Righteousness – A Credt – Sermon 16 MArch, 2014

Righteousness – A Credit

In the reading we had this morning Paul is seeking to clarify the way of salvation as being by grace through faith rather than by obedience to the law. He has contended that the believer finds a condition of acceptance before God on the basis of faith rather than by the works of the law (3:24, 28). He spends a lot of time on justification because by our nature we try to clothe ourselves with righteousness in the form of “fig leaves”, but we are not truly clothed with righteousness until God does the clothing.

People in the Old Testament were saved by faith just as we are. They looked forward to the cross, and we look back to it. Hebrews 11 uses the term by faith 21 times in reference to how Old Testament saints were saved.

Abraham, the father of the faithful, illustrates this truth.

1. Abraham received justification on the basis of his faith before he received circumcision

The word justification is a legal term and refers to the activity of God. It is that act of God in which He declares one acceptable in his sight. God justified Abraham on the basis of his faith. Also Paul affirms that the covenant relationship was established prior to circumcision. Circumcision followed justification rather than justification following circumcision.

2. Abraham received the divine promise before the giving of the Law

Abraham preceded Moses by four hundred years. There was no way by which he could have kept the Law of Moses and as a result received divine promise. Israel had made a fatal mistake of substituting the Law of Moses for the faith of Abraham as a way of finding favour in the presence of God. They substituted law for faith.

Abraham was before the law, and David was under the law, and we are after the law, but in all 3 periods, God’s requirement is faith.

Paul wants to make it very clear that this is not some strange new doctrine that will leave his Jewish friends drifting on the sea of life holding onto an anchor instead of a life vest.

To talk to Jews, you have to mention Abraham, their father of virtue.

He was justified by grace through faith.

What did Abraham find? Every Jew knew the answer: Righteousness, an inheritance and children.

If it was by his own self effort he has bragging rights before man, but not before God.

Notice where Paul gets the answer: Genesis 15:6 “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness”. God said look at the stars, you’re not just going to have the one son you’ve been praying for, but a multitudes of them, more than the stars in number. In simple childlike trust and faith he believed God, and that’s when he was saved.

This is the one time event where God declared Abraham to be righteous. But did he always live righteously in a practical sense? No, he got impatient and took Hagar and fathered Ishmael, father of Islam. Then he treated Hagar shamefully. And he lied about his wife Sarah twice…all of this was after God declared him righteous.

When we become a Christian, we don’t become perfect, just forgiven. Does that mean we can live any way we want? No.

Paul also gives the example of David. To have a second witness and that he lived later, under the law. He sinned wilfully, adultery, murder, deceit and yet he found forgiveness. And it was by grace, through faith, not by works or penance.

So, why is it that salvation has to come by faith?

1. We cannot save ourselves by doing certain things.

If there was anything we could do to save ourselves then God would be obligated to give it to us. He would be in debt to save us. But God will not be in debt to any man.

2. Man is incapable of reaching God’s standard of righteousness which is complete perfection.

3. No matter how good our works might be, they don’t pay the sin debt, which the Bible says is death. The wages of sin is not baptism, offerings, church membership or good deeds, but it is death!

4. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross would be in vain. If there is any other way to be saved, then God should have used that plan, and His Son died in vain. It would have been foolish to come and die. But He did because there was no other way.

The primary purpose of the gospel is not for man’s benefit, and to keep us out of hell. That’s a great purpose, but the primary purpose was to glorify God.

Probably you have heard the following sayings:

“Come to Jesus with your problems and let Him solve them.”

“Feel empty, let Him fill you up.”

“Let Jesus save you from hell.”

All of these are true and good, but we should be able to say to people – “You were created by God for His glory, you’ve turned from Him and need to be saved, and if you do, it will bring glory to Him as your creator and redeemer, and you should do it because it’s the right thing to do, not just for you, but for Him who offers it to you!“

God gives us a new heart.

“White Paint” – Imagine you have a can of pure white paint. Then you put just a small amount of black paint in it. It is then forever grey. Not matter how much you add more and more white, it will still have a grey tint.

The only way to remove the grey is to start again with a new can of white.

That is the understanding of the doctrine of righteousness and justification. God doesn’t clean our old sinful heart; He gives us a new heart that is spotless.

Paul is giving us a clear picture of how God’s righteousness is given to us through Jesus Christ. The sad thing is that many people don’t realize it and they are still trying to merit heaven by their good deeds.

Our rescue was accomplished on a cross two thousand years ago, we must simply realize it and accept it.

Max Lucado has said: “The only contribution you make to your righteousness is your own confession and admission of sin.¨

The true righteousness should be a credit for us.

Krikor Youmshajekian