Now, we're coming back to our
study in the book of Romans, and we finished last week by
looking at verse 11 and verse 12, and we'll go back and review
over that just in a moment. The Lord in Holy Scripture often
uses Abraham as a shining example of God's grace, of His saving
mercy to sinners. Exactly the same way God saved
Abraham is exactly the same way that He's going to save every
sinner. By His grace, by His purpose, through the Lord Jesus
Christ. I looked that word up, Abraham,
his name. You know, the Lord mentions Abraham
230 times, 230 times in scripture. brings forth Abraham and sets
him forth as a pattern and an example of how God justifies
the sinners by His sovereign grace. And we talk about God
saving sinners by grace. The only grace that this book
knows anything about is sovereign grace. Sovereign grace. He said, I will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious. It's not free will grace. It's
not merited grace, sovereign grace, justified freely by His
grace. Abraham, therefore, is held forth
as an example and a pattern. Look at verse 12. The father
of circumcision, who was Abraham, to them who were 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." Again, Abraham
is held forth as a pattern of how God saves sinners, whether
they be Jewish or whether they be a religious Jew or a pagan
Gentile. Those who are blessed to walk
and live like Abraham Abraham walked by faith. He believed God. Remember, back
in this same chapter, verse 3, for what saith the Scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him, reckoned
to him for righteousness. Those who are blessed to walk
and live like Abraham, by God-given faith, honor and glorify the
Lord Jesus Christ by believing Him. Look right across the page
in Romans 4 verse 20. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God." Saving faith honors God by believing Him, verse 21,
and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, God was
able to perform all that He had promised. Abraham was given faith,
was called out of darkness into God's marvelous light. The scriptures
teach the just shall live by faith. We walk by faith, not
by sight. Abraham was looking for a city
whose builder and maker is God Almighty. Now we know that Abraham
was born just like us. dead in sin, and God called him
out of his deadness, his spiritual deadness, God called him out
of idolatry, and God gave him faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, how do you know that? Because
the scriptures teach us the Lord Jesus Christ said, Abraham rejoiced
to see my day, he saw it, and was glad. How'd he see it? By
faith, he believed God. Now, Abraham was born just like
us, dead in sin, and God called him out of idolatry, and God
gave him faith in Christ. The same is true of everyone
who is blessed to believe the gospel, everyone who has been
given God-given faith. We've been translated out of
the kingdom of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of
God's dear Son. And we too, like Abraham, we
rejoice to see the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, and salvation
in him, and by God-given faith we look to Christ for all of
our salvation, all of it. Now, look at verse 13. Romans
4 verse 13, for the promise, now this is the promise of God.
This is God who had promised, as it says in Titus chapter 1,
God who had promised that cannot lie. It's impossible for God
to lie. For the promise, the promise
of God, the word of God, that he should be the heir of the
world. Now, he's talking about here
being an heir of God and a joint heir in Christ. He's talking
about having a spiritual inheritance. He's not talking about inheriting
a physical world. Our Lord said, my kingdom is
not of this world. It's a spiritual kingdom. For
the promise or the oath or the covenant that he should be the
heir of grace was not to Abraham or to his people or to his seed. Now who is this seed here? It's
the elect of God, those chosen in Christ. It was not a promise
of all spiritual blessings given to Abraham and all the elect
of God through the law. It wasn't through the law. We've
already concluded from this study that Abraham was justified 15
years before he was circumcised. Paul makes the very valid point
that we are justified by grace alone, not grace, not Christ
and circumcision, Christ alone. Now he's going to make the argument
to show that salvation is not through the law, the Levitical
law of Moses, but rather through the righteousness of faith. You
see that? Verse 13 again, 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, and here's this
significant phrase, through the righteousness of, not the law,
the righteousness of faith, the righteousness of faith. Now the
promise, and that is the same as saying the word of God, that
Abraham would be the heir of grace was not given to him through
circumcision nor through the law. Abraham was justified 430
years before the law was given. 15
years before the sign of circumcision was given. Now, hold your place
there, and this is important that you turn and read this.
