All right, here we go. There
are 25 verses for us to read. What shall we say, then, that
Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham were justified
by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the Scripture?
What does Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward, not reckoned of grace, but of death. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness, even as David also describe the
righteousness of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness
without works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Does this blessing then come
upon the circumcision only? or upon the uncircumcision also,
for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. Now another question, how was
it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision or
in uncircumcision? not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 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 of them
that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness
might be imputed unto them also. That's the second time we've
had that. And the father of circumcision, who are not of the circumcision
only, but also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham,
which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise that he should
be heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through
the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are
of the law be heirs, faith is made void and the promise made
of none effect, because the law worketh rath. For where no law
is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith. that it might be by grace, to
the end the promise might be sure to all the seed, not to
that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of
the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. For it
is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before
whom he believed even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth
those things which be not as though they were, who against
hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many
nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed
be. And being not weak in faith,
he considered not his own body, now dead, when he was about a
hundred years old, nor yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God. And being fully persuaded that
what he had promised he was able also to perform, and therefore
it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his
sake alone that it was imputed unto him, but for us also, to
whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised
up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses
and was raised again for our justification. Now, you will
notice that the title of our study this morning and our subject
has or contains three words that are prominent in the doctrine
of the scripture and relates to the saving of sinners by Jesus
Christ. In fact, these are central themes,
these words, and doctrine of the great book of Romans. And if we count it, just to the
end of chapter 4 from the beginning. We would find that the word righteousness
has already been used some 15 times by the Apostle Paul and
the word justification or the word justify or justified or
just about a dozen times up to the end of chapter four. And then we find the word impute
in this chapter in three forms are translated by three different
words in chapter four. There is the word counted two
times in this chapter as we read. The word reckoned is there a
total of three times. Four times we find the word imputed
and one time we find the word impute in the fourth chapter
of Roman. A total of nine times in this
chapter righteousness is the quality of being right and just
in the sight of God. A righteousness, as some describe
it, is an innocent holiness in the sight of Almighty God. Then there is the word impute,
or the word imputation, and it means to put to the account of,
or it means to reckon, or it means to charge to the account
of one, and to reckon it unto them, that in the case of the
elect of God, it is the righteousness of God that is imputed unto them
because their sins were imputed unto the Lord as he died upon
the cross. And then There is the word justification
and this word as a noun in the scripture means to declare just
by a full and absolute acquittal from guilt by the judge of all
of the earth. The word justified is a forensic
term that mean you might find it in a course or rather in a
court of law. And as to its nature, it is not
an internal change in a particular individual, but it is a change
of their standing before God. from condemnation under justification,
being the opposite one of the other. Now, condemnation, if
I may illustrate, is not an infusion of righteousness into a particular
individual. It is a sentence that is passed
against them. So, on the other hand, justification
is not an infusion of holiness into an individual, but both
of them are forensically used. They are legal sentences that
might be passed by the judge of all of the earth, that is,
the Almighty God. Now, concerning this matter of
righteousness, which Paul writes about extensively in this great
epistle and in other places, it is both our worst loss and
our greatest need not to have the righteousness of God imputed. It is our greatest need with
a hope of eternal life. Paul tells the carnal Corinthians
in 1 Corinthians Chapter 6, verse 9, Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? And then he joins some
others with that. The unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. John Gill on these solemn words
had this to say, quote, without a righteousness, there will be
no entrance into the world of bliss and happiness hereafter,
unquote. Now, we know that Corinth was
a very wicked, a very ungodly city. so that it had even filtrated
into the churches there the wickedness of that city and the immorality. so that even the church there
was tolerating immorality in some of the members that claimed
to be a Christian and a believer, just as is done in our day. And yet, to be a Christian and
still live immoral is a great contradiction according to the
