The Effectiveness of Faith – Part 4
Romans 4:18-25
November 12, 2017
As you know we’ve been walking through that all-important doctrine known as SOLA FIDE, or the belief that sinners are justified by faith alone.
In order to better examine this point
We’ve been walking through Romans 4
Where we examine the justification which Abraham received from God.
• We found out very quickly that this justification was “credited” indicating that it was not earned by works.
• We found out that his works (namely circumcision) merely indicated that the faith he gave God was genuine, but did not participate in his justification at all.
• And last time we realized that not only does faith bring justification but faith is also the only way in which the promise we hope for can be guaranteed.
That is because if salvation is not by faith alone
Then it cannot be by grace alone.
And if salvation is not by grace alone then it cannot be secure.
WHY?
Because if any part of our salvation or hope of the promise rests upon our ability to do something, then there is always the chance that we might fail.
There is no genuine lasting hope when salvation depends upon us.
In fact, the last time we saw a covenant which depended on man
Was the Mosaic covenant of the Law,
And we saw that it never brought salvation. All it ever brought was wrath.
So Paul has been adamant that justification
And the security of the promise can only come through faith.
IT IS FAITH AND FAITH ALONE.
So, at this point we can confidently say that
NOT ONLY IS FAITH ESSENTIAL, BUT FAITH IS ALSO EFFECTIVE.
Faith effectively allows sinful people to be justified
And to receive a guaranteed promise of salvation.
And one could think that after having proven this point Paul would move on, but he doesn’t.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO PAUL TO MAKE ONE MORE OBSERVATION.
We say that faith is effective, but what kind of faith is effective?
Not all faith is the same.
The point is there is a required amount of faith in order to function in life.
(Every time you turn on the faucet you exercise faith
That the water will come out and that it will be safe to drink)
But obviously this is not the type of faith that God is looking for.
The faith God wants is more than just the general faith of mankind.
God is looking for what we call “saving faith”.
The difference is clearly seen in James.
James 2:14-19 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”
James rightly reveals that even demons believe in God,
But that does not make them saved.
There is obviously something more to saving faith.
Remember it was Luther who said, “We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.”
Luther understood that there was a difference
Between saving faith and non-saving faith.
Perhaps you remember those 3 Latin words that reformed theology holds on to in regard to faith.
NOTITIA – referring to the information which a person must have.
ASCENSU – referring to the intellectual ascent to those facts as true.
FIDUCIA – which speaks of trust in those facts
In fact, several times in Scripture we see people
Who are said to have some measure of faith or “belief”
Who do not end up being saved.
Look at:
John 2:23-25 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
I don’t know what type of faith they had,
But it wasn’t enough faith to cause them to gain Christ.
He refused to give Himself to them.
John 8:30 “As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.”
It there says they believed,
But look at what Jesus says about those people just 14 verses later.
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Obviously something is wrong
Because regardless of their faith they are still children of the devil.
Or how about this guy in the book of Acts:
Acts 8:9-13 “Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.”
This sorcerer believed, but a short while later he offers Peter money so that he can get the ability to give the Holy Spirit (and presumably start his own TV network where he can ask people to send in money in exchange for his gifts)
And look at what Peter tells him:
Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
So obviously, even in the Bible
NOT EVERYONE who “believes” ends up being saved.
So we say that FAITH IS EFFECTIVE, BUT WE MUST ALSO ASK, WHAT IS EFFECTIVE FAITH?
There are two main that set saving faith apart from regular faith.
Saving faith Obeys
Saving faith Perseveres
If you don’t obey you don’t really believe.
That is why Jesus said:
John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”
(Like the Weedy Soil)
If you don’t obey you don’t really believe.
And if you don’t persevere you don’t really believe.
1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”
(Like the Rocky Soil)
If you don’t persevere you don’t really believe.
Neither the weedy soil (who doesn’t obey)
Nor the rocky soil (who doesn’t persevere)
Have the type of faith God is looking for,
And that is evident because neither brought any fruit to maturity.
There were no works to prove their faith,
And if you will remember we mentioned a couple of weeks ago,
That works prove faith.
And so as we read the Scripture,
We quickly find that in order to be saved, God wants faith,
And the faith we are speaking of is a LIFE-CHANGING FAITH.
And according to Paul it is the faith of Abraham.
Which is what Paul taught us last week.
Romans 4:16 “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,”
It is those who have saving faith who will be saved,
It is those who have the faith of Abraham who will be saved.
BUT WHAT DID ABRAHAM’S FAITH LOOK LIKE?
That is what Paul will show us here at the end of the chapter.
6 characteristics of the faith of Abraham.
#1 HE HAD A SIMPLE FAITH
Romans 4:18
I’m thankful, that if we have to have a faith like Abraham to be saved,
That the first characteristic is that it was simple.
Think God it doesn’t require
Some great amount of intellectual ability to be saved.
Abraham’s faith is really pretty simple.
“In hope against hope he believed,”
He hoped for something in which, humanly speaking, there was no hope.
