Justified By Faith

I have taken an excerpt from Rightly Dividing the Word in order to attempt to explain our relationship with God and His Son Jesus.

Romans 4:1

1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

We must understand that Apostle Paul is writing to the Church. The terminology he uses implies that Abraham is our father pertaining to the flesh. Nevertheless, the Jews often refer to Abraham as their father. In this lesson, we will discover why Paul considers Abraham to be a father to the Church according to the flesh. Usually the Church does not consider Abraham as a father, but rather the father of the Jewish nation.

Romans 4:2

2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. There was nothing that Abraham did that he was able to glory before God. In other words, he was not justified by his good deeds; he was not a righteous man.

Romans 4:3

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Abraham believed God.

Remember, he is a father to the Church relative to the flesh. His belief is synonymous to being righteous; he was counted unto righteousness simply because he believed God. It was nothing righteous that Abraham had done, because he was an idol worshipper; worshipping gods that could not talk or move. However, God did speak to Abraham and told him to depart from his kinsmen, and go to a country he did not know of. This is a correlation between Abraham and the Church. When Abraham heard God, he believed God. If the Church is to make it to Glory, we must also believe God.

We now know that the belief Abraham had was considered faith. However, as we have learned, faith is only mentioned under the Old Covenant twice; prophetically spoken of the faith that was to come in the New Covenant. With that being said, when Paul talks about Abraham’s faith, he is simply speaking of Abraham’s belief in God. Abraham was justified by his faith and not his deeds. We must see the direct resemblance between the Old and New Covenants. What God did with Abraham is a natural event that took place in the Old Covenant. It was a type or manner of how God would spiritually deal with the Church under the New Covenant.

Let’s see Abraham as a type of Christ. Abraham believed God and obeyed. Faith goes hand in hand with obedience. If you believe God, you will do as He has instructed. When you obey God, your obedience says that you believe and trust Him. If we see Abraham as a type of Christ, he believed God; and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Because God called Abraham righteous, God was able to make a covenant with him (Genesis 15:18).

Romans 4:4

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

If Abraham had been declared righteous by his own deeds, God would have owed him something. Abraham did not however work for this reward; it was granted to him by grace. This implies that Abraham received grace before the Dispensation of Grace and Truth.

Romans 4:5

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

God is able to justify the ungodly. When God approaches an ungodly individual, and that individual believes God and is motivated by faith to obey God, God calls him righteous; justified by faith. Justification simply means validated by God; just if I’d never sinned. While we were yet sinners, Christ came to die for us. We were an ungodly and perverse generation, yet God justified us by faith after we believed.

Romans 4:6

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

If you are to understand this work of the Father, you must keep in mind that the scriptures will never contradict themselves. If they seem to, it is because one has failed to rightly divide them. I am lingering here because understanding the two covenants are essential to our salvation. It is also imperative that we understand the operation of faith in the plan of God. These passages declare David as having an understanding of grace. A man is blessed when the father will impute righteousness unto him without the man himself having to do any works.

Romans 4:7-8

7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

When the Father imputes righteousness sin is covered and forgiven. This is different from sin being removed and abolished forever. In the latter, the man himself is made a holy vessel as opposed to a sinful vessel whose sins are covered. For instance, sin in the sense that the inherited sin of Adam remains.

Romans 4:9-14

9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

The Jews are called the Circumcision, and the Gentiles were those of the Uncircumcision. The covenant that God made with Abraham was made long before there was a Jewish nation. Therefore, the covenant was made while he was uncircumcised. If the blessing had come to Abraham when he was circumcised, it would have been exclusively for the Jews. However, because the covenant was made with Abraham while he was uncircumcised, when the Righteous Seed (Jesus Christ) came, He was able to impart the promise of the Spirit to the Gentiles as well as the Jews lawfully. This is why Paul suffered persecution of the Jews, because he declared that the Gentiles could be partakers of the promise through Jesus Christ. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace (Ephesians 2:15).

God has taken the Jew and the Gentile and made them one new man in Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

The tenth and eleventh verses of Romans four, it is declared that the blessing was given to Abraham while he was a Gentile; uncircumcised. He was justified before the circumcision. Circumcision was a sign or seal denoting the righteousness God had imputed Abraham; a seal of the righteousness he had received being yet uncircumcised. His faith caused God to impute righteous; not circumcision. God told the Jews to circumcise the male children on the eighth day after birth as a reminder of the covenant that was made with Abraham.

Circumcision was added as a seal of the covenant; not the covenant itself. Abraham had faith before he was circumcised, which deemed him as the father of all who believed. In other words, Abraham is not only the father to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. With this being said, the Jews are not unique in the fact that they are the only nation to receive the promise; it was not the heart and mind of God for them to be the only ones to receive it. When the Jews became a nation, they received the Law. However, the promise was given to Abraham and his seed before the Law. It was given through the righteousness of faith. It is imperative that we see how God is comparing salvation for us by faith, as we have to believe what Jesus Christ did, to how Abraham believed God.

The only difference is that righteousness was bestowed upon Abraham and we were made righteous. Abraham could not be made righteous until Jesus came, died on the cross, and went to hell to pay the penalty for the sins of the entire world; including Abraham’s. We know that when Jesus came out of hell, He stopped by the lower parts of the earth to retrieve Abraham and the other patriarchs whom the promise was given to. They could not be made perfect without Christ. Jesus had to come and remove the stain of sin from them, because under the Old Covenant their sins were only covered by the blood of animals. When Jesus came, He washed away their sin with His blood that they might be able to enter into the presence of God.

Ephesians 2:4-10

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ , Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

James spoke very candidly concerning works; confirming that our works cannot justify us before God.

James 2:14-26

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.