Blessed and Holy Scripture. Spurgeon prefaced a sermon on
Jeremiah, chapter 23, and verse 6. It said, the Lord, our righteousness. And Spurgeon prefaced it with
these words, quote, man in the fall sustained an infinite loss
of a righteous nature, unquote. Consequently, since the fall,
all of us, like David, are born in sin and conceived in the same
Psalm 51 and verse 5. So that Romans 3 and verse 10,
which is quoted from Psalm 14 and Psalm chapter 53 both, it
is written, there is none righteous, no not one. You know that familiar
one in Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 6, we are all as an unclean
thing, and all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And as the Lord told those in
that Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament, Matthew 5 and
verse 20, I say unto you that except your righteousness exceed
that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter into
the kingdom of heaven. Now think, the Pharisees were
considered the most religious and the most devoted of all people
in religion of that particular day. They considered themselves
righteous and others considered themselves righteous. And yet
the Lord said, except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and
the Pharisee, you will in no wise enter into the kingdom of
heaven." And here Paul. Paul once was the most zealous
Jew that we might imagine for the law before Christ laid hold
of him in salvation on the Damascus Road. And in Philippian chapter
3, Verse 8 and verse 9, the Apostle Paul flinging all of his zeal
and all of his works and all of his law-keeping aside and
counting it but dung, as he said. looking at his own righteousness
as no more than dung, as refuge, as rubble, as sweeping, as manure,
looking at what he so formerly did cherish as trash, that he
might know Christ and win Him. And verse 9, he said, and be
found in Him, Not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that righteousness which is by and through Jesus
Christ. Even the righteousness, he said,
which is of God by faith. Or, as the NASB has it, quote,
the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
unquote. as opposed to works and law and
merit of any kind. Now in this study this morning,
our justification by imputed righteousness, we want to show
or try to make the connection and show the relation between
the righteousness of God and other aspects of justification
by imputed righteousness, such as here are five headings, God
willing, we will be looking at this morning. Number one, we
will look at the connection between righteousness and the gospel. Number two, we will look at the
connection between righteousness and faith. Genesis 15, six and
Romans four, three, number three. we will be looking at the connection
between righteousness and imputation. Romans 4 and verse 22. Number four, we'll be looking
at the connection between righteousness and justification. And finally,
if time allows, we will be looking at the righteousness and its
connection unto Christ. 1 Corinthians 1.30, He's our
righteousness. Jeremiah 23, 6, the Lord, our
righteousness, Romans 10, 4, 2 Corinthians 5, and verse 21. Now these things just, when we
look at all of them, impress upon our mind all of the theological
complexities that make up the doctrine of justification by
an imputed righteousness. And how many of the fundamentals
of theology we find that are connected unto this, justification
by an imputed righteousness, and especially connected to Christ's
redeeming and atoning death, to provide us that righteousness
as part of the faith of God's elect. to believe unto righteousness. So let's go. Number one, let's
begin with the relationship of this righteousness and the gospel. And that's stated in Romans 1,
verse 16 and 17, that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It is the power, it is the dunamis
of God, it is the ability and the power to bring one under
the dominion of it unto salvation. For since the saving righteousness
of God is revealed in the gospel, the gospel is a proclamation
that the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, there
is a way whereby righteousness can be reckoned unto a sinner
and that sinner reckoned as righteous in the way of God. There is a
way through Christ whereby they are made dead to the law by the
body of Christ and yet the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in them
as declared in Romans chapter 8 and verse 4. Now in our day
and forever There has been a gross ignorance of this righteousness
in Christianity and in its theology. For the gospel is little and
seldom heard in the land and in the church. By that, I mean
that another gospel, a false gospel, is hawked in the ears
of churchgoers, a different gospel from that one of Paul. And if
this righteousness is revealed in the gospel, how then shall
it be known except the gospel be preached in the hearing of
the people of God? Now concerning the knowledge
of this righteousness, I think that we might make the same charge
that Paul made against his generation. We can charge our generation
with the same thing that Paul charged his generation and we
find it in Romans chapter 10 and verse 3 and it says this,
for they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about
seeking or looking or trying to establish their own righteousness,
to the righteousness of God, they have not submitted themselves. This is the righteousness of
Romans 1 and verse 17. This is related to some things
which Paul had recently written in the end of Romans chapter
9, particularly verse 31 and verse 32. that Israel had not
attained unto righteousness because they sought it not by faith but
by the law. And Romans 10 and verse 2, their
zeal was not according to knowledge and so they were ignorant. of
the righteousness of God. And it's so with our generation,
and it's been so with every generation. Being ignorant of the true righteousness,
they then go about seeking to establish their own righteousness,
which we have learned is filthy rags in the sight of God. They base their righteousness
upon their living after the golden rule. We hear them say it all
the time. I practice the golden rule. They
base their righteousness on the fact they have not committed
the more heinous sin that we see in society, or that their
faith itself is put for their righteousness, which in effect
makes their faith a work which merits righteousness. Now, most
Armenians might not say it out loud, but they actually believe
that Christ has, quote, lowered, unquote, the demands of the old
strict law and given what R.L. Dabney called the substitution
of a milder law." And that God accepts evangelical faith as
a proper substitute for the full righteousness of the law. And
so we hear them saying, just believe. Just accept Jesus. Just make him the Lord of your
life. And that God, because of what
Jesus had done, will accept sincere, quote, simple, unquote, faith
as a substitute for the perfect righteousness of the law. but the righteousness revealed
in the gospel and described by Paul in Romans chapter 3 and
verse 21 through verse 31. Let's take a quick look at it,
if we might. The righteousness revealed in
that gospel is then described as to some of its aspects in
the end of chapter 3, as being through the redemption which
is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth a perpetuation for
our sin. Then notice in verse 21, this
righteousness is apart from the law. It is separate from law
keeping. Look in verse 21, it was witnessed
by the law and the prophets. It's nothing new. Paul did not
invent it. Look at verse 22, it is by faith. Look at verse 24, It is of grace. Look at verse 27. It excludes
boasting. Look at verse 29 and 30. It is
suited for both the Jew and the Gentile. That is for all people. But now, let's go to our second
heading, Righteousness and Faith. We look here in Romans chapter
4. We have the example of Abraham,
that he is made by Paul the confirming proof of the doctrine that Paul
is advancing. Abraham perfectly answers this
righteousness that is revealed in the Gospel. So Paul asks in
chapter 4 and verse 1, what shall we say? What was the case? How
was it? with our father Abraham. Who gave him, or what gave him,
his standing before God? What was the means of his justification? How was he justified? Who was
the father of the race? And then the important question,
when was Abraham a justified man in relation to the various
aspects of Judaism such as the giving of the law and the institution
of circumcision and such like. So Abraham is brought forth by
Paul as an unimpeachable testimony for faith, justification, and
righteousness. Yea, Abraham is the living essence
of our study today. Justified by faith by an imputed
righteousness. And notice that Paul builds his
case by Abraham from a single text in Genesis chapter 15 and
verse 6. It says this, and he believed
in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness, unquote. Paul quotes that verse here in
Romans 4 and verse 3 with a familiar intro, what says the scripture? Abraham believed God, it was
counted to him. It was reckoned, it was imputed,
it was put to his account for righteousness. Thus Paul here
has established that justification by an imputed righteousness is
a doctrine taught and known in the Old Testament scripture. And as F.F. Bruce wrote, the whole of chapter
four, the entire fourth chapter of Romans, quote, is a careful
analysis of the Genesis 15.6 text and its implications." Unquote. The word of F.F. Bruce. And before we go any further
with that into Chapter 4, let's reach back, if we might, to some
things again in Chapter 3 that Paul has said about this imputed
righteousness. in the end of the third chapter,
such as we just mentioned. It is apart from law. It's witnessed
by the prophet. It's freely bestowed. It's by
faith. It excludes boasting and is suitable
to both the Jew and the Gentile. That is, all are confirmed in
the experience of Abraham. Every one of those things that
Paul said is evident in the experience of Abraham, making him, therefore,
the perfect example. This righteousness is apart from
the law. Romans 3 and verse 21. Even so, Abraham was justified
before the law was given. Romans 4, 13, Galatians 3 and
17. It's apart from the law, and
Abraham was justified before the law was ever given. Was Abraham
justified by circumcision? Well, nay. He was justified by
faith before God instituted in him circumcision. That's in Romans
4 and verse 10. His circumcision, which was after
his believing, neither contributed or added anything at all to his
righteousness or his justification. Paul calls it a seal of the righteousness
which he had by faith in Romans 4, 11, and 12. Does it exclude
boasting? Yes. Well, here. If Abraham were justified by
works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. Is this righteousness
of faith? Romans 3.22. Then Romans chapter
4 and verse 3, Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him
for righteousness. Romans 4.12, that faith of our
father which he had being yet uncircumcised. prior to receiving
the covenant of circumcision. Now, again, let's raise the question. Did we ever wonder, as we should,
how Abraham got to be the friend of God? He's called that at least
three times in the scripture, the friend of God. In 2 Chronicles
chapter 20 and verse 7. James chapter 2 and verse 23,
and Isaiah 41 and verse 8. All of them refer to Abraham
as the friend of God. Let's go further. How did Abraham
come to believe and worship God? How did Abraham receive the promise
that he was to be the father of many nations? Why did he leave
his home, his kin, family, and go out to a land that he knew
not about? So, let's hear Stephen's explanation
for that. You'll find it in Acts chapter
7 and verse 2 and verse 3. Before the Sanhedrin court, Stephen
says this, Listen, you men of Israel, the God of glory appeared
under our father Abraham when he was yet in Mesopotamia. The God of glory appeared unto
our father Abraham and said unto him, leave your country and your
kin and go into a land which I will show unto you. Now let's
catch that. The God all glorious appeared
unto Abraham, spoke to him, called him, gave him promises. entered into covenant with him.
