Sermon 11

Father Abraham

Romans 4

(Enter pulpit singing "Father Abraham.") If you've ever helped out at Camp or worked in Vacation Bible School you've probably had the privilege of singing "Father Abraham". I call it Christian Aerobics.

Romans 4, where we will study today, uses the phrase "Father Abraham", v. 12. In fact, this chapter has the word "father" in it seven times and every time it is with reference to Abraham. If you were a physical descendent of Abraham, this is, if you were Jewish, in the days of Jesus and Paul, you might refer to the patriarch as "father Abraham". But in Romans 4, Paul makes the case that Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe. Jews cannot claim him exclusively for their own. He is, in the spiritual sense, the father of Christians, too. That is, Abraham was a man of faith. He was saved by faith. He was declared to be a righteous man before God because of his faith. That is the point of Romans 4. At the end of chapter 3, Paul explains that justification (being considered right with God) is and always has been by faith. And in chapter 4, he illustrates that truth with the life of Abraham. The presentation of this truth in Romans 4 reminds me of the precise logic, reasoning, and evidence that a lawyer might use to present his case. Let's follow the logic, listen to the evidence, let's sit as a jury and hear the case of how Abraham was saved and then see how it applies to us.

I don't know if it was the right thing to do, but several years ago, I participated in a radio debate with two false teachers. These teachers had a daily call-in talk show on a Christian station where listeners would ask Bible questions and these teachers would offer answers. One day, a lady called in just to say that she had recently been saved, that she had trusted in Christ and wanted others to rejoice with her. The teachers asked, "Have you been baptized?" "Not yet," she answered. "Well," said the radio hosts, "you will not be saved until you've been baptized." Another Christian lady I knew, Elaine Cole, David's mom, was listening. She called the program and said something to the effect, "You're wrong about baptism being necessary for salvation and you shouldn't have said what you did to that lady." "Well, we'll debate anybody on this subject - that baptism is necessary for salvation." So Elaine called her pastor and he called me and together we went to their broadcast studio for three days to debate this issue. I was the first to speak and to present the argument for salvation by faith alone. Guess where I started? In Romans 4. I wanted to show that Abraham was saved by faith alone and he was never baptized. Salvation has always been the same way. Therefore, we are saved by faith alone. That's what Paul was saying in Romans 4. Let's look at it together.

Righteousness Is Received By Faith, Not Works, 4:1-8.

Paul uses questions and quotations to prove this point.

Question, vs. 1-3a. Have you considered Abraham? Verse 2 is a hypothetical statement - If Abraham had been justified by works, he would have something to brag about, but not to God. But what does the Scriptures say about Abraham's righteousness?

Quotations, vs. 3b-8. In verse 3, Paul answers the question of Abraham's righteousness by quoting Genesis 15:6. "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

The word "counted" is a key word to understanding Paul's argument. It is a banking term which means "to place into one's account." Paul uses that Greek word eleven times in Romans 4 - translated "counted" twice; "reckoned" three times; and "impute" six times.

When a man works, he earns money to be placed into his account. But Abraham had righteousness placed into his account by believing God, not by working, v. 3b. According to verses 4-5, if what you get in your account is because of something you have done, it is earned, it wages, it is owed you, it is not grace, it is not a gift. But in Abraham's case, it was not earned at all, it was simply transferred into his account when he believed God. Working earns a wage but faith brings a gift.

Paul has a second quotation in this section. In verses 6-8, he refers to and quotes David from Psalm 32:1-2. These verses are about the blessing of being forgiven of having one's sins covered. (David was writing about his adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent attempts to cover it up even to the point of having her husband killed). Paul's understanding of this is stated in verse 6 - God imputeth righteousness without works.

Abraham received righteousness by believing a promise not by obeying a law. Righteousness is not a do-it-yourself kit, nor a wage earned by what we do. It is, and always has been, on the basis of faith.

Righteousness Is Received By Grace, Not Law, 4:9-17.

