in his own character. Indeed he was far from sinless, but his believing God was accepted for righteousness or reckoned as righteousness, and today no matter how sinful a man may be, the moment he believes God from the heart, and above all, believes God’s testimony concerning Jesus Christ, his faith is reckoned to him for righteousness, he is justified, that is reck oned righteous by God. The question arises at once, how can a man be reckoned right eous by God when he is not righteous. That question is not taken up here. It is, however, taken up in chapter 3:23-26. Here we are simply told the glorious fact. We are told furthermore that God not only justifies men in general, but that he “jus- tifieth the ungodly," i.e., not merely sinners, but high-handed sinners, sinners that have deliberately disregarded God. Now when we take our places before God as having no merit whatever of our own and believe “on Him that justifiieth the ungodly” our faith is reckoned as righteousness. We have an illustration of .this in Luke 18:10- 14. Does anyone ask me, “Have you any righteousness before God?” I frankly answer, “none at all, but thank God, I have something which God in His infinite grace reckons for righteousness, I have faith in God, God who justifieth the ungodly, i.e., me.” The way to obtain justification then is not to work but to “work not," i.e., giv ing up all your attempts at doing something to merit God’s favor and just believe on Him as justifying the ungodly.
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker