Romans 4:13-25

Well, good morning. I'm glad you're here with us this morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and turn to Romans chapter 4.

Romans 4 · chapter mention

Today's text is Romans chapter 4, verses 13 through 25.

Romans 4:13–25

! We will see in today's text, once again, that we are justified, which means to be declared righteous or morally perfect through faith alone.

Do not grow weary of hearing such good news. We will read it, and we will preach it, and we will recite it, we will pray it, we will sing it each Lord's Day when we gather.

Because of my fickle heart and wayward emotions, I need to be reminded of God's loving kindness to me in the person and work of Jesus Christ as often as possible.

And I believe that you do, too.

So, just this week, in addition, on social media, a platform that's strangely now called X, I dipped my toe into a debate amongst professing conservative Christians concerning justification by faith alone.

And to my great surprise, saw many deny this important doctrine.

Beloved, I said to you some weeks ago, we are Protestants.

And we are at our very best when we hold fast to the solas.

We believe and declare that the Bible alone teaches us that we are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

And all of this is to the glory of God alone.

We do not innovate.

We hold.

We do not waver.

We hold.

We do not become distracted.

We hold.

We contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

This is the hill to die on.

For our sake, for the sake of others, to the glory of God, we hold.

And so join me as Paul continues to make his case in Romans chapter 4, verse 13, through the end of the chapter.

Romans 4:13

Beloved, this is God's word to us, written for his glory and our good.

And so we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.

Verse 13, for the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.

For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, there is no transgression.

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring.

Not only to the adherent of the law, but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations.

In the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations.

As he had been told, so shall your offspring be.

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead, since he was about a hundred years old.

Or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.

Fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

This is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness.

But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also.

It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus, our Lord.

Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Now, this is a lot of text for today.

Thirteen verses.

And there are phrases in here that I want to just stop on for weeks at a time.

But I think that the church will be better served to take it in a chunk and to move past it.

So, as I read that to you, if there was a phrase that popped in your mind, you said,

Oh, I can't wait to hear the extensive explanation of that.

It may not come today.

And the scripture so often gets to be unfolded or peeled back like an onion.

There's much to mine out of the text.

We won't be able to cover it all today.

Our time together is brief.

The argument can be a little bit difficult to track, but we're going to do so our best with a simple outline,

which is often three points, but today it's five.

So, let me give those to you quickly, and then we'll dive into the first point.

So, number one, by grace alone through faith alone.

We see this in verses 13 through 16.

Secondly, the object of faith, verse 17.

Thirdly, the obstacles of faith, verses 18 and 19.

Fourthly, the nature of faith, verses 20 and 21.

And lastly, the result of faith, verses 22 through 25.

So, first, by grace alone through faith alone.

Paul is going on to make this case that this is how we are justified.

This is how we are saved from the wrath of God.

By grace alone through faith alone.

He speaks in today's text about the relationship between the law and the gospel,

which we will see carried throughout the letter.

And it's an important, but sometimes difficult thing to get exactly right.

The relationship between law and gospel.

But we need to get it right.

In verses 13 and 15, Paul teaches us two important facts concerning the law.

The first one is that you cannot be saved by the law.

You are not and cannot be morally perfect.

And therefore, cannot be declared righteous because of your works.

This is an absolute impossibility.

All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Notice there in verse 13, the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be the heir of the world

did not come through the law, because it could not, but through the righteousness of faith.

This is the way that Abraham was justified.

We see that at the beginning of chapter 4.

If you weren't with us last week, I really encourage you to go back and read chapter 4, beginning in verse 1.

Or, perhaps just read from the beginning of the letter.

We are justified by faith alone.

But what do we make of verse 14?

There he says,

It is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs.

If this is the case, faith is null and the promise is void.

It doesn't seem to suggest that some people are able to keep the law?

If anybody were to do it, then the promise would be void.

But perhaps we're helped by another translation of this verse from the NASB 95,

where there it says,

For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified.

