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The Useless Disciple – Part 1
Luke 14:25-35 (25-26)
November 24, 2019

The more I read the gospels and study what Jesus had to say
About true discipleship the more I become convinced
That modern day evangelicalism has lost its center.

So much today is said about “unconditional love”
And “unconditional acceptance” and “come just as you are”
That it has actually made genuine statements by Jesus seem radical.

Here in Luke 14 we come across a sermon Jesus preached
To the crowd of people that were following Him
And I am fairly certain that there are many in the church today
That would gasp if they knew He actually said it.

We see in verse 25, “Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,”

This is so fascinating on a number of levels.
• Today the focus seems to be on getting a crowd and keeping the crowd.
• Ministers seem to feel more successful when they have a crowd.
• It has become the barometer for a good ministry.

And yet Jesus seemed to continually confront the crowd.

We already saw Him do it once back in chapter 12 when that crowd was so big that people were “stepping on each other”.
• He warned that crowd about true submission to God’s Spirit
• He warned them about the dangers of greed.
• He told them to “sell your possessions and give to charity”
• He told them to be ready for the second coming
• He warned them of the realities of persecution saying that He came to cause
division even among the members of your family.
• He told them to judge what was right and true.
• And He warned them that if they didn’t repent they would all perish.

None of those topics were topics that help you keep a large crowd.

And now we get to chapter 14, we see that
There is again a large crowd and here Jesus goes again.

If you grasp nothing else please recognize that
Jesus is not concerned about QUANTITY, He’s concerned about QUALITY

He wants His followers to be real, not just to be many.

It precludes what Paul told us in 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

And to that we would ask:
• What good is it to have the biggest congregation if no one in it is saved?
• What good is it to have the most attenders if none of them truly follow Christ?

THAT IS CERTAINLY A POINT WE LEARN FROM JESUS.

Having a lot of people following Him, nodding yes to everything He said,
Was of no interest to Him.
He came to make real disciples.

We should remember that,
Especially since our mandate is to “go and make disciples”.

So we are talking about genuine followers of Jesus.
• That is what we are called to be.
• That is what we are called to make.
• That is certainly what Jesus focused on.

And that is yet again seen in Luke’s gospel.
There is a large crowd and Jesus is going to address them directly.

THE POINT OF THE SERMON?
Being a USEFUL disciple as opposed to a USELESS one.

Let me take you first to the end of the passage.

Look at verses 34-35
“Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

First of all you notice the word “Therefore”.
That is a word that links this statement to the previous verses.

What that means is that these verses are the main point Jesus is making.
These two verses are the conclusion you are to draw.

And, according to Jesus,
If you have “ears to hear” then you should “hear” this.

If God would graciously grant you the ability to understand this.
Then you should be willing to submit to what He says.

This is the point. This is the conclusion.

And it is this: “salt is good”

That statement harkens back to a more familiar one
Made by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

(You likely remember that Jesus also goes on to say that you are “light”)

In that passage Jesus is being sarcastic.
He is speaking to a Jewish audience who were convinced
That they were in fact salt and light to the world.

Jesus speaks sarcastically as if to say, “Well if you are salt then why don’t you taste? And if you are light then why don’t you shine?”

But in that we are confronted with the analogy of salt.
There is WIDE SPECULATION as to what Jesus means by calling us salt.

SOME SAY it is an analogy of a PRESERVATIVE and they say that the church is the preservative of the culture and that which sort of holds a moral standard in the world.

I don’t like that analogy since Jesus doesn’t say anything along those lines in the text and furthermore this world isn’t being preserved, it is headed for destruction.

I PREFER the analogy of FLAVOR since Jesus refers to salt as being “tasteless”.

Namely that we are to show the world where true flavor is found.
That is, we know what makes life livable.

Well Jesus uses the analogy of salt again here in Luke’s gospel
And whatever you think He means by using salt,
What is clear is that
He is talking about salt as it relates to being a disciple.
(since the whole text is about being His disciple)

And He says
“salt is good”
• True disciples are good.
• True disciples are beneficial.
• True disciples certainly add flavor to the world.
• True disciples certainly know what true life really is.

“but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?”

If you can’t count on salt to do its job
Then what are you going to put on your food?

If a true disciple can’t show the world what true life really is
Then who is going to show them?
If a true disciple can’t show the world what true life really is
Then why are they in the world at all?

And to that Jesus goes on to say:
(35) “It is useless”

Jesus says that salt with no flavor is useless.

He even says, “It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile;”

That statement always baffles people in our day
Because we don’t see much use for salt in the soil or the manure pile.

• Typically the only experience people today have with salt other than food is
that time they dumped out the salt water from making homemade ice
cream and killed the patch of grass where they dumped it.
• Or they think of salt being poured on the highways and sidewalks to melt ice.

But, I ran across a farmers journal first published in 1844 and not only did it speak of salt being used as a fertilizer, but it also spoke of the benefits of salt in your manure pile.

The journal basically noted that
• In your manure pile, during the process of fermentation a considerable portion
of the most valuable part is lost.
• It speaks of carbonate of ammonia which is a gas and it floats away.
• However, if you add common salt it will unite with the carbonate of ammonia
and produce muriate of ammonia and carbonate of soda
• Which are solids and it allows you to keep the most valuable portions of
fertilizer.

[The Farmer’s Magazine; Volume the Ninth; January to June MDCCCXLIV] London pg. 207) Found online at: https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Farmer_s_Magazine.html?id=BJZTAAAAIAAJ

So salt was valuable not only as a flavor but also as a fertilizer.

THAT IS UNLESS IT BECAME TASTELESS.
• The salt in Jesus’ day was derived from the Dead Sea, and gathered from the salt marshes and it wasn’t pure.
• If left where it could get wet the saltiness could actually be washed away and all you were left with was minerals like gypsum that had no real salty flavor and where useless.

That substance was just thrown out into the streets.

Now, follow what Jesus is saying here.
If you’ve got good salt you’ve got a wonderful thing.
• It gives flavor to food.
• It can be used as a fertilizer.
• It can help your manure pile.

But if that salt loses its saltiness then it has absolutely worthless.
• It won’t help your food
• It won’t help your crops
• It won’t help your manure pile

“it is thrown out”

And we take that application to Jesus sermon on being a disciples.

NOW PLEASE NOTE THAT
• The Emphasis Of The Sermon is not on being a “good” disciple.
• The Emphasis Of The Sermon is whether or not a person is a disciple at
all.

verse 26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.”

Verse 27, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.”

Verse 33, “So then, NONE OF YOU CAN BE MY DISCIPLE who does not give up all his own possessions.”

We are NOT talking here about being a good or bad disciple.
We are talking about being a disciple at all.
We are talking about whether or not a person can be His real disciple.

IN SHORT, THIS IS A SERMON ON SALVATION.

Which is why Jesus says,
If you are salt that has no flavor you are “thrown out”.

As in thrown into the “outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

• Those who are not true disciples.
• Those who are in effect tasteless salt.
• Those who are found to be useless to Him.
• Regardless of what they claim, they are lost and will be “thrown out”.

This is the whole point of what Jesus wants to say to this crowd.
What a penetrating sermon! What a confrontation!

All of these people are following Him.
• They are all claiming discipleship in some form or another.
• They are all claiming to be followers to some degree.
• They are all associated with Him.

But He turns to them and ultimately warns them that
While true disciples are good and of great value,
False disciples or tasteless disciples are “useless”
And are ultimately “thrown out”.

So do you understand what this sermon is?
Do you understand who it is for?
• This is NOT a sermon for the unchurched.
• This is NOT a sermon for those with no affiliation with Jesus.

This is a sermon about true salvation and it is for those who claim to already be disciples.
• This is a sermon about true salvation and it is for those who think they are already following Jesus.
• This is a sermon about true salvation to those who may already think they are saved.

Do you understand that?

All of these people claimed to be disciples.
Jesus even referred to them as disciples at times.
But here Jesus is going to turn around and tell them
Whether or not they are true disciples.

Or, borrowing from the words of Jesus,
He is going to show them whether or not they are “useless”.

That is why we call this text “The Useless Disciple”
• Because Jesus is about to turn to this crowd and tell them what it is that makes one of His supposed followers actually useless to Him.

I cannot stress enough the importance of this text
To those of us who attend church.

I cannot stress enough the importance of this text
To those of us who are associated with Jesus in our world.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

If God grants you the grace to hear what He says here,
Then it is the request of Jesus that you pay attention to it.

SO THE QUESTION IS: WHAT MAKES A WOULD BE DISCIPLE USELESS TO JESUS?

Of these people who claim to believe and who desire to follow.
• What is it that keeps them from being useful to Jesus?
• What is it that makes them “useless”?
• What is it that ultimately causes them to be “thrown out”?

And Jesus here, in this sermon, gives 4 facts about useless disciples.
#1 THEY LOVE THE APPROVAL OF OTHERS
Luke 14:26

Here we come across another verse
That has caused great difficulty for many.

“If anyone comes to Me”

Notice there the “anyone”.
This is the universal standard for discipleship.

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”

JESUS ACTUALLY SAID THAT.

NOW, FIRST OF ALL.
I think to read this as a limitation Jesus enforces is the wrong way to read it.

Rather, you need to see this as a factual reality
That is routinely proven true.
It is like saying, “If you do not have stamina you cannot run a marathon.”

That doesn’t mean that there is someone at the signup table of the marathon asking everyone “Do you have stamina?” And if they say, “no” then the marathon committee won’t let them run.

Rather, you’d understand that
If you enter a marathon but don’t have stamina
Then you physically can’t do it.
You may be permitted to try, but you cannot succeed.

This is how you should read the statement from Jesus.

If a person does not “hate his own father and mother…he cannot be My disciple.”

You just can’t do it.
It’s not possible to be a true disciple that is useful
And thus acceptable to Jesus
If you do not hate your own father and mother, etc.

THAT’S HOW YOU SHOULD READ THE VERSE.

But then we need to talk about the real problematic part for people.
Jesus said, “hate”.

The same Jesus who in another place told us:
Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

• There Jesus told us specifically not to hate our enemies but that we should love them.
• And now He is telling us to hate the most intimate members of our family. Namely father, mother, wife, children, and siblings?

That doesn’t seem to make sense.

LET ME ASSURE YOU
That this statement from Jesus DOES NOT NULLIFY commands like “husbands love your wives” or “children obey your parents” or even “love one another”

Then what does it mean?
It’s a statement meant as a “by comparison” statement.

Let me give you some others in Scripture.
Malachi 1:2-3 “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”

It is a comparative statement.
• If you compare God’s gracious treatment of Jacob to God’s just treatment of
Esau
• Then comparatively speaking it would be as though God loved Jacob and
hated Esau.

Let me give you another.
Genesis 29:31 “Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”

The Hebrew word there for “unloved” literally means “hated”.

