Romans: Faith that Banks on God

Romans 4:18-25

As long as people depend on the flesh and feel they have enough strength to please God, they will never be justified. But when we come to the end of ourselves, admit that we are dead, and cease to strive in our own efforts, then God is able to “raise us from the dead” and give us new life and a perfect standing before Him.[1] 

Those are the words of Warren Wiersbe in his comments on today’s passage from Romans 4:18-25. The passage discusses Abraham’s trust in God to give him a son, even though his body was as “good as dead.” These verses continue to highlight the main point of chapter 4: salvation is a gift from God and can never be earned through human efforts. 

Let’s review the chapter's flow, then focus on today’s passage. 

Paul began Romans 4 with a clear statement about the gift of salvation and used Abraham as an example. Here's a quick review of the arguments Paul presents.

• Since justification is a gift, it cannot be earned through works (Rom. 4:1-8).
• Abraham was justified before he was circumcised, showing that circumcision has nothing to do with justification (Rom. 4:9-12).
• Abraham was justified centuries before the law was given, which proves that justification is not based on the law (Rom. 4:13-17).
• Abraham was justified by his faith in God, not by his works (Rom. 4:18-25). 

Works can never save us (I encourage you to read Thomas Boston’s explanation of this in tomorrow’s Weekend Recharge). This was clearly demonstrated in Abraham’s life when God promised him a son, which was considered physically impossible since he and his wife, Sarah, were both older and past childbearing years.

When Abraham was eighty-seven years old, God promised him that he would become the father of a nation that would bless all the people on earth (Gen. 12:1-3). At this point in Abraham’s life, he and his wife had no children; therefore, if Abraham were to be the father of a nation, it would not be because of his vitality. However, Abraham believed that God would do as he promised, and that faith was credited to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6).  

And Abraham waited….

Romans 4:18
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 

And Abraham kept waiting year after year. Even during the waiting, Paul says Abraham “did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb” (Rom. 4:18-19). 

Let’s pause here. During the thirteen years that Abraham and Sarah waited, they didn’t do everything perfectly. Sarah tried to take control of God's plan by giving her maidservant to Abraham to fulfill what God had promised. When God reminded them that a son was coming, Abraham laughed (Gen. 17:17). Sarah laughed as well and asked, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” (Gen. 18:12) 

This is so insightful. Faith doesn’t mean you fully understand the whole picture, but rather that you trust the One who does. Abraham’s questions didn’t weaken his faith. Although he and Sarah tried to rush God’s timing, they never doubted his ability to deliver. 

Romans 4:20-21
No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 

Romans 4:21 is a fitting and powerful description of faith. Faith means that we are “fully convinced that God [is] able to do what he [has] promised.” As the writer to the Hebrews says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). 

Paul explains that Abraham’s faith was his complete belief that God could fulfill his promises. He states, “That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness’” (Rom. 4:22). 

Paul used their patriarch Abraham to show the Jews that salvation is separate from circumcision and obeying all the Old Testament laws. Similarly, Paul used Abraham as an example for the Gentiles, emphasizing that salvation is not earned through works. By faith alone, based on God's promises, God's righteousness was credited to Abraham. 

But the story of God’s work with Abraham isn't just about him. Paul states that Abraham’s story of imputed righteousness through faith is our story as well (Rom. 4:23-24a). 

Romans 4:24b-25
It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. 

This passage provides a powerful description of the gospel. Let’s explore these truths about sin, justification, and imputed righteousness.  

Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses. 
Jesus went to the cross for our sins. God delivered him up for us. Jesus “bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pet. 2:24). Jesus—fully God and fully man—is the only one who can pay the penalty for sin. 

Jesus was raised for our justification. 
Let’s face it. A dead savior is no savior at all. Paul clearly stated that without the resurrection, our “faith is futile and [we] are still in [our] sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). The resurrection is the basis of our justification. Christ’s resurrection demonstrated complete victory over sin and death. The only way we are declared “not guilty” of our sins is because Jesus was raised from the dead. 

Imputed righteousness comes by faith in God’s promises.
Based on our confidence in Jesus' completed work, we are declared righteous; that is, the debt of our sin is wiped away, and righteousness is credited to our account. Think of it this way: Adam’s sin was credited to our account. Likewise, our sin was credited to Jesus’ account. Jesus’ righteousness is credited to our account simply by believing God's promises. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Romans 4:18-25. Rejoice in the fact that God has paid your debt for sin and credited righteousness to your account through Jesus.

Talking to God: Are you fully convinced that the death and resurrection of Jesus are enough for you to be declared righteous? Or are you still adding your own efforts to the equation?

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