Counted Righteous

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." 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? 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. 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 are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. - Romans 4:1‭-‬12 ESV

Rev Dwight Yoo

Case studies

Abraham was looked as an example. There were extra-biblical Jewish texts that made Abraham appear to be perfectly obedient. If this was so, then Abraham would have grounds to boast. But even so, his obedience would not be up to God's standard. So Paul points to an interaction between God and Abraham,
"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Abraham had no inherent righteousness. He could not have been obedient to the law. The codified Jewish law starting with the ten commandments was not yet written.

David was seen as the ultimate king. But as the king, he committed both adultery and murder. He says it himself, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

We are counted righteous. It is a declaration. Much like a court judgement, to be declared guilty and not guilty. It does not mean a person is innocent. It means that they are treated by the government and the court as innocent. We know of guilty parties declared not guilty. So it is with the Christian. We are sinners, flawed and twisted beyond measure. But we are judged righteous. We are simultaneously sinner and saint. We are credited with the righteousness of Christ and he pays for the penalty of our sin.

Communal impact

Circumcision does not save. It is an outward sign of salvation. Much like baptism, it symbolizes the inward work of God. It almost looks like faith saves. But it is not a work, faith is not what saves. The object of our faith is what saves. It also changes the nature of Abraham. The Jews saw him as the great divider between the people of God and the gentiles. We see him as the father of those who place their faith in God and Jesus. We are united as a family regardless of race/ethic group, culture, socio-economic, or other things that divide in this world. We are all one family in Christ.

The Righteousness of God

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. - Romans 3:21‭-‬31 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Luther calls this passage as the center of this epistle and the main point of the bible. This is what is needed to be a Christian. But not only that, we need it to impact us more and more in our daily lives.

We are saved by faith alone, Christ alone, for God's glory alone.

How can I be right with God?

All the major religions attempt to answer this. The fine details differ between each religion. But outside of Christianity, they all say basically the same thing. There are things we must do to earn God's favor. Paul dismantles this method. We cannot gain God's approval by our performance.

If we depend on our performance, then we are continually insecure. Our performance will plague us. We must prove ourselves worthy time and time again.

Christianity says we are saved by faith. But we must understand what faith is. It is more than intellectual assent & agreement. We must throw in our lot with Jesus such that he becomes our only hope. But faith must be more than certainty, we must reach out and grasp it. It is not a strong faith that we need. A weak faith in a solid foundation is more sure than a strong faith in a weak foundation. God does not approve of us by the strength of our faith, but rather because of the object of our faith, Jesus. The resurrection power that worked in Jesus is what saves us;not the strength of our faith.

Christ is our propitiation

We seek redemption for our sin. That is our propitiation. In the old testament, the people sacrificed animals for their sins. But can this truly cover over our sins? No, it cannot. It is a foreshadow of the death of Jesus on our behalf.

Redemption

In the author's time, there were no bankruptcy laws. If someone got into debt and could not repay, they would go into slavery. Often, their families became slaves as well. If they had a rich relative, this relative could redeem them. They would go to the temple and pay their debts. Jesus is our redemption. We are slaves to sin and Jesus pays the price of our sin.

Judgment

A sin against God is more ultimate. Assault against a head of state is much more than assault against a citizen. The just punishment of a sin against an infinite God is infinite punishment. So Jesus, a person of infinite worth, absorbs the infinite punishment on our behalf.

Not only that, but Jesus also gives us the credit of a perfectly lived life. Not only are our sins wiped clean, but Jesus lived the perfect life for us as well.

We add nothing to Jesus' work on our behalf. If we added anything to this work, we would not be receiving a gift, but a paycheck. So we bring nothing to the transaction but our need. We have no grounds to boast whatsoever. The Gospel gives us no room to do so.

Boasting is good indicator of the understand of the gospel and how it grasps us. Not just proud behavior, but less obvious things. Do we compare ourselves with others? Do we look at things that set us above other people? We are seeking self worth. Road rage. Pride in our parenting. A Christian's worth comes as a gift from God through Jesus. And it results in a heart that makes much of God and boasts of Jesus, the one worthy of all glory and all honor.

Case Closed

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, "That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged." But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For 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." "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.- Romans 3:1‭-‬20 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

All mankind is justly deserving of God's wrath. Regardless of whether we are religious or irreligious, we all deserve wrath.

Case closed: mouths closed

Paul is trying to make a case that both Jews and gentiles were guilty. He wants to address anyone who would make any excuse. He addresses the Jews and the the law and the circumcision. These advantages do not save us from our guilt before God. Man is under the dominion of sin. It is not just things that we do. Because of this dominion, all our desires are twisted and turned from God. We should have a reverent love for God. Rather we want to run away.

Open hands, open hearts

We are justified by nothing other than Jesus and our faith in Him. It is only the grace of God that saves. We only need to acknowledge our need for salvation and turn to Jesus. The only thing that stands in the way is our "good works", our self delusion.