• But Jacob didn’t hate Leah in the sense that we often use it.
• Jacob didn’t even have zero love for Leah.
• It just means that when you compare Jacob’s affection for Rachel to Jacob’s
affection for Leah then it made Rachel look loved and Leah looked hated.

Well that is what we are dealing with here.
Comparatively speaking.

A disciple of Jesus must have such affinity and love for Christ
That it makes his love and affinity even for his family
To appear like hatred.

PUT ANOTHER WAY, there should be absolutely no comparison between the love a disciple has for Jesus and the love a disciple has for anyone else.

And that includes even the most intimate of human relationships.
Father, mother, wife, husband, children, brothers or sisters.

The love for Christ must be infinitely greater.
And if it is not then you CANNOT be His disciple.

AGAIN, it’s not so much that He won’t let you as it is that you can’t do it if your love for Him is not greater than your love for everyone else.

Look at:
Luke 9:61-62 “Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

That story made the same point.
• There was a man who was willing to follow Jesus,
• But only after he received approval and blessing from those at home.

BUT JESUS REMINDED HIM THAT
It is impossible to plow straight rows for the kingdom
If you’re always looking back worried about what other people think.

You may be willing to follow Jesus today,
But what about when your family doesn’t agree.

• WHAT ABOUT WHEN the Lord calls you to the mission field but your parents are upset about their grandkids being raised overseas? (Who are you going to please?)

• WHAT ABOUT WHEN your spouse doesn’t want you praying or reading your Bible? (Who are you going to please?)

• WHAT ABOUT WHEN your kids think church is boring or they want to do something else?

Today we constantly see people sacrificing the will of Jesus for the approval of others.
• 50 years ago everyone knew women pastors was a sin, until feminism hit and our culture approved and so to keep from being blackballed by our peers the church is caving.
• 40 years ago people living together outside of marriage was a sin, but as people’s kids started doing it there became an acceptance of it.
• 20 years ago we all knew homosexuality was a sin, but then the culture shifted and kids we knew started dabbling in it and people decide it’s no longer a sin.

THAT IS THE ISSUE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT.
People started tolerating what they once called sin
Because they weren’t willing to jeopardize certain relationships.

So Jesus asks, “Who do you love more?”
Because this world may present you a very real time
When you have to choose who you’re going to follow.

What about when your FAMILY MEMBERS are actually hostile to the gospel?
Matthew 10:21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.”

Jesus said some will face death at the hands of their family members.

It’s going to be hard to follow Jesus if you are unwilling to go against the religious beliefs of your parents.

This is why Jesus said:
Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

The fact is, following Jesus might in fact put enmity in your very home.
It doesn’t always, and we are grateful when it doesn’t, but it might.

• Are you willing to be faithful to Jesus even if it offends your son?
• Are you willing to be faithful to Jesus even it if offends your daughter?

JESUS UNDERSTOOD THIS ENMITY.
What about when your BROTHER doesn’t like your convictions?
John 7:1-6 “After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. “For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers were believing in Him. So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.”

Jesus was forced to live in such a way
That caused even His own brothers to ostracize Him.

I never had a brother, but I watch my boys.
I see the bond that builds there.

What if following Jesus caused your brother to turn on you like Jesus’ brothers turned on Him. Would you still follow Jesus?

What about when your PARENTS are willing to sell you out?
John 9:18-23 “The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

• There was a guy who was first healed and then saved by Jesus but his own parents threw him under the bus.
• They weren’t willing to follow.
• And if this guys does follow Jesus then he is going to be kicked out of his parent’s synagogue.

And if this man gets kicked out of the synagogue then this man is cut off and ostracized from his parents.
• No help
• No relationship
• No inheritance

Are you willing to pay such a price?

What about when the calling of the Lord means you have to leave your PARENTS?
Matthew 4:21-22 “Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

• James and John had to walk away from the family fishing business.
Jesus didn’t carpenter all His life,
And following Him meant His disciples left their occupations too.

Not all did, but the possibility is there.
Are you going to pay that price?

Paul even talked about this in regard to MARRIAGE:
1 Corinthians 7:32-35 “But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.”

Look, marriage is good, it is ordained by God and certainly there are commands about husbands loving their wives and wives submitting to their husbands.
And those are not nullified here.

But can you follow Jesus when your spouse is not fully on board?
• Husbands can you lead when your wife is unhappy?
• Wives can you serve Christ when your husband mocks?

THE POINT IS that it would be great if our families all loved Jesus
But at there are many times when serving Christ
Can bring a division even into our own homes.

AT THAT MOMENT WHO WILL YOU LOVE AND SERVE?

Because you are a follower and a disciple
Of the one you choose at that moment.

Jesus says that a true disciple is the one who loves Him above everyone else. The one who does not is considered useless, and it thrown out.

But perhaps Jesus SUMMED IT UP best when He said:
Luke 8:19-21 “And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

I hope you’re getting the point here.
If you’re concern is the approval of others, even your family, then you cannot follow Jesus.
• You will end up plowing crooked rows…
• You will end up being salt without taste…
• You will be a read shaken by the wind…

You must have such a great love for Jesus
That it makes every other relationship appear as hatred by comparison.

AND IF YOU’LL OPEN YOUR EYES,
There are true disciples of Jesus who pay and are paying that price.

• I’ve seen children have to hate the plans their parents have for them so that
they can obey Christ.
• I’ve seen parents have to hate the desires of their children so that they can
follow Christ.
• I’ve seen spouses have to hate the desires of their spouse so that they can
be faithful to Christ.

IT’S A REAL ISSUE,
And if you don’t have settled who it is you’re trying to please
Then you cannot follow Jesus.

You have to cross that bridge first.

People turn out to be useless disciples
Because they are too concerned about the approval of others.

They would rather offend Christ than offend their parents
Or their children or their spouse or their brothers or their sisters.

SO, WHO IS IT THAT YOU MOST WANT TO PLEASE?
Who is the love of your heart?

IF IT’S NOT JESUS YOU CANNOT BE HIS DISCIPLE.
And in fact, regardless of what you may think,
You are not His disciple right now.

It is a hard truth, but Jesus is the one who said it.

And we DON’T HAVE THE TIME to get into the next one this morning
So we’ll just leave it at this one.

And perhaps this is enough to think about headed into this week.

Many of us are going to be around family members this week.
Many of those family members may be those that we only see once a year.

SOME OF US MAY BE CONFRONTED with downright unbiblical or ungodly beliefs and the Lord will call upon us to take a stand.

The question is “Can you?”

I’m not saying you should go and be intentionally divisive or rude,
But the truth remains if you share the gospel
It is quite likely to be divisive.

It might just be that you are the Lord’s missionary sent to that your family.
• It might just be that you are the one He has saved in order that He might get the gospel to the rest of them.
• The Lord’s mission could be to send you to your family so that they might here.

And by the way, He did that sometimes too.

Remember the demoniac after Jesus delivered him:
Luke 8:38-39 “But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”

• Jesus’ mission for that man was not to take him back to Galilee.
• Jesus’ mission for that man was to send him back home to his people.

But what if that man was unwilling to risk offending his family?
The only way he could be of service to Jesus and His kingdom
Is if he was willing to love the approval of Jesus
More than he loved the approval of his family.

THINK ABOUT THAT THIS WEEK.
A useful disciple at Thanksgiving or a useless one.

Luke 14:34-35 “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? “It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

WHY I CHANGED MY MIND

Romans 7:14-25

 

If you have taken the time to read the notes or listen to the sermon posted on our website regarding Romans 7:14-25 you know that my initial take on the passage was that Paul is here giving a personal testimony of his own inward struggle with righteousness in order that he might answer the question of why believers still struggle with sin.  I make the argument that Paul is simply revealing that while the salvation of God does justify is, it does not bring immediate outward perfection.  It does however eventually promise outward perfection on the day that our flesh is finally destroyed either through death or the second coming of our Lord.  On that day, glorification will occur and our salvation will be complete and we will finally be both inwardly and outwardly righteous.

I take Romans 7:14-25 to be Paul’s testimony to highlight the struggle of a genuinely redeemed man who laments his constant struggle with the flesh and I use it as a testimony of a mature believer who longs for the return of Christ that he may be finally free from sin completely.

A couple of things I need to say about that view:

1) I still unequivocally hold to the theological beliefs outlined above.  For example, I certainly still believe that though Christians are justified before God that practical external righteousness will elude us until the time of our glorification.  We are currently “being saved” through the process of sanctification but that is a process that will not be perfected as long as we live in this flesh.  Furthermore, I certainly still believe that the mature believer will groan regarding the remainder of sin in his/her flesh, will likely be more aware of his/her sin, and will strive to daily put that flesh to death.  No redeemed child of God can ever grow content with the sin in their flesh and they will long for the day they are totally free from it.  That belief has not changed, and I certainly believe Scripture bears that truth out.  I am just no longer convinced that this is the main point behind Romans 7:14-25

2) The reason I preached this passage the way I did, is because this is what I was taught from two men whom I greatly respect.  Namely John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul.  Their interpretation of this passage remains that Paul is here referring to himself as a spiritually mature man lamenting his ongoing battle in the flesh.  This is also why I have chosen not to remove my former sermon from the website even though I now disagree with my basic premise.  I want everyone who comes here to know that my new view runs against two of the greatest theological minds that I know and honestly posting a different view than theirs causes me to question even to this day if my new view is correct.  In short, I am leaving the old sermon up because I am not totally convinced that one day I might not learn more, see what those men already know, and return to my former view.  They are, after all, far smarter than I am.

None the less, because I see the purpose of this passage now differently, I want to lay out for you my new interpretation of why Paul said these things.  You certainly are encouraged to pray and seek God for His interpretation, for there is only one, and we are obligated to search until we find it.

That being said, here’s the point.

 

PAUL IS NOT HERE REFERRING TO HIS LIFE AS A MATURE BELIEVER. 

PAUL IS HERE REFERRING TO HIMSELF IN HIS PREVIOUS UNREDEEMED STATE.

Paul is sharing with us about how when he was convicted of sin his first attempt to find salvation was to try harder and work more.  In those legalistic efforts he found no satisfaction and thus finally fell broken on the cross of Christ where he found freedom from the sin that his hard work had never gained him.

Let me take you on my journey.

You are well aware of the direction of the book of Romans.

