A preacher, long-departed from the truth of the gospel, told the following story to summarize the faith he taught. It seems that a frog one day fell into a pail of milk, and though he tried every conceivable way to jump out, he always failed. The sides were too high, and because he was floating in the milk, he could not get enough leverage for the needed leap. So, he did the only thing he could do. He paddled and paddled and paddled some more. And voila! His relentless paddling churched the milk into butter from which he was able to launch himself to freedom. The preacher’s message was: “Just keep on paddling, keep on working, keep doing your best, and you will make it”
We may smile at this simplistic exaggeration, but this actually describes the predominant American religious belief quite well. Even though Amazing Grace is our favorite hymn, most people believe that if you just do your best you will somehow make it to Heaven. Americans are addicted to the idea that if you’re “a good person,” “work hard,” and “pull yourself up by the boot-straps” that you will earn a seat in God’s kingdom. Most people in our world, if you press them on the issue, are deeply hostile to the concept of justification by faith alone through God’s grace. We are much more comfortable with the motto: “We get salvation the old-fashioned way. We earn it!” (Hughs 83)
Such thinking is, of course, not new. This position has been prevalent from ancient times. It was the common view—the conventional thinking—of the Jews throughout the Old Testament era and during the time of Jesus and Paul. For those folks, Abraham was a prime example of a man who was justified by works. They believed that Abraham lived out God’s law before it was written, he was perfect in all his deeds, and he had no need of repentance.
So, Paul addresses this issue in Romans 4. He picks up where he left in Romans 3 when he asserted that sinful human beings are justified by grace alone through faith alone. Contrary to the prevailing belief of the time, Paul asserts that, Abraham too, received God’s righteousness through faith alone, rather than by obeying God’s law.
In Romans 4, Paul continues to correct the false notion that salvation can be earned through works, and he uses the example of Abraham to verify that justification is by faith alone. In verses 1-12, he draws out three implications of this important doctrine: If justification is by faith alone, we have no reason to boast, no sin is beyond forgiveness, and family heritage and religious rituals cannot make us righteous. Let’s take a closer look!
1.) If justification is by faith alone, we have no reason to boast. (1-5)
As Paul so often does in Romans, he introduces the next stage of his argument with a question. In 4:1, he asks about “what Abraham gained” in this regard, which relates back to 3:27-31, when Paul asserted the idea that there should be no boasting because justification comes by faith alone. Paul brings Abraham into this argument for two reasons: First, the Jews revered Abraham as both the ancestor of God’s people and as a model of faithfulness to the law. Second, Abraham is a key figure in God’s plan of salvation as revealed in the Old Testament. If Paul was going to convince the Christians in Rome, who were mostly Jewish, to endorse justification by faith alone, he must prove to them that Abraham is on his side. (Moo 143)
From there, Paul makes the point that if Abraham had been justified by works, he would have something to brag about, but in fact, he wasn’t justified by works, so he has nothing to brag about. Paul quotes Genesis 15:6, where is says, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” This verse describes Abraham’s response to God’s promise that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. Even the Scriptures testify to the fact that Abraham was justified by faith rather than works. But what kind of faith was this? It was the type of faith where an old man with a barren wife would believe God’s promise that his descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky.
Paul clarifies his point by using an analogy from the working world. In verse 4, he asserts that when we work, an employer pays us wages not “as a gift” but “as an obligation.” Wages are what people deserve for their work; a gift is something freely given without obligation. Paul is saying that God is a God of grace, who offers his righteousness to sinners as a gift. It cannot be earned! It can only be received through faith.
If Abraham received God’s righteousness as a gift, he had no right to boast about anything he did. Likewise, if justification is by faith alone and not by human works, then we don’t have any reason to boast either!
Even though Paul makes it perfectly clear that justification is by faith alone, it is staggering to think about how many people believe that they can receive salvation by being “good people.” It is shocking to consider how many people still believe they can get to heaven by doing “good” deeds! It is tragic to ponder how many Christian churches still teach the false doctrine that salvation can be earned. It is no wonder there is so much boasting in our society today!
Earlier this week, a friend of mine posted a poignant sign. It said, “Satan doesn’t whisper ‘Believe in me.’ He whispers, ‘Believe in yourself.’”