You'll also notice in verse 16 that same thing.

Not only to the adherent of the law, but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham.

So this verse could be understood sociologically or nationalistically.

I think that the former is correct.

I think Paul is meaning to reference the Jewish people,

but I think more than that what he's saying is those who attempt to live by the law.

Which largely would have been the partly Jewish audience that he's writing to here,

but also applies to us.

Those who have God's law and try to live by it.

Endeavor to be a people of or adherence to the law

and to find our justification there.

If we were able to do so,

then the promise that comes through faith would be void.

But nobody can.

Nobody has and nobody will be a faithful adherent to the law.

And therefore, faith is not null and the promise is not void.

If you back up a little bit into Romans chapter 4,

Romans 4 · chapter mention

there in verse 9 and following, Paul says,

is this blessing then only for the circumcised or also for the uncircumcised?

For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.

How then was it counted to him?

Was it before or after he had been circumcised?

So here there, him keeping the law.

God commanded a thing that he did.

He says,

No, it was not after but before he was circumcised.

He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith

while he was still uncircumcised.

His obedience and circumcision was the evidence of the faith

that he had already expressed in God's promises.

The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised

so that righteousness would be counted to them as well

and to make him the father of the circumcised who were not merely circumcised

but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had

before he was circumcised.

So if you're tracking with me, I hope that you are.

The point is that you cannot be saved by the law.

Secondly, we learn in verse 15 that the law exposes our sinfulness.

There Paul says,

again, this is a verse I think we could spend much time on,

but he says,

in brief,

the law brings wrath,

but where there is no law,

there is no transgression.

Now he is not saying that we get to remain blissfully ignorant.

Not at all what he's trying to say.

He's not saying run from any command

because he's made the case extensively in the previous chapters

that whether Jew or Greek,

we have sinned.

Hear what he says in Romans chapter 3, verse 9 and following.

Romans 3:9

He says,

we have already charged.

And he's referring to chapter 1, verse 18,

all the way through chapter 2, verse 29.

We have already charged that all,

both Jews and Greeks,

are under sin.

As it is written,

none is righteous.

No, not one.

No one understands.

No one seeks for God.

All have turned aside together.

They have become worthless.

No one does good.

Not even one.

The law,

whether written on paper

or written in our hearts,

exposes our rebellion

against the most holy God.

It makes us aware of a need.

And that need is met by Christ.

The law is meant to lead us to Christ.

Let me show you another place that Paul speaks to this

in Galatians chapter 3.

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

I think it would serve you to join me there.

Galatians chapter 3.

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

This letter being written specifically

to address a heresy that was being taught

in the church

where Jewish people

who had professed faith in Christ

were coming and telling

Greek-professing Christians

that they must be circumcised

in order to be found right with God.

You're going to be justified

by faith plus circumcision

is the claim that they were making.

And Paul is addressing this

and he is clear and pointed

in his words.

But he says this beginning in verse 23.

Now before faith came,

we were held captive under the law,

imprisoned until the coming faith

would be revealed.

So then the law was our guardian

until Christ came

in order that we might be justified

by faith.

But now that faith has come.

We are no longer under a guardian

for in Christ Jesus

you are all sons of God

through faith.

So here we see

in our text for today,

Romans chapter 4,

Romans 4 · chapter mention

the law brings wrath.

It shows us our transgression.

And here Paul says

it's a guardian for us.

Let me read to you a quote

from an article published

in Ligonier Ministries

Table Talk magazine.

I'd like to attribute it

to an author

but they didn't

so I can't.

But from Table Talk magazine

an author writes,

in ancient Rome

the guardian was a slave

entrusted with the care

of another's child

when the child reached age six.

Until the child reached adolescence

the guardian was like a nanny

who watched over the child

and ensured that he made it

to and from school.

The guardian was not

a professional teacher

but he did serve as a tutor

who at home reviewed

with the child

the material learned

in the classroom.

Additionally,

the guardian was the child's

main disciplinarian.