• Chapter 1, after the introduction, reveals to us the wrath of God.
• Chapter 2 changes pronouns from “them” to “you” because Paul then addresses the wrath of God on the religious hypocrite.
• Chapter 3 first condemns all men under their sin and then introduces the glorious atonement of Christ and how the righteousness of God is available to us through Him.
• Chapter 4 shows us the means of obtained God’s righteousness (justification) and that is through faith where Abraham is lifted to us as the chief example.
• Chapter 5 begins to introduce the concept of the security of the believer and the precious doctrine of imputation. Namely that we are secure because Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us by grace.  (Paul even defends that imputation works by showing us how Adam’s folly was first imputed to us).  Thus Paul makes the powerful assertion that we are saved by grace not by the works of the Law.
• Chapter 6 Paul is forced to address the coming argument that his preaching is antinomianism (against the law). Paul assumes a coming accusation that he is turning a blind eye to God’s demand for righteousness.  However here Paul will assure his law loving opponents that anyone who would use grace as a license to sin has totally missed the point of salvation.
• And in chapter 7 Paul brings his argument regarding antinomianism to a completion. He is answering the legalists regarding the purpose of the Law.

And here he begins by assuring them that just because he preaches that salvation is not by works of the Law that does not mean that the Law has no purpose.  The Law has a tremendous purpose.  The Law is even essential to salvation.  However the Law does not save and anyone who seeks to use the Law in that way will find nothing but frustration, slavery, and ultimately condemnation.

Paul first directs our attention to THE JURISDICTION OF THE LAW (7:1-3).  And the chief point here is that the Law only has jurisdiction over those who are living.  After a person dies, the Law no longer has jurisdiction over them.  And he uses the analogy of a marriage/adultery/divorce/death/remarriage as his illustration.  But the point remains, when a person is dead, the Law no longer has jurisdiction.

He then reminds us that through Jesus WE DIED AND WERE FREED FROM THE LAW’S JURISDICTION (7:4-6).  Through imputation and identification with Christ, we were also considered dead and buried and thus free from the Law as a means of salvation.  The Law no longer holds that sort of jurisdiction over us.  We are now in Christ.  The Law has been fulfilled in Him.  We now serve “in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”

That is Paul’s crowning point.  So long as we tried to be saved by the Law all we ever achieved was failure and all we ever received was more condemnation.  Look at verse 5.  “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.”  THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT VERSE because that is the truth Paul will be illustrating in the rest of Romans 7.  Paul is about to drive the truth of that point home.  He is about to show you how a person in the flesh, using the Law as a means of salvation, will never find anything but more sin and ultimate condemnation.  And the illustration Paul is going to use comes from his own former unredeemed life.

This is when we get to Romans 7:7.

Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.”

Now because Paul has asserted the Law cannot save, and because Paul has asserted that the Law only condemns, and because Paul has revealed the necessity of being freed from the Law he realizes that there are some who will think that he is simply anti-law.  That is not true!  And that is what he starts out by revealing here.  He immediately begins defending the Law.  “What shall we say then?  Is the Law sin? May it never be!”  Of course not!  Don’t think for one second that Paul is antinomian.  He is absolutely not against the Law.  The Law is not sin.  The Law never encourages sin.

In fact, here is the absolutely best thing the Law ever does for a person: “I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.”  Paul loves the Law because the Law did a wonderful thing for him.  The Law showed him that he was a sinner.  (And incidentally if a person is never shown that they are a sinner they will never cry out for salvation.  This type of condemnation is essential to salvation.)  So the Law did Paul a tremendous favor in that it revealed to him that he had a major coveting problem.

So follow where Paul is now.

• He has lived his life under the Law.
• He has lived with the intention of being perfectly obedient to God.
• He knows the Law is of God.
• He knows the Law is good.
• And so he knows that if the Law calls him a coveter then that is what he is

But here is where Paul made his first mistake (as an unredeemed yet convicted man).  PAUL WENT TO THE LAW FOR SALVATION.

When the Law condemned him as a covetous man Paul set out to give it his best effort to stop coveting.  But it didn’t work.  Why? Because his flesh was still strong.  (Remember verse 5, “while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.”)  And here Paul found that he couldn’t try hard enough to do what the Law required (8) “But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment produced in me coveting of every kind;” Of course it did!  The sinful flesh doesn’t bow to the Law.  The Law only irritates it and causes it to revolt even harder!  If the Law never exposes, all is well “for apart from the Law sin is dead” but when the Law tells you to change, then comes the fight.  And it is a battle Paul tried to fight in the flesh, and he lost miserably.

Now what did he learn from this initial battle?  Namely that he was in trouble.  (9-11) “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”  He says a mouthful there, but it is so important.  When Paul says “I was once alive” what he means is that he didn’t know he was spiritually dead.  He didn’t know he was sinful.  “But when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died”.  When Paul read that verse about not coveting he learned that he was sinful and all of a sudden his high self-view was shattered.  He realized that he was a sinful man.  What caused him to come to this realization?  The Law.  So in effect, this Law, which he always thought would save him actually killed him (or at least showed him he was dead).  But in Paul’s mind that only proved that the Law had a very important place and the Law as very good.  (12) “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”  That is to say, you can’t blame the Law for my problem.  The Law is nothing more than the MRI machine that revealed the tumor.  The Law is good.

And to make sure you understand his point he asks the question another way; just to remove all doubt.  (13) “Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me?  May it never be!”  That’s an important question.  Paul, did the Law kill you?  Paul say, “No, 1,000 times no!”  Then what did kill you? (13b) “Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”  The cause of Paul’s death was sin.  He just didn’t know what sin was and he didn’t know he had it until the Law came in and exposed it.  The Law didn’t kill him, sin did.

And so Paul has clearly outlined for us the role of the Law as it comes to salvation.  It is there to expose sin and condemn sinners.  That is a good role.  That is a necessary role.  But do not attribute more to the Law than that.  One thing the Law cannot do is save a sinner from his sin.  And that is where Paul made his critical mistake as a lost man.

He heard the warning of the Law.  He knew the Law was good.  He knew the Law was from God.  He knew the Law was right.  He knew he had to obey the Law.  And so Paul set out to try harder and do better.  The result of that effort is found in verses 14-24.

 

Romans 7:14-24 is the sorrowful song of the sinful man

Who has tried his best to save himself through works of the Law.

 

Look at it.

Romans 7:14-24 “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”

Now at this point let me address the reasoning of John MacArthur who states that Paul is saved man because of statements like “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man”.  MacArthur holds that this is the mindset of a saved person.  To that I agree.  That is certainly the mindset of a saved person.  But it is also the mindset of a lost person who is under conviction from the Law which he knows to be true.  He knows it is right.  What we are talking about here is a lost man trying everything he can to obey the Law that he knows to be true.

And the frustration is painfully obvious.  (15) “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.”  (18) “the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” (19) “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”  Can you hear him?  I read that coveting is a sin so I set out to quit coveting.  But the harder I tried to quit coveting the more I coveted.  I just couldn’t kick it, despite my efforts.  What was his conclusion?  (14) “I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.”  (21) “I find then the principle that evil is present in me,”.  And ultimately Paul says, (23) I am “a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.” 

What is Paul saying?  He, as a lost man trying his best, has finally come to the realization that while the Law can help him identify his sin, the Law cannot help him defeat it.  The Law can condemn him, but the Law can’t save him.  The Law can kill him, but the Law cannot give him life.  Knowing the commandment is good for exposing sin, but knowing the commandment won’t help you live righteous; he has come to realize that in this condition his sin will never be overcome.  And that reality leads to the helpless cry of salvation.  (24) “Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?”  This friends is a cry of salvation!  Can you hear the tax collector here begging, “God be merciful to me the sinner!”?  Paul is there in full beatitude mode.  He is poor in spirit, he is mourning over sin, he is hungering and thirsting for righteousness, he is meek, he is pure in heart.  He knows that there is nothing he can do to fix his problem because he has given it everything he has and failed miserably.

Ah, but the solution!  (25) “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  Paul found the Savior from sin and it wasn’t the Law.  It was Jesus!  And then the conclusion.  “So then, one the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”  That “so then” is the final application and explanation of the whole point that Paul has been making since verse 5.  That just because your mind wants to obey God doesn’t mean your flesh will follow.  Salvation is not a matter of the will.  Salvation is not a matter of knowledge.  Salvation is not a matter of education or trying harder or twelve step programs.  The flesh is too strong!  The flesh will override your knowledge every time.  Our world (and especially our religious majority) has spent countless millions trying to educate young people on the dangers and ramifications of sex, but education doesn’t change the impulse of the flesh in the heat of passion.  That is Paul’s point!  If all salvation was about was changing the mind then the Law would be enough, but there is a much bigger issue in play.  We are talking about a sinful flesh and for that we need a Savior to deliver us.

Now, there is some more very important wording that must be grasped to seal my point here.  Back in (7:24) Paul asked, “who will SET ME FREE from the body of this death?”  Do you see that is the question.  The Law already changed his mind, Paul’s bigger foe is his flesh (“the body of this death”).  And Paul wants to know specifically “who will set me free..?”.  Do you see that?

Now look to chapter 8.  “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus HAS SET YOU FREE from the law of sin and of death.”  Do you see that Paul is answering that question in chapter 8?  Chapter 7 is not about a saved man wanting perfect sanctification.  Chapter 7 is about a lost man finally learning that by his own efforts he will never have freedom from sin.  And yet this freedom from sin is made clear and available in chapter 8.  It comes through the justification of Christ and the work of God’s Holy Spirit.  Does that mean that we will now be sinless in this life?  No, at any given moment we will always have more sin than we are ever currently or consciously aware of.  We are not sinless, but we are certainly moving in an upward direction, and that only by the work of Christ and His Spirit.

Furthermore let me point out.  If MacArthur and Sproul are correct in their assessment of the meaning of Romans 7, then at the end of the chapter we read Paul asking this question, “Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?”  And if Paul is referring to himself as a spiritually mature man there, then there is only one possible answer to his question.  That answer would have to be, “When Jesus returns or you die and go to be with him.”  In short, there is no answer in this life for the battle against sin.  Are we to say that a believer has no more hope for victory over sin in this life than a lost man?  Of course not!  We know that our victory is here and now.  “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.”  We know what Paul said in Galatians 5:16, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”  There is victory for the believer today!  There is freedom from sin today!  And that is the hope that Paul is offering in Romans 7 and into chapter 8.  That as a lost man aware of his sin, he tried through the Law to make it all right and he could not.  All he found was that he was a slave.  But through Jesus Christ, he found freedom from sin, and through the sanctifying work of the Spirit Paul found that he was no longer a slave.  That is the point of chapter 7.  It was an argument that begin with that great statement back in chapter 5, (5:20-21) “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Paul has finally here completed defending that important statement.

And for one final interesting reality.  I ask you to look at Philippians 4:10-13.  This is the passage where Paul addresses the generous giving of the Philippians on his behalf.  He writes:

Philippians 4:10-13 “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Look at that!  “for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along wit humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”  That does not sound like a man who struggles with coveting does it?  That is not a covetous man, that is a content man.  The man who once had tried so strenuously to put an end to his coveting has finally been able to declare total victory over that specific sin.  How did he do it?  What was the 12 step program?  Look at his answer, “I can do all things THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME.”  Christ did it!  Christ set me free!  The Spirit of God is at work in me.  The Spirit of God is battling my flesh.  See Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”  That is to say that the Spirit is now warring against the flesh so that no longer do you have to do what the flesh wants!  O what victory!  And it is the very victory Paul was celebrating back in Romans 7 & 8

Well, there you have it.

