Romans 4:1-8 Abraham Justified By Faith

Abraham Justified by Faith not by Works (4:1-3)

• After declaring that none are justified through the works of the Law, Paul immediately addresses the anticipated question about Abraham. These people did descend from Abraham, and they believed He was justified before God, yet he came before the Law, so how was he justified? (4:1)
  
• Paul continues by focusing in on a key concept: boasting.  At the center of this is the glory of God, and Paul makes it clear that Abraham cannot and did not boast before God based on works of the flesh.  One should also note that Paul does not appeal to philosophic reasoning to make his case; rather, he quotes the Scriptures to make His point.  Man’s ideas are fallible, but the Scriptures are not. (4:2)
  
• Genesis 15:6 explicitly states that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.  Abraham was justified by faith and not by works.  Abraham was a sinful man, and knew that He could not justify himself apart from God.  He worshipped and placed all of his faith in the One True Holy God who reigns over all things! Amen! (4:3)
  

Due Wages for Works Vs. Favor by Faith in God (4:4-5)

• Paul makes a logical conclusion about works here. If someone is working for something, their reward is not by grace but is entitled to them.  If a man works at any paid job, then he has the right go before for his boss and demand wages for what was agreed upon beforehand.  However, no man born into sin can ever demand such a reward from God, for all men have miserably fallen short of God’s demands for right living and thus his glory (Rom 3:23).  Only Christ was able to do that, for He accomplished what the first Adam could not.  (4:4)
  
• On the contrary, those who who put their faith in Christ and what He accomplished on the Cross, their faith is credited as righteousness.  We cannot be justified by our works, because our best works done in the flesh are as filthy rags (Is 64:6) before a Holy and Just Judge! Amen! (4:5)
  

King David: Blessings on Those Justified by Faith (4:6-8)

• Not only does Paul appeal to Abraham, but He also magnified his point by quoting King David.  David was a sinful man, and his sin has been laid bare for all the world to see, and he knew that he would never be justified by his good deeds! (4:6)
  
• David writes in Ps 32:1-2 that it is blessed to have sins forgiven, and it is only the Lord who can forgive sins. Because only God can forgive sins, man sits in horror because he cannot save himself. Sinful man stands before a Righteous Judge without hope if God does not show grace. This passage magnifies the greatness of God’s Grace and man’s necessity to depend on God through faith in Christ. (4:7-8)
  
• David was not merely writing some nice words for an new song; rather, He was pointing to the Christ, by whom none can be saved without faith in Him. This ought to drive us to our knees as we acknowledge our total dependence on God for all things: from election to justification to sanctification to glorification (Rom 8:28-30)!  We thirst and hunger for righteousness in our quest to be like Christ; we desire to worship our Triune God all the more; something we cannot do apart from Christ! Amen!