He corrected bad manners

and helped his charge

learn etiquette.

Depending on the individual,

a guardian might discipline

the child harshly

with canings and whippings

or with greater tenderness

and care.

Some children hated

their guardian.

others formed a strong

lifelong bond with him.

This background enriches

our understanding

of the purpose of the law

and why it is no longer

the defining principle

of the life of the believer.

If the Mosaic law

is like a guardian,

then by definition

it was not a permanent guardian

since the job of the guardian

was over when the child

was grown up.

Though the believing community

learned much from the law,

just as a child

learned manners

from his guardian,

the law had the important job

of taking us to school,

of leading us to Christ.

So this is the point of the law

Paul is arguing here

in Galatians, right?

To move us along,

to bring us up

into adulthood, right?

Into a proper understanding

of the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

It prods us

in that direction.

So,

the law exposes

our sinfulness

that we might

by faith

believe in Christ.

Verse 16,

that is why

it depends on faith.

In order that the promise

may rest on grace

and be guaranteed

to all his offspring,

right?

The faith that is granted

by grace.

God,

in his loving kindness,

saving a people

for his praise.

Not only to the

adherent of the law,

but also to the one

who shares the faith

of Abraham,

who is the father

of us all.

We are justified

by grace alone,

through faith alone,

in Jesus Christ

alone, right?

Beloved,

this is of dire

importance.

And brings us

to our next point.

Let's observe

some things

about Abraham's

faith.

So,

the object

of Abraham's

faith.

Verse 17,

as it is written,

the text says,

and this is from

Genesis chapter 17

Genesis 17 · chapter mention

and verse 5,

I have made you

the father

of many nations.

In the presence

of the God

in whom he believed,

who gives life

to the dead

and calls into existence

the things

that do not

exist.

The object

of faith,

Paul tells us,

was the God

of the promise.

This is what

Abraham believed in,

the God

of the promise.

His faith

was not

an aimless

faith.

faith.

He believed

that God

could and would

do exactly

what he had

promised to do.

Now,

this deserves

some exploration,

so join me

in the book of

Genesis,

and let's look

briefly at the

account.

We looked at it

a bit last week.

Let's go to

Genesis chapter 15

Genesis 15 · chapter mention

and verse 1.

Genesis chapter 15.

Genesis 15 · chapter mention

Begin

reading in verse 1,

and it'll lead us

to a phrase

in verse 6,

which Paul

is recounting

for us

again and again.

He's quoting

again and again.

He believed

the Lord,

and he counted

it to him

as righteousness.

So,

beginning in verse 1.

After these things,

the word of the Lord

came to Abram

in a vision.

Fear not,

Abram,

I am your shield,

your reward

shall be very great.

But Abram said,

O Lord God,

what will you give me?

For I continue

childless,

and the heir of my house

is Eleazar

of Damascus.

He's remembering

these grand promises

that God has made,

and he said,

but I'm still childless.

How will it come

to pass?

Verse 3,

And Abram said,

Behold,

you have given me

no offspring,

and a member of my household

will be my heir.

And behold,

the word of the Lord

came to him,

This man shall not

be your heir.

Your very own son

shall be your heir.

And he brought him

outside and said,

Look toward heaven

and number the stars

if you are able

to number them.

Then he said to him,

So shall your offspring

be.

And then verse 6,

And he,

Abram,

believed the Lord

and he counted it

to him

as righteousness.

He believed,

he believed

that God would do

what God said

that he would do.

Now,

this belief

is tested

later in the book

of Genesis.

So turn to

Genesis chapter 22.

Genesis 22 · chapter mention

A number of things

have happened.

Verse 1 says,

After these things,

I encourage you

to read them,

God tested

Abraham.

What was he testing?

He was testing his faith.

Testing his faith.

And he said to him,

Abraham,

and he said,

Here I am.

He said,

Take your son,

your only son Isaac,

whom you love,

and go to the land

of Moriah

and offer him there

as a burnt offering

on one of the mountains

of which I shall tell you.