So, when you listen to the sermon on this site, perhaps you are inclined to see this truth the way I saw it before.  And I maintain nothing but absolute respect and honor for men like John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul.  They are giants, I am a worm in the dirt.  But in listening I also want to present you with this alternative view that I have now come to hold.  Grace to you as you study this passage on your own.

 

 

OTHER ARTICLES ON THIS REALITY FOR YOUR STUDY:

Follow this link to find the first article and links to the others as well.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/romans-7-apostle-paul-confession/

 

 

ONE WHO AGREES WITH MACARTHUR:

What’s Really Going On in Romans 7

July 2, 2018  |  Will Timmins

There’s a story that a British newspaper sent out an inquiry to famous authors, asking the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” The writer G. K. Chesterton responded:

Dear Sir,

I am.

Yours, G. K. Chesterton

In Romans 7 Paul does something similar. He’s anticipating the accusation that he disparages God’s holy law (vv. 7, 12) since he’s said that Christians have “died to the law” (v. 4) and no longer serve God in “the oldness of the letter” (v. 6). In effect, the apostle replies: “You want to know what the problem is? It’s not my view of the law. That’s beyond reproach. It’s me. I’m the problem. My teaching on the law is not a reflection of what the law is like. It’s a reflection of what I am like.”

Paul’s Dual Purpose

Why is Romans 7 so difficult to understand? Why is it so debated? Why does the evidence seem to push in different directions? Because of Paul’s dual purpose in this passage.

The life of fruitful obedience to God, he explains, comes as we die to our old husband, the law, which was a threatening master over us, and we marry a new husband, the Lord Jesus Christ (vv. 1–4). The law can only expose and excite our sin (vv. 7–13). Although the law is “spiritual” (v. 14)—having a divine origin and nature—we are “fleshly” (v. 14), intrinsically incapable of keeping God’s good law. So God in Christ has to take from our hands the external written code—the law book—and put into our hearts his Spirit, who empowers the powerless to live the fruitful life of love to which the law points (vv. 5–6).

That is Paul’s main point in Romans 7. His purpose in light of that is to simultaneously (1) defend himself against the misconception that he dismisses and denigrates God’s law, and (2) help the believers in Rome see that they’re fleshly by nature and, therefore, can’t successfully serve God in  the “oldness of the letter” (v. 6). But defending yourself while pointing the finger at others rarely ends well (see Romans 2!), so Paul defends himself while pointing the finger at himself as the problem.

Paul simultaneously defends himself against a misplaced charge and confesses his profound incapacity to obey God’s law. That, in large part, explains why Romans 7 has a mixture of positive and negative statements.

The element of self-defense continues into verses 14–25. Take verse 22 for example, where Paul uses a verb that appears nowhere else in biblical Greek (sunēdomai). Our first question shouldn’t be, “Is this the experience of a Christian or a non-Christian?” but “Why this verb in this context?” It makes sense when we realize Paul comes to his own defense (as also in vv. 7, 11, 14, 16), since it was a verb often used to express a strong sympathy of outlook with another person: “I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner person” (cf. NASB; HCSB). The phrase personifies God’s law as someone Paul strongly agrees with. The law is, after all, God’s personal voice (v. 7). Paul is saying, “I’m not taking sides against the law. I’m fully, joyfully in agreement with the law.”

Two Keys to Unlock Verse 14

Everything in verses 14–25 stands under the banner of verse 14: “We know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, having been sold under sin” (literal translation). Paul confesses what he is intrinsically like, in contrast to what the law is intrinsically like.

There are two points to note, which will unlock the verse for us. The first key is that the statement “I am fleshly” is temporally constrained by the statement “we know that the law is spiritual.” It becomes clear when we rewrite it like this: “We (you Christians in Rome, and I the apostle Paul) know that the law is spiritual, but I (Paul) am fleshly.” Which Paul is speaking in the second part of the sentence? Is it Paul the Pharisee or Paul the apostle? The answer is clear—it’s Paul the apostle—unless we want to play conjuring tricks with language. Clearly the “I” of the second part of the sentence is part of the “we” of the first part.

It’s true that the Greek present tense can be used in a “dramatic” way to refer to past time. But to raise that point with respect to Romans 7 is a red herring, since the statement of verse 14a locates the present tense of verse 14b at the time Paul is writing to the Christians in Rome. Paul, the author of Romans, refers to himself here when he says “I.”

But how do we make sense of the Christian Paul saying, “I am fleshly, sold under sin”? That brings us to the second key, which is realizing that “sold under sin” doesn’t qualify Paul, but qualifies his condition of fleshliness. Paul literally says, “I am fleshly, having been sold under sin.” He does not say, “I am fleshly and sold under sin.” Interpreters typically read into the verse an “and” that’s not there. Having been sold under sin (by the transgression of Adam), we’ve become fleshly people.

There’s a vital distinction here. Being a slave is fundamentally an issue of personal identity—“Who am I?” (or better, “Whose am I?”). Being fleshly is fundamentally an issue of personal capacity—“What am I?” (or “What am I like?”). Paul isn’t saying he’s a slave of sin and contradicting what he just said about the believer’s freedom in chapter 6. We now have freedom through union with Christ in his death and resurrection (6:1–10), but our bodies don’t yet share Christ’s risen life (6:11). So there’s still a slavery in our bodily members (7:23) as we await the redemption of our bodies (8:23). That’s what it means to be fleshly.

This is the painful reality—our bodily condition hasn’t yet caught up with who we now are in Christ. We’re no longer “in the flesh,” where we reported to slavemaster sin (7:5). However, now that we report to King Jesus we do so as those who are still “fleshly” people (7:14). We have new identities but not new innate capacities! We remain irreparably (but not irredeemably) impaired people.

The Christian’s Radical Inability

Like a computer virus, sin has entered inside the system (“living in me,” vv. 17, 20), where it has impaired all operations (my bodily “members,” v. 23) from functioning according to their original design (carrying out God’s good law, vv. 16, 18, 19, 21). This radical, systemic impairment results in an inability to accomplish the good (vv. 15, 18, 19). It means we have a radical moral disability. We’re incapacitated (vv. 18, 23). The pure, holy goodness of the law is beyond our reach. Because he is fleshly, the good Paul wants to do he does not do.

Three quick points to note. First, this is a Christian’s confession of a human condition. The Christian perceives it (note the verbs of perception in vv. 14, 18, 21, 23), but we all have it.

Second, there’s a connection between 6:12 (“the desires of the body”), 6:19 (“the weakness of the flesh”), 7:7 (“you shall not desire/covet”), and the fleshly/bodily sin of 7:14–25. In other words, Paul isn’t giving us headline news of disgraceful misconduct, but sharing his personal awareness of the power of indwelling sin, experienced as sinful desire. This sinful desire is with us till the day we die.

Christ is a fountain of abundant life. Knowing ourselves from Romans 7 feeds the life of faith.

Third, Paul dramatizes the dynamic of sin within to underline his intrinsic powerlessness in the face of it. Paul doesn’t yet have in view the Spirit’s enabling, because he wants us to first grasp our own profound inability. This makes us both appreciate, and also depend on, God’s power in Christ (8:1–4). And it means that I never possess spiritual life as a quality or property that I can claim as mine. Rather, by the Spirit, I participate in the risen life of Christ, whose Spirit produces the fruit of Christ in me. That love that God enabled me to show yesterday to my unlovely neighbor? That was Christ’s love at work in and through me.

Three Implications

1. Romans 7 and Faith

Faith means going outside ourselves (there’s no innate good within us, 7:18) and fleeing to Christ, not only for justification but for every blessing of God’s grace. There’s no fruitfulness apart from him (7:4). As Martin Luther put it, “All our good is outside of us, and that good is Christ.” Or, as John Calvin wrote, “Since rich store of every kind of good abounds in him, let us drink our fill from this fountain, and from no other” (Institutes 2.16.19). Relying on the law involves self-reliance (cf. Phil. 3:9). It’s a dead end. Christ, meanwhile, is a fountain of abundant life.

Knowing ourselves from Romans 7 feeds the life of faith.

2. Romans 7 and Hope

Salvation in Christ is resurrection life. We participate now in the resurrection life of Christ (6:1–11), but we still await the resurrection of the dead, when our bodies will be raised to be like his glorious body (Phil 3:21). So the life of hope is lived amid profound bodily weakness (Rom 4:18–25; 6:12, 19; 7:14–25; 8:10–11, 23–25). That weakness is physical, but it’s also moral.

Knowing ourselves from Romans 7 feeds the life of hope.

3. Romans 7 and Love

Either we can use the law in pride to distance ourselves from others (2:1–16), or God will use the law in our lives to show us that we’re just like Adam, the prototypical sinner (7:7–13), and as helpless as the lowliest person we’ll ever meet (7:14–25).

You can only love people when down on their level (12:16), so knowing ourselves from Romans 7 feeds the life of love.

Remember, this is the confession of the apostle Paul. When Christ called him on the Damascus road, he broke him, and he stayed a broken man. But what an abundant harvest grew from the soil of that brokenness! Only from such men and women can words of life and grace flow. Witness Romans 8, a glorious melody of assurance, comfort, and hope. Leaders of Christ’s precious flock take note: You can only tend to their needs down on your knees.

Will Timmins is lecturer in New Testament at Moore Theological College, Sydney, and author of Romans 7 and Christian Identity: A Study of the ‘I’ in Its Literary Context.

 

 

ANOTHER WHO AGREES WITH MACARTHUR:

Romans 7 Does Describe Your Christian Experience

Perplexing Passages

January 19, 2016  |  John Piper

Bible & Theology

Editors’ note: This is the second installment in a special three-part “Perplexing Passages” forum examining the long-debated Pauline passage, Romans 7:13–25. In part one, Tom Schreiner defended the view that Paul was speaking of his struggle with sin before his conversion. The final part will offer a third view from Martyn Lloyd-Jones. A version of this article appeared originally at DesiringGod.org and has been revised by the author for The Gospel Coalition.

When I teach on Romans 7, I expect there may be pushback to my argument that Romans 7:14–25 refers to Paul’s—and thus to our—Christian experience. Good friends, like Tom Schreiner, think that when Paul says “I delight in the law of God, in my inner being (esō anthrōpon)” (Rom. 7:22), or when he says “I, my very self (autos egō) serve the law of God with my mind” (Rom. 7:25), he is expressing his pre-Christian experience.