Find the book of Galatians, the book of Galatians chapter three,
the book of Galatians chapter three. So it's always by faith. You see, faith is a gift of God.
Saving faith always looks to the Lord Jesus Christ. Saving
faith acknowledges the truth now Galatians chapter 3 now look
carefully verse 16 now to Abraham and his seed were the promises
made he saith and to seeds he saith not and to seeds as of
many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ now look
right across the page chapter 3, verse 29 of Galatians. And if you be Christ, then are
you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to What? Promise. The promise of God to save sinners
in Christ. Now, look back at chapter 3 again
in Galatians. Now look at verse 17. And this
I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in
Christ, the law, which was 430 years after, cannot disannul
that it should make the promise of non-effect. For if the inhabitants
And that's talking about the inheritance of grace. For if
the inheritance be of the law, it's no more promise, but God
gave it to Abraham by his promise. By his promise that he would
save sinners in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this significant
phrase here, for the promise, look back at Romans 4 verse 13.
The promise that Abraham should be the heir of spiritual blessing
was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through
the righteousness of faith. Now, faith is not our righteousness,
but saving faith looks to the Lord Jesus Christ who is our
righteousness. Faith is not our Savior, My faith
didn't die from my sin. Saving faith doesn't look to
faith. Saving faith looks to Christ. He is the only object of saving
faith. But through the righteousness
of faith. Now, the righteousness of faith
is a person. The righteousness of faith is
a person. The Lord Jesus Christ is called
the Lord, our righteousness. You see, in Christ I have a perfect,
justifying righteousness before God. And that's what the righteousness
of faith confesses. It confesses that salvation is
of the Lord, and that salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Now in Acts chapter 13, the Apostle
Paul put it this way, And let me turn and read that to you.
Acts 13, 38. Through this man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sin, and by him all that believe are justified from all things,
by him all that do what? Believe, are justified from all
things which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses. How many sinners were ever justified
by the Law? Now we've read before, do you
remember Romans 3.19? By the deeds of the Law shall
no flesh be justified. We're not justified nor are we
sanctified by the Law. Christ is our justification,
Christ is our sanctification. Now, that's the righteousness
of faith. The righteousness of faith is
the same as saying the righteousness of Christ. Because faith looks
to saving faith, the faith of God's elect, the faith that's
the gift of God, always looks, not in here, always looks outside
of self unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, look at verse 14 of Romans
4. Now underscore that word, if. For if they which are of the
law be the heirs of salvation, then faith is void and the promise
of God to save sinners in Christ is not a fact. You see the implications
here? Now, if salvation were by the
deeds of the law, There would be no need for the Lord Jesus
Christ to come and satisfy the law and obtain for us an eternal
redemption and obtain for us an everlasting righteousness.
If salvation be by the deeds of the law, No need for the Lord
to come. Now in Galatians 2.21 it says
this, Paul says, I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness
is by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. That is a most
powerful and significant scripture. Now, for if they which are of
the law be heirs, and he talks about the heirs of grace, If
it's by the law, three things, faith is made void, the promise
is made non-effect, and there's no need for the Lord Jesus Christ
to come and to die. Faith would be useless, wouldn't
it? Because we would have no object
to look unto. We would have no object to look
unto. And secondly, the promise of
God to save sinners only because of Christ would be made void,
non-effect. Thirdly, and the Lord Jesus Christ
would not have to give His life to put away our sin. If we can
put away our sin by the deeds of the law, the blood of bulls
and goats, remember, the blood of bulls and goats, cannot put
away sin. Now, what does? Well, the blood
of Christ cleanses us from all our sin. Your sins are forgiven
for His name's sake. Now, look at verse 15. Because
the law... I'm talking again about the Levitical
law of God, the ceremonial law of God. Because the law worketh,
what's that word? Wrath. Wrath. Now, for any man
to say that I'm going to obtain salvation by keeping the law
of God, he just put himself under the curse of God. Used to be,
I don't see it too much anymore, but there was a campaign some
years back where people wrote out those Ten Commandments And
there's 800 of those commandments, but people wrote out those 10
commandments, and they put them on a sign and stuck them in their
yard, saying that I'm doing the law, keeping the law, or I'm
seeking God by doing the law. Well, what have you just pronounced? Here's what you've pronounced.