Kill your son.

Sacrifice your son.

Right?

The one whom I've said

the promise will come.

Right?

And the account says

simply this.

Verse 3,

So Abraham rose

early in the morning,

saddled his donkey,

and took two of his young men

with him and his son Isaac.

And he cut the wood

for the burnt offering

and arose and went

to the place

of which God

had told him.

On the third day,

Abraham lifted up his eyes

and saw the place

from afar.

So he takes the things

he needs,

he travels three days

and comes to the place.

Verse 5,

Then Abraham said

to his young men,

Stay here with the donkey.

I and the boy

will go over there

and worship

and come again

to you.

Very significant verse

we'll see

in just a moment.

Right?

I and the boy

will go

and here

I and the boy

will return.

And Abraham

took the wood

of the burnt offering

and laid it

on Isaac's son

and he took

in his hand

the fire

and the knife.

So they went

both of them

together.

If you read on

or if you're familiar

with the story,

we discover that Abraham

intended to follow through

on the sacrifice

of his son.

At the very last moment,

God stays his hand

and provides instead

a ram

for the sacrifice

and then restates

the promise

that he made

to Abraham.

So we pick up

in verse 15.

And the angel

of the Lord

came to Abraham

a second time

from heaven

and said,

By myself

I have sworn,

declares the Lord,

because you have

done this

and have not

withheld your son,

your only son,

I will surely

bless you

and I will surely

multiply your offspring

as the stars of heaven

as the sand

that is on the seashore

and your offspring

shall possess

the gate

of his enemies

and in your offspring

shall all the nations

of the earth

be blessed

because

you have obeyed

my voice.

Now remember,

the whole matter

was a test

of his faith

so his obedience

proved

his belief.

This is why

we have to read

and understand

the Bible

in its context.

You can simply

pull out verse 18

and go,

See?

It was the obedience

that justified him.

But if we look

at the narrative

in its total,

no, no,

it's his obedience

that simply showed

that he believed.

It's a confident belief,

an unwavering

belief

in God's providence.

It evidenced

his faith.

But it was

his faith

that was counted

to him

as righteousness.

Now with this

in mind,

I want you to join me

in a New Testament

text.

Go to the book

of Hebrews,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11.

Remember Genesis 22

and verse 5.

I kind of

pointed out

to you.

The author

of Hebrews

in chapter 11,

a chapter that

begins with a

definition of faith.

There he says,

Now faith

is the assurance

of things

hoped for,

the conviction

of things

not seen.

And he launches

into this great

hall of witnesses.

All of these

people that

by faith

were commended

before God.

And in verse 17

of Hebrews 11,

he says this,

By faith,

Abraham,

when he was

tested,

offered up

Isaac,

and he who

had received

the promises

was in the act

of offering up

his only son,

of whom it was

said,

Through Isaac

shall your

offspring

be named.

And then,

verse 5.

Verse 19

is widely

agreed to be

divine commentary

on Genesis 22,

Genesis 22:5

verse 5.

Remember it said,

Abraham said to

his young men,

Stay here with

the donkey.

I and the boy

will go over there

and worship

and come again

to you.

I and the boy

will go,

will worship,

and I and the boy

will return.

Listen to the

divine commentary

from Hebrews 11,

Hebrews 11:19

verse 19.

He, Abraham,

considered that God

was able even

to raise him

from the dead.

Abraham went

to go sacrifice

his son,

believing in God's

promise.

God had said,

It's going to be

through Isaac

that all of my

promises will be

realized.

And Abraham had

the kind of faith

that believed

that promise,

so much so

that God would

still accomplish

his purpose.

We'll just let it

read the scripture

for us.

That's okay.

So, Abraham

believed that God

could and would

do what he had

promised to do.

This is incredible.

I don't know how

you wiggle out

of justification

by faith alone.

I don't understand it.

I don't understand it.

I think, perhaps,

people have different

Bibles than

I have.