This is because Paul also says, “I am of the flesh, sold under sin” (Rom. 7:14); “I do the very thing I hate” (Rom. 7:15); “I see in my members another law . . . making me captive to the law of sin” (Rom. 7:23); “wretched man that I am!” (Rom. 7:24); and “with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Rom. 7:25).

These statements of defeat do not sound like the person who says in Romans 8:2, “The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Matter of Exegesis

I know that when it comes to a positive description of what the Christian life should be, and what it normally is, that Tom and I do not differ significantly. In other words, our difference in exegesis on this passage does not signal a significant difference in what to call for, hope for, and expect from genuine Christians.

But biblical faithfulness and clarity is always good for us. So it might be helpful to make a few clarifying comments. For more extensive argumentation, I preached six messages on Romans 7:14–25 under the title “Who Is This Divided Man?” The ten reasons I gave for my position in those sermons are summed up here.

Five Clarifications

Here are some clarifications that might help make the case.

1. I’m not convinced Romans 7:5 and 7:7–25 both refer to Paul before he was converted.

Tom and numerous others see a strong argument for the pre-Christian view in the claim that Romans 7:7–25 unpacks Romans 7:5, while Romans 8:1–17 unpacks Romans 7:6.

Since Romans 7:5 refers to pre-Christian experience, they infer that 7:7–25 does as well. I don’t find this point compelling. For one thing, they agree that 7:13–25 is answering the question of verse 13: “Did that which is good, then, [the law] bring death to me?”

I agree. That’s what 7:13–25 is doing. Paul’s answer is, No. It is sin, not law, that kills. But it begs the question to assume we know how Paul will argue for this in 7:13–25. How will he show the exceeding power and ugliness of sin, and the goodness of the law? I would make the case that he argues from his own Christian experience in dealing with sin to show how powerful and deadly sin is, and how good the law is.

Further, notice the similarity in thought and language between 7:6 and 7:25. In 7:6, there is the victory over bondage to the law followed by the great result: “So that we serve (douleuein) in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” Similarly, in 7:25, there is another victory: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” followed by another great result: “So then, I myself serve (douleuō) the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

Both of these verses (7:6, 25) express the effect or result (verse 6: hōste) “to serve” God in a new way. This “service” in verse 25, Paul makes explicit, is not the service of the law of sin with the flesh. Therefore, it is the service of God by the Spirit. Five verses later, Paul makes clear that the only alternative to living by the flesh is living by the Spirit.

Therefore, the argument of Romans 7:13–25 is not limited to unpacking pre-Christian experience of Romans 7:5. It is also unpacking the Christian experience of Romans 7:6.  And it is supporting 7:5 by using Christian experience to spotlight the exceeding power of sin as our great enemy, not the law.

2. Paul genuinely delights in the law.

When I say that an unregenerate Paul would not say, “I delight in the law of God, in my inner being” (Rom. 7:22), I don’t mean that a first-century Jew couldn’t say that. I mean that the term “inner being” (esō anthrōpon) is Paul’s way of saying, “I don’t mean this hypocritically, or superficially, or pharisaically. I mean that I myself really do, in the depths of my new regenerate man (cf. Eph. 3:16; 4:24), love the law of God.”

I don’t doubt there were regenerate first-century Christian Jews like Zechariah and Elizabeth who were “both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments” (Luke 1:6). I am sure they delighted in the law of God and said so.

And I don’t doubt there were unregenerate Jews who said “I delight in the law of God” with their lips, while their hearts were far from God (Matt. 15:8). The unregenerate Paul was not like Zechariah, but like the vain worshiper. But the Paul speaking in Romans 7:22 is trying to tell us he really means it. That’s why he says “delight in the inner being” (Rom. 7:22) and why he says “I, my very self (autos egō) serve the law of God with my mind” (Rom. 7:25).

3. Paul is referring to an occasion and not total captivity to sin.

When I say Romans 7:14–25 describes Paul’s Christian experience, I don’t mean his steady-state experience. I mean that this sort of defeat happens to Paul. For example, when he says “If I do what I do not want . . . it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me” (Rom. 7:16–17), he is referring to an occasion in life, not the totality of life.

Or when he says, “I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members” (Rom. 7:23), he does not mean he lives in the steady-state “captivity.” He means captivity happens to him.

So when I describe Romans 7:14–25 as “Christian experience,” I don’t mean “ideal” experience, or “normal” steady-state experience. I mean that when a genuine Christian does the very thing he hates (Rom. 7:15), this is what really happened to Paul the Christian in moments of weakness and defeat.

4. Triumph is connected to war.

One of my arguments for the Christian-experience view is that Paul follows his exultation of triumph in verse 25 with a strong inference (ara oun)—“therefore”—that returns us to the conflict and “war” of verse 23. The Christian experience view makes good sense of this sequence. But I have not seen a compelling answer to this argument.

Paul cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). He answers with an exultant expression of the victory of Christ, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:25). If that victory signaled the warfare of Romans 7:14–25 was behind him, how natural it would have been for Romans 8:1–2 to begin next: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

But instead, Paul not only gives one last expression to his conflict with indwelling sin, but he makes this conflict a strong inference from the victory he just expressed. He says, “[The victory is done through Christ!] Therefore (ara oun), I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Rom. 7:25).

How does this “therefore” work? It seems to work like this: Because God has won a great and decisive and final victory over the forces of sin that take my members captive (Rom. 6:13, 19; 7:5), I am now able “to serve the law of God with my mind,” even though, at times, my flesh gets the upper hand and takes me captive to serve the law of sin so that I do what I hate.

In other words, there is a massive difference between the Christian experience of deliverance from the wretched control of the “body of death” (Rom. 7:24), and the pre-Christian experience when we “existed” (hēmen) in the flesh, [and] our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death (Rom. 7:5).

5. Warfare is made possible, not past.

But Paul is at pains to make clear in Romans 7:25 that the difference does not put the warfare behind us. Our death in Christ “to that which held us captive” and our “serving in the new way of the Spirit” (Rom. 7:6) does not mean we never stumble back into experience of captivity. In fact, the “therefore” of Romans 7:25 explains that the victory does not make the warfare past; it makes it possible and real.

It seems to me that the groaning of Romans 8:23 as we “wait for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies” is essentially the same as the cry of Romans 7:24: “O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?”

In Romans 7:24, the focus is on the moral crippling connected with the body, and in Romans 8:23 the focus is on the physical. But the reference to the “not yet” of adoption in Romans 8:23 (that climaxes in conformity to our older brother in Romans 8:29) reminds us that both morally and physically, there is a massive “not yet” for the Christian.

And my contention is that there is a lot more continuity of the “not yet” from Romans 7 to Romans 8—both spiritually and physically—than is sometimes realized.

John Piper is senior teacher of desiringGod.org, chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, pastor emeritus of Bethlehem Baptist Church, and a Council member of The Gospel Coalition. He is the author of numerous books, including Desiring God. He and his wife, Noël, have five children.

 

ONE WHO AGREES WITH ME:

Romans 7 Does Not Describe Your Christian Experience

Perplexing Passages

January 13, 2016  |  Thomas Schreiner

 

Bible & Theology

Editors’ note: This is the first installment in a special three-part “Perplexing Passages” forum examining the long-debated Pauline passage, Romans 7:13–25. In part two, John Piper will defend the view that Paul was speaking of his struggle with indwelling sin as a believer. The final part will offer a third view from Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

Romans 7:13–25 is one of the most disputed and controversial passages in the Bible. Augustine changed his mind about its meaning, so we have precedent for swinging back and forth in our own interpretation. I recognize that I can hardly give the last word on a text that has been argued over for thousands of years.

Indeed, some of us have had a Romans 7 kind of experience with Romans 7.

We can’t decide what the verses are really about, and conclude, “Wretched interpreter that I am. Who will set me free from this interpretive quandary?”

Though in a short article I can’t discuss all the issues that arise in these verses, I’ll defend why I believe Paul is discussing his pre-Christian experience. It’s also important to see that Paul describes his pre-Christian life retrospectively. In other words, as Paul looks back as a Christian on his life before Christ, he recognizes he wasn’t a believer.

Four Reasons for a Pre-Christian Experience

1. The structure of the passage.

When we look at Romans 7 as a whole, we find a clear structure. This is outlined in verses 5–6:

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions operated through the law in every part of us and bore fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law.

Verse 5 depicts pre-Christian experience, describing a time “when we were in the flesh,” and explains that the flesh produced “death.” Verse 6 refers to Christians in four terms: “But now,” “released,” “died” (to our old life), and “Spirit.” Virtually all commentators agree that verse 5 refers to unbelievers and verse 6 to believers. But here is the key point: Romans 7:7–25 unpacks verse 5, and Romans 8:1–17 unpacks verse 6. In verses 7–25 we see how sin via the law brings death to those in the flesh, and in Romans 8:1–17 we see how the Spirit grants life to those who belong to Jesus Christ. Romans 7:5–6 forecasts what Paul is about to say in remarkably clear terms.

2. The Holy Spirit.

If we shake the kaleidoscope, we can look at the passage from another complementary perspective. The Holy Spirit is never mentioned in Romans 7:7–25. But Paul refers to the Spirit 15 times in Romans 8:1–17, suggesting that the person described in Romans 7:7–25 is one who doesn’t have the Spirit in his life.

The essence of what it means to be a Christian is to be indwelt with the Spirit (Rom. 8:9). We see in both Romans 7:14 and 7:18 that the one described is of the “flesh,” one who is still in the old Adam, one who is unregenerate.

3. The question asked in Romans 7:13.

Paul’s argument advances by the questions he asks. We’ve already seen that Romans 7:5–6 structures and forecasts the ensuing discussion. But notice the question posed in Romans 7:7: “What should we say then? Is the law sin?” The question arises because of the wording of Romans 7:5, since Paul had said that our sinful passions were aroused by the law and produced death.

So the question in Romans 7:7 naturally arises: if sinful passions were provoked by the law, is the law sinful? Paul categorically rejects such an option, arguing that the law is spiritual and good (Rom. 7:12). But sin used the law as a launching point in our lives to bring about our spiritual death.

Paul proceeds to ask another question in Romans 7:13: “Therefore, did what is good cause my death?” The “good” here is clearly the law. But notice the question asked: did the good law cause my death? The answer is then given in Romans 7:13b–25. But this is a powerful argument supporting pre-Christian experience since Paul explains how sin used the law to bring about our death. The flow of the argument fits perfectly with what Paul says about unbelievers in Romans 7:5: the law worked in our members while we were outside of Christ to separate us from God, to kill us.