Let me reiterate again what God told him.
Genesis 15:3-5 “And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
For a traveling alien living in a foreign country with a barren wife,
That promise seems just a tad out of reach.
But despite the utter absurdity of what he hoped for,
Look at the simplicity of his faith.
“he believed”.
THERE IT IS.
Simple, matter of fact, not complex.
Abraham just believed.
And this is the first aspect of saving faith.
It is a simple belief.
“In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.”
DO YOU WANT TO SEE HOW SIMPLE ABRAHAM’S FAITH WAS?
All Abraham did was believe what God said.
“he believed…according to that which had been spoken”
Abraham simply believed God’s word.
Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
People continually try to make more out of faith than God intended
God never asked you to do more than believe what He said.
People today seem to try and take that to a new level.
They first put words in God’s mouth and then try to believe that.
They first try to pretend God said something
And then they try to make it come true by believing it.
That is not what Abraham did.
That (as a matter of fact) is what Satan tried to get Jesus to do.
Matthew 4:5-7 “Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself
down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'”
Satan was really challenging the faith of Jesus there.
Satan wanted Jesus to force God to protect Him.
That is not faith in God that is faith in faith.
That is manipulative, and it goes beyond what Abraham did.
Abraham had a simple faith, that simply believed what God said, And he believed it beyond the point of human logic.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
Obviously by simple I don’t mean easy.
I just mean it’s not complicated.
Abraham believed God.
(It really is that simple)
So Abraham had a simple faith.
#2 HE HAD A STRONG FAITH
Romans 4:19
When I say his faith is simple, I also don’t want you to think it was weak.
That is not the case at all.
DID YOU NOTICE WHAT PAUL SAID?
“Without becoming weak in faith”
It didn’t matter what circumstances he walked through,
The bible says that Abraham did not become weak in faith.
WHAT TYPE OF CIRCUMSTANCES DID HE GO THROUGH?
He had to face some discouraging facts right in the face.
“he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;”
We know that Abraham had made some mistakes up to this point.
When he was 86 years old he went in to Hagar and conceived Ishmael.
Obviously that was an act of disobedience.
But now, 14 years later, when God reiterated that promise.
Genesis 18:9-11 “Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.”
Even though Abraham could look at his own body,
He could look at Sarah’s body and see that physically,
There was no way Sarah was having a child.
Now listen, there is nothing complex about that faith,
It is still simple, but it is obviously also very strong.
DO YOU REALIZE IT’S BEEN 25 YEARS SINCE THE INITIAL PROMISE?
There was a time when I believed God, but not anymore.
It’s been too long. It is too difficult now.
But not Abraham.
His faith was strong.
He literally believed the impossible.
John 11:23-26 “Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
God isn’t asking for some sort of complex faith,
Just a simple strong faith.
He just wants you to believe what He says.
And to continue believing it even if your body is dead,
And your brother has been in the ground 4 days.
It was simple It was strong
#3 HE HAD A STEADY FAITH
Romans 4:20
And of course this walks very closely to the previous points.
But not only did Abraham believe the impossible,
And believe even when logic said he shouldn’t have,
But Abraham also never wavered.
“yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith giving glory to God,”
What a great statement about the type of faith that God is looking for.
“he did not waver”
God is not looking for a faith that is dictated by the polls…
God is not looking for a fair weather faith…
God is looking for a faith that will not quit.
James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
In contrast speaking of apostates:
Jude 12-13 “These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
Abraham “did not waver”.
Obviously his steadfastness was a result of his strong faith.
The reason we know his faith was strong, was because he did not waver.
He continued to seek God…
He continued to trust God…
He continued to obey God…
This is what God wants from us.
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Too many times today our faith is anything but steady.
Our faith becomes shaky any time we base our faith on our experiences
Or on our circumstances instead of on God’s word.
That again is why the first and foundational doctrine of the Reformation is SOLA SCRIPTURA.
You have to know what you are believing.
When we don’t stand solely on God’s word we vacillate.
We ride the fence, we speak out of both sides of our mouth.
We are anything but a model of conviction.
This is why God is so adamant to give us His word.
Ephesians 4:11-14 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”
The point is God wants us to know what He said,
Believe what He said, and continue to believe what He said
Without wavering until it happens.
Don’t let circumstances unnerve you…
Don’t let false prophets unnerve you…
Don’t let your own logic unnerve you…
Just have the faith that continues to believe God
Without wavering until God comes through on His word.
And did you notice the end of that verse?
The reason God wants us to have that type of unwavering (steady) faith
Is because that type of faith gives “glory to God”
That is to say trusting God honors Him.
When God says something is true and you believe that
Regardless of how it appears that gives God great honor and glory.
That credits God as One who is trustworthy and powerful.
Abraham’s simple, strong, and steady faith glorified God.
A simple faith A strong faith A stead faith
#4 HE HAD A SINCERE FAITH
Romans 4:21
And this statement obviously can be seen in the other points,
But it also gives a little more insight.
