Tag: Justification by Faith

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Romans: Week 4- Day 5- Romans 4:1-3

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

(Rom 4:1-3)

Explanation:

Throughout the book or Romans Paul is very aware of questions and objections that might be coming into the mind of the reader.  For instance, as Paul has made the argument that someone is saved apart from the law, a jew may be thinking, “Is that really how the patriarchs were made right with God?  They kept the law.”  It’s a fair question.  If you are saying that the law can not save people, then that must be true of those who came before Christ.  They sure seemed concerned about the law.

Paul knows that this may be a question, and so He addresses it through what the Old Testament said about Father Abraham himself.  He was a patriarch.  He started the nation of Israel humanly speaking.  He was the first Hebrew.  Paul points out that Abraham was not justified by works, but by faith.  He pointed to the scripture.

And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

(Gen 15:6)

The idea of this word “counted” has the idea of “imputing” or “reckoning” or “considering”.  The idea is that God responded to Abraham’s faith and considered him to be righteous even though he had done wrong and was a sinner.  God declared Him righteous by His faith, and not by His works.  Of course we know that Abraham’s works justified his claim to faith.  Because he had faith he manifested that through good works.  But the faith and the justification before God came before the works that justified his faith.  Right faith always produces good works.

Application:

Justification by faith is not a new thing.  It is not exclusively a New Testament thing.  Everyone who has ever been made right with God has been made right based on the graciousness of God in responding to sincere faith.  The people in the Old Testament believed in the revelation that they had looking to God and trusting in Him.  Since Christ has come we put our trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Response:

Sincere worship to God by those who have placed their trust in Christ is the appropriate response.

Obedience to the faith for those who have never trusted Christ is the right response as well.

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Romans: Week 4- Day 4- Romans 3:29-31

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:  (30)  Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.  (31)  Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.  

Romans 3:29-31

Explanation:

So if we are not saved by the works of the law but by faith, what does that mean for Jews and gentiles? 

For gentiles it means that you don’t have to “become Jewish” through the keeping of the ceremonial law to be right with God.  The gentile doesn’t have to keep the ceremonial or moral law to be justified.  God is the God of the gentiles.

For the Jews it does not mean that the law is not void.  Rather the law is established to do what it was revealed to do.  It helps the sinner understand their lost condition and need for a Savior.  It helps the sinner see how that the law pointed to Christ Himself, and His sacrificial death for sins.  It helps the believer to know what God’s will is for their lives after they are justified.  What does obedience to the God who saved me look like?  It looks like the keeping of the law of God by faith in Jesus Christ.

Application:

There are some days where the meaning of the text and the application of the text are closely aligned.  Let me summarize here:

– Salvation is for everyone regardless of any human distinction.  Men, women, jew, gentile, high class, low class.  Everyone.

– The law is important, but it will not save anyone.

– Faith in Christ is the only way to be justified.  Jesus said,

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6

Response:

– If you haven’t trusted Christ, do it now!

– Tell someone about Jesus today!

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Romans: Week 4- Day 3- Romans 3:27-28

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional2 Comments

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.  (28)  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Romans 3:27-28 

Explanation:

Imagine someone being rescued from a house fire by a fireman, and at the press conference afterward they kept talking about how great a job they did at being rescued.  How would they be received?  People would think this person is crazy.  They may even see you as ungrateful and narcasistic.  Of course this would be a unreasonable response to what had been done for them.

If you are saved by faith in Christ alone, then He is the one who gets the credit.  If you boast about what you did to receive the gift then it may be sign that you didn’t understand it in the first place.  There is no boasting.  All that happened on your part is that you received the gift of salvation that was offerred freely to You by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.

The only way for man to be declared righteous before God is by faith apart from keeping the law.  Any law keeping that we now do after salvation is to bring honor to Christ who is transforming us by His Spirit from the inside out.

Application:

“I can not boast in anything.

No gifts. No power.  No wisdom.

But I will boast in Jesus Christ,

His Death and Resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?

I can not give an answer.

But this I know with all my heart.

His wounds have paid my ransom.”

Response:

Boast in Jesus Christ to someone today. 

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Romans: Week 4- Day 2- Romans 3:24-26

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(24)  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (25)  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (26)  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 3:24-26

Explanation:

I want to talk about three terms which we find in these verses.

1. Justified.

We are justified, that is declared righteous, based on God’s unmerited favor towards us based on the fact that Jesus Christ bought the right to declare us as righteous by His blood on the cross. 

2. Propitiation.

God could legally dismiss our case because Jesus Christ became the “propitiation” for our sins.  Propitiation means “wrath bearing sacrifice”.  So, because God poured out His wrath for our sin on Jesus as He died on the cross. All this was done by the forbearance, patience, and longsuffering of God.

3. Righteousness

Righteousness is rightness and right standing with God.  Part of God’s motivation in doing this for us was to declare His righteousness.  God is completely righteous.  He is pure, holy, innocent and completely free from sin.  It is on this basis that God could accept Christ’s sacrfice as a proptitation.  In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul said it this way,

(21)  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2 Corinthians 5:21

We can be credited with Christ’s righteousness while He took on our sin and it’s punishment.  How does this happen? It happens “through faith in His blood”.  We can’t earn it.  We don’t deserve it.  It is graciously given to us by trusting in Christ alone for that forgiveness.

Application:

We can be saved through faith in Christ.

We should be grateful for Christ’s death for us.

We should praise and worship God for His righteousness.

We should live our lives pursuing righteousness in response.

We should tell others that their sins can be forgiven through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Inspiration:

Are you saved?

Are you grateful?

Worship God today for His righteousness, His sacrifice, and His blood!