4. The total defeat described in Romans 7:13–25.

Many Christians throughout history have identified with the despair and inability of the “I” in Romans 7:13–25. We read these verses and think: That’s my story; that’s my experience. Their instinct is right, but their interpretation is wrong. As Christians we are deeply aware of our continued sinfulness and the many ways we fall short of God’s will. As James says, “We all stumble in many ways” (Jas. 3:2; cf 2:10). It’s clear the word stumble here means sin. So James doesn’t say we sin occasionally, but that we all stumble and sin in many ways.

Every Christian following the Lord recognizes the continuing battle with sin that will afflict us until the day of redemption (Gal. 5:16–18). We’re already saved, but we aren’t yet all we want to or need to be. We must continue confessing our sins daily, just as Jesus taught us in the Lord’s prayer (Matt. 6:12). Sin continues to bedevil us in thought, word, and deed until the day we die.

Yet that’s not what Romans 7:13–25 is talking about. Yes, we continue to struggle with sin. Yes, we fall short every day. But Romans 7:13–25 is talking about total defeat. As Paul says in verse 14, “I am of the flesh, sold under sin.” In other words, he is describing complete and total captivity to sin.

We see the same thing again in verse 23: “But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.” Paul isn’t just talking about struggling with sin with frequent failures; he describes complete and abject defeat, being utterly enslaved to sin. The “I” is a prisoner of sin. Again and again in this passage, Paul says he wanted to obey but couldn’t; the obedience didn’t come and couldn’t come—since he was unregenerate.

The total defeat described in Romans 7 contradicts how Paul describes Christian experience in Romans 6 and 8. Paul proclaims in Romans 6 that we’re no longer slaves to sin (6:6), that we’re free from the sin that enslaved us when we were unbelievers (Rom. 6:16–19).

Yes, we still sin, but we aren’t slaves to it anymore. As Romans 8:2 declares, “The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Such freedom from sin doesn’t accord with the person described in Romans 7:13–25, since that person is still enslaved to sin. As Christians we enjoy substantial, significant, and observable (though not perfect) victory over sin in this life. Though we fail every day, we are dramatically changed by the grace of God.

Two Objections

A number of objections surface against what I’ve said. Let’s look at two of them briefly. First, how does a reference to unbelievers fit with Romans 7:23 (“For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being”)? Doesn’t such delight and longing for God’s law show that a believer is in view? Not necessarily. Many pious Jews loved God’s law and yet didn’t know God. Paul himself testifies that the Jews have a “zeal for God,” though they lacked knowledge (Rom. 10:2). There can be zeal and delight in the law (witness the Pharisees) when one isn’t truly saved.

Second, Paul shifts from past-tense verbs in Romans 7:7–11 to present-tense verbs in verses 14–25. Doesn’t that prove Christians are in view? Not necessarily. Scholars recognize that present tense doesn’t necessarily designate present time. The temporal nature of an action must be discerned from context, since present-tense verbs, even in the indicative, may be used with reference to the past or even the future.

The tense of the verb doesn’t emphasize time in Romans 7:7–25. Rather, the use of the present tense here fits with the state or condition of the person. Paul is emphasizing one’s captivity, subjugation, and impotence under the law. His use of the present tense doesn’t denote past time but highlights in a vivid way the slavery of life under the law.

Final Word

If I’m right in the way I interpret this passage, the difference between me and those who see this as Christian experience isn’t great. After all, we both agree that believers fall short in numerous ways and that we struggle daily with sin.

The reason we differ is that I see Romans 7:13–25 as describing total defeat, and that isn’t our story as Christians since the Holy Spirit also empowers us to live in a new way.

Thomas Schreiner is the James Buchanan Harrison professor of New Testament interpretation and associate dean for Scripture and interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. You can follow him on Twitter.

 

 

ONE WHO SORT OF SITS ON THE FENCE:

Lloyd-Jones: Believer or Unbeliever Is Not the Point of Romans 7

Perplexing Passages

January 27, 2016  |  Ben Bailie

 

Bible & Theology

Martyn Lloyd-Jones began his sermons on Romans 7 with a warning: “This chapter is one of the most controversial in the Bible.” This was unfortunate, he argued, because the controversy misses the main point of the passage. Trying to discern the “man” of Romans 7, whether he was regenerate or unregenerate, is a distraction—one that misses the Christian experience a believer should be seeking.

He believed the main point of Romans 7 was to dramatically illustrate what happens if you seek sanctification apart from the Spirit through the law. No matter who you are, if you seek your sanctification this way it will slay you. Paul had already proven justification through the law is impossible, now he seeks to prove the same with sanctification.

Lloyd-Jones certainly didn’t think the chapter was unimportant. In his typical manner of hyperbole, the Doctor called it “the most famous and best-known section of the entire epistle.” Few chapters expose the deep power of sin and clarify the role of the law in a believer’s life quite like Romans 7. Yet no section has fueled more debate.

For Lloyd-Jones, whether Paul was speaking about his pre-conversion or post-conversion experience is not important. Therefore, Lloyd-Jones had relatively little to say about it. Of the 27 sermons he preached on Romans 7:1–8:4, only six dealt with the controversial passage—Romans 7:14–25. Six sermons for eleven verses is practically flying for Lloyd-Jones.

Structured Like a Symphony  

To understand Lloyd-Jones’s interpretation of Romans 7, one must see how it functions within the logical flow of chapters 5–8. He believed those four chapters, like a symphony, form one grand, majestic, theological vision in which the glorious doctrine of the believer’s union with Christ is on full display.

Lloyd-Jones preached 144 sermons on chapters 5–8. He believed Romans 5 is the theological heart of the book, with Romans 5:20–21 being the controlling exegetical verses. Misunderstand chapter 5 and one will, by necessity, misinterpret 6 and 7; they form a “parenthesis” dealing with objections to Paul’s central assertion in 5:20–21.

The entire section, Lloyd-Jones argued, unpacks our union with Christ through the reign of grace. Chapter 6 proves our sanctification is guaranteed since we’re united to Christ and can no longer live in sin. Romans 7 proves our sanctification is guaranteed since we’ve been freed from the law and married to Christ. We are enabled to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Chapter 7 offers a dramatic warning of what happens when we seek sanctification through the law, apart from the Spirit.

Chapter 8 unpacks the reality that a believer’s sanctification is guaranteed because they’ve been united to Christ and are thus indwelt by the Spirit. There is now no condemnation for followers of Jesus.

Tread Carefully, Tread Humbly

As Lloyd-Jones walked his congregation through Romans 7, he reminded them to proceed with humility. He encouraged them to “seek that ‘unction’ and ‘anointing’ from ‘the Holy One,’ for the matter with which we are dealing is beyond the realm of grammar and intellectual dexterity.”

He didn’t believe looking at verb tenses settled the matter. Paul is using a rhetorical device called the “dramatic present,” Lloyd-Jones asserted, noting that preachers—including himself—often use that literary device.

Lloyd-Jones’s diagnostic and exegetical powers were taxed to the limit as he walked through the section. He fully embraced the tensions in the passage and warned his congregation against simplistic solutions.

The Doctor’s hermeneutic was continuously strained by statements he believed couldn’t be made by an unregenerate man, such as “the law is spiritual” and “I joyfully concur with the law in the inner man.” He concluded, “This man is not unregenerate, for no unregenerate man could make such claims.”

Neither Saved Nor Lost

The man in Romans 7 is not unregenerate, nor is he regenerate. Romans 7 cannot be describing the regenerate, Lloyd-Jones contended, since it would contradict Paul’s argument throughout the section and also what the New Testament says in many other places.

For example, Romans 5:12–21 emphasizes the reign of grace in a believer’s life and can’t describe someone who cries out, “I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin, nothing good dwells in me,” for chapter 6 shows the impossibility of continuing in sin when a believer has died to it.

Other verses seem to pull in the other direction. Romans 7:4 shows we’ve died to the law and been united to Christ, and chapter 8 displays the glories of the indwelling Spirit. Thus, no regenerate man would cry out that nothing good dwells in him when the Spirit of the holy God lives in him.

Troubled Exegetical Waters

As he moved through the tensions, Lloyd-Jones’s exegesis at times became slightly convoluted. But he often made remarks like “This subject is difficult because sin is difficult. One of the terrible things sin did when it came into the world was to introduce complications,” or “This not only sounds complicated, but it is complicated; it is the complicated condition of a man who is enlightened by the Spirit of God and about the law of God” yet has no power to overcome the difficulty.

For Lloyd-Jones, “The real clue to understanding more of Romans 7 is to notice the Holy Spirit and the indwelling Christ are not mentioned; hence the trouble and the problem.”

Lloyd-Jones began his exposition of Romans 7 convinced Paul didn’t intend to distinguish between the regenerate and unregenerate. Instead, the apostle was giving us a “hypothetical, imaginary picture” of a “man who sees the complete hopelessness of salvation by the law.”

But by the end of the section Lloyd-Jones tentatively stated that if it is a picture of personal experience, then it’s the experience of a man like John Bunyan in Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, who has come under deep conviction of sin and longs to be holy, but cannot.

From Depths to Heights  

Lloyd-Jones knew many might be unconvinced by his treatment of Romans 7. He counseled them to wait for his exposition on Romans 8:15 in the next volume:

The theme of this volume is no mere fascinating theological or intellectual problem, but one of vital importance to Christian experience, and to the health, well-being, and vigor of the church. To end a reading of Romans 7 in a depressed condition is to fail to understand it.

Why? It is preparation for the glorious truths of Romans 8:15, or more appropriately, Romans 8:14–17, which Lloyd-Jones viewed as one long chain.

Why should his listeners wait for this later exposition? Because Romans 8 describes the Christian experience all should be seeking. By the time Lloyd-Jones preached through Romans 8:15, he was confident Romans 7 describes someone experiencing the Spirit’s work, whereby he is rescued from a spirit of bondage and fear—the essential prelude to receiving the Spirit’s testimony of our adoption as sons. Lloyd-Jones referred to this as the “baptism” or “sealing” of the Spirit.

He would later say the 21 sermons he preached on Romans 8:14–17 were among the most joyful of his ministry. But he had to walk through the depths of Romans 7 to reach the heights of Romans 8.

Ben Bailie (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is planting a church in Lake Nona, Florida, through Grace Church. He did his doctoral work on Martyn Lloyd-Jones, focusing on how his medical training shaped his pastoral ministry. Ben appeared in the Logic on Fire film. He is in the beginning stages of creating an online community called The Company of Pastors. You can contact him at ben@thecompanyofpastors.com.

 

Well there’s your study.

I hope it helps you in your search for truth.

 

In Him,

Rory

 

Download Here

Here’s Hope
Romans 4:23-25
November 25, 2007

This morning we talked about the faith of Abraham.

He had a SIMPLE FAITH
All he did was believe God would do what He said.

He had a STRONG FAITH
He believed what God said, even though it seemed humanly impossible.

He had a STEADY FAITH
He did not waver, even though the promise seemed to take a while.

He had a SINCERE FAITH
He really did believe God could do what He said.