Galatians 3.10. Cursed is every one that continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them." Well, how well do you have to do them? Perfectly. God
demands perfection and will receive nothing less than perfection. Now, because the law worketh
one thing, judgment. Remember Romans 3 19 let every
mouth be stopped. Here's what the law says Let
every mouth be stopped and all the world become guilty The law
says one thing you're guilty You're guilty Every man is guilty
Now, this is a lesson that's kind of repulsive to the flesh,
especially the flesh of an unbeliever. When you tell him he's guilty,
wait a minute now. Hold on now. I'm not such a bad
fellow. I've never robbed a store. I've
paid all my bills. I've been honest with the IRS.
You see, he thinks he's meriting salvation by what he has done
or what he has not done. You see, the law worketh not
salvation. The law works one thing, wrath
and condemnation. You know what the fruit of the
law is? We're going to see this more
in Romans 6 and Romans 7, but turn over to Romans chapter 7,
one page over. Here's what the law brings. It
brings wrath, condemnation, and it brings death. Death. Look at verse 5. For when we
were in the flesh, the motions or the passions of sin which
were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit
unto death. Now, if you want to go that law
route, You'll never have life. You'll never have salvation.
The law brings forth fruit unto death, not fruit unto life. Now,
fruit unto life is only found in Christ. The law worketh, look
at it again, verse 15 of Romans 4. The law worketh wrath. Wrath. Next time you talk to
someone and they're seeking acceptance before God by the deeds of the
law, kindly tell them that all they're working up and bringing
forth is fruit unto death. Death. Because the law worketh
wrath. That's all it does. The law,
remember, the law reveals that we're sinners But it does not remove it, does
it? It pronounces us condemned in Adam. The law cannot pronounce
the guilty justified. The soul that sinneth, the law
says it shall die. The wages of sin is death. Now listen to this. The law cannot
pronounce the guilty justified, nor can the law condemn those
for whom Christ has justified." Now, we're no longer under the
law. Look back one more page, Romans
6 verse 14. Now, a lot of people think that
believers are still under the law. Thank God that's not so. Look what it says here, Romans
6 verse 14, For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you
are not under the law, but under grace. Now, grace brings righteousness
and salvation. Law brings judgment, wrath, and
condemnation. Now, which way are you going?
Thank God it's by His grace. Thank God it's by His grace. Justified freely by His grace. There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus. Now, look at the second part
of verse 15. The Law, Work, and Threat. Now,
here's a hypothetical. Where there is no law, There's
no actual transgression against that law. Now, let me give you
a homely illustration. The posted speed limit right
out there is a sign that says 45 miles an hour. If you exceed that, you've transgressed
that law, haven't you? But now, what if there was no
sign or speed limit sign on this road at all? Well, you couldn't
transgress that law because there was no sign there. Now, what
he's saying is this, where there is no law, there is no transgression
or actual transgression against the law. But now, always remember
this, where God is, there is law. There is law. Sin is a transgression of the
holy law of God. Now, where no law is, there is
no transgression. If the law would not have been
given, there would be no actual transgression or violation against
it. But it was given to reveal the
fact that we are sinners before God. Now, turn back to Romans
7, look at verse 9. And here's what the law does.
