Bible Studies

Understanding The Importance of Faith

by Henry Jaegers
11/27/24
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Studies in the Book of Romans

By Henry Jaegers

Chapter 4

Understanding The Importance of Faith

In considering the contents of Chapter for, we begin with Abraham, where the subject of righteousness by faith was more particularly taught. We can go back and trace other instances where the subject of righteousness by faith is seen. But it is through the life of Abraham that the meaning of it is demonstrated.

 It is also seen from Genesis chapters twelve on, that Abraham had lapses in his faith as well. And it is good for us to see this, for it gives us hope, that in our own failures, we can also, like Abraham become "Men of Faith as well.

 This is part of learning what it means to be a Christian as is emphasized throughout the teachings in the book of Romans.

 Abraham: Our Example (Verses 1 through 3)

  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

 Perhaps a good way to begin this section is to consider the closing words of Chapter 3, where Paul stated that Jesus came to fulfill the law. Then the question begins by saying, if that is so, what part did Abraham have in this matter of faith? Maybe the thought can be implied, it began with Abraham but was completely fulfilled in Christ. Of course, that is not stated, but it could have been in the minds of those whom Paul is addressing.

  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

 There are several things that this question is telling us. First, that Abraham has found an important place in the thinking of the people. He is referred to as their father.

 The second thing is that he is more than a "Spiritual example. He was a real person, and if we denied that, the whole existence of the Jewish people would be confusing. But he was also something more than our father after the flesh.

 Then there is another thing that we are told. That while living in the flesh, he made an important discovery . That there was a living God who was worthy to be trusted. And that opens to us of why faith is important. Abraham also learned that simply by doing what comes naturally was not enough. He learned the true meaning of righteousness and that it could not happen if he lived his life according to the  flesh.. He learned back then, what took Paul a long time to learn, that they who walk according to the flesh, could not please God. That is why examining his life is so important.

 He learned throuh allhis trials and failures, That His faith, though at times was small, it was more important to God than all the works of the flesh that he could muster in order to present a life that pleased God.

 So from these opening verses, we find some profound truth. He went beyond fleshly understanding to discover that true righteousness could only be accomplished through faith.

 Faith: It is a Work of God. (Verses 4 through 9)

  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.  Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth 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 righteousness without works. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

  Now, in trying to determine the correct title for this section of verses, Faith being a work of God seemed to be a proper way to understand why faith is so important to God. We usually think that faith is something that man exercises. And although that may be true in most cases, I think these verses introduce us to a different way of understanding what faith is.

 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

 The thought in these words, is in most cases, when a man works, it is expected that he should receive a reward for his labor.  He does not receive a reward for doing nothing. He is rewarded because he earned that reward. That is a fact of life.

 But now, in the verses before us, God is introducing to us a new economy, that cannot be entered into by Human effort. Consider:

  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

 This new economy is one instituted by God. Faith without God is foolishness and leads to idolatry. Why do I say this? Because faith must have a reliable object on which to rest. In this matter, God stands as a reliable object in which to place our trust.  Placing my faith in something that cannot fulfill its promise is vanity. Only God can produce in man what is required to find forgiveness of sin, and a means to obtain righteousness.

 What do I mean by "Righteousness" Righteousness includes many things, but to explain it siply, is a character that resembles the person of God. it is a characteristic that is developed in the heart of the Christian through the inward working of the Holy Spirit. It is referred to as "The fruit of the spirit. It is God inwardly working out His character in us.

 
Then we are told, that we receive this righteousness by faith. A person cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit and fleshly endeavors, otherwise, it becomes the works of the flesh. And that also falls short of the Glory of God.

 Then in the closing words, an illustration is given through the words of David as found in Psalm 32.  Blessed is the man whose sin is pardoned, without  works.

Then the question is asked: " Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

 The answer to this question is that faith is without partiality. Remember the words, "Whosoever calleth upon the Lord shall receive Salvation. Thus the whole thrust is that God is righteous, and that righteousness extends to all who will receive it.

 Back to our opening statement. That Faith is a work of God. It is an economy designed and offered by God. And by entering into this economy it is possible for 'The Righteousness of Faith to be ours.

 The Purpose of Circumcision Clarified. (Verses 10 through 12)

  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 them that believe, though they are not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:  And the father of circumcision to them who are 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.

  The message before us deals with the question of Israel's privilege over the Gentiles because they are circumcised. Some were inclined to think that righteousness comes because of something that they have done. For instance, being circumcised makes you the true son of Abraham. If that were so, then righteousness would be restricted to those of the circumcision.

 But the argument is not over what one does. Anyone could become circumcised in any religion, or non-religious for health reasons. But that does not qualify them as sons of Abraham. In the case of the Israelites, Abraham was not great because of who he was or what he did. His greatness was determined by God. It was his faith that made him acceptable to God.

 If a Gentile was not circumcised, and he had faith,  his faith in the eyes of God would be counted as righteousness.  Whereas, if a jew was circumcised, and did not have the faith of Abraham, his circumcision would be counted by God as uncircumcision, because the necessary element of "righteousness and faith was missing.  

 In these verses, we are told he received his recognition from God, prior to being circumcised. For what reason? That he might become a father to a far greater number than that of Israel. He was to be father to the circumcised and the uncircumcised because their righteousness would come from God, and not from themselves.

