And Now the
Good News…

From our last study in Romans 3, you’ll recall the statement that “not one person on earth at any time in history can claim to be completely good or sinless on their own” (Romans 3:12).  Regardless of whether a person has a deep-down desire to be good, and even if they really do understand what “good” means, there would always be a wide range of responses on what is required to be “good” according to God’s standard – and all of them would fail.  Beyond what people think is “good enough”, the Bible (as thoroughly explained in Rom. 1-3) declares that there are none (anywhere, at any time) who are truly and completely good – that is, righteous in God’s sight, holy, sinless.  Man is completely and  hopelessly guilty of sin, and as a result he is condemned to the eternal penalty for his sin which is eternal separation from God in hell.  Because of God’s holiness and justice, He is not able to have sin (or sinful behavior) in His presence.  We also learn from the Bible that man is completely unable to do anything on his own to resolve this situation – he desperately needs to be rescued!

Paul now opens the door to Romans 4 and the Good News, the great truth of being “declared righteousness”.  He first mentioned this back in Rom. 3:21-28 by stating that man can be “saved” – that is, each of us can be rescued from the sure judgment we are headed for eternally because of our sinful nature.  Man can be saved from his sin by “faith” in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  Paul recognizes this is a major statement, so in Romans 4, God leads him to use Abraham to give us a clear example of how our faith opens the door for God to accomplish our rescue, our salvation.

Abraham is a “primary source” for information about faith and righteousness.  Not only is Abraham the father of the Jewish people, but with him God established the essential truths about how a man can be declared righteous by faith.

Bible Study Journal
Paul establishes the foundation for this truth of being “declared righteous” in Romans 4-5, then develops the full picture of “justified freely by faith” in chapters 6-8.  Take the time to read these two passages in one sitting in order to have a clear grasp of where Paul is headed in this major section of Scripture.

Abraham Believed God

Back in Genesis 15, the Bible tells us about God’s call to Abraham.  God’s plan was to use Abraham to create a special people that had faith in the One True God.  Abraham “believed God” (Gen. 15:6) and God acknowledged Abraham’s faith and unilaterally declared him righteous based on his faith.  God led Abraham to journey to Canaan and then the great histories of the Bible began, culminating in the arrival of Jesus Christ the Promised Messiah 4000 years later.  Paul takes us to that “pioneer of faith”, Abraham, in order to explain to us what God has done to remedy our sinful condition.

In Romans 4, Paul introduces a simple equation for Redemption –  AB=GD:  Abraham Believed what God said He would do, and then God did what He said He would do: declared a man righteous.  This good news works for each of – “AB” can be Anybody Believes! Paul presents a “question for the ages” in Rom. 4:3 – “What does the Bible say?”  We will often encounter unbelieving skeptics who struggle with the clear message of the Gospel – the reason that happens is they aren’t willing to consider the Bible to be an absolute and final authority for Truth.  As we share the Good News of the Gospel, we need to keep that in mind and try to guide our friends to see how you have come to trust the Bible.  The fact is that the Bible has been historically validated and never fails examination for truth and accuracy!

Bible Study Journal

• • • • In Gen. 15:5, what did God tell Abraham to do, and why?
      • So the Bible tells us that these things are true – sin and hell are real.  But our unbelieving friend says he/she doesn’t believe the Bible and has no concern for sin and eternal judgment.  How do you respond?  How do we help an unbeliever get to the place where they can believe the authority of God and His Word?
      • In Rom. 4:4-5, what is being emphasized about “works” and righteousness?
      • To learn more about the authority and dependability of the Bible, click here go through a good Bible study on this important doctrine.
      • Paul quotes Psa. 32:1-2 to underscore this great truth of Justification.  The Bible uses the word “impute”, which basically means to apply on the account for someone.  In those verses, what is David saying God does related to our salvation?
      • The Bible’s teaching about righteousness is a rich study.  You might want to read this excellent article from gotquestions.com and look up all the additional Bible references provided there – “Why does Christ’s righteousness need to be imputed to us?“

No Longer Hopeless

What does the Bible mean by “justification”?  God is holy and righteous, demonstrated by both His character and actions.  His holiness is so intrinsic to His nature that unholiness (sinfulness, any rejection or rebellion against His holiness)  can’t be in His presence.  Because man rebels against God and His holiness, He stands  “condemned already” (John 3:18).  But if a person hears the Truth about the Gospel and believes it, His faith opens the door to God for His work of rescue, redemption and regeneration.  “Justification” is the unilateral action by God to declare us “not guilty” based on Jesus paying the penalty for our sinful rebellion on the Cross.  God does this when we place our faith in Christ’s finished work of salvation – based on our faith, God applies Jesus’ blood to our account.  God doesn’t just nullify the sentence, He wipes away our complete record of sinfulness (Psa. 103:12; Col. 2:14).  Because we are “in Christ” (Rom. 6:1), when God looks at us, He sees His sinless Son, His sinlessness is “imputed” to us (2 Cor. 5:21).

Bible Study Journal

In Romans, we have a series of verses that form the “Romans Road to Salvation”.  You can use these verses to share your faith in Christ with an unsaved friend, and to encourage you in your own salvation in Christ.  The “Road” follows a these verses and thoughts:

• • • 1. Rom. 3:21 – The Bottom Line:  All people are sinners by nature and choice,and have sinned and will suffer death as a result.  Death is eternal separation from God.
      2. Rom. 6:23 – The Gift: We receive forgiveness for our sin and eternal life as a free gift!
      3. Rom. 5:8 – The Love:  God has demonstrated His love us, His enemies, in the greatest way possible.
      4. Rom. 10:13 – The Promise: Call on Him and He will save.
      5. Rom. 10:9-10 – The Commitment:  Believe in your heart, confess in your life.

Man’s Faith/God’s Work

There is an important distinction to be made in God’s great salvation between man’s believing faith and God’s redeeming work.  In the world’s religious efforts to work their way up to God, man is led to think that if he “does” the right things, he will be righteous in God’s eyes.  However, the Bible makes it very clear that man in his completely sinful state is totally unable to do anything to accomplish rescue, salvation, being made righteous.  Jesus in His earthly ministry often spoke of how hopeless it is for man to depend on “works of righteousness” in order to be allowed into God’s presence.  All man can do is hear and believe – then God does the work of salvation.  Christianity is not “religion” – it is God reaching down to man in Christ to redeem us and bring us up to Him!  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no on may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

Hear the truth declared that God has accomplished our redemption through the finished work of Christ on the Cross , then express to God your believing faith that He will redeem you through Christ.  When you do that, God accomplishes His regeneration work in you (you are “born again” as a new creation (Rom. 6:4), He declares you righteous, adopts you as His Son, indwells you with His Holy Spirit.

Bible Study Journal

• How were Old Testament believers redeemed/justified?
  • • Describe the difference between being justified by works and by grace.
    • God made many promises to Abraham about salvation, the Messiah’s coming and eternal reign, future inheritance, etc. How are we impacted by those promises?
    • How does Abraham’s experience show the unbeliever today that things don’t have to stay hopeless?
    • Is it as simple as that?  What Bible verses would you suggest to help understand this simple faith?