In Nehemiah chapter 9 and verse 7, God chose Abraham, brought
him forth out of the land of Ur, and gave him the name of
Abraham. That's what Nehemiah 9 and verse
7 said. God chose Abraham and brought
him out. And in verse 8, and found his
heart faithful and made covenant with him. Abraham believed God
It was reckoned unto him for righteousness. God put righteousness
under his account, counting him a righteous man. Now, works and
deeds of law are totally excluded in the righteousness of justification
of Abraham. And yea, of all that God justified
and imputes righteousness. And as Mr. Thomas Bell wrote
a long time ago, and I love his quote, he said, faith by its
nature excludes itself as a work in the matter of justification
Unquote. The sinner must not and he cannot
trust in his faith. What an impression Romans 4,
16 made upon me years ago when I read that verse of the scripture. Will you look at it with me?
Romans 4 and 16. Therefore it is of faith that
it might be by grace. To the end, the promise might
be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the
faith of Abraham, which is the father of us all. Now, this is a conclusion, verse
16 is, it is a conclusion from the preceding verses. Therefore,
because, since, for this reason, God's promise to Abraham was
not through law, that he should be the heir and father of many,
but was by or through the righteousness of faith." Even the Gentiles
can become the children of Abraham and he their spiritual father. So it is of faith, verse 16 said,
in order that it might be a matter of grace. It is of faith in order
that it might be according to grace. Now since faith does not
cure grace, Nor does the sinner appropriate grace unto himself
and make it his own. But grace works even that faith
by which one believes on Christ. You know Ephesians 2, 8 and 9. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourself. For salvation is all of grace
from start to finish. So faith is not meritorious. It receives what God reveals. having been given birth or created,
it receives what God then revealed. But still, there are some who've
tried to make a co-savior out of their faith, half their faith
and half Christ, sharing it with the Lord. They, as it were, have
faith in their faith, they believe in their belief, and they trust
in their trust, and that takes them in an era. Thomas Bell,
well pointed out. One must not bring their faith
in as a part of justifying righteousness or seek to have it the act of
faith received before Almighty God as their justifying righteousness. Yet there is what Paul called
the righteousness of faith when we properly understand it in
its aspect. In Romans 3 and 22, even the
righteousness of God through faith, of or in Jesus
Christ to all believing. In Romans 4.13, again, the righteousness
of faith is brought before us. Again, in Romans 9.30, the Gentile
obtained the righteousness which is of faith. In Romans 10 and
verse 6, the righteousness which is of faith, and again in Galatians
chapter 5 and verse 5, the hope of righteousness by faith. So there is the matter of the
righteousness of faith. And before we leave this aspect
of our study, let's acknowledge something, and that is that faith
Righteousness is often used as a contrast or opposite to law
righteousness. You'll find them sometime in
the same verse, and it is meant to be a contrast. The contrast
between faith righteousness and law righteousness. And one of
the best passages for that is that one in Romans chapter 10
and verse 1 through verse 6. Another one is Philippians chapter
3 and verse 9, where Paul, disowning his own righteousness, which
is of the law, he said, for that which is through the faith of
the Lord Jesus Christ." The righteousness, he said, which is of God by faith. Now, our third heading, righteousness
and imputation. And first, righteousness and
imputation in the man, Abraham, as it stands in Abraham. Listen again to Genesis 15 and
verse 6. Abraham believed in God, he believed
the Lord, and the Lord Yahweh counted it for righteousness. The self-existent one, the eternal
God is the one that is in view there, counted or reckoned it
to him for righteousness. Now that's quoted in Romans 4
and verse 3 as part of the scripture. Abraham believed God It was counted
unto him for righteousness. And at least three times more
is this said in Romans chapter 4. In verse 9, we say that faith
was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. In verse 22 and 23, therefore
it was imputed unto him for righteousness. It's again over in Galatians
chapter 3 and verse 6 and James chapter 2 and 23. And if I may
repeat an earlier point because I read where John Murray said
this, quote, it is with justification by faith. as opposed to works
of law that Paul is concerned in this passage of scripture."
