[Romans Study 9-1]
Grace And Faith [Romans 3:27-4:25]
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Justified By Faith Not By The Works Of The Law
We hope that by this point you have an understanding that the righteousness of God is not something that is gained, but it is bestowed. In Romans 4, Paul once more contrasts these two kinds of righteousness: righteousness through the Law by works, which is not true righteousness at all, and righteousness by faith. In the Law, man is the producer of his own righteousness. In the world of faith, however, righteousness is based purely on receptivity, with man being the recipient of a divine gift. This man is one who is justified before God – , the one who is righteous in the true sense of the word.
Man’s true existence is not independence but dependence upon God. Therefore all boasting by men, of men is excluded; so long as man is intent on his own glory he is still living in the sinful misunderstanding of himself.184
The Law Vs. The Gospel
But does it mean that faith can nullify the law? “Never!” says Paul. We remember the teaching of Jesus: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17-18)
The law and the gospel are two different gifts from God intended to lead men towards salvation. Because we know the gospel now, does it mean the Ten Commandments can banished? Not at all. All of God’s law and the Ten Commandments are still valid and must be kept. The gospel is meant to fulfill the law rather than abolish it.
Paul touches on this once again in the thirteenth Chapter of this Epistle: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10)
Love is the fulfillment of the law. If you love your neighbor, all the other commandments regarding the well being of your neighbor will be eventually kept and you will fulfill the law.
If the law were a circle, the gospel would be a bigger circle surrounding the smaller one. The smaller circle is included in the bigger circle. The one great premise of all this is that this gospel is the fulfillment of the promise of God presented through His prophets and Word long ago. (Romans 1:2) Therefore, the law and the gospel are not contradictory but complementary to each other, perfecting each other. We ought to comprehend this point clearly before moving on to the next Chapter.
What does the fulfillment of the law mean? It does not mean that man will keep the law perfectly, but his motive has changed. Now a man must try to be good, and keep God’s law not because he fears punishment, but because he loves God. He works hard because he feels that somehow, with his last drop of energy, he must return as much of the amazing love of God as he can, though it is miniscule in comparison to what was given. He knows now that sin is not so much breaking God’s law as it is breaking God’s heart, which actually makes sin doubly terrible. Take a human analogy. Many a man is tempted to do a wrong thing, and does not do it. Why does he not do it? It is not so much that he fears the law. He would not greatly care if he were fined, or even imprisoned. What keeps him right is the simple fact that he could not meet the sorrow in the eyes of the one who loves him if he shipwrecked life.185
For the believer, it is no longer the law of fear but the law of love which keeps him right–this is the mark of the true believer. We are rid forever of the terror of God, but we use that freedom to follow God more closely, not to follow our sinful nature. . And the grip of true love is much stronger than that of fear.
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Abraham Justified by Faith
Paul then goes on to prove that the principle of justification by faith was even present in the times of the Jewish ancestors, including Abraham and David.
“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?” (4:1); “David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works” (4:6)
Abraham and David–the two most important figureheads for the Jews. Just as Matthew picked these two great men in the first verse of the first Chapter of his gospel to give the genealogical proof that Jesus was a direct descendant of Abraham and David, Paul pointed to these two men to give powerful examples of how the justification works. Paul knew the Old Testament and had profound Jewish historical understanding. The first one he chose was Abraham, who is an ancestor of faith. The Jews regarded Abraham as the great founder of the race, and the pattern of all that a man should be.186 They always found pride in being descendants of father Abraham. The second figure is David. King David marked the heyday of Israel’s history. The Jews always hope to have another King just like David. He is the king of kings and foreshadows Christ.
“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?” (4:1) As this verse is read in different translations: “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?” (KJV); “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?” (NASB), it may be read more precisely: “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather ‘according to the flesh’, discovered in this matter?”
According to Paul, Abraham’s righteousness was not something that he could boast about in the flesh. The flesh is a unique term that Paul often uses in his epistles, and is a broad term, covering the seen world and matters such as bloodline(pedigree), possessions, position, merits, etc.
Was Abraham saved because a work done in the flesh? If he we examine Abraham’s family background, his father was Terah who worshiped “other gods.” (Joshua 24:2) Moreover, Terah manufactured idols for a living. Abraham was the son of an idol seller–a pedigree that certainly didn’t afford righteousness
Did God call him and set him up as an ancestor of faith because of his flesh? No, says Paul. According to Genesis chapter 12, God summoned Abraham to leave his home, friends, kindred, and livelihood, and said to him, “If you make this great venture of faith, you will become the father of a great nation and a great people.”
What did Abraham do when this Word of God fell on him? He did not hesitate and argue but completely and without question trusted God and took Him at His word. Then he set out a journey not knowing where he was going . “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8)
It was not the fact that Abraham had meticulously performed the demands of the law that put him into this special relationship with God; it was his complete trust in God, his complete acceptance of God’s command, and his complete willingness to abandon his life for God. That for Paul was faith, and it was that faith of Abraham that made God regard Abraham as a good man.187 Abraham was set up as an ancestor of faith not because of his flesh but because of his faith and faith only. “What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”” (4:3) Though he was unworthy according to the flesh, God, in His amazing love, considered Abraham’s faith as righteousness. It is not because Abraham’s background or any type of superiority found in him but because he believed in the love of God and in His promise
Republished with permission from Dr. Christy Tran, the author of “The Epistle to the Romans: Paul’s Love Letter from God.”