Day 63 - Romans 4

I pray that you all had a wonderful St. Patrick's day weekend! I sure did!


I was blessed to be present at the wedding of two fantastic people, Chris & Sarah Pressley, and also got to host a potluck and screening with LiNK, a non-profit organization that Jenny and I are very passionate about. Check out their website at linkglobal.org!

Now onto Romans 4, shall we?

Romans 4 (Read it here)

Instead of Paul just letting the reader take his word for it, he appeals to the Genesis accounts regarding Abraham's faith and how he was made right with God. (v. 1) Even by the most conservative estimates, Abraham lived at least 600 years prior to the law being given at Mount Sinai in Exodus 20. In other words, you cannot judge Abraham's righteousness by if he followed God's law or not because the law didn't even exist yet!

If you read through the accounts where Abraham conversed with God, you can tell that he is always humbled, reverent, apologetic and ultra-respectful to the power and majesty of the LORD. Abraham didn't have anything to flaunt to God (v. 2) because he was powerless to provide a son with his wife, Sarah. God told him that, even in his late nineties, he would become a father not only to a son but to so many descendants that it would be nearly impossible to count them all! (Genesis 15:5)

Abraham took God at His word and completely believed that God would do what He said. This act of faith made Abraham righteous in God's sight. (v. 3) Abraham's salvation and eternal destination were secured.

This principle may not seem natural to us in our American culture because the money we make from work is earned not given by employers but its not that way with God. (vs. 4-5) King David understood this principle when he described it in Psalm 32. David said that those who are forgiven by God will truly find joy in knowing that they are "right" with God. (vs. 7-8)

This has to be for both the Jew and the Gentile because Abraham wasn't made right with God by being circumcised. Abraham was actually circumcised after being counted righteous by faith. (vs. 9-10)

Just in case you're keeping score at home, God counts Abraham as righteous because of his faith in Genesis 15:6 and doesn't demand circumcision in Genesis 17:10.

Circumcision, like baptism is for Christ-followers nowadays, is a sign that Abraham already had faith and that he had already been accepted by God.  This would make Abraham not only the founder of the Jewish nation (v. 1) but also for anyone who has ever come to faith in God; circumcised or uncircumcised. (v. 11)  In order to be accepted by God we must have the same level of faith that Abraham exhibited. (v. 12)


This principle of being accepted by God through faith alone continues to every other living person on the face of the earth. (v. 13) If God were to promise us anything upon complete adherence to His law then receiving anything from Him would not require faith but an expectation of payback. (v. 14) Unfortunately, many still inherently believe such a false ideology.  If all God's promises, blessings, etc were dependent on our fulfillment of the law, we wouldn't receive gifts, only constant punishment! (v. 15)

Can I get an amen for God's grace?!

God's promise to Abraham is received by faith; he doesn't feel as if he deserves it from God because of anything he's done. And if we have a faith like Abraham's, then we can receive the same free gift of God's favor, acceptance and salvation. (v. 16)

Abraham thought he and his wife were too old to bear a son in their old age.  But he believed that God could revive an old, dead womb and, literally, bring life out of nothing. (vs. 17, 19) Even though Abraham had no evidence to prove that having a child in his late nineties was even possible, he continued to trust that it would happen because God told him over and over that it would! (v. 18)  He didn't think or just believe that he would become a father, he trusted that it would happen! This kind of faith, which may seem completely nuts to all other rational folk, ultimately, brings great glory to God. (v. 20)

God is capable, willing and able to do whatever he promises. That's what we should believe! (v. 21) Knowing that Abraham was counted as righteous by his faith (v. 22) was not only for Abraham's benefit. (v. 23) God was giving us a clear indication thousands of years ago, way back in the book of Genesis, that coming to faith in God's power in raising the Savior Jesus from the dead would supercede the law in importance every time! (v. 24) This is crucial because if Jesus wouldn't have been resurrected we would know that Jesus wasn't who he said he was. (v. 25)

This chapter, for me, answers an important question that I struggled with earlier in my faith, "What happens to all the people who were alive before Jesus came and his gospel was preached? Are they able to go to heaven, even though they never had the opportunity to trust in Jesus?"

Paul is saying, undeniably, "Yes, they do have the opportunity to be saved and know the true God!" God looks at and knows the human heart.  If a person lives by faith in God, then all things are possible (and I know this will rile some of my Christian friends), even salvation without knowing who Jesus Christ is.  Please understand that I'm talking about the context of people who lived prior to Jesus on this earth, although I am not denying the possibility of salvation for a person who never hears or knows of Jesus.

If the law is written on every person's heart and the existence of God cannot be denied by the majesty of His creation, who is to say a person's spirit cannot be moved by God to experience and follow Him without that person ever hearing of Jesus?

This is all speculation as far as I'm concerned because the Bible doesn't give us much to go on regarding these extenuating circumstances. However, I will always believe that if Jesus is the Judge on Judgment day, then I will leave it up to him to choose who is worthy of his acceptance, salvation and reward.  I have no way of knowing who he will choose and who he won't.  Don't pretend that you do, either.  It will make the world a much better place and Christ-followers would be more respected, too.

Questions

1.) How do you treat God? Do you have faith and take everything as a blessing or do you try to follow a strict moral code (law), earn God's favor and expect blessings? What's so dangerous about expecting blessings from God?

2.) Taking Paul's words in Romans 4 into account, we can be assured that people who lived before Christ had the opportunity to trust God and be rewarded with righteousness, salvation and eternal life.  But what about people who don't hear about Jesus? (Hint: this is kind of a trick question because there are a few other Bible verses that can influence our beliefs on this question)