And he's working from that aspect in Romans chapter 4, that it
is by faith and not by law, and that's Paul's main point to prove
in this great debate. It is justification by faith
as opposed to works of the law. Especially is this relevant to
the first century Jew, for all believers or seed of Abraham,
and they must attain righteousness in the same way as our father
Abraham. And his was an imputed righteousness,
imputed unto him for righteousness, not as a debt, but as an act
of grace. Now here are the facts with regard
to that good man. Number one, God made a revelation
to Abraham. God appeared to him. God spoke
to him. He saw Christ's day, Abraham
did. Number two, Abraham believed
God. He believed God's revelation. He believed what God said to
him and what God told him. And number three, God reckoned
Abraham to be a true believer and imputed righteousness unto
him. God made a revelation, Abraham
heard it and believed it, and God imputed unto him righteousness. Now again we say, that Paul is
not using Abraham to prove the ground on which Abraham was considered
righteous and justified, but as John Brown wrote here in Romans
chapter 4, the ground of justifying righteousness is not here in
the mind of the apostle. He has in view proof that the
divine method of righteousness as seen in Abraham was by faith
and not law. And that's Paul's point to prove. In verse 6, David wrote the very
same thing. In Psalm 32, verse 1 and 2, blessed
is the man whose sin is forgiven and under whom God will not impute
iniquity. But then that brings us to our
fourth aspect of the study, righteousness and justification. We've had
the gospel, we've had faith, we've had imputation, and now
justification. It's hard to separate righteousness
and justification one from the other, for none are justified
apart from an imputed righteousness, as none are justified in God's
sight by the deeds of the law, Romans 3 and verse 20, but by
the imputation of righteousness associated with faith. Again, Abraham is the model. Abraham is the model that Paul
is working with. and his seed, that is, his spiritual
seed, his spiritual children, the children of the promise,
are justified in the same way that Abraham, our father, was
justified. Now what was reckoned unto Abraham
for righteousness? It was not his good character.
It was not his good name. It was not his religious work
or his worship. but it was and it was not obedience
unto the law and it had nothing to do with his circumcision. Not any personal righteousness
in Abraham comes into the picture. The thing emphasized is faith. His belief and reliance upon
God and his work and his promise and God by a forensic act of
judgment, put something to his account by imputation. What was imputed, we read, was
righteousness. And this is what Abraham, our
father, has found in the matter of justification. This is how
it is portrayed in the scripture. Abraham believed God, and it
was imputed to him for righteousness. Oh, and note it. He is the first
recorded of a justified sinner in the scripture. First recorded. I didn't say the first one, but
the first recorded. for our admonition in the scripture,
showing that the nature of it consists in the imputation of
righteousness and then viewing and treating him as a righteous
man in the sight of God and justified in the sight of God. I'd like
for us to go to Romans 4 again. I want to read to you verse 22
through 24 as we make way for our closing of the morning. Romans
4 and 22 through 24. Let's look at it very carefully
as I read it in your hearing. And therefore it was imputed
to him for righteousness, Abraham. Now watch the next verse. Now,
it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to
him. That is, it did not pertain to
Abraham uniquely and exclusively. It did not pertain to him alone. Verse 24. but for us also to
whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up
Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead. Why from the dead? Because
that puts the finishing touches on all of the work of Christ. all of his suffering, all of
his death, his burial, and his resurrection, therefore, declared
him the son of God with power. This is not restricted to Abraham. It's not exclusively his. It
is not written for his sake only. Not exclusively his blessedness,
but the blessedness of believers everywhere. Verse 24. Now just
a quick word about Christ and righteousness. Christ is our
righteousness. Jeremiah 23 and verse 6, the
Lord our righteousness. First Corinthians 130, he is
made unto us righteousness and other
things. He is made unto us righteousness. That one in chapter 10 of Roman. He is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone that believeth. And Philippians 3,
not be found having mine own righteousness, but having the
righteousness which is of God by faith. So Christ is our righteousness. Having fulfilled all righteousness
in behalf of his elect, he therefore imputes righteousness unto them
unto justification. So that our justification is
by and imputed righteousness. Not the law, not our works, not
our religion, not our keeping the golden rule. It is an imputation
of righteousness. And without it, no man shall
see or enter into the kingdom of God or of heaven. Thank God
for this marvelous, marvelous purpose and plan of Almighty
God. May we hear it with joy that
we have a righteousness. It's perfectly satisfactory to
God because it is his righteousness revealed for the saving of sinners. A way whereby guilty sinners
can be made righteous in the sight of God, counted righteous,
viewed as righteous by God himself who decreed it and who organized
it.