Verse 17

of Romans 4,

as it is written,

Genesis 17, 5,

that I have made you

the father of many

nations.

In the presence

of the God

in whom

he believed.

Who gives life

to the dead.

Little stars go off

in your head.

Right?

He gives life

to the dead

and calls into

existence

the things

that do not

exist.

I think here,

Paul is talking

about God's

massive might,

his bringing about

the creation

of the world,

to give us

confidence that

he can also

bring about

faith in us.

It wasn't

humanly rational

for Abraham

to think that

he could be

the father

of many nations,

but he believed

in the God

who made

the promise,

despite the

obstacles to

that belief.

So let's

consider briefly

the obstacles

of faith.

Point number

three,

verses 18 and

19,

the obstacles

of faith.

In hope he

believed against

hope that

he should

become the

father of

many nations,

as he had

been told,

so shall

your offspring

be.

He did not

weaken in

faith when

he considered

his own

body,

which was

as good

as dead,

since he

was about

a hundred

years old,

or when he

considered

the barrenness

of Sarah's

womb.

I notice

two obstacles

in these

verses.

Do you see

them?

Let's

note the

easy one

first from

verse 19.

It was not

biologically

possible for

Abraham and

Sarah to

have a baby.

Not biologically

possible.

I sometimes

just adore

Paul's writing

when he calls

Abraham here

that he was

as good as

dead.

He was

essentially a

dead man,

and then he

parenthetically

says he was

almost a hundred.

He was 99

years old.

They would

require divine

intervention for

this promise to

come true.

Abraham had to

believe that

God would

bring this

thing to

pass because

it was not

biologically

possible for

this to be

the case.

God calls

us to the

same kind

of faith,

a faith that

rests on

his word,

on the things

that he

has said

would happen,

his character

and his

promises

for us.

This is an

astounding

hurdle to

overcome.

God told him

a thing would

happen that

was not

biologically

possible to

happen and

he believed

that it

would come

to pass.

But there's

also a second

obstacle that

I notice.

There's an

interesting turn

of phrase at

the beginning

of verse

18.

In hope,

he believed

against hope.

Paul distinguishes

between belief

and hope.

They are similar,

but they are not

the same.

I'm going to

spare you the

Greek this

morning for

the sake of

time and

perhaps my

small understanding

of Greek.

Hope is the

desire for

something that

may become

true.

The desire for

something that

may become

true.

In this case,

that he should

become the

father of

many nations.

Paul says,

in hope,

he believed.

He had faith

that the thing

hoped for,

God's promise,

that he would

become the

father of

many nations

would come

to pass.

He hoped

that it

would be,

and he

believed in

hope.

Recall the

author of

Hebrews'

definition of

faith from

the beginning

of chapter

11.

Now,

faith is

the assurance

of things

hoped for,

the confidence

of things

hoped for,

good promises,

things we

would like to

see come

to pass.

hope.

So,

what does

Paul mean

in hope?

He believed

against hope.

It feels

contradictory,

doesn't it?

I think that

Paul is

communicating that

an obstacle to

Abraham's faith

was that the

promise was

such a grand,

wonderful promise

that it just

seemed too

good to be

true.

I mean,

what a thing

to hope in.

A man

with no

heir,

he's 99

years old,

he has no

heir,

no potential

posterity,

a man who

Paul says

was as good

as dead,

to hope

that he

would have

children,

and grandchildren,

and great

grandchildren.

Not only that,

but that he

would be the

father of a

thousand generations

that would

span the

globe,

and they

would belong

to God.

A grand

number for

the praise

of our

God.

What a

thing to

hope in.

Now,

I am

approaching my

mid-forties,

which is not

very old in the

grand scheme.

It's far away

from 99.

But I can

already feel a

tug in my

soul to make

my last

years last.

I want to

leave behind a

rich legacy

of faithfulness

to our God,

which expands

beyond my

biological

children,

and grandchildren,

and great

grandchildren.

That's one of

the reasons I

love pastoring

a church.