He had a SAVING FAITH
God accepted the faith of Abraham. He was pleased with the faith of Abraham, and credited him as righteous.

Romans 4:22 “Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

And that is a great statement.
It has really been that statement that inspired Romans 4.

Romans 4:1-5 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”

Abraham didn’t earn righteousness.
Abraham had righteousness given to him.
He wasn’t justified because he deserved it,
He was justified because God is gracious.

That is a wonderful truth for you and I
And a truth that is at the very essence of your Christian hope.

I called this sermon, “Here’s Hope”.
And that in itself is a hot topic.
BECAUSE HOPE MATTERS TO US.

In regard to hope two things are generally a given:
1) ALL PEOPLE WANT HOPE

Let a loved one get sick, and you will cling to every word the doctor says,
Trying to squeeze just one sliver of hope from his conversation.

Even in the Bible we see people desperately seeking hope.
Remember this lady?
Mark 5:25-28 “A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse — after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”
That is the way we are. We want hope.

And then when that doctor says, “I think it will be fine”,
There is a great moment of relief that hits.

He gave hope, and that is really all that we wanted.
Because hope is never turned away.

Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

All people want hope.
2) HOPE IS NOT AUTOMATIC

It isn’t necessarily natural to have hope.

We even read this morning that Abraham struggled with it.
Romans 4:18 “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.”

There is a difference between the verb form of the word hope
And the noun form of the word hope.

The point is you have to fact behind hope, or it really isn’t hope.
I mean, you can hope for something all you want,
But if you have absolutely no fact to back it up,
You are really only being foolish.

Thomas was a good example.
John 11:14-16 “So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

John 14:5 “Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”

John 20:25 “So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

If he had no substance, no foundation, no absolute truth,
Then Thomas had no hope.
He wasn’t trying to save the day with some sort of optimism.
And we understand that.
HOPE IS NOT NATURAL

It is not automatically a part of the human make up.
We enter this world without hope,
And unless some truth is revealed to change that,
We remain hopeless creatures.

That’s not to say people don’t try to have hope,
But when people get truly objective, hope is not natural.

So people don’t automatically have hope, but all people want it.

Tonight we see the answer to that dilemma.

As we close chapter 4 of the book of Romans
We need to learn that hope is the blessing of understanding
That man is justified by faith.

We are making the transition from Abraham to Jesus.
Ch. 4 sees Abraham the MODEL; Ch. 5 sees Jesus the MEDIATOR
Ch. 4 sees HOPE offered; Ch.5 sees hope SECURED
Ch. 4 has the PROMISE of hope; Ch. 5 has the PERMANENCE of hope.

And as Paul takes us from Abraham to Jesus,
He closes this chapter by revealing why those who understand
That man is justified by faith can have the blessing of hope.

DO YOU WANT HOPE?
3 things I want you to see…

#1 ABRAHAM GIVES HOPE
Romans 4:23-24a

In verse 22 Paul wrote, “Therefore, it was also credited to him as righteousness.”

Now, that was good news to Abraham.
I mean we assume that Abraham wanted hope as much as the next guy.
He had to have loved it when God said those words to him.
You know there was a huge sigh of relief.

Imagine the relief when the test comes back negative…
Imagine the relief when the missing person makes the call…
Imagine the relief when Holy God says, “OK, I’ll accept that”…
You get the point.

In heaven when people quote their favorite Bible verses,
Abraham always quotes Genesis 15:6
That statement was HOPE for Abraham.
He want from hoping to having hope.

But that statement is good news for more people than just Abraham.
“Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also,”

When that statement is read,
Abraham isn’t the only person breathing a sigh of relief.

“If God would save Abraham, maybe He’ll save me too.”

We know Abraham twice passed off his wife.
We know Abraham had a son with another woman.
We know Abraham came from an idol worshiping background.
YET GOD WAS WILLING TO SAVE HIM

That gives me hope.
That is why God wrote that in the Old Testament.

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.”

1 Peter 1:10-12 “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things into which angels long to look.”
Abraham gives us hope.
If God would save him, there is hope for me.

AND THIS IS WHAT PAUL HAS BEEN WANTING YOU TO SEE.
He wanted you to see that Abraham didn’t earn it.
He wanted you to see that Abraham was forgiven by grace.
He wanted you to see that Abraham brought nothing to the table.

SO IF YOU THINK YOU DON’T DESERVE TO FORGIVEN.
If God would save a two-timing, wife selling, idol worshiping, pagan,
Then there is hope for you and me.

Abraham gives hope
#2 FAITH GRABS HOPE
Romans 4:24

Paul said that this was written for “our sake to whom it will be credited”

But that really brings another question.
WHO IS “our”?

WHAT TYPE OF PERSON IS PAUL SPECIFICALLY WRITING ABOUT HERE?

“those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

Hope is given, but it isn’t universal.
There is still a specific type of person who has this hope.

That is the person who follows in the steps of Abraham.
NOT TO BE JEWISH… BUT THE FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH

Romans 4:18-22 “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.” Without becoming weak in faith 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; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Galatians 3:6-9 “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”

Hope is given through Abraham.
Hope is grabbed by faith.

Belief is the way we grab the hope of God.
And this has been said over and over in chapter 4.

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,”

Romans 4:13-15 “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.”

If you want the hope of what Abraham had,
Then give God the faith that Abraham gave him.

You see, there simply is no hope found in works.
There is no hope found in the Law.

This is why people were constantly trying to lower the bar.
Matthew 19:16-20 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”

Even in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

THIS IS WHY IT IS TRAGIC
WHEN PEOPLE TRY TO OBTAIN HOPE THROUGH WORKS.

If you were to go to Guadalupe, Mexico,
• Catholic Shrine where Mary supposedly appeared.
• People crawl on their hands and knees a quarter of a mile
• Light candles to lessen the stay of a loved one in pergatory

“Kumbh Mela”
• Event where Hindu’s dip themselves in the river for eternal life
• Naked men lead millions to water
• Lay on beds of nails, broken glass, or walk on hot coals
• Pierce their tongues with swords
• Shave every part of their body

“for every hair thus thrown in, you are promised a million years residence in heaven.” (MacArthur, John – Romans 1-8 commentary, pg. 246)

And that list could go on and on.

But the tragedy is that hope is not achieved through works.
No matter how hard you work, hope can only be a verb.
You can only hope you’ve done enough.

Listen to what Jesus told the Pharisees.
John 5:45 “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope (v).”

Jews who hope they have done enough to enter eternal life.

EVER TALK TO A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS?

What a tragic way to live. You don’t grab hope through works.
We know as humans we are far too frail, and too bent on failure.

We grab hope the same way Abraham did, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Acts 13:38-39 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.”

We believe like Abraham did,
And we get the hope that Abraham had.

So Abraham gives hope
Faith grabs hope
#3 JESUS GUARANTEES HOPE
Romans 4:25

And this is where it really gets good.
Paul is going to tell us why we can have hope.

It has nothing to do with what we did,
And everything to do with what Jesus did.

And there is two main things.

“He who was delivered over because of our transgressions,”

Obviously this was His crucifixion.
What Paul so simply states, is that when He was killed,
It wasn’t because He was bad, it was because we were.

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

Now of course this is the foundation to hope.

Someone had to do something to appease the wrath of God.
Someone had to make atonement.
Otherwise, there is not even a chance that I can be saved.
And therefore, there is no place for hope.

But Jesus did make that appeasement.
Romans 3:21-24 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

So now, there is hope.
This Jesus came and said that He was dying for my sin.
He said He was the sacrificial Lamb of God.
He said that He would take my punishment.
That gives me hope.
And of course the Bible says, that I grab that hope by faith.

I believe it, and that hope is mine.
It isn’t based upon me, it is based upon Him,
And because of what He did, I have hope of eternal life.

John 3:16 “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.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

BUT PAUL EVEN TAKES IT A STEP FURTHER
“He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”

“raised BECAUSE OF our justification”

Shouldn’t that say, “and was raised to give us justification”?

The KJV and the NIV both say, “for our justification” just as they say “for our sins”

The word is DIA
It literally means through.

So literally, “He who was delivered over through our transgressions, and was raised through our justification”

The idea is that transgression is what caused his death,
And justification is what caused His resurrection.

It means that Jesus was killed because we sinned,
And He was raised because we were made righteous.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

IT IS THE GUARANTEE.

He wasn’t raised to bring justification, that is why He died.
He was raised to prove that justification had come.
He was raised to prove it worked.

If Jesus claims to die in your stead, but then He stays dead,
You still won’t have hope.
You will now hope that it worked.
You will now hope (v.) that He really was righteous.

BUT THAT STILL ISN’T HOPE.
1 Corinthians 15:13-19 “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”

But when Jesus stepped out of that grave,
It was proof that His plan of salvation was successful.
It was proof that the cross worked.

Hope was guaranteed!
1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

People all over this world hope they will go to heaven.
BUT HOPE IS NOT A VERB, HOPE IS A NOUN

It is what we have when we understand
That we are justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

It is the hope that God wants you to have.
Galatians 5:5 “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”

Colossians 1:27 “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

1 Thessalonians 5:8 “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”

Titus 1:1-2 “Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,”

Titus 3:5-7 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

The point is that hope is a noun.
It is something that we have as believers.

Take a sneak peek at next Sunday morning’s text.
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

And again:
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

I hope you see the point.
Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

We maintain that because that gives us hope of being saved
Even though we are sinners.

“My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name.”

“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives.”

DO YOU HOPE YOU ARE GOING TO HEAVEN?
OR
DO YOU HAVE HOPE BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO HEAVEN?

If you only hope you will go,
That probably means that you are trusting in the wrong thing.

Tonight, quit trusting in that, and start trusting in Jesus.

1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

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The Faith of Abraham
Romans 4:18-22
November 25, 2007

In Romans 3:28 Paul made a statement
That he obviously takes very seriously.
Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
I think it is obvious that he meant it,
For all of chapter 4 has been to prove that point.

He then started this chapter by saying:
Romans 4:1 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?”

Paul was about to use Abraham as a chief example
To prove that man was not saved by works, but by faith in God.

And that is exactly what he has done.
Paul has been defending his point
That man is justified by faith alone.

It is faith that brings the blessing of forgiveness.
Romans 4:6-8 “just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”

It is faith that brings the security of the promise.
Romans 4:13 “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

It is faith that that allows us to experience grace.
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,”
Paul’s point has been unmistakable.
Man is justified by faith.

And whatever it looked like,
We know that Abraham had the kind of faith that God justifies.

BUT WHAT DOES THAT FAITH LOOK LIKE?

We have spoken of many times,
That there is a difference between faith and saving faith.

Every human on the face of the planet has some degree of faith.
When you turn on a faucet, When you direct your car onto a freeway,
When you scan your credit card into a gas pump…
The point is there is a required amount of faith in order to function in life.