It kills us. It kills us. Romans 7, verse
9. For I was alive without the law
once. This is Paul as he was Saul of
Tarsus. You remember, he thought he was
justified by doing the law. I was alive without the law once,
or I thought I was, but when the commandment came, Sin revived,
exposed exceeding sinfulness of sin, and I died. Look down at verse 14 of Romans
7. We know that the law is spiritual,
but I am carnal and sold under sin. So, we're not justified
by the deeds of the law. The law reveals the fact that
we are sinners. In Adam, all die. In Adam, all are guilty. Now, let's consider verse 16
of Romans 4. Therefore, now that's a big word. Therefore, it goes all the way
back to what has been said and draws a conclusion. Therefore,
it is of faith. You remember the similar verse
over in Romans chapter 3 verse 28, look back there. Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law. Now, the book of Romans and the
book of Galatians makes it absolutely clear to those who have eyes
to see that salvation is by grace. By grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God. Therefore,
it is of faith. What is? Salvation, justification,
and righteousness. It's all by faith. Now watch it, this is a special
verse, that it might be by grace. It is of faith that it might
be by grace to the end or to this purpose that the promise,
the promise of God to save sinners in Christ, now that is what God
promised Abraham and that is what the promise of God is to
every one of his chosen. To the end, the promise might
be questionable. The promise might be conditional. Now what people preach in our
day is salvation conditioned upon what you do. That's what's
being preached in our day. The Lord didn't preach that.
The apostles didn't preach that. The reformers didn't preach that. Those who are called in God and
sent to preach the gospel don't preach that. To the end that
the promise might be certain and sure to all the seed. Who's that? All the elect of
God. all the elect of God, that the
promise of God to save sinners in Christ might be certain and
sure. You remember David said on his
deathbed, God hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things, and is sure. Now, if salvation were based
upon what you do or don't do, it could never be sure, could
it? I mean, I might do pretty good
one day, The next day I might mess up. I'm going to mess up. You see, if salvation is conditioned
upon the sinner, then we're in trouble. But thank God, salvation
is not conditioned upon my performance, but rather upon His performance. You remember that Psalm, Psalm
57 verse 2? He performeth all things for
me. Salvation is always determined,
dependent, and accomplished. Determined, dependent, and accomplished
by the Lord Jesus Christ. Not us. You mean, I have nothing
to do with it? Absolutely right. Salvation is
of the Lord. That's what this book teaches.
Salvation is of the Lord. That gives this sinner hope. Look at verse 16 again. Therefore
it is of faith, that it might be by grace. You remember when
Paul wrote to young Timothy, one of my favorite scriptures,
in 2 Timothy 1.9, he's reminding young Timothy as Paul sits on
death row, waiting to be executed for the gospel. He said, Timothy,
don't be ashamed of me, nor of the gospel, for it's God who
called us. not according to our works, it
is God who saved us and called us, not according to our work,
but according to His own purpose and grace given us in Christ
before the foundation of the world. You see, salvation is
based upon what Christ has done for us, His person and His work
by grace to the promise to the end the promise might be sure
to all the seed, not only to that which is of the law, that
is talking about the Jewish believer, but to that also which is of
the faith of Abraham who is the father or pattern or example
of salvation by grace alone in Christ. A couple of scriptures in closing.
2 Peter 1 says this, "...whereby are given to us exceeding great
and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of
the divine nature, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, or
a new creation." Man is body, soul, and spirit. By nature,
we are spiritually dead. In regeneration, God gives that
spirit that was dead life in Christ Jesus. He's given us a
divine, holy nature. And Galatians 3, 29, If ye be
Christ, enter ye Abraham's seed, and heirs, heirs of grace, according
to the promise. And then this scripture here
in 2 Corinthians 1, 20, For all the promises of God in him are
yes, And in Him, amen, and through the glory of God, by us. Now, if salvation depends upon
you, How well do you perform? Well,
I can't meet the standard of God. All have sinned to come
short of the glory of God. The salvation depends upon the
sinner's performance. It couldn't be certain and sure
to anyone. But since salvation is determined
and accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ, salvation that
is of the Lord cannot All that the Father giveth me shall come
to me, all That's that seed that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and those that come to me I will
in no way cast them out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which
seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting
life, and I will raise him up at the last day." That's salvation
that's certain and sure, isn't it? Based upon what? Based upon
circumcision? Based upon the law? No, sir.
Based upon Christ, His person, His work, His righteousness,
His performance, not ours.