“Believe in yourself” is the mantra of our modern American society. It highlights the frog in the milk pail gospel—that “if you just work hard enough…if you just work smart enough…if you just set your mind on it…you can accomplish anything.” But these are the devil’s lies! “Believing in yourself” may jack up your self-esteem, but it will lead you straight to hell!
If you want to go heaven: Believe in God’s promises! Believe that Jesus died for your sins on the cross! Believe that Jesus rose from the dead and has offered you eternal life as a gift! Whatever you do, don’t boast about how good you are!
2.) If justification is by faith alone, no sin is beyond forgiveness. (6-8)
After Paul reaffirms that justification is by faith alone and there is no reason for humans to boast, he addresses another implication of this important doctrine: No sin is beyond forgiveness. To make this point, he looks to the Old Testament again. This time he quotes King David, another Jewish hero. In Psalm 32, David says that the people who are blessed are not those who have earned something from God; they are the ones who have received something from him. Their transgressions are forgiven, their sins “covered,” and God does not hold their sins against them. Regardless of how many sins they have committed or how awful, God does not hold it against them. He declares guilty people as innocent. He grants them a status they have not earned and do not deserve. (Moo 146)
David understood the depths of God’s forgiveness as well as anyone in the Old Testament. Do you remember David? He was the shepherd boy who defeated the giant Goliath! He was the mighty warrior who became the King of Israel. He was a “man after God’s own heart” and the one who composed half of the Psalms. But he was also the one who, when saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing on her roof, he summoned her to his bedchamber. He is the one who committed adultery, impregnated his mistress, and then murdered her husband to cover it all up. David slide down the slippery slope of sin and experienced its consequences. His sin cost him his family and his kingdom, but when he repented, he also experienced God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Have you ever wondered about the limits of God’s love? Have you doubted the depth of God’s mercy in your own life? Is there a sin so terrible that God cannot or will not forgive? For just a moment, can you think about the worst sin you have ever committed?
Does God forgive lies? Does he forgive betrayal? Does he forgive adultery? Does he forgive murder? Yes, he does! If he forgave King David, he will forgive us!
Take another moment and think about the worst person you’ve ever heard about? Consider these names: The cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter, the sinister Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, the evil international terrorist Osama bin Laden. Can God forgive wickedness of this scale? Yes, he can! This is precisely why Jesus suffered on the cross—to offer atonement for every sin, no matter how large or small! Friends, if justification is by faith alone, there is no sin beyond forgiveness.
3.) If justification is by faith alone, family heritage and religious symbols cannot save us.
(9-12)
Before Paul concludes this section, he draws out one more implication of justification by faith alone: that family heritage and religious symbols cannot save us. This implication would have flown in the face of the Jews to whom Paul was writing. Many of the ancient Jews based their salvation on the mere fact that they had been born into the Jewish race and were God’s “chosen people.” They also trusted in the outward religious symbol of circumcision, which was a distinguishing mark of Jewish people in the ancient world.
Once again, Paul asks a question, “Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also the uncircumcised?” (9) He goes on to reiterate that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness and reminds them that this happened before the sign of circumcision was established. Therefore, even Gentiles who express faith can call Abraham their father. Justification is by faith alone, not from family heritage or outward religious symbols.
There are many people today who have fallen into the same trap of false security as the ancient Jews. Some people today base their salvation on their national identity—“God will save me because I’m an American!” Other people base their salvation on their family heritage—“God will save me because I grew up in a Christian family and my parents go to church.” Still others base their salvation on external religious symbols—“I’m a Christian because I wear this gold cross around my neck.” I have actually heard people say all of these things!
Don’t be deceived! None of these things can save our souls. Justification is by faith alone!
Do you understand what Paul is teaching us in this passage? We are all like frogs who have fallen into the milk pail. The difference for us is that sin cannot be churned into butter! We can paddle and paddle and paddle, but our relentless paddling cannot save us from our predicament. We cannot save ourselves from the penalty of our sin! We cannot earn forgiveness! We cannot work our way into heaven! We can only receive God’s righteousness as a gift! Justification is by faith alone!
So, even though I have asked you this question a million times, let me ask it again: Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ?