The faith of Abraham and David who obtained God's righteousness

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The faith of Abraham and David who obtained God's righteousness. (Romans 4:1-8)

The big theme of Romans is the globalization of the gospel.

Through Romans, the gospel spread throughout the world.

In order for the gospel to become global, we must break free from the color and small cliques of a specific region.

So Paul asks why the gospel is only for the Jews.

He emphasizes that we should get out of the intolerance of thinking that salvation is exclusively for the Jews.

Now, Christianity is not the gospel interpreted directly through Paul's epistles, but the gospel conveyed through the theology of the Reformed and the writings and sermons of those who inherited that theology, so there is a very fine gap with the salvation of the Bible, and Christianity is in a very confusing situation.

Q. How did Abraham obtain God's righteousness?

“What shall we say then that Abraham our father,  as pertaining to the flesh, has found?” (Romans 4:1)

A. Paul explains in Romans 4 how the Jews were in the case of the faith of their ancestors, Abraham and David.

If Abraham was a righteous man who obtained righteousness through faith, it is the logic that this faith should be used and applied to all people.

To put it simply, if there was a currency called law, only Jews would use it, and faith is a new currency, so we use it in common.

Why does he say that Abraham or David are our fathers?

Lineage has nothing to do with us, but by faith they are our ancestors.

According to the flesh, they are obviously Jewish ancestors.

The seed of the flesh made the Jews through Abraham, and the seed of faith made countless Christians in Jesus Christ.

“If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.” (Romans 4:2)

If Abraham obtained righteousness by works, he has something to boast about.

Because he obtained it by his own efforts, he will boast like the Jews now.

But he has nothing to boast about before God.

Actions can be a source of pride for people, but they do not work in front of God.

But how many people are oppressing people for doing good...

Such is the human good.

Human behavior, whether good or evil, is forever child's play.

You can never be saved by works.

“For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.” (Rom 4:3)

Finally, 'How Abraham obtained God's righteousness' is explained.

This is because Abraham's faith in God itself was counted as righteousness.(Genesis 15:6)

So, just as we have been justified by works, it means that we have nothing to boast about.

Aside from saying Amen and believing when God said it, Abraham did nothing to make him righteous.

What we should not overlook here is the mysterious mechanism that when God the Creator speaks to human beings, He unconditionally says “Amen” and answers.

When God speaks to humans, it becomes truly irresistible grace.

Are there any cases in the Bible where salvation failed because God or Jesus spoke?

Job, who was stubborn, was also knocked down when God spoke after Elihu.

“Now to him that work  is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” (Romans 4:4)

Wages (remuneration) are not grace, but a natural reward for hard work.

If one is justified by works, that righteousness is of course the reward for works.

However, if we have been saved and made righteous even though we have not worked at all, it is the unconditional and irresistible grace of God.

Our salvation through Ephesians 2:1-10 has nothing to do with our works, but it is the salvation that God has already accomplished through Christ.

We've never laid a finger on it, but it's already perfectly done.

If you hear the fact, hear the explanation of the Word, and say Amen, you will be saved.

However, the problem is the gospel (false Gospel according to Pastor MacArt) of believing in Jesus, in His blood, in the cross, and in Jesus who will come again.

Some immature people say that humans who are steeped in sin and death can be saved by believing and acting on their own.

The possibility of sinful human beings choosing God by their own free will is zero.

There is no human being under heaven who would be a creditor to God by works.

We are all debtors of God's love.

But the debt of love is not a heavy burden, but a happy burden.

Financial debt is a heavy burden, but the greater the debt of love, the happier the debt.

It is a great blessing that we are in debt of the Lord's love.

For example, almost all happy children owe their parents a lot of love.

“But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)

The faith of Romans explains that the believer is the opposite of the one who works.

The opposite of action is faith.

Therefore, you should not see all faith from your own point of view.

Some pastors who studied education are slandering the five doctrines of Calvin, which were organized by the Dutch church, but those friends are always scathing and harsh because they do not receive the grace and mercy that God considers righteous even though they do not work.

On the other hand, those who are saved from God's point of view always look only at God.

Because they know that salvation comes down from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

A person who achieves salvation by looking at himself always wonders what he must do, but a person who achieves salvation by looking to God always waits with faith for grace and mercy to help in time of need.

This results in vastly different results.

Among the beliefs, there is a huge difference between the belief that ‘I sit with Christ at the right hand of God’s throne’ and the belief that ‘I will sit there.'

When you convey the fact that you have received salvation through faith and have entered the truth, you have no choice but to convey it in a way that says, “You also believe and come in.” But as promised in the Bible, we must clearly teach that in fact everything has already been done like this.

That's the gospel. It is not the gospel if our hard work gets involved even as much as a hair.

Leaders must explain, convey, and teach what the Lord has already done.

Again, the content of Ephesians 2:1-10 is what the Lord has already accomplished.

Because faith is accepting the fact that the Lord has done, it is saying that it is only faith, not a work of the flesh.

Q. What is the blessing of a christian that he receives even if he has not worked?

“Even as David also describe the blessedness of the man, unto whom God impute 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.” (Rom 4:6-8)

A. It is the blessing of receiving the forgiveness of sins from God's point of view.

The Jews thought that only they were the chosen people, and they thought that other peoples would receive grace only when they shared grace with other peoples.

But Paul denies that.

Emphasize that beliefs are common to all peoples.

Therefore, true faith must greatly expand the breadth of the mind.

Therefore, if you have received God's grace, you must move from a position where you have pointed fingers to a position where you are been pointed at.

It means to do the work of the Lord with the determination to be pointed at.

So we have to move from being loved to being giving, and moving from criticizing to receiving criticism.

David said this about people's blessings.

He is one who is credited as righteousness by God for nothing he has worked for.

Don't forget these words.

Micah 7:19 tells us "he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

It is a blessing to see the issue of the forgiveness of sins from God's point of view.

If you look at yourself from your own point of view, you will be caught between good and evil.

Therefore, from one's point of view, repentance comes and goes between good and evil, but repentance according to God's will follows the death and resurrection of the Lord on the cross.

It is said that God forgave sins through the death of his son on the cross and his resurrection, but how many people still say they are sinners...

The way for sinners to live is not to try to be good on their own, but to run away to God according to the grace of the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.

So David says blessed are those whose sins God will not count.

Because all the calculations have been completely finished by Jesus Christ.

There is nothing more for us to count.

Therefore, repentance takes place after being saved (methanoe).

If you check the facts, you didn't get saved by repenting first.

After receiving God's love, repentance comes naturally.

Actual repentance comes with baptism into union with the death and resurrection of Christ, to receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

From then on, repeated repentance (confession) is "I realized that I was in the light and went to the dark, and I committed sins, and I confessed to myself in the dark, and when I walked away, the power of the blood of the Lord came upon me and he made me clean." (1 John 1:9) You must confess.

If you do that, you will have fellowship with the Lord in the light, and you will have no desire to go out into darkness again. This kind of repentance takes place after being saved.

Christians do not overcome sin by trying not to sin, but they avoids sin because he hates darkness and hates death.

No, it is the result of godliness to become a constitution that has no desire to sin.

Even though you are a child of God, if you are walking around like a wry person who does unprofitable business, it must be because you do not have God's righteousness.

It is not the faith that is paired with the life in Christ, but because he rejected the gospel to come into the Lord Jesus Christ and still embraced death, God's wrath stayed on him (John 3:36), so his face became pale and hardened.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

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