Romans 4:1-25
Now, to briefly summarize chapter 4 I ask the Evangelical and the religious
world the following questions: What shall we then say that religion
and the evangelical church has found pertaining to the law? Do they
have anything to glory about? Have they been justified by works? Can
they glory before God? Was grace and righteousness reckoned to them
because of their works? Has the blessings of righteousness been imputed
to them because of their good deeds? Have their sins been forgiven because
they believed?
Did God's blessings come upon them because of what they've done? Are
they the only one's who God sees as being children of promise? Aren't
Christians acting like the Jews of Paul's day by pointing out other
people's faults, justifying themselves by their own righteousnessand
claiming that only those who believe have God as their Father? Is Jesus
the heir of the Evangelical's only? How can they serve a law that produces
wrath and deny the Lord of grace who freely justified them by grace
apart from any of their works? How can they serve the law when there
is no law?
What is it that the law worketh? Friends, Paul continues to make his
point by using the word "therefore" in verse 16, and saying that it
is all of faith (Christ's faith not man's) that it might by grace (Eph.
2:8-10) to the end the promise might be sure to ALL the seed;, not to
the Jews only, but to the (Gentiles) also which are of the faith of
Abraham; who is the father of us ALL. Now, if there has ever been
a witchcraft doctrinal message of heresy preached from the Evangelical
Charismatic pulpit, it would have to be none other than the out of context
usage of verse 17.
The Nobel Hayes, Hagin's, Copeland's, Dollar's, Robert's, Tilton's,
Hinn's, Popoff's, Parsley's, and everyone else who teaches like them
have corrupted, raped, insulted, mislead, and taken credit for what
God quickened and called and did according to Paul in verse 17. It was
God who quickeneth the dead and called those things which be not as
though they were. It wasn't Abraham. It wasn't any of these 'word of
flakes' deceiving lying idiots and it is not you and I who call those
things which be not as though they were. It was God who made Abraham
a father of many nations.
All Abraham ever did was believe that God could do such things. It was
God who counted Abraham as being righteous apart from the fact that
Abraham had done nothing right. The message here in chapter 4 of Romans
is that it is all of faith by grace apart from the law of dead works.
That since the law has been fulfilled in Christ there is no wrath or
punishment coming from God. God's reward to everyone is one of grace.
Righteousness is a gift that cannot be earned through the works of the
law. Galatians 2:20-21. Paul tells us in verse 18 that Abraham became
the father of many nations because of what God had spoken concerning
His seed (Jesus).
Abraham had believed what God had promised concerning the seed (Jesus)
who would come to fulfill the promise made to him. Galatians chapter
4. God had made a promise to Abraham that even though he was up
there in years, and his wife was dry and shut, yet God would use what
Paul called in 1 Corinthians's the "base things." Read 1 Corinthian's
1:25 through 29. Abraham believed that even though he was up there in
years, and his wife had been dried and shut, that God was able to keep
His promise to him. To make anything more out of these verses than what
they are, is to insult the Spirit of Grace.
Abraham gave all the glory to God for what God had promised and done.
Abraham did not have to perform for God, nor get circumcised, nor do
all of these goody, goody, juicy fruity religious works of self-righteousness
in order to get God to fulfill what He had promised. God promised it,
and it was God who performed it, and Abraham and his wife just stood
by and watched it all happen. That's why Abraham gave the glory to God.
He did not brag, boast, worked, nor struggle with false confessions
of faith in order to get God to do what God had already promised that
He would do.
Even if Abraham had staggered in unbelief, if he had been weak in faith,
if he had been young, if he had done everything right, if he had kept
the law or not kept the law, was strong or weak in faith, God would
have still accomplished what He set out to do regardless of man's condition
and position. God would have imputed righteousness to Abraham even if
Abraham had done it all wrong. Paul called it God's goodness, forbearance
and long-suffering. Romans 2:4. Now, notice that in verse 23 Paul again
makes it clear to the Jews and the Evangelical Church that God's righteousness
went beyond Abraham.
That the promise of imputed righteousness and the seed of promise was
not only for Abraham's sake, nor for those under the law, but also for
them who weren't circumcised (Gentiles). Now, the part that once again
chokes people, and bring doubt to their minds concerning the Gospel
of God's Grace as being for all, is the phrase found in verse 24 "If
we believe on Him (God) that raised up Jesus from the dead."
Many of the "Far-you-see' and 'Sad-you-see' Jews did not believe in
the resurrection. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Here is verse 24 of Romans
chapter 4 Paul is talking to Jews who doubt the resurrection.
Evangelical Christianity has made a 'have to believe' erroneous doctrine
out of this verse and have led themselves and others to believe that
this proves that one has to believe in order to be saved. Again, if
that be the case then all of the disciples are forever lost since all
denied and were found in unbelief when Jesus went to the cross. Friends,
Paul says in verse 25 that Jesus was delivered for our offenses, and
raised for our justification. It was God who decided and out of His
own free loving will who did such a thing for all of humanity. Justification
is not earned.
Just as righteousness was freely imputed apart from anyone believing,
or earning it through the law of Moses, so was justification. It was
God who chose to deliver Jesus to death for the remission of everyone's
sins, and it was God who chose to raise Jesus from the dead to justify
(just as if we had never sinned) everyone before His throne of grace
and count us all as being righteous in His sight without spot, blemish
or wrinkle. It was all a promise of God. It did not come through the
law. It did not happen because we believed, and it wasn't any of our
self-righteous works that brought about what God had already promised
way before the foundations of the world. Eph. 1:4
To be continued....
Grace N Peace
Eddie Narvaez