 Circumcision was added later, that it would be a sign that something significant took place inwardly. Being circumcised may give some physical evidence that you chose to be identified with God's covenant people in the flesh. But if one  is circumcised, it does not prove that one was a true son of Abraham. If it is not accompanied with faith, then the circumcision is null and void. Therefore, A person could be a true son of Abraham if he was not circumcised and had "The righteousness that comes through faith.

 An Incentive to Faith (Verses 13 through 18)

  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 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 wrath: 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,  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him 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.

 The passage before us becomes difficult to understand because the reference to the law and that of the promise is not clearly defined as stated. To gain some clarity, we must define what Being under the law means. When it refers to the law, it gives reference to those who place emphasis on circumcision as being the source of righteousness. They are of the law because they think righteousness comes through what they do. But the promise of "the Seed" was not to them who trusted in the flesh for righteousness, but to those whose righteousness came through faith. That was the emphasis given in our previous section. So when the verse tells us that the promise was not given to them under the law, that means that they are unqualified to receive the promise because they are trusting in their own righteousness to find favor with God.

 Perhaps by parsing these verses, we will gain a clearer understanding.

  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 the righteousness of faith.

 The promise given to Abraham that he would be a father of many nations, (as opposed to the Hebrew nation only) that promise would have been restrictive. God made this promise when it was humanly impossible to bear children. The promise was to come in the form of a miracle rather than through fleshly means.) When it says that the promise did not come through the law it means through efforts of the flesh. (Like when he listened to his wife and took her handmaiden to wife. That was not done according to faith but done in unbelief, thinking that they could help God out by trying to fulfill the promise themselves. Trusting in the flesh, resulted in Ishmael. But the promise of faith resulted in a greater blessing. It resulted in Abraham becoming the father of many nations who embraced him as their spiritual father as well as who were physical descendants,  and to top it off, The Messiah would become his ultimate heir, resulting in a multitude who would dwell with Him in eternity.

  For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

 In other words, what good is a promise if it could fulfill itself? This presents an insult to the one who promised greater things. It is like saying, I'll take my chances and do it my way. The promise is made of none effect if it is not believed. And much more, if we turn our backs on the God of Righteousness. When we understand it like this, then unbelief becomes a serious matter. As the Apostle Paul stated, "It does despite, to the Grace of God. That means that it insults the one who graciously makes this offer of Grace.

  Because the law worketh wrath: 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,  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations.

What is this verse telling us about the law? When it says that the law worketh wrath, it means that it cannot produce in us what it requires, and if that is true, then the only thing the law could produce is condemnation. where there is no law, there can be no transgression of it. But Abraham did not operate under the broken law. His righteousness came through simply trusting God. When a man does that, he honors God. That is one reason why faith is so important.  It stops trusting in itself, and by doing so, brings glory to God.

 The promise of righteousness is given to those who have embraced Abraham's God, and thus, the promise is fulfilled in those who walk by faith.

 As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him 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.

 God, who is able to make that which is dead, to come to life, has done just that in producing life in a womb that is without hope. It was God who spoke the promise as though they were already fulfilled. God speaks in "The "Eternal Now." What that means is that He operates outside the space called time. When God speaks, although it may seem to us to be a future thing, from God's perspective, it is as though they have already taken place. And that gives us another reason to understand why it is safe to trust in God. He makes a promise and will fulfill it. Not always in the way that we expect or at the time. But since everything about God is perfect, that is the incentive to trust Him.

 The Strength of Abraham's Faith (Verses 19 through 22)

  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither 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.

 Up until now, we have discussed and explored the importance of faith. But now in these closing statements, we have a description of how great Abraham's faith was.

I am 86 years old and fully aware of the fact of old age has its limitations, it is hard for me to conceive that a 100-year-old man could have the desire and ability to do such a thing as Abraham did,. It requires a greater faith than I can possibly conceive. And I think that those who are closer to the 100-year-old mark will agree.

 Also, consider that before the flood, men lived much longer lives and were able to conceive in a larger capacity. But I notice that after the flood, men's lives began to wane as to the number of their years. And even after the flood, their lives were longer than ours today.

 But consider the verses before us that describe how great the faith of Abraham was. It says that he staggered not in unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. What does that mean? Instead of considering how old and weak that he was, physically, his strong faith caused him to attempt something that was apparently physically impossible.

 And his strong faith did not stop at the death of Sarah. He married again and produced more children through his second wife, Ketirah.

 Then consider the part that God had in all of this. Abraham's faith was strong because God was more than an idea or illusion. Abraham had a relationship with a God that, although invisible, was nonetheless real. He had a living faith in a living God. And the evidence that his God was real, was that He came through on his promises. And that takes us to the final section of this chapter.

 The Lesson that We Must Apply (Verses 23 through 25)

  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to 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.

 And there is another verse toward the end of Romans. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 13:4)

 In considering these things, there is an urgent lesson that we must learn. That these lessons and examples from the past, are more than nice stories to tell to our children. They are meant to teach us about a living God who produces living faith in those who hve received the righteousness that comes only through strong faith like that of Abraham. His faith was accompanied by strong action and determination. And that is the kind of faith that God wants us to have today.

 When the verse closes with the words, He was delivered for our offenses, it means that He was delivered because of our offenses. Our sin made it necessary because we were weak and helpless to deliver ourselves. Being raised for our Justification means that the resurrection now gives ample proof that we are now declared righteous by God.

 And that brings us to chapter five where the subject of justification is more fully explained.