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.

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 this morning.
5 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.

BUT ABRAHAM’S ISN’T.
“In hope against hope he believed,”

Now by simple, I don’t mean for you to think it was weak.
Abraham’s faith wasn’t weak.
“In hope against hope”
He hoped for something in which, humanly speaking, there was no hope.

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.

It is what a child has.
Matthew 18:1-4 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

It doesn’t take some sort of superior intelligence, it just takes a simple belief and surrender to God that defies human logic.

In fact, simple belief is actually harder for those who trust in logic.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

It is also harder for the self sufficient
Matthew 19:23-24 “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

And it is harder for the self-righteous
Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

God isn’t asking for some great degree of intelligence,
Or some level of worldly power,
Or some standard of moral excellence.
God is just asking for a simple faith. A faith like a child would give Him.

And this is what Abraham had.
And if you want to see even more of it, look at the rest of this verse.

“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”
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.

Satan still applies that pressure today.
He wants you to do something God has never told you to do,
And if you don’t, he starts accusing you of not really believing God.

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.

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.

Even then, his faith did not become weak.
In Genesis 18 Sarah laughed, but Abraham believed.
He still never doubted.

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 any more.
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.

We vacillate on what we believe.
We ride the fence, we speak out of both sides of our mouth.
We are anything but a model of conviction.

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”

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.

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.
The faith of Abraham was in God.

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)
And because that was Abraham’s faith, there is one more characteristic.

#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.”

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By Grace Through Faith
Romans 4:16-17
November 18, 2007

It was John Newton who recorded the words:
“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”

Julia Johnston wrote:
“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, Yonder on Calvary’s mount out-poured, there were the blood of the Lamb was spilt. Grace, grace, God’s grace. Grace that will pardon and cleans within. Grace, grace, God’s grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin.”

Robert Robinson wrote:
“O to grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.”

And of course the list could go on and on and on
It is the marvelous, matchless, amazing grace of God
That has brought many a man to his knees and inspired many a song.

Grace is a wonderful thing.
So wonderful in fact, that the writer of Hebrews wrote:
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;”

Grace is wonderful, and he didn’t want anyone to miss it.

Grace is first mentioned in the Old Testament.
Psalms 84:11-12 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

Proverbs 3:33-34 “The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.”

But it was never fully understood or realized until Jesus came.
John 1:14-17 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

To be more specific as to what this grace was.
2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Grace has often been defined as: “God’s unmerited favor”
And certainly that is true.

Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

Paul would get more detailed about this in:
Ephesians 2:1-10 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

But we also realize that this wonderfully amazing grace
Is more than just God’s willingness to get us saved.

God’s grace is also our power for ministry.
Acts 4:33-35 “And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”

Acts 6:8 “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.”

1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

God’s grace is also our source of strength in trials.
2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

And in the book of Romans we will learn,
It is not just something we receive,
But the grace of God is a place where we can continually stand.
Romans 5:2 “through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

God’s grace is our source of hope and comfort
1 Peter 1:13 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
2 Thessalonians 2:16 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,”

Acts 20:32 “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

And God’s grace is a motivator for righteous living.
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

THE POINT IS:
GRACE IS FAR TO ESSENTIAL, AND FAR TOO GOOD A THING FOR ANYONE TO MISS IT.

Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;”

But that verse does spark an interesting question.
HOW DOES A PERSON COME SHORT OF THE GRACE OF GOD?

The answer is, when they fail to give God faith.
BECAUSE GRACE COMES THROUGH FAITH

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”

And so we are reminded, that for a legalist
Who would rather work for their salvation than trust God for it.
They will not receive grace.

Galatians 2:21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Galatians 5:2-4 “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

If you remove the truth that we are justified by faith
And supplant it with a deception that man is justified by works,
Then the first and chief casualty is grace.

And so this morning we find another reason
Why it is imperative that we understand
That man is justified by faith apart from the Law.

Not only so we can have the blessing of forgiveness…
Not only so we can have the promise of security…
But this morning we learn we must believe in justification by faith,
So that we can also have grace.

(16a) “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace”

We believe in justification by faith,
Because that is the only way we can have grace.

If you are forced to earn everything you get, then where is grace?
You can’t earn it and have God give it to you at the same time.
It is either according to works, or it is according to grace.
BUT NOT BOTH

Romans 11:6 “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”

We are justified by faith.
Because only faith brings grace.
This morning I want to show you why grace is so good.

3 simple truths about grace.
#1 THE PURPOSE OF GRACE
Romans 4:16a
“For this reason, it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed”

The point clearly being, if you want grace, you must have faith,
Because grace only comes through faith.

WHAT IS SO GOOD ABOUT GRACE?

“so that the promise will be guaranteed”

IT IS GRACE THAT SECURES THE PROMISE

Now we know that it is because of grace that we are saved.
We know that if God were not willing to send His Son…
We know that if the Son were not willing to come…
We know that if God was not gracious, salvation isn’t even possible.
Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved)”

The only shot we had at salvation is if God is merciful and gracious.

But grace has more purpose than just to get you saved.
It is grace that also secures your promise.

In short, it is God’s grace that keeps you saved.
Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

First notice that our inheritance is secure.

Then notice how Paul said we “were sealed” and how the Holy Spirit was “given”.

The point is that nothing there is earned.
We didn’t do anything to force God to secure our inheritance.

1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

There Peter essentially says the same thing. Notice that not only is our inheritance “reserved”, but Peter goes on to say, that we “are protected by the power of God”

Just as salvation was not by our merit, neither is security.
IT IS GOD’S GRACE THAT KEEPS US SAVED.

DO YOU WANT TO SEE HOW IT WORKS?
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Paul says there, that God has put a limit on temptation.
So that you will not be tempted so far as to fall away.
Satan can only use common temptation
There must be an available way of escape

That is all the work of grace to protect you from falling away.

HERE IS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THAT.
There is coming a day on this earth in which tribulation
Will occur like never before.

Matthew 24:21-22 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

It is the grace of God to control the circumstances you are in
So you are not placed in a situation that forces you to fall away.

TEMPTATION, He controls the type, and He provides a way out.
TRIALS, He controls the severity and the length.
THAT IS EVIDENCE OF HIS GRACE.

BUT THAT IS NOT ALL.
Not only does He control the outer circumstances,
But He gives something to you on the inside
To strengthen you for it.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

That means not only does God control the circumstances,
But He also provides the strength.

In moments of struggle…
In moments of pain…
In moments of tragedy…
(I believe even at death)
GOD GIVES GRACE TO HELP YOU

Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

James 4:6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

I love this story.
Acts 7:59-60 “They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.”

Peter was crucified after first watching the crucifixion of his wife.
Martyr upon martyr has been tortured.
Many have watched the death of their children.

And while we certainly pray such a thing will not come upon us,
It is evident that there is a grace of God able to carry you
Through even the most difficult of circumstances.

God gives grace:
“so that the promise will be guaranteed”

The purpose of Grace is not only to save, but to secure.
CAN YOU SEE HOW BADLY WE NEED IT?
I need God to put a limit on Satan.
I need God to provide a way of escape from temptation.
I need God to control the severity of my trials.
AND I NEED INNER STRENGTH IN THE MIDST OF IT.

Otherwise, there is no way I could hold on to my promise.

But for those who insist upon earning their salvation without faith,
There is no grace, and therefore there is no security.

That is the purpose of grace.
#2 THE PEOPLE OF GRACE
Romans 4:16b-17a
“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, (as it is written, ‘A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU’)”

This is another wonderful thing that grace does.
It makes sure that the people who were promised the inheritance
Receive the inheritance.

It’s not just that the promise is guaranteed,
But that it is “guaranteed to all the descendants”

WHO ARE ALL THE DESCENDANTS?

“those who are the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, ‘A father of many nations have I made you’)”

Everyone who places their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Is a spiritual descendant of Abraham.

Galatians 3:6-9 “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”

Galatians 3:26-29 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

That means everyone with faith is an heir.
Everyone with faith awaits the promise of God.

It’s not about being worthy.
It’s not about being Jewish.
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO RECEIVE THE GRACE OF GOD
IS BELIEVE GOD AS ABRAHAM DID.

AND GRACE MAKES SURE THAT EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES
RECEIVES THE INHERITANCE.

Look at what Paul wrote to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 2:11-22 “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called ” Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands — remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

Grace looks beyond what you deserve.
Grace gives you what you don’t deserve.

And even though you may have never done a good work.
Even though you may not have ever kept a Passover…
GRACE IS OFFERED IF YOU PLACE YOUR FAITH IN JESUS.

Grace makes sure the people of God receive what was promised.

Where it not for grace, the promise might very well be guaranteed,
But it wouldn’t be guaranteed for you.
You would be accountable for going out and getting it.

That’s not grace.
Grace makes sure the people of faith receive the promise of God.

The purpose of grace is to secure the promise.
The people of grace are those who believe.
#3 THE POWER OF GRACE
Romans 4:17b
“in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.”

Now this is a vitally important truth.

Grace is a wonderful thing,
But grace is like the paper money you carry in your wallet.
It is only as good as the principle behind it.

It is only as powerful as the One who offers it.
Grace works because of the power of the God who offers it.

John 10:29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

1 Peter 2:25 “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

And you say, well how strong is this God?
Paul here gives two illustrations of His strength.

“who gives life to the dead”
Obviously a reference to the resurrection of Jesus, and even the power of Jesus to raise the dead.

“and calls into being that which does not exist.”
Obviously a reference to creation, in which God made something from nothing.

GRACE SAVES
GRACE SECURES
BECAUSE THE GOD WHO OFFERS IT
IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO DO SO.

LET ME TELL YOU WHY THAT IS WONDERFUL

WE KNOW THAT WORKS DON’T SAVE YOU.
BUT FAITH DOESN’T SAVE YOU EITHER.
GOD SAVES YOU BY HIS GRACE
(And grace is given in response to faith)

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”

John MacArthur wrote,
“The power of salvation, or justification, is in God’s grace, not in man’s faith. Abraham’s faith was not in itself righteousness but was reckoned to him as righteousness on the basis of the One who would Himself graciously provide for believers, including Abraham, the righteousness they could never attain by themselves.” (MacArthur, John; The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series, Romans 1-8; Moody Press, Chicago, Ill, 1991, pg. 258)

THE POINT:
WE NEED GRACE
IT SAVES US & IT SECURES US

BUT GRACE ONLY COMES THROUGH FAITH
(16) “For this reason it is by faith in order that it may be in accordance with grace”

AND THEREFORE YOU MUST PLACE YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST

Don’t try to earn what He desires to give you.
Don’t try to secure what He desires to protect.

Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be forgiven,
And your inheritance will be secured forever.

1 Peter 1:3-9 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”