I love that

you're having

children,

and we're

raising up

generations that

we are

endeavoring

prayerfully,

and fervently

to see be

faithful for

our God.

Maybe this is

why I

sometimes wear a

cardigan and

start to forget

things,

because I'm

looking forward

to where we

might go

someday.

What a

thing to

hope in.

The thing

that Abraham

was hoping

in was much

higher.

He was going

to be the

father of

the nations

that would

praise God.

What an

incredible,

lofty thing.

So in hope,

Abraham believed

against the

audacity of

his hope.

What a

massive promise.

It's a very

cool turn

of phrase.

In spite of

the obstacles

of faith,

he had

faith.

So let's

look fourthly

at the

nature of

faith.

We're going

to land the

plane very

soon.

Verse 20

and 21.

No unbelief

made him

waver concerning

the promise

of God,

but he grew

strong in

his faith

as he gave

glory to

God,

fully convinced

that God

was able

to do

what he

had promised.

So let's

note two

things about

the nature

of faith.

And we've

said this

to some

extent already.

Number one,

faith is

unwavering.

Notice in

verse 20,

no unbelief

made him

waver.

And in

verse 21,

he was

fully

convinced.

Now,

I don't

think that

he had

no doubt

ever.

In fact,

if you read

the account,

there's some

doubts that

creep in.

I don't

think this

is suggesting

that he

never had

any unbelief,

that his

faith was

absolutely

perfect.

I think we

see Abraham

have some

weak faith,

but it

ultimately

did not

cause him

to abandon

his faith.

He was

fully

convinced

that this

grand thing

that God

had promised

would come

to pass.

John Calvin

wrote of this

text,

Believers

are never

so enlightened

that there

are no

remains

of ignorance,

nor is

the heart

so established

that there

are no

misgivings.

Secondly,

notice about

the nature

of faith,

that faith

grows as

we center

it on

God.

Paul says

he grew

strong.

He grew,

which means

there was

a process.

He started

at one

point and

grew strong,

got stronger

in his

faith as

he gave

glory to

God.

Beloved,

the meter,

the measure

of your

faith,

the place

that you

focus your

attention,

should not

be on

your self.

It should

not be on

your

performance.

It most

certainly

should not

be on

your

feelings,

but should

be centered

on God,

the one

who is

unchanging

and the

one who

made

the promise.

His faith

grew and

our faith

will grow

as we

center our

faith

on God

himself.

Fifthly,

and lastly,

the result

of faith,

verse 22

through the

end of

the chapter.

That is

why his

faith was

counted to

him as

righteousness.

But the

words it

was counted

to him

were not

written for

his sake

alone,

but for

ours also.

It will

be counted

to us who

believe in

him who

raised from

the dead

Jesus,

our Lord,

who was

delivered up

for our

trespasses and

raised for

our

justification.

the salvation

of Abraham

and the

salvation of

all his

spiritual

offspring.

This is the

result of

faith.

Paul will

speak of

Jesus'

active

obedience to

the law

in chapter

5.

Here he

focuses our

attention on

his passive

obedience,

his sacrificial

death on

our behalf,

and his

third day

resurrection.

Jesus died

in our

place,

took the

wrath of

God on

himself that

we deserve.

And he

rose three

days later

proving that

he is the

Christ.

Paul here

helps us to

see that

God's promise

to Abraham

is fulfilled

in the

person and

the work of

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

He'll write

later in

Romans chapter

Romans 10:9

10,

verse 9

and 10,

if you

confess with

your mouth

that Jesus

is Lord,

and believe

in your

heart that

God raised

him from

the dead,

you will

be saved.

For with

the heart

one believes

and is

justified,

and with

the mouth

one confesses

and is

saved.

saved.

So we

believe and

confess that

the Bible

alone teaches

us that we

are justified

by grace

alone,

through faith

alone,

in the

person and

work of

Jesus Christ

alone,

all to the

glory of God

alone.

Let's pray.

as