Justified by Faith Alone - Romans 4:1-12

Romans 4:1-12 

Abraham Justified by Faith (Gen. 17:10)

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

David Celebrates the Same Truth

5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:

7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin."

Abraham Justified Before Circumcision

9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

Abraham was not justified by his works, not even the most sacrificial one of offering his only son Isaac (Genesis 22:2, James 2:21-23) when told to do so.  No, he exhibited faith as his greatest work, trusting God as he took Him at His word no matter the circumstances or consequences of the response. He left all and journeyed to a foreign country by faith, he trusted the promise to bring a son into the world as his heir when he and his wife were far past being able to have children, and then ready to sacrifice that heir of all promises as he trusted that God could bring Isaac back from the dead to fulfill that promise which he absolutely trusted (Hebrews 11:17-19) would come true.  That absolute trust in God’s word is what faith is all about as the work which gains salvation for us as John 6:28-29 answers the question for us as to what works we can do to be forever forgiven and enter the kingdom of heaven.  If we try to earn our way, we get paid wages, yet scripture also tells us that our works are never good enough to earn salvation (Romans 3:23) and the wages we earn are death and judgment because our best efforts all fall short (Romans 3:20) of the perfect execution of all God’s law required to earn deliverance from our just due on sin.  A perfect sacrifice of a perfect man who perfectly keeps all God’s word is the only truly perfect work to earn salvation and that man is the divine Christ Jesus and no other.  Only through this trust as of Abraham in His work done in our stead can we attain atoning forgiveness to eternal life.  All our works leave us indebted to God with a sum too high to pay.  If then we pay attention to these words here, we find that believing on the only One who justifies us as ungodly sinners becomes our righteousness in the righteousness of Christ in whom we believe and stand firm within by that same faith in God’s work in His perfect life, death on a cross of cursing, and the demonstrated hope of His resurrection for our own promised to come at the end of time and judgment on the world for disobedience and disbelief in Him and His word.  Even King David is used as our example of this faith in Psalm 32:1-2 with the absolute hope of forgiven sin given through our repentance and faith told us in Psalm 32:5 as encouragement and proof of trusting God’s word and work by faith as of Abraham who believed.  These promises were not only to Israel’s children by the cleansing of the outward circumcision, but of the cleansing cutting out of sin by the work of Christ as the true circumcising of the soul.  This faith then is the true sign of the everlasting covenant with the seal of the righteousness of faith imputed to all who believe and receive Jesus Christ as our salvation from sin’s penalty by the goodness and grace of God for all who have ears to hear and eyes to see these things to trust in.  This is the hope of the gospel in which we trust God’s word and work to deliver us.  May we all walk therefore in these steps of our father Abraham’s faith as one chosen people of called by God according to this faith out of Israel and from all other nations as promised to and through Abraham (Genesis 12:3, Galatians 3:7-9).  We are all called and justified by faith alone in Christ alone by His work of grace alone!