Justification - Part 2

Rom.4:20-21 ... "With respect to the promise of God, he (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform."

In Romans 4, Paul refutes the entire Jewish doctrine of justification. He points out that Abraham was not saved by works, but rather by his faith which prevented him from "faltering at the promises of God." Even the works he did in response to God's commandments were not the works of the Mosaic Law, since that Law was then 400 years in the future. From Rom. 2:28-29 we learn that being a Jew by direct descent from Abraham was no longer important with God. What matters now is being a Jew spiritually, an identity available only by faith in Christ and obedience to Him. The same logic applies to being a "child of Abraham." There is no longer a distinction in being descended from that Patriarch, and his righteousness is not passed down to his heirs. Only when, like Abraham, we put our faith in God, "who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead," is our own faith "counted to (us) for righteousness," (cf. vs. 23-24). Although this faith requires obedience (Rom. 1:5), it is not obedience which has merit and obligates God to save us. We are not saved by works.

From Rom. 4:20-21, we learn that we cannot construct a doctrine of justification to suit ourselves. Since the Protestant Reformation began in 1519, many have done that, and it led to great division in Christi-anity. What we must do is study the New Testament to see what it teaches about the problem of sin and how it may be forgiven. As Rom 4:21 says, "What God has promised, He is also able to perform." The critical point is to understand what it is that "God has promised." It is not for me or anyone else to speak for God and then demand that everyone accept what I have decided leads to justification. God Himself has already spoken, and what He has said is all that matters, because only He justifies. It is not some-thing that happens automatically when we follow an A - B - C prescription. God has given us the intelli-gence to understand what He has said. He will be pleased with us if, like Abraham, we respond in humble faith to the Gospel, which Rom. 1:16 says is "the power of God for salvation." When God for-gives our sin, that is justification. When motivated by faith we follow His instructions in the Gospel, He will reckon our faith to us for righteousness. Only then will be justified.