We see the characteristics of strength and steadiness again:
“and being fully assured that what God had promised”
That still encompasses all that we have said.
He simply believed what God said, he believed it through logic,
And he never wavered, but was fully assured.
But this verse gives us MORE INSIGHT into the faith of Abraham.
“being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform”
If you had any doubt until now,
We can see that 100% absolute recipient of the faith of Abraham was God.
Abraham wasn’t really concerned if his body was fit enough…
Abraham wasn’t really concerned if his faith was strong enough…
Abraham wasn’t really concerned if he might have heard wrong…
Abraham believed that God could and would do what He said.
Even consider the incident of when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
Remember what Scriptures says about Abraham’s thought process regarding that command?
Hebrews 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.”
That is sincere faith.
Many times we claim to believe in God,
What we really are believing in is ourselves.
We say we believe that Jesus can save us,
But really we place our hope in the fact that we walked the aisle,
Or that we prayed a prayer, or that we really believe.
God isn’t asking you to believe in faith.
God isn’t asking you to believe in prayer.
God isn’t asking you to believe in submission.
GOD IS ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE IN HIM.
Don’t get off track.
People today say, “Prayer works!” (true)
People say, “Faith works!” (true)
People say, “Submission works!” (true)
But those are demonstrations of faith, not recipients of faith.
Don’t trust in your own works or abilities.
The faith of Abraham was in God not in his response.
He knew that God could do what He said.
“He was able also to perform”
That is the faith God wants.
To believe that Jesus was MERCIFUL enough to take our sins.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
To believe that Jesus was RIGHTEOUS enough to overcome the grave.
Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
To believe that Jesus is POWERFUL enough to secure our salvation.
Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
To believe that Jesus is FAITHFUL enough to come back and get us.
John 14:1-3 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
IT IS FAITH IN GOD THAT ABRAHAM HAD.
DO YOU SEE WHAT SAVING FAITH LOOKS LIKE?
It is simple faith (simply believing what God said)
It is strong faith (even when logic says otherwise, it still believes)
It is steady faith (life circumstances can’t shatter it)
It is sincere faith (he doesn’t believe in himself, he truly believes in God)
#5 HE HAD A SAVING FAITH
Romans 4:22
Because Abraham’s faith was simple, strong, steady, and sincere,
God “credited to Him as righteousness.”
God forgave his sin, God washed away his past,
God instantly justified him
Apart from any work, ability, or goodness of his own.
Abraham was saved because he gave God
The type of faith that God was looking for.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
That is what I want you to realize this morning.
There is a difference between faith and saving faith.
There is a difference between faith and the faith Abraham had.
God isn’t just looking for some sort of sentimental, intellectual belief.
A faith that wavers with the whims of logic,
A faith that falters under testing,
A faith that puts you at the center instead of God at the center.
God simply wants you to believe what He said,
And believe it so much that not only do you obey it,
But you do not waver from it, until the promise is fulfilled.
The Bible says, if you will give God that kind of faith,
God will give you righteousness.
John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
That is why God saved Abraham – HE HAD FAITH
Real – Effective – Faith
Now because of that Paul makes one more point about Abraham’s faith for you and me.
#6 HE HAD A SAMPLE FAITH
Romans 4:23-25
“Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him,”
That is an interesting statement.
I would have thought that it was purely for Abraham’s benefit.
But Paul said it wasn’t.
God actually had Moses record that story for more than just Abraham.
(24) “but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”
Paul said Moses recorded that story not just for Abraham,
But for you and me as well.
Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
And WHO IS “US”?
“those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”
Paul says God recorded this story about Abraham’s justification
So that those of us who believe like he did might benefit.
Abraham was believing what he could not see.
• He was believing in descendants and was believing in land.
• He was believing God would keep that promise.
And what are we trusting? JESUS
Like Abraham we are trusting someone else to achieve for us what is impossible for us to achieve on our own.
We are trusting that Jesus will save us.
(25) “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”
That verse is all about the total effectiveness of Jesus.
We know why He died.
• He died because He was bearing our sin.
• He “was delivered over because of our transgressions”
• And that we are all aware of.
We say that He did not die for any sin of His own.
But how do you know that?
How do you know that He didn’t have any sin of His own?
The answer: BECAUSE HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD
Now, the resurrection proves that Jesus was innocent
(death couldn’t hold Him)
And since the resurrection proves that Jesus was innocent
It also proves that He did not die for His own sin.
So if He did not die for His own sin then He must have died for someone else’s, correct?
What that means is that when Jesus rose,
It was proof to us that He really did justify us.
He rose because we were justified.
He didn’t rise FOR our justification.
He rose “because of our justification.”
And we, like Abraham, have chosen to simply believe that.
• We believe because God’s word says it.
• We believe regardless of the circumstances around us.
• We believe even though He has yet to return and take us home.
• We believe it because we believe that God can do exactly what He said.
And because of that faith in the work of Christ
We also are credited with righteousness.
And that type of faith (like Abraham’s) is EFFECTIVE.
God responds to that kind of faith with justification.
It is saving faith.
