Have you ever gotten a flyer in the mail saying to come by a store or showroom and receive a free gift. Since often these things are not exactly as they seem, we might wonder if there is some catch. Will we have to make a purchase, or sign up for some subscription, or watch some presentation in order to get the “free gift”, or are they being honest, and no purchase is necessary. Just show up and get your gift. People have wondered about that regarding salvation. Is it really just believe and one is saved, or do we have to do all sorts of works in order to be saved? All too often various groups have tried to teach that there are certain things one must do in order to be saved. However, in our Scripture today we will see exactly what God has said in His Word about this matter.
As we open our Scripture, Paul gives us the example of the Patriarch Abraham for us to look at. He is the most revered figure in Jewish history, and Paul uses him as an example to prove that faith, and not works, has always been God’s way of salvation, for if Abraham was justified by faith, then no one can claim salvation by keeping the Mosaic Law or any other type of works.
If Abraham, or any of us for that matter, were justified by our works, then we could boast about that (vs. 1-3). One could brag that they went to church every time the doors were open, never missing a single time. Another could brag about how much money they gave in the offering. And another could brag how they never broke a single commandment in the Bible. However, we cannot boast before God. Abraham, our spiritual father, believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6). The word “accounted” in verse 3 in Greek is “logizomai”, and is an accounting term. God credits righteousness to the believer’s account. Justification is a legal declaration, not a reward.
As we continue, Paul contrasted two systems - those of works versus faith (vs. 4-5). They are mutually exclusive. Works are wages that are owed to you. You worked for them. Whereas faith is the righteousness credited to the ungodly without their having to work for it. God justifies the ungodly, not the morally impressive. This is the heart of the Gospel, that God saves sinners, not the self-righteous.
Paul then goes on to quote Psalm 32:1-2 where he states that God will forgive the sins of those who come to Him, and not impute, or put them on the account of that person. Justification has two sides. On the negative side, God removes the guilt of the sinner. On the positive side, He imputes or credits the righteousness of Jesus to them.
In the days of the very early Church, there were some who went around teaching that one could not be genuinely saved unless they kept the Mosaic Law, particularly they stressed that of being circumcised. Paul very clearly answers that argument by referring to when Abraham was justified, and that it was before he was circumcised by several years (vs. 9-12). The ritual of circumcision was described in Genesis 17. Abraham believed God and was justified by faith in Genesis 15, which is before chapter 17. Circumcision did not contribute to his salvation, and we see that rituals cannot save. Abraham is the father of all who believe - circumcised or not. There is no religious ceremony, whether it is baptism, communion, or any other, that can justify us. We should be baptized and receive communion, but they do not save us.
God made a promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (Genesis 17:4-6; Genesis 22:17). This promise was not by keeping the Law of Moses, which was given over 400 years later. This promise was given through the righteousness of faith that Abraham had. If we had to keep the law, whether the Mosaic Law or any list of works that some denominations say we should keep, in order to be saved, then faith is void and God’s promises would be meaningless. The Law reveals sin, but it cannot remove it.
Paul concludes that the promise is by faith, by grace, and it is certain (vs. 16-17). If salvation depended on human performance, no one could be certain. How would we know if we had done enough works? Would it be one a day, ten a day? However, because it depends on God’s grace, the promise is secure for both Jewish and Gentile believers.
So as we see through our Scripture today, justification is by faith alone. Salvation has always been by grace through faith. It has never been by works, rituals, or keeping the Mosaic Law. Abraham was justified by faith apart from any works, and all who believe, whether Jewish or Gentile, are saved the same way.
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