Circumcision began with Abraham. God commanded it as a token of the covenant, the promise he had made to Abraham that he would father a nation and that his descendants would be the chosen people of the Lord. Thereafter and under the law of Moses, circumcision was commanded, not for its medical benefit, but for its spiritual symbolism. Unfortunately, to most Jews, circumcision took on a meaning more than symbolism. It came to be believed keeping God's law, and especially circumcision, was how a man was made righteous before God. To be circumcised meant that you were Jewish and to be Jewish meant that you were right with God.

But in these verses, Paul asks, "Was the righteousness that Abraham received when he believed God in any way associated with circumcision?" (Verses 9-10). When Abraham was counted righteous (Genesis 15:6) he was uncircumcised. In fact, the command to circumcise himself and his household didn't come until Genesis 17, some fourteen years later. Circumcision has nothing to do with righteousness.

What was its significance? (Verse 11) - It was a sign, that is, evidence that he belonged to God and had believed God's promise. It was a seal, a reminder that God had promised and would keep his promises. Yes, Abraham is the father of circumcision (v. 12) but he is the father of all who believe (v. 11) both circumcised and uncircumcised. Paul says that this is what God meant when he promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. And according to verse 13, that promise was not through the law. Verse 14 says that you cannot have a mixture of law and faith for righteousness. No, those two won't mix and better than water and oil. It's an either/or proposition not a both/and one. Righteousness is by law or faith, never by law and faith. Law makes faith void, v. 14. Law makes no one righteous. It can punish lawbreakers, v. 15 but it can never make someone do what is right. Law has an important purpose. It identifies right and wrong, v. 15b but it cannot cause someone to do what is right. If there is no law, then there is no right and wrong. For instance, where there is no speed limit, there are no speeding tickets. The law is important, but not as a means of righteousness. We've ruled out law, so righteousness must be by faith. It cannot be a mixture of both.

The only way that being saved can be by grace is if it is through faith, v. 16. Again, if it is earned by law-keeping, that's not grace, that's not a gift, that's a wage. But if we are to be saved by grace, then it can only be through faith. Grace is the arm with which God reaches down to offer us the gift of righteousness. Faith is the only arm with which man can accept God's gift.

The only that salvation can extend to all (not just those who have the law) is for it to be by grace through faith, vs. 16-17.

Righteousness Is Received By Divine Power Not Human Effort, 4:18-25.

Here, Paul speaks of the rejuvenation of Abraham's body as an analogy of the resurrection of Christ. From a reproductive point of view, Abraham and Sarah were dead and the birth of Isaac was by the power of God to resurrect their dead reproductive abilities. Even though, he was very only, 86 years old, and his wife was 76, Abraham believed God would do what he promised, vs. 19-20. And for that God transferred to his account righteousness, vs. 21-22.

Now the story of Abraham, and the word choices of God's inspired record are not just for Abraham (vs. 23-24). It is for us. The same God who placed righteousness into Abraham's account because of faith, will give us righteousness by faith. The same God who did it by grace, not on the basis of law, will save us by grace. The same God who rejuvenated Abraham and Sarah's reproductive ability, raised Jesus Christ from the grave. Like Abraham, we receive righteousness by grace through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I have, on my bookshelves, several volumes of commentaries written by H. A. Ironside. Harry Ironside was a pastor. Once while on vacation, he visited another church and sat in a Sunday School class. There came a point when the teacher asked his class, How were people saved in Old Testament times?" Someone answered, "By keeping the law." "That's right," said the teacher. Ironside spoke up and said, "My Bible says that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." The teacher was a bit embarrassed and said, "Well, O.K. Does someone else have an idea?" Another person suggested, "They were saved by bringing sacrifices to God." "There you go," said the teacher and tried to move on. Ironside spoke up again and said, "My Bible says that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin." By this point, the unprepared teacher knew that his student knew more than he did and so he said, "Well, then, you tell us how people were saved in the Old Testament." Ironside then explained to the class that they were saved by faith - the same way that people are saved today.